Aryn Henning Nichols

It’s a baking kind of day here in the Driftless Region. I don’t know about you, but there are about six ripe bananas in my freezer that need to get used, and my rhubarb is on its very last stalks. Since we’re officially into summer now, let’s say goodbye to spring. Go ahead and pull that last rhubarb up, warm the kitchen (I’m seriously wearing a fleece right now), and make this yummy treat!

This has been my go-to rhubarb recipe since it was introduced to me in 2009. It’s called a torte, but it’s unlike any torte I’ve ever made before. My grandma has a similar recipe, but this one is from my good friend Kristin Torresdal’s grandma, Grace Torresdal . If you do it right, it creates a magical top crust all by itself! Try it out, and please let me know if you have any questions.

Rhubarb Torte by Grace Torresdal (transcribed by Kristin Torresdal)
*For a 9×9 pan

Preheat oven to 350

• Wash and cut rhubarb (recipe calls for 2 cups but Grandma says she usually uses close to 3)
• 1 c. cake flour (or improvise and use 1 c. minus 3 tbsp regular flour); and then add 3 tbsp corn starch…this approximates consistency of cake flour
• 5 tbsp powdered sugar
• 1/2 c. butter

MIX AND BAKE CRUST 15 mins @ 350 degrees (Ed. note: It seems pretty crumbly when you put it in the pan, but once you pat it down and bake it, it does indeed form a solid crust. Sometimes I bake it a few minutes longer because I like my crust to be nice and firm…)

WHILE BAKING CRUST, MIX THE FOLLOWING IN THE ORDER GIVEN

(Ed. note: that “order given” part is really important. Mix each ingredient after you’ve added it – this seems to be the secret to the crust “magically” appearing in the oven.)

• 2 eggs
• 1 3/4 c. sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 c flour (regular, not cake) – Grandma says ‘I throw in an extra, heaping tsp because otherwise it can get runny…especially if we’ve had rain lately and the rhubarb is moist)
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• Rhubarb (2-3 cups, as you prefer, cut up)

Spread the filling over the crust and bake @ 350 for 30-35 minutes – Grandma says it generally takes hers 35-40 minutes because she doesn’t like it too runny…and top gets crispier…in that case, I recommend letting it sit a bit so the rhubarb juices from below rise to the top…yum!
Serve with ice cream or cream (if you can possibly handle any more sweetness!)

 *9×13 INCH PAN RECIPE (follow steps above using the measurements below)

• 1 1/2 cake flour (it’s still adequate to take out 3 tbsp regular flour and replace with 3 tbsp corn starch)
• 7 1/2 tbsp powdered sugar
• 3/4 c butter
• 3 eggs
• 2 5/8 c sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/8 c flour (heaping tsp extra)
• 1 1/8 tsp baking powder
• 3-4 c rhubarb, cut up

I know Kristin, her grandma, and of course the team at Inspire(d) hope you enjoy this recipe, and this lovely, cool day!

XO,
Aryn

The Push/Pull of Parenthood

It never fails.

Roxie leaves with her (usually) brushed hair floating behind her, mismatched socks on under her “rock & roll” shoes, day care bag ready to go, and a, “bye bye meatball spaghetti” yell as the door clicks closed. In her wake, there is (usually) a whirlwind of pajamas (plural), princess crowns, and tiny little ponies. Sometimes glitter.

My patience is always tested these mornings as we slowly prod our sweet toddler out the door. But the minute I turn and exhale a sigh of relief, my heart tightens. I catch my breath. It’s quiet. She’s gone. And, somehow, also: It’s quiet! She’s gone!

I’m repeatedly baffled at this. I call it the “Push/Pull of Parenthood.” I’m utterly crazy about something my kid did and utterly crazy-in-love about something my kid did, all at the same time.

Benji and I talk about it – parenting – a lot. So much talk around raising a child! It’s crazy how parenting has really grown to become this Skill you need to literally study. Except the class is all quiz/no Q&A. Being a parent makes me feel isolated and at one with the earth simultaneously. Totally content and totally restless. It’s the hardest thing and the most wonderful thing I’ve ever done. Ever. How can it be all these things, all the time?

