Ice Cream

There is nothing like a bowl of homemade ice cream on a hot summer day!  I have nice memories of my sisters and I our on our back porch, taking turns cranking the handle on our old freezer.  Daddy always had to finish it up when it got too stiff for us kids to turn.

We are trying out our new ice cream maker tomorrow! 

Here is a very simple but very good recipe.  I'm doubling it for our large freezer.

Ingredients

2 cups heavy whipping cream

2 cups half-and-half cream

1 cup sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

 

What to Do

In a bowl, combine all ingredients; stir until the sugar is dissolved. Freeze in an ice cream freezer according to manufacturer's directions. Yield: 1-1/2 quarts.

 

Note:  For raspberry or strawberry ice cream, substitute 2 cups fresh or frozen berries for 1 cup of half-and-half. Puree berries in a blender or food processor; stir into the other ingredients before freezing.

Pumpkin Bread

I really enjoyed my first sample of this bread and I am not a big fan of pumpkin.  So for those who like pumpkin, you probably can't go wrong!  It is about the easiest bread recipe I have ever seen, and it makes three tasty loaves. 

Ingredients

4 eggs, beaten
3 cups sugar
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cloves
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
2/3 cup water
1 cup oil (you can substitute some or all of the oil with unsweetened apple sauce)
31/2 cup flour
1 15 oz. can pumpkin  (you can also use cooked pumpkin or squash)

What to Do

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Grease and flour 3 loaf pans.  Mix everything together in a large bowl.  Bake for about 1 hour or until inserted toothpick comes our clean.  If using glass pans, reduce heat to 300 degrees.  

Easy Double Chocolate Chip Brownies

Ingredients

These will probably always be my favorite brownie!  However, I made this recipe last night for a church gathering and they were delicious and quick to make.  Dividing the chips makes for a nice chocolate batter that has chunks of chocolate too! 

2 cup (10 oz. pkg.) semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup (one stick) butter or margarine
3 large eggs
1 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp. bakins soda
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

What to Do

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 9" x 13" baking pan.  Melt 1 cup of chocolate chips with the margarine or butter on low heat in a large, heavy saucepan. Remove from heat and stir until smooth.  Add the 3 eggs and mix well.  Stir in flour, sugar, baking soda and vanilla extract.  Stir in the nuts and the remaining cup of chocolate chips.  Spread into baking pan.  Bake for 18 to 22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out slightly sticky.  Cool in pan on wire rack.  Cut into bars.  Makes about 20 bars.

I baked these in a glass pan so I turned the oven temp to 325 degrees.  It did take the full 22 minutes.

Pumpkin Bars

On my shelf of cookbooks is one that I keep partly for sentimental reasons.  It's purple paper cover is tattered and the pages inside bear testament to which recipes I actually used a lot over the years.    It's a cookbook of recipes from women who studied theology with me, or whose husbands did. 

Looking at the names next to various entries brings back thoughts of a wonderful, stressful, difficult, memorable time.  I was an almost-full-time student, employed in the data processing department. My computer-programmer-studying-for-ministry husband was usually the only other worker there.  The school was making early transitions to data processing by computer instead of by hand.  That's a story in itself.  Anyway, in addition to working and studying I was trying to be a good wife to my husband and a good mommy to two young children.

Usually I had a bit of a meltdown around mid-term.

But this cookbooks reminds me of friendships, hopes, expectations--and in some ways, stresses notwithstanding, a much more simple time of life.  Ah, the things they don't teach us in Bible colleges and seminaries.

Pumpkins are everywhere around here right now, mounded at roadside stands, piled on wagons, filling the floor at the grocery store.  These bars are best made with pumpkin you cook yourself and puree, but canned pumpkin works fine too.  Granddaughter Trinity helped make some yesterday, and proclaimed as she gleefully stirred the bowl of eggs, butter and pumpkin.  "We are making yummy pumpkin mush!"  I took them to The OASIS last night, my newest ministry endeavor, and one young man ate four...so I guess I'm not the only one who thinks the recipe was worth saving for more than 30 years.

