Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

 I hope you all had a wonderful Memorial Day!

Don't let the blah colors of the picture fool you. I'm not very good at taking pictures of crisp... It just looks kinda mushy & brown. But trust me - it was delicious!!

If you read my garden post, you might remember that I'm growing rhubarb & strawberries. Both have taken off & are ready to be eaten in abundance! I'm especially excited about the strawberries. Last year, I didn't do much with them because we were so busy eating them by themselves. I have a few recipes that I'd like to try this year, but I'm starting with the usuals - crisp & shortcake.

It was SO hot over the weekend, so I tried to keep this light. The flavor of rhubarb is so often overpowered by sugar, but I wanted to showcase it's tart flavor here. The strawberries add sweetness, but not a lot.

We topped ours with a version of banana soft serve. I make this a lot, but this time I tried freezing a big batch of it & we were able to scoop it out like hard ice cream. The sweetness & cold from the bananas complimented the crisp really well. I'm sure a vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt would be good as well.

Summer is officially here. Woohoo! 

Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp
Serves 6

For filling:
6-7 stalks of rhubarb, chopped
1 qt. strawberries, quartered
2 T honey
1/4 c white whole wheat flour

For topping:
1 c old-fashioned oats
3 T honey
2 T coconut oil, softened
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ginger
pinch sea salt

Preheat oven to 350*F. Spray a 8"x10" baking pan (or similar size) with cooking spray. Combine filling ingredients and add to baking pan. In a small bowl, use a fork to blend the topping ingredients until combined. Topping should be sticky. Spread evenly over filling. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until bubbly and browned on top. Enjoy warm!

Lime Rhubarb Margaritas

How was your weekend? Mine was great!

On Friday night, we enjoyed these yummy drinks while we waited to see if it was going to rain. After we decided it wasn't, we headed out for a walk. Ten minutes later, the rain came. Since we were already soaked, we just continued our walk. One of our happiest dating memories was when we went for a walk in the rain at his church's camp grove, so we love rainy walks!

Saturday I got a free food processor from a neighbor/friend. I immediately went home & made cashew butter & pizza hummus. Yum!!

I had wine & homemade pizzas with some girlfriends on Saturday night, along with some great chat time. We don't see each other often enough!

Then on Sunday, we played handbells for the last time of the season (yay for summer break!) & then went to lunch w/ the in-laws.

Since we didn't have any real plans for Cinco de Mayo, I figured it was important to at least have a margarita! These were a delicious blend of sweet & tart, with the all important hint  of tequila. If I had more patience, I would've salted the glass rims, but by the time we got to that, I just wanted to have one. :-) Feel free to experiment to suit your taste.

Cheers!

Lime Rhubarb Margaritas

Syrup adapted from 101cookbooks.com

Serves 1

1.5 oz. tequila

1 oz. triple sec

1 oz. lime juice

4 oz. rhubarb syrup (see below for recipe)

slice of lime

ice

Add a few ice cubes to a medium glass. Pour in tequila, triple sec, lime juice, and rhubarb syrup. Stir. Garnish with a slice of lime & enjoy!

Note: A salted rim would be delicious here! Wet the rim of an empty glass with your lime slice, then dip in a shallow plate of salt.

Rhubarb Syrup

Adapted from 101cookbooks.com

Makes about 3 cups

2 pounds rhubarb stalks, chopped (6-8 large stalks)
1 c raw sugar
1/2 c honey

2 c water

1/3 c freshly squeezed lime juice (3 limes)

In a medium saucepan, combine the rhubarb, sugar, & honey. Stir to coat & let set for 30 minutes, stirring now and then. The sugars should begin to pull out the juices of the rhubarb, creating a syrup on the bottom of the pan.

Add the water & simmer gently over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Simmer for about 10 minutes or the rhubarb starts to break down. Strain into a bowl through a fine-mesh strainer. Pour liquid back into the now empty pot, stir in the lime juice, & return to a simmer. Allow simmer for about 15 minutes or until the syrup starts to thicken. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Store in a glass jar in the refrigerator.  Extras can be used for more margaritas, on pancakes, with seltzer water, etc.

Note: The rhubarb pulp can also be kept in the refrigerator & used like a jam. We've had it on toast, biscuits, & by the spoonful!

Happy Day Walnut Cake

I'm a bit of a cake snob.

It took me about 25 years to realize it, but it's true.

When we go out to eat, I always get excited about the dessert tray. Most times, my eyes are drawn to the chocolate cake, always so dark & covered in plenty of frosting, but when I get it, it rarely lives up to my expectations. It's always either too dry, not chocolatey enough, or just mediocre all around. So now, I try to remember that & order something different. Or just go for ice cream. That's always a safe bet.

This cake ranks in the "something different" category. The walnut cake recipe is a traditional one that my mom gave me from her recipe cards. I believe she got it from her mom, who got it from hers, etc., so I'm not sure of the origin. I just know it's good! Mommom always served it with a fluffy white frosting & stored it in her silver cake carrier.

I found an identical carrier at our church rummage sale & just had to buy it. I love using it because it always reminds me of Mommom's cakes.

Poppop's birthday (85 years!) was on Saturday, so Mom invited my grandparents & us over for dinner on Sunday to celebrate. I offered to make the cake, & Mom said he loves walnut cake, so she shared the recipe. I'm not a fan of the fluffy frosting that's the norm, so I went a different route & made rhubarb frosting.

I love the way the flavors blend together. The hint of rhubarb cuts the sweetness of the frosting & compliments the nutty flavors in the cake. The first time I tried the frosting, it was on rhubarb cupcakes. That was good, but this was great!

Enjoy!

Happy Day Walnut Cake

Recipe from Mom's Archives, adapted very slightly

Serves 10-12

1 c all-purpose flour

1 1/4 c white whole wheat flour

1 T baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1 1/3 c sugar

1/2 c non-hydrogenated shortening

1 c almond milk

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 organic eggs

1 c chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 375*F. Grease and flour two 8" round pans. In the bowl of a stand mixer, sift together flours, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Add shortening and mix. Once combined (mixture should be crumbly), add 1/2 of the milk, the vanilla, and 1 egg. Beat for 2 minutes. Add remaining milk and egg. Beat another 2 minutes. Gently fold in walnuts. Divide batter evenly between pans. Bake for 28-30 minutes or until bake pulls away from the edges of the pan and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from pans and allow to cool completely on cooling racks before icing.

Rhubarb Frosting

Adapted from Food Doodles

1/2 c organic butter, softened

1 c pureed raw rhubarb, cooked until reduced by half & cooled
5 c powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla

In a medium bowl, beat the butter, rhubarb puree, and vanilla together to combine.  In 1 cup increments, add the powdered sugar until the frosting is thick and smooth.  Depending on how wet your rhubarb is, you many need to add addtional sugar.