Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

Do you love strawberries?  Do you love rhubarb?  How about mixing those two into a pie filling?
My rhubarb plant is flourishing and begging to be used.  So I added strawberries to the grocery list and headed off to the grocery.  Once home, I harvested a bunch of rhubarb, tied on my favorite apron and got busy in the kitchen.

Once the pie filling was mixed, I made the pie crust.  Yes, I made the crust. I'm not a fan of readi-made crusts but will admit that I've used them in a pinch, but nothing beats homemade pie crust.
Lard makes the best pie crust, so add that to your shopping list and ditch the hydrogenated oil (Crisco).  You will be amazed at how tender and flaky your crust will be.

In case you don't have a rhubarb plant growing in your garden, I noticed at the market that they had a nice supply of rhubarb, so if you'd like to try the recipe you should be able to find both the rhubarb and strawberries at your local market.

Low Carb Rhubarb Custard Crisp

I'm a skeptic.  Yep, it is just my nature.  This recipe was one that caught my eye and I adore Rhubarb and they had a lovely supply at the local Sprouts market that I couldn't resist buying.  I had pinned this recipe that I wanted to try and alter just a bit for carb reduction.  However, the fact that the fruit filling contained cream cheese had me a little unsure whether I would like it or not.  I like cream cheese and all, but I just wasn't convinced it was a good option for mixing into the filling.  Well, I conquered my skepticism and gave the recipe a try and while it is not like your traditional "crisp", it is very good. The recipe really is more like a light custard pie with a crisp-like topping.  This is another recipe that I adapted from http://mariamindbodyhealth.com/.  I find her recipes to be very dependable on results and taste.

I'm anxiously awaiting spring and seeing the rhubarb in my garden push it's way through it's winter blanket of compost.  I will be coming back to this recipe when I have my first spring rhubarb harvest!

Rhubarb Blueberry Skillet Pie

This recipe came along as a whim because I have a flourishing rhubarb plant in my landscaping around my back patio and a couple of pints of blueberries in the fridge.

Fresh rhubarb is one of my favorite parts of spring.  I always anxiously await those first stalks breaking through the ground.    I like strawberry rhubarb, so I thought why not try mixing it with the blueberries and see what happens.


I'm a huge pie fan.  Given a choice, I'll pick pie over cake any time.  I have to admit I was blown away by this combination as was by boyfriend.  He's pretty used to my cooking and baking, and will often comment that something is good.  However, last night when he had his first bite of this pie, he exclaimed "Wow, this is good!".  So there's your endorsement!  Grab your iron skillet, harvest some rhubarb from your garden, farmer's market or local grocery, and make yourself a skillet pie!

Strawberry Rhubarb Freezer Jam

I previously posted that I have a bumper crop of rhubarb this year and I am so thankful!   In addition to freezing some for pies, this lovely ruby colored jam slathered on toast or atop a scoop of vanilla ice cream will surely conjure up wishes for the arrival of spring during the cold chilly winter months.

This recipe is not mine.  Rather, it is one that I found on Lee Drummond's website, known to the blogger world as The Pioneer Woman and decided to give it a try.   A friend of mine shared this website with me last year.  Thanks Andrea!

If you haven't seen the website, when you get a few minutes, relax and take a look. I think you'll enjoy it.

This recipe makes a lovely freezer jam with minimal ingredients and minimal trouble.

Strawberry-Rhubarb Freezer Jam

Yield:  6 pint jelly jars

Ingredients:

8 cups chopped rhubarb

3 cups granulated sugar

1/2 cup + 4 teaspoons of Strawberry Jello (buy the large box - you'll have leftovers)

Directions:

1. Wash and chop rhubarb.
2. Place the rhubarb in a large heavy pan and mix in the sugar.
3. Let the rhubarb and sugar mixture sit for 2 hours to bring out the juices in the rhubarb.
4. Turn the heat up under the pot and bring the mixture to a boil.
5. Stir and boil for 5 minutes.
6. Stir in the Jell-O and mix well to dissolve the Jell-O.
7. Ladle the mixture into pint sized jars. Wipe the lids and place on the ring.
8. Cool to room temperature.
9. Place jars in the freezer.

Note: Use tempered glass jars so they can be placed in the freezer.



After 2 hours

Be sure to put one jar in the fridge because you are going to want to sample this beautiful jam right away!

Strawberry Rhubarb Freezer Jam

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

Spring has arrived and with it a bumper crop of rhubarb.  I have two hills and that looks like it will be enough to keep me in rhubarb this spring as well as the fall and winter if I tuck some away in the freezer.

To get started I harvested a few stalks in hopes of gathering just the right amount, no more, no less, than I needed for the pie.  This time I was lucky and had just the right amount to make about 4 cups, just enough for my recipe.  I then washed and hulled the strawberries and made the pie crust.


My recipe is adapted for a deep dish 10" pie plate.  


Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

Ingredients:

4 cups sliced strawberries
4 cups sliced rhubarb
1 3/4 cups white sugar
1/3 cup instant tapioca
1 squeeze fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
1 recipe pastry for a 10" double crust pie

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).  Place your pie plate onto a foil lined baking sheet.
2. Mix the strawberries, rhubarb, sugar, tapioca and lemon juice in a bowl and let stand for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Line your 10" pie plate with crust; pour the filling into the bottom crust.  Dot with the small pieces of butter.  Cover the filling with the top crust.  Crimp edges together and cut slits into the top.
4. Bake in the preheated oven 40-45 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbling.

Top with fresh whipped cream or vanilla ice cream and serve.