Enough walking down Memory Lane. Here's the recipe. It originated with Linda Wolf and is one that has smudges and spots.

Ingredients for Bars
4 slightly beaten eggs
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups pumpkin
3/4 cup melted butter
2 cups sugar
2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda,
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. cinnamon (I use 1 tsp.)

Ingredients for Frosting
8 oz. package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 Tbs. light cream or half and half
About 3 cups unsifted powered sugar

What to Do
Preheat oven to 350 F.  Mix eggs pumpkin, sugar, vanilla and butter together.  Sift dry ingredients together and add to batter.  Pour into a greased 15 1/2" by 101/2" jelly roll pan.  Bake 20 to 25 minutes.  Cool.  Make frosting by combining ingredients and beating until smooth.  It may seem dry at first.  Keep beating! One of those candy-corn type pumpkin candies on tops is cute if you have them.   It is rich, so cut into somewhat small bars. Freezes well.

Aunt Betty's Coconut Oatmeal Cookies

I'm still occasionally looking through my late mother's recipe cards.  This week I found this cookie recipe, and it took me right back to a childhood visit to my Uncle Vernay and Aunt Betty's Texas farmhouse.  Oatmeal cookies are my favorite, and this is one of the best. It's the coconut!

Ingredients

1 cup white sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup softened butter
2 cups unsifted  flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
1/2 cup coconut
2 cups oatmeal

What to Do:

Cream together the butter, vanilla, eggs and sugars.  Mix in the remaining ingredients.  Form balls, place on ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake at 350 F. for 8 to 10 minutes, depending on size of cookie. Carefully remove from cookie sheet and cool,  I usually use a paper grocery bag, which also soaks up a bit of the "grease."

Note:  These are not as dense as some oatmeal cookies and will spread, so leave space on that first pan till you can judge the size.  They should be nicely browned, but not too much.  Ideally, they will be chewy on the inside and a bit crispy on the outside.

Easy Rum Cake

And here is another one.  I admit that I haven't tried it, but I have all the ingredients, and it seems so easy I thought I'd share it here.  How can one go wrong?  I plan on making it tonight, so I'll comment about how it turns out.

Ingredients
1 pkg. yellow cake mix
1 pkg. vanilla instant pudding (4 serving size)
1/2 c. water
1/2 c. vegetable oil
1/2 c. rum (light)
4 eggs

What to Do
Grease tube pan. Mix first five ingredients with mixer. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Bake 1 hour at 325 degrees F.  Leave in pan until sauce is added and all is cooled completely.

Sauce Ingredients
1/2 stick butter
1/8 c. water
1/2 c. sugar
1/8-1/4 c. rum

What to Do
Bring butter, water, sugar and rum to a boil. Pour over cake when done and still hot. Remove cake from pan when completely cool.  Top each serving with whipped cream.

Cranberry Rum Coffee Cake

A restaraunt near where I work closed.  Among various food items, I was given a large bottle of expensive rum.   Not being a drinker, I had to find some way to use it.  This was delicious!

Ingredients

1 cup Craisins (sweetened, dried cranberries)
1/2 cup butter
1 cup water
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 egg
1/4 cup cold water
1/4 cup rum
3/4 cup chopped nuts
confectioners sugar

What to Do
1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Butter and flour an 8 inch square baking pan, tapping out any excess flour.
3. In a medium saucepan, combine Craisins, butter and 1 cup water. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from burner and allow to cool to room temperature. Stir in 1/4 cup rum and 1/4 cup water. 
4. In a medium bowl, whisk together dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg) until evenly mixed. Set aside.
5. In the bowl of an electric mixer, break the egg and beat until light; stir in the cooled Craisin/rum mixture.
6.  Gradually stir in the dry ingredients mixing only until the flour is thoroughly dampened. Mixture does not need to be smooth, and may still have some lumps.
7.  Gently fold in chopped nuts. Macadamia, walnuts, pecans and almonds or any combination may be used.
8.  Bake coffeecake for 35-40 minutes or until cake tests done (a toothpick inserted in center comes out nearly clean; cake will begin to pull away from sides of pan slightly).
9. Remove from oven. Brush top with melted butter and dust lightly with confectioners sugar while still warm. Cool on wire rack for 5-10 minutes.  Run a blunt knife along side of pan and remove cake from pan.

