Rhubarb Custard Pie - or, my little oasis of Heaven

Since my love of rhubarb knows no bounds, I have to share this recipe which I found in the depths of my mother's 1960 recipe box, along with about 50 other recipes that involve rhubarb.  

I love this recipe because #1 - it's really pretty simple to make (especially with the invention of the pre-made Pillsbury pie crusts) and #2 - the custard/rhubarb combination is heavenly.  Rhubarb by itself is pretty sour, and generally you need to add a good amount of sugar.  This recipe however, isn't too sicky sweet - it's perfection!

So, here is a picture of the recipe that I was facing.  I'm going to pare it down for you and make it less complicated than what you see here.  

Your list of ingredients:

1 Pillsbury Pie crust

3 large eggs

1 1/3 cup sugar

7 TB cornstarch

1/8 tsp salt

2 cups skim milk

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/4 lb rhubarb, diced

1/4 cp water

1/4 tsp cream of tartar

Here we go!
1.  Prepare the pie crust according to the package directions.  I used a metal pie pan, but any will do.  Bake it at 350 for about 10-15 minutes until it's golden.  Cool completely on a rack.

2.  Now for the Custard (not hard!)
      Separate the eggs (save the whites for the meringue at the end).  Place the yolks into a saucepan.  With a wire whisk, beat 1/2 cup of the sugar, 4 TB of the cornstarch, and the salt into the egg yolks until smooth.  Cook over low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until the mixture thickens and it comes to a boil - which will be about 10 minutes.  Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla.  Pour on top of your cooled pie crust and set it aside.

3.  Now on the the rhubarb filling:

     In a 2 quart saucepan, heat the diced rhubarb and 1/4 cup of water over medium heat and bring to a boil.  Cook for 5 minutes.  In a small bowl, combine 1/2 cup of sugar and the remaining 3 TB of cornstarch.  Stir into the rhubarb and heat again to boiling.  Cook, stirring constantly until the rhubarb is just tender and the mixture is thick and clear.  Pour over the custard which is sitting patiently on top of your pie crust.  Now onto the meringue topping!

*We are taking a little pause here*  I just had to show you all this container of Cream of Tartar.  This is what I found in my mother's cupboard - I think it's got to be from the 1960's - does cream of tartar ever go bad???  Well - I used it!  and I'm still alive - pie turned out wonderful - so, I'm guessing not.  ha.

4.  Now to make the meringue topping.  

     Heat your oven to 350 degrees.  Add cream of tartar to your egg whites in a large bowl.  Beat them on high until stiff peaks begin to form.  Beat in the remaining 1/3 cup of sugar.  Spoon the meringue over the filling and bake for 12-15 minutes until browned.

Grab a hot cup of coffee, a huge slice of your pie and ENJOY!  (Did I tell you I just LOVE pie?!)  

A Quickie Christmas Season Update

 Quickie blog posts are about all I can get in these days with the Christmas season upon this household!  A trip to Starkville, Mississippi for Thanksgiving, my little guy getting new glasses, a visit from my parents, and chance to talk to the Big Guy before Christmas Eve.......

Posing on the Natchez Trace

My girl took this one  - pretty good, huh?

Thanksgiving Fun :)

Visiting with the Big Man!

The little guy got new glasses

Visit from Indiana Grandparents last week :)

I'm still sewing like crazy, filling orders and making gifts for my friends and family.  A Carrot cake is cooling on the stove, getting ready to become Cake Balls for a party Saturday.  Refrigerator repair man is making his way back to the house for the second time in the past month (frig sounds like a jet airplane coming in for a landing).  Then, off to 3 Christmas parties this evening....... whew!

Rhubarb Cake Supreme - Total Yummy, Sweet, Goodness!

My parents have a pretty good sized garden in the back, and have always had several Rhubarb plants that have thrived there year after year.  The starts came from my Aunt Ruth I believe - probably in the 70's is my best guess (maybe 60's?  Mom?  Amanda? do you know?)  

