Rhubarb Crisp

It is that time of year.  My rhubarb was one of the first things to poke up out of the ground this spring, and I was beside myself with joy.  You see, I grew up with rhubarb in my Granddad's garden, and my parent's garden, but this is the first time I have ever grown it in my own garden.  Watching it come up after its first dormant winter was a good thing.

Rhubarb is one of those foods that you either like or don't like.  There is no middle ground.  My son got my rhubarb loving genes, and my daughter got my husband's rhubarb "ew, yuck!" genes.  I don't quite understand my daughters aversion to the sourness.  She can eat dill pickles 'til the cows come home, but balks at the sour taste of rhubarb.  My kids were with me in the garden the other day, and when I said we would be able to make rhubarb cobbler soon, their reactions were quite the opposite.  Ross and I don't mind that they have faulty genes...it just leaves more for us!

Here is my mom's recipe for a quick and easy microwaveable Rhubarb Crisp.

Rhubarb Crisp

2 heaping cups rhubarb cut into 1" pieces
1c sugar
3T flour
Pinch salt
1 egg

In a medium bowl, beat the egg well.  Mix in sugar, flour, and salt. Add rhubarb and stir to coat the pieces.  Let stand while preparing crisp topping.

Crisp Topping

2/3 c flour
1/2 c quick oats
1/4 c chopped nuts (optional)
3T brown sugar
1/2 t cinnamon
1/4 t nutmeg
1/4 c butter

Combine dry ingredients.  Cut in butter.

Put rhubarb mixture in a microwaveable 8x8 dish.  (I dare you not to eat a piece of rhubarb coated in sugary yumminess!)  Top with crisp topping.  Microwave on high for 10-12 minutes.  Serve slightly warm.

Now you could add a scoop of vanilla ice cream or some fresh whipped cream if you want, but I don't want anything to interfere with the sweet/sour combination of rhubarb and crisp.  Speaking of sweet, as I was just typing the recipe, I realized I left out the brown sugar when I made this yesterday.  I thought it tasted a little different, but it was still delicious.

As you can see.

If you must lick your plate, make sure your kids don't see you do it!

Enjoy!

K

P90X Update Week Fourteen

Are we done yet?  That is mostly how I felt about the meal plan this week.  My husband was traveling for the third week in a row, and I didn't feel like cooking very much.  My meals were a little on the unbalanced side, and I ate way too many carbs, and not enough salads and veggies.  Not to mention the bag of Reese's peanut butter cups that was on clearance after Easter.  Why did I even buy it?  Ugh!

The longer I do this, the more I realize I don't really enjoy cooking.  I wish I loved to cook as much as PW, but the fact is, I don't.  I've tried, but I don't know what I'm missing.  It's just something that I'm not passionate about.  And unfortunately, if I don't cook, we go out to eat.  Dear hubby is not much of a chef.  Something about the smoke alarm as a dinner bell isn't very appetizing, but I do appreciate his effort, and don't complain about the blackened crusts on everything.  (Or the tuna salad with 2 tablespoons of celery seeds that he surprised me with by making one day.)

I am going to reach out to all 5 of my readers today for some help in the kitchen.  How do you plan your meals?  Daily?  Weekly?  At 5:00 when it's time for dinner?  (That would be me!)  Do you love to cook?  Or hate it?  Have you always loved it, or did you learn to love it?  What do you enjoy about cooking?  Did you luck out and marry a professional chef?  What can I do to find the passion?  Help me please!  Any tips would be much appreciated by me and my waistline.

Speaking of waistline, I gained a little weight this week (thanks, Reese's!), so now I have my work cut out for me for our final week on the program.  Final weigh in and pics are coming up at the end of the week.  Guess I better get my hiney in gear!

Have a great day!

K