Tip: For extra flavor, toss nuts with melted butter and sprinkle lightly with confectioners sugar and a pinch of cinnamon, if desired before adding to batter.

Oreo Truffles

Aren't these pretty?  Our four-year-old granddaughter is coming over to "help" me with a bit of Christmas baking.  I think she is going to like these!  I mean, what could be better than Oreos AND cream cheese?

Ingredients
1 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 pkg. (16.6 oz.) OREO Cookies
(If you can find a box of Oreo crumbs, you will need about 41/4 cups.)
16 oz. semi-sweet baking chocolate squares (or a comparable amt. of semi-sweet chips), melted

What to Do
Crush 9 cookies and set aside. Crush the remaining cookies. You can use a food processor, or put them in a closed plastic bag and roll with rolling pin. Mix cream cheese and cookie crumbs (except for the nine you sat aside) until well blended.  Roll into 1 inch balls (makes about 42).  Dip into melted chocolate.  You can use two forks to gently roll the balls and remove them.   Place on baking sheet covered with waxed paper.  Sprinkle with reserved cookie crumbs.  Refrigerate until firm (about an hour).  Store tightly covered in refridgerater.  Or outside in the garage if you live in a cold winter climate like we do!

Note:  You can melt the chocolate in the microwave if you watch carefully and stir several times.  It will take about 2 minutes.  Or you can use a double boiler or a metal bowl over a pan of boiling water.

Cranberries in the Snow

I found this holiday recipe at Twirl and Taste.  Sounds so fun, and anything with cranberries and cream cheese in the same recipe sounds great to me! Now the question: Is this a salad?  Or is this a dessert?  Ah, I'll file it in both places.

Ingredients
1 package raw cranberries
3/4 cup water
1 (6-ounce) box cherry flavored gelatin
2 cups sugar
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup crushed pineapple, well drained
Chopped pecans
1 (7-ounce) jar marshmallow creme
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 pint whipping cream, whipped

What to Do
Cook raw cranberries in water until tender. Add gelatin and 2 cups sugar; stir well and cool. Then add celery, pineapple and pecans. Put into a 13 x 9-inch pan (glass looks pretty and shows the colors) and refrigerate until jelled.

Combine marshmallow creme, cream cheese and whipping cream; spread on top of jelled cranberry mixture.

Best Ever Apple Crisp

My daughter's home in the country includes several apple and pear trees.  She is canning, and her kitchen has been full of the aroma of apple and pear sauce for days now!  Yum! Now that the nights are cool and the leaves are changing color, I'm thinking of baking and cinnamon and yummy apple recipes. 

Who doesn't love apple crisp?  There are plenty of recipes available for this perennial favorite, of course, but this one is tops on my list (even though it doesn't contain oatmeal and I'm an oatmeal fan).  Maybe it is the "pinch" of lemon?  Try it--you'll like it!

Ingredients for Filling
5 to 6 Granny Smith or other tart apples, small to medium
1 cup sugar
1 Tbs. cinnamon (not tsp)
Pinch of lemon peel

Ingredients for Topping
1 cup flour
1 cup sugar (I like to use 1/2 cup white sugar and 1/2 cup brown, but whatever you do is fine)
1 stick of cold butter, cut in slices
1 slightly beaten egg

What to Do
Peel, core and slice apples.  Preheat oven to 450 degrees, F.  Combine the topping ingredients in a bowl with a pastry cutter.  Mix in egg.  Set aside. 

Mix apples with other filling ingredients (an easy way to do this is to dump everything in a gallon-sized bag, seal and shake) and  pour into a 8" x 8" baking pan.  Spoon topping over apple mixture. 