We’re currently at this point in our lives where we decide whether or not to have another kid. Society says, “Go for it! Two or more kids is the norm! Procreate!” Logic says, “No f*&king way; it’s too hard; you’ve got a good thing going, and you should just quit while you’re ahead!” And the heart…well…the heart is a sneaky beast that doesn’t share its real feelings. It ghosts around saying, “Oh, shouldn’t there be one more little pair of legs running up that hill? Don’t you want your daughter to have a sibling? To grow? To understand how to deal with another human being in her immediate proximity, pretty much all the time?”

Hormones and hearts are often confused. And always confusing. I’m going to be 35 this month, Roxie will be four this summer, and Benji…well, he doesn’t want to be 40 chasing a baby (he’s 38 this month).

So, because I’m a journalist, I’m doing research. I’ve read the book One and Only by Lauren Sandler (an only who has an only), met with (dare I say I’ve interviewed) at least three parents of only kids here in Decorah, have chatted with parents who have two or more, have googled “should I have another child” more times than I’m willing to admit (this post is great!), and I’ve brought it up to pretty much anyone who is willing to listen (“How many siblings do you have? Do you get along? Do you have kids?” Sorry grocery store checkout person, random on the street, and four-year-old at the park!). Now, finally, I’m writing about it.

And I’m hoping to write about it more as we continue trying to find the right answer for us. That last part is key! Every family is different. That said, got any advice? I welcome any and all that doesn’t make me sad-cry. Sad-cry comments will be deleted before they hit my cerebral cortex (or whatever part of my brain controls these crazy emotions…). There’s no right or wrong, for sure, and that’s part of why I’m writing about it – it’s important for you all to know that too! Pretty much everyone I’ve talked to has said, “I don’t envy your decision!” If you’re in the same boat, I wish you luck!

More soon.

XOXO,
Aryn

As I age (turning 35 this year, whoop whoop), I glean certain bits of knowledge that I know will help me for the rest of my life.

One of those bits (or should I say bites?) is this brownie recipe.

Or perhaps it should be “knowing which types of desserts are totally worth it.” These brownies are worth it (and don’t usually make me feel like crap when I eat them)! My chocolate cake recipe falls into this wonderful category as well (lucky me!).

These brownies are ah-mazing. AMAZING! But you must promise me one thing: Don’t over bake them! Promise! If they seem a little too gooey in the center but just right on the outside, TAKE THEM OUT! That’s an order.

I usually bake these brownies in a metal 12×17 sheet pan (glass doesn’t work as well for some reason, but it will work). Then we eat some warm with whipped cream and sprinkles right when they come out of the oven (do this), we eat some the next day (the flavors always seem a little more complex), and then we freeze the rest (and eat them over the course of the next month). This is the perfect way to live life, FYI. Always with brownie bites in the freezer.

Speaking of brownie bites, these also work really well in those cute little baby muffin cups. Bake them for only 15 minutes (watch those bites!) and then, of course, shake some sprinkles on there. Then gift them to all the people you love most in the world. Brownies for World Peace.

Anyway. Enjoy this recipe! XOX – Aryn

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PRINT RECIPE HERE
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Amazing Fudge-y Cake-y Brownies with Chocolate Chunks

Ingredients:
10 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
4 tablespoons cocoa powder
2 cups granulated white sugar
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
6 large eggs
1 cup strong-brewed coffee (remember you’re making these when you make your coffee!)
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (optional) ((but do it))

To make:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and place the rack in the center of the oven. Butter (I always use the paper from the butter sticks) a 12×17 metal sheet pan.

Melt the chocolate and butter in a large stainless steel bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water (I always use my KitchenAid mixer bowl nestled right in a pan of water). Stir, stir, stir until beautifully melted. Remove from heat and stir in the cocoa powder and sugar. Next, whisk in the vanilla extract and eggs, two at a time, beating well after each addition. Whisk in the coffee as well. Finally, stir (don’t use the whisk, it doesn’t like this part) in the flour, salt and chocolate chips (if using).

Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a little batter clinging to it, and, inserted in the edges, comes out almost clean. DO NOT OVER BAKE. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack. Serve warm with whipped cream, room temp the next day, and then freeze the extra because they’re amaaaazing!

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PRINT RECIPE HERE
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