So, each summer I like to eat a little bit since I can't find it here in Texas.  And...if I ever did find it - I doubt I'd want to pay the price for it.  My guess is it would be expense, and not taste nearly as good as it does fresh from the garden. 

So, without further ado, I'd like to share the recipe we used this summer:

Rhubarb Cake Supreme

Here's what you need:

6 cups rhubarb cut into 1" pieces

1 3 oz. box strawberry Jello

1 cup sugar

1 package yellow cake mix

3/4 cp. butter, melted

1 1/2 cup water

Start by cutting the leaves off the top of the rhubarb (unless you bought it from the store - then the leaves are probably already removed).  Discard the leaves.  Wash the stalks and cut them into 1 inch pieces.

Place the rhubarb in a 9x13 inch pan.  (Good job for little helpers!)

Mix the dry Jello with the 1 cup of sugar.  

Sprinkle the Jello and Sugar over the Rhubarb.  (Nothing complicated here folks!)

Sprinkle the cake mix over the Jello/Sugar mixure (Again, easy-peasy!)

Now, drizzle the melted butter over the cake mix. (Staying with me?)

Pour the 1 1/2 cups water over that and pop it into a 350 degree oven.  Bake for 35-40 minutes.

This is the cute little oven we used at my parent's house.  It's not an antique - but sure is cute, huh?

And, Voila!  Here you go - Rhubarb Cake Supreme - extra delicious with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream on top.  Hope you likey!

Beauty in Blogging

Can it be? I've won an award?! It is Academy Award week.....hmmm

.....well, it's not a little gold guy, but hey! I'm still honored!

Bellies to Babies presented this award to me....lovely blog I must say......check it out for some really beautiful photos.

Here are the rules of the award:

1. Thank and link the person who gave you this award.

2. Pass this award on to 5 blogs that you think are fantastic.
3. Contact blogs and let them know they've won.
4. State 7 interesting things about yourself.

So....5 blogs that I think are fantastic... Blogs that I may or may not have a little blog crush on.....Blogs that I think are well deserving......Blogs that are beautiful creations which have sprung forth from the minds of the some of the most creative, ambitious, did I say beautiful? humans beings ARE....

"drum roll please, and the Award goes to......."

Shoe Closet Life

Lavender and Limes

The Creative Crate

Stop Staring and Start Sewing

Funky Finds

And now 7 interesting things about myself. Well, I don't know how interesting they are, but here goes.

1. I worked at Walt Disney World during college in the Magic Kingdom at the Mad Hatter shop, sewing name on the back of Mouse Ears.

2. I worked in Yellowstone National Park during and after college at Roosevelt Lodge, riding horses, driving draft horse teams, drinking beer, and hanging out with my future husband!

3. I spent a semester of college living and studying in Dundee, Scotland

4. I love to bake (cookies), read books (Twlight - duh!), go to the movies (anything but horror), and listen to music (all kinds - right now in sort of a folksy, alternative mood)

5. I can wiggle my ears

6. Might like to move to California and be a Yoga instructor to the stars one day...."aaaoooommm...."

7. ummmmm.......I am really struggling here to think of something....

I'd love to be able to play the guitar and sing (with a voice that doesn't curl peoples' toes)

Oh Yeah....Momma Likey! (Frosting, that is.)