Bake for 10 minutes and then turn oven down to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 35 minutes. 
Serve warm with a wedge of cheddar cheese, whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Rhubarb Cobbler

I can't help it.  Here is just one last rhubarb dessert for you.  A little bit putzy to make, but oh-so-good!

Ingredients

4 cups Chopped Rhubarb
11/2 cup Sugar
1/4 teaspoon Salt
2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
1/2 teaspoon Almond Extract (optional)
2 cups All-purpose Flour
2 Tablespoons Sugar
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
1/4 cup Vegetable Shortening Or Lard
1/4 cup Butter
1/2 cup Milk
1 Egg

What to Do

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a bowl, combine rhubarb, sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, lemon juice, and almond extract if using. Stir and set aside.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, 2 tablespoons sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and baking powder. Stir together. Add shortening and butter, then cut together with a pastry cutter.

Beat egg and milk together. Pour into flour mixture and stir with a fork until just combined.

Pour rhubarb into a buttered baking dish. Tear off pinches of dough and drop it onto the surface of the fruit, creating a "cobbled" texture. Sprinkle additional sugar over the top.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until golden brown and bubbly. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

Here's another delicious recipe for while rhubarb is still available from the garden or the store! There are many rhubarb crisp recipes available, but this is my favorite.  There's nothing unusual about what's in it, so it must be something about the amounts of the various ingredients.  It will be somewhat "wet" so it's best served in bowls.  I'm making it for our July 4th picnic tomorrow! 

Ingredients

4  c. rhubarb pieces (about 1 lb.)
2 c. sliced strawberries
1 c. sugar
1 1/3 c. flour, divided
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 c. brown sugar
1 c. old fashioned rolled oats
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 c. butter, melted & cooled

What to Do:

In large bowl combine rhubarb, strawberries, sugar, 1/3 cup flour and cinnamon. Transfer to greased 9 x 13 inch baking dish.  In another bowl combine remaining 1 cup flour with brown sugar, oats and nutmeg. Add butter and blend well to create the topping. Sprinkle topping over rhubarb mixture and bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes.  Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Apple Rhubarb Pie

Yesterday Ken came home with a bag of Granny Smith apples (purchased mainly because it gave him several cents off a gallon of gas) and announced, "I think an apple rhubarb pie would be great."  I had a bunch of rhubarb from my daughter's patch--but I never heard of apple rhubarb pie.  A little searching turned up a few recipes, and I tried this one because I had the Jell-o on hand.  It was delicious.  Slightly tart, of course, being rhubarb and Granny Smith apples, but a dollop of whipped cream was perfect.  Next time I'll try it with vanilla ice cream.  (I asked both the men in my house if I should make it a bit sweeter, and both said no.)

Ingredients

dough for a two-crust pie

2  c. rhubarb, diced
2 c. apples, sliced
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 (3 oz.) pkg. strawberry gelatin
1 c. sugar
1/4 c. flour
1/4 c. melted butter

What to Do
Roll out half of pie dough and arrange in an 8 or 9 inch pie pan.  Mix all pie ingredients together and spoon into prepared crust.  Roll out remaining dough and cover, tucking edges under and fluting. (A lattice top would be nice for this pie.) Bake at 350 F for for about one hour or until top is lightly browned and fruit is bubbly. Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Magic Coconut Cream Pie

Fun for making with children and for occasions when you are short on time but want a lovely dessert!


Ingredients:
4 eggs
½ stick butter (softened is better)
2 cups milk
1 cup coconut
½ tsp baking powder
1 cup sugar
½ cup flour
¼ tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla

What to Do:

Put all the ingredients in the blender and blend until smooth. Yes, all of them. Pour into well greased 9 inch deep dish pie pan or into a 10 inch square pan. Bake for around 1 hour (usually 5 or so minutes more than an hour) at 350 degrees F. Chill well before serving.

The crust wil be on the bottom, the custard part will be in the middle, and the coconut will be on top. Fun and delicious, (though the crust is not like a regular pie crust)

Blender Pecan Pie

This is the easiest pecan pie recipe imaginable, but I don't use this recipe because of that. It's the best! A bit less sweet than many pecan pies. Also a good pie to freeze for later. It will expand, so don't worry if your pie pan is not full before cooking.

