Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

I made this pie today just because I felt like my husband deserved a treat of one of his favorite desserts! I did make a version of this recipe last October for his birthday and it turned out wonderfully--even though I failed to drain the defrosted rhubarb and strawberries--yikes liquid-ness! I had never before worked with rhubarb and was kind of at a loss for what to do or how to do it or if I was doing it right. But let me tell you there is no need to fret! Rhubarb is somewhat like an extraordinarily tart celery look alike. You can strip the strings off of each "branch" (or whatever the technical term would be) if you like. Simply cut the rhubarb into 1/2 inch pieces and either use immediately or freeze for later use (in which case, drain off the excess defrosting liquid!)

Ingredients

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch

3 cups 1/2 inch pieces rhubarb

3 cups sliced strawberries

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. salt

1 tablespoon butter, if desired

Directions

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Make pastry (halving this recipe for Never-Fail Pie Crust).

In large bowl, mix sugars, cornstarch, cinnamon, and salt. Stir in rhubarb and strawberries. Spoon into pastry-lined pie plate. Cut butter into small pieces and sprinkle over rhubarb. Cover with top pastry that has slits cut in it (or is latticed); seal and flute. Cover edge with 2 to 3 inch strips of foil to prevent excess browning. Remove foil during last 15 minutes of baking.

Bake about 55 minutes or until crust is golden brown and juice begins to bubble through slits in crust. Cool on wire rack at least 2 hours.

Pot Roast

Kevin had one request for dinner this week--pot roast. I think after 2 weeks of being without me or my homecooked meals, he was really needing some comfort food. Now, I have to admit this is one of the quickest and easiest meals to put together and it comes out so delicious! There are probably thousands of ways to prepare a roast, but this is my mom's way so this is how I do it!

To serve 3-4 people:

2 lb. pork shoulder (or any other cut of meat you prefer)

4 small Idaho potatoes, chopped

1/2 lb (half of the bag) of baby carrots

1/2 small onion, sliced

After sprayed the 4 qt. crock pot with cooking spray, pour in the chopped potatoes and carrots. Place the roast on top of the veggies. Arrange onion rings on top of veggies and meat. Sprinkle half a package of Onion Soup Mix over the roast and veggies. Add salt and pepper as desired. Fill with water to the level of the potatoes and carrots. Cook on high 4-5 hours or until meat and veggies are tender.

Peanut Butter Cake

To celebrate Kevin's return from his Wisconsin RNA Society Conference as well as the youth group's getting back together after what seemed like forever apart, I tried a new cake recipe from my trusty Betty Crocker Cookbook. This recipe is originally meant to be a Yellow Cake but by substituting 1/2 cup peanut butter in for the 1/2 cup butter or margarine, voila! Peanut Butter Cake! (Feel free to use the butter or margarine if you love a classic yellow cake...or as Betty Crocker calls it a "Starlight Yellow Cake." Fancy, eh?)

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 cup peanut butter

1 1/4 cup milk

3 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla

3 large eggs

Directions:

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease bottom and sides of one 9x13 inch pan, two 9 inch round pans or three 8 inch round pans with shortening; lightly flour.

In large bowl, beat all ingredients with electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds, scraping bowl constantly. Beat on high speed 3 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Pour into pan(s).

Bake 9x13 inch pan 35 to 40 minutes,

9 inch rounds 25-30 minutes,

8 inch rounds 30-35 minutes,

or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean or until cake springs back when touched lightly in center. (I kept having to check mine as it wasn't getting cooked...granted I have a tricky oven...but I think I ended up letting it cook 2 or 3 minutes too long resulting in a slightly dry cake. So keep an eye on things!) Cool 9x13 on wire rack. Cool rounds 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire rack. Cool completely--about one hour.

Frost with chocolate frosting of choice. (I admit to using Meijer brand Chocolate Fudge frosting and putting it in the mixer to fluff it up--this allows the frosting to spread further and easier.)

Black Bean Salsa

Two weeks ago I was able to attend one of my great friend's bridal showers in the Arbor. Amidst the endless variety of food, I found this delicious salsa that I absolutely loved! It's chunky and fresh and oh so healthy! Caitlin shared the recipe with me and even if you can't boil water you can make this salsa!

1/2 C. Italian Dressing

1 (14 oz) can corn, drained

1 (14 oz) can black beans, drained & rinsed

1 (14 oz) can Rotel (or off brand) diced tomatoes with green chilis

chopped onion, to taste

1 Tbsp dried cilantro

OR 3 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro (go fresh! This was my first time using the herb..it's great!)

2 cloves garlic, minced

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl and serve with tortilla chips.