Ooh, that buttercream frosting tastes soo good! What sort of world would this be without the decadence of butter. Forget that nasty margarine, shortening, oleo goo. Just enjoy the real stuff, that's what I say anyway. (Until I step on the scale).
My girl decorated these............
After Craft Club the other night, and feeling more confident in my decorating skills, I made these cuppy cakes for Supper Club. I've told you all about Craft Club - well, supper club is similar. Four of us in my neighborhood get together once a month and bring an entree that we have assembled and frozen ahead of time - enough for 4 families. It's not as bad as you might think - first of all, we all have similar sized families (ex. no growing teenage boys, just 2 parents and 2 little people). We also put the dinners in 8x8 Pyrex dishes, ready for the oven after defrosting. That makes plenty for a family of 4, and often times we eat the leftovers another night.
Each of us has a different category - either chicken, beef, vegetarian, or chef's choice plus dessert - that was me this month. We also supply the recipe. That way you can take a red marker and put a large X through it if you hated it (just kidding, anything I didn't have to think about preparing at 5:30pm in the evening with 2 munchkins hangin on my leg tastes out of this world!) - You may just not want to prepare that meal again for your in-laws (or........ you might, depending on your level of "likey, likey"). You also get to try a variety of foods and might find something that your whole family loves - in that case take your red marker and put a big Heart around it.

For us, Supper Club is more than that though - it's just a good excuse to get together with other mommy friends and spend some time together without the kids. We also make each other's lives a bit easier by providing 4 meals/month, in your freezer, ready to go.

I made Chicken with Artichokes and Olives in the slow cooker for my entree this month. It's on the menu for dinner tonight, we'll see what everyone thinks.

Are you part of a club such as this? If so, tell me about it!

Cake Decorating with Craft Club Friends

Anna hosted our monthly Craft Club for August. We learned cake decorating this time! I've always wanted to take a class or learn more about cake decorating, but just never took the time. The colors in these pictures didn't turn out very well - they were much prettier in person.
It's been so much fun spending time with friends and learning something new in the process. I love the fact that by learning something totally new to me, I'm inspired to create new things in my own realm of sewing.

So, maybe if you're in a rut creatively. Just try something new. It jump starts certain sparks in your brain and turns your creativity back on. It also makes you want to head straight to Michaels, Hobby Lobby, or Joanns and blow a wad of money on new supplies!

Anna, thanks for a great evening. I still can't believe how late I'm getting home on these evenings (12:30 AM folks!) - that's pretty late when you've got little ones raring to go at 6am the next morning. But, it's been well worth it.

I hope I can further inspire all of you in sharing my creative outlets. I'm hosting the next Craft Club night - we'll be making aprons, of course! I'll be sure to share the pictures.

Dinner Success (My Kids Even Ate It!)

Well, since I love to read everyone else's blogs, as well as write in my own - I came across this blog post in Angry Chicken about 5 Minute Artisan Bread- so I decided to scout around and find a recipe online that I could try before purchasing the book. Well, I found a recipe that had been adapted from the book here. Gave it a try - and WOW! it's Good! And I have to say, I was not quite sure how this was going to turn out. The recipe calls for 3 cups of water - I ended up adding 4 cups because my dough looked way too stiff.
Basically, you mix yeast, salt, water, and flour together - sit it on your counter for a few hours, then bake for 20-30 minutes and voila!
My kids ate it up...and I still have a rather large amount of dough in the frig. The recipe says that it'll keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Cool, huh?
One of the best parts, is the time element. I have a hard time devoting a length of time greater than 2 minutes to anything....(think needy children crawling up my leg), so this was great. Each step just took a few minutes.


Then, I came across this recipe in The Apron Book for Put Your Feet Up Stew. I can't say I put my feet up while it was cooking, but I can say, I wasn't standing in the kitchen (just chasing around my munchkins). Oh - for the love of a crock pot!!
Anyway - I think the picture doesn't look that appetizing - but I have to tell you - once again....my 5 year old and my 19 mo. old both ate it!! Basically just sausage (I used smoked turkey sausage), green beans, onion, potatoes and cream of mushroom soup. All together fairly healthy.


Part of my feeling of success stems from the fact that my #2 has been extremely cranky lately - teething....not napping....wanting "MaMa"...all the time, my hubbie is out of town until Sunday, and my #1 is recovering from Strep Throat and Mono....so, I officially, give myself a Bozo Button for today's accomplishments! Oh! and I sold my sweet little pink and blue Apron - to Amber. Thanks Amber! Oooh - and I had both kids in bed by 7:45pm tonight!! It was a good day.