Ingredients

Unbaked pie shell

2 eggs
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup light corn syrup
2 tbs. butter or margarine, melted
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup pecans (I use a bit more)
12 pecan halves

Fit pie pastry into pie pan and flute edges.

Put eggs, sugar, salt, syrup, butter and vanilla in blender container or food processor and blend well.

Add one cup pecans and blend just enough to chop nuts coarsely. Poor into pie shell. Place pecan halves on top.

Bake in hot oven (435 degrees) for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and continue baking until top is lightly browned, about 30 minutes.

If your grocery store stocks the kind of shrivelled, sad pecans that we find around here, allow me to suggest you order pecans from SunnyLand Farms. Worth every penny!

The Duchess' Lemon Bread

Those who have read my other blog, The Owl's Song, may know that my husband and I like to play dress up--that is we participate in what is called Rendezvousing. It is a sort of reenacting of the fur trade era, pre 1840. It was at one of these gatherings that I first met the "Duchess Anna," aka Carol Knuth. At the recent Baraboo, Wisconsin Rendezvous, the duchess (as usual) held one of her special tea parties, Victorian era style. It is a highlight of this particular rendezvous.

Along with delicious samples of tea, each party includes a few sweets as well. The Lemon Bread was so delicious I asked for the recipe and our hostess was kind enough to share it. It was light and sweet but not too sweet, and reminded me of pound cake.


Ingredients
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
6 Tbsp melted butter
1 Tbsp lemon juice
grated rind of 1 lemon or lemon peel
1 1/2 cups flour
2 level tsp baking powder
1/2 cup milk
1/2 c flaked coconut or chopped nuts

What to do:
Beat eggs. Gradually add sugar and beat well. Add melted butter, juice, salt and grated rind and blend well. Sift the flour with the baking power and add flour mixture alternately with the milk, just stirring enough to blend. Add flaked coconut (or nuts). Pour batter into greased loaf pan and bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes. Cool 10 minutes.

Carol ("The Dutchess") adds:
"You can moisten 1/4 cup sugar with lemon juice and pour over loaf. I didn't think it needed this; it seemed kind of granular. Other recipes heat the lemon juice and sugar to dissolve sugar. That may seep in top of bread nicer to give a little crunch. But for me less sugar is fine too."

Note from me:
The samples we ate did have a bit of the crispy lemon top. I liked it but have yet to try it without. The loaf for the tea party had coconut. Delicious, and part of the light texture. Haven't made it with nuts yet, but I will. This simple recipe is too good to pass up trying some variations!

Added note: I just made a loaf with 1/2 cup slivered almonds. Nice. Not sure which way I prefer. I wonder what would happen if I put in nuts and coconut? Hmmm...

Peach & Berry Pie

This pie is beautiful, and it tastes even better than it looks. I made it last week as a potential entry in a pie baking contest. It is a slightly different version of my strawberry peach pie (that won second place last year.) This was my attempt at the blue ribbon entry, but circumstances beyond my control dictated that it never got to the contest. Still, as we ate it by firelight one evening, one of our friends said, "Oh my, this is a first place pie as far as I'm concerned!" Good enough then, and I'll share it here. :-)

Ingredients
pastry for top and bottom, 8 or 9 inch pie
(lattice top would be nice for this too)
1 c. raspberries
3 c. peaches (pitted, peeled & sliced)
1 c. strawberries
4 Tbs flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
pinch nutmeg
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tbsp. butter

What to do:
Line pie pan with one pastry. Combine ingredients (except butter) and pile into pie pan. Dot with butter and cover with top pastry. Seal and flute edges and cut several slits in top. Sprinkle a little extra sugar and cinnamon on top. Cover edges with aluminum foil to prevent excessive browning. Bake at 425 degrees F. for about 40 minutes. Cool. Top with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream if desired.

Note: I used the fruit amounts above because that is what I had. I don't think it would matter if you used all peaches and strawberries (though that would require a bit less sugar) or different combinations of the three fruits, depending on what you have.

Fruit and Almond Cake

This cake is moist with a dense texture and a slightly crisp top from being sprinkled with sugar. It is easy, quick, and delicious. Great for a last-minute dessert for company, or to make when time is short.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups fresh fruit chopped into chunks
(if using frozen fruit, use the fruit frozen, do not defrost it first, otherwise the fruit gets mushy)
1 cup sugar, plus more for sprinkling
1 cup all-purpose flour, sifted (careful to sift and measure, even a little too much flour throws this recipe off)
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 eggs
1 tsp. almond extract

What to do:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease and flour a 9-inch cake pan. Scatter fruit evenly on the bottom of the pan. Mix remainder of the ingredients together in a large bowl until fully combined. Spread batter over fruit in cake pan and sprinkle sugar lightly over the top. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean.

Serve with whipped cream.

Variation

I ran out of almond extract so made this today with apples and a few raisins for the fruit, and instead of almond extract I used rum extract (Watkins makes a nice one). I omitted the nutmeg--not sure how nutmeg and rum extract would mix. I put it in a non-stick pan and turned it over to make an "upside down" cake. The rum extract was interesting and quite good, and now I don't know which way I prefer. Try both and see what you think!

Another variation that might be my favorite. Rhubarb sauce on the bottom of the pan instead of the chunked fruit. Whipped cream is a must this time. Yum!

Classic Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

Ah, Spring! A Baltimore Oriole has been spotted at the feeder, dandelions are taking over the lawn, temperatures are finally reaching the 70s and---the RHUBARB is up! I remember my first taste of rhubarb. I was about 10 and had never heard of it, but I was served a bowl of warm rhubarb sauce at the famous fried chicken restaurant at Knott's Berry Farm, Anaheim, California.

I thought it was about the most wonderful thing I'd ever tasted, and I told my mother I could not understand why we had never had it before. She had never tasted it either. We had a large and healthy stand of it by our mobile home at Trinity Bible College, and I've since learned that it is beloved in the cold states.

Here is the first of a few rhubarb recipes. This one about as simple as it gets. Sometimes simple things really are the best!

2 c. rhubarb, cut into 1 inch pieces
2 c. fresh strawberries, sliced in half
1 1/4 cup sugar
3 tbsp. flour
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
3 tbsp. butter, melted
2 eggs, slightly beaten
2 unbaked pie crusts

Mix strawberries and rhubarb together. Place on bottom crust in 8 or 9 inch pie pan. Mix other ingredients well. Pour evenly over top of fruit. Top with pie crust.
Sprinkle with sugar and a little cinnamon and put some vents in top crust.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake for 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and finish baking until rhubarb is tender. Serve with whipped cream.

Fresh Strawberry Peach Pie

This pie won second place in a pie contest this weekend (out of 16 entries). It missed first place by one point. :-) I made it over coals in a dutch oven, but I'll turn it into an oven-baked pie as best I can. I'm going to make at least one more before I can no longer get good peaches.

FRESH STRAWBERRY PEACH PIE

Heat oven to 375 degrees F.

FILLING:

3/4 to 1 cup sugar, depending on sweetness of fruit
1/3 c. all purpose flour
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg
dash salt
4 large peaches, chunked, 2 c. sliced fresh strawberries (1 pt.) cut in halves
1/2 tsp lemon juice

CRUST

Use any good pie crust recipe and make as usual except add 1 tsp cinnamon and 1 tbs. suger to the dry ingredients. Instead of a top crust I cut out a large strawberry shape (think heart except flat on top), added a few leaf shapes up top and poked holes in the crust. Sprinkle this with a little sugar if you like.

Combine fruit mixture in large bowl. Spoon filling into pastry-lined pie 9 inch pie plate. Add top crust. Cover edge with foil. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove foil. Bake 30 to 40 minutes or until crust is light brown. Cool until warm for serving.