Rhubarb Cobbler

My mother had six sisters (and even more brothers) and they were all excellent cooks.  Three of those sisters lived in Pittsylvania County, Virginia (think Smith Mountain Lake).   My own sisters and I were always happy to hear "we're going down in the country tomorrow".  It meant we'd have good food and even better entertainment.  They were witty these three aunts.  With a great sense of timing, they would keep us laughing throughout those visits.  

Aunt Emma would have a delicious looking cake under a glass dome when we arrived.  "I've just baked this and it has to sit three days before cutting" she'd say.   She always relented, however, and great slabs of the cake would end up on dessert plates for us.  

Aunt Ruth made the best fresh ham and her vegetables were plentiful and so good.  She said that corn should not be picked until the water to cook it in was boiling!!  I once told my mother that I felt sorry for Aunt Ruth because she had to grow her own vegetables while we went to the supermarket and purchased ours already canned and/or frozen.  Mother got me straightened out right away on