I've Got Sunshine on a Cloudy Day

I love that song, but it was painful writing "I've got"... 

So, it's been a cloudy weekend for the most part...  In fact, Rudder and I were snowed, hailed, and rained on in a matter of 5 minutes on our walk today.

The sun did make an appearance at the end of the day though!  :o)

On Saturday I decided to bring some sun into my life.

I  -  made  -  sunbutter!

I had seen this sunbutter stuff on other blogs as a substitute for peanut or almond butter.  I love peanut and almond butter though, so why in the world would I want to substitute it???

Well, I found myself in the bulk food aisle of Fred Meyer's and saw that hulled sunflower seeds weren't too pricey, so I figured I'd give it a whirl.

I went for the roasted, unsalted sunflower seeds, and bought about 3 cups.

Stuck them in the trusty ol' food processor and let them go for about 10 minutes.

After about 10 minutes, you have a mushy, but not quite smooth mix.  Ya want to make sure you give it enough time to release the oils into the mix before you add anything else.

 

Then you can start adding stuff.  I added a bit of honey (maybe 1/8 cup?) to have a touch of sweetness and about 1/2 t of walnut oil to make it a bit smoother.  Also, a couple twists of the sea salt grinder.

 See!  Nice and smooooooooooooooooth!  I didn't add much oil because I'm a fan of the really thick, non-oily stuff you find at the bottom of the jar.  :o)

Stick it in a jar, then stick it in the fridge (of course AFTER you've eaten a spoonful, or two!)

Tastes delicious on sunflower millet bread!

Even better though when you add some rhubarb compote (of sorts)!

Rhubarb "compote" you ask?  Mmmmm let me share with you the recipe that is the delicious rhubarb "compote" (it's not exactly a compote, nor is it a syrup, or a jam...  it is however, delicious!)
 

Rhubarb Deliciousness:

• 4-5 stalks of rhubarb
• 1/4 c. water
• 1/2 c. sugar
• 1/8 t. ground clove

Slice the rhubarb.  Combine rhubarb and water over medium-high heat, bring to a boil.  Once boiling, add the rest of the ingredients and heat for approximately 20 minutes over medium-low to low heat.
 

Had to add a picture of the tulips.  They're looking more awesome by the day, and I am really loving having the fresh flowers in the kitchen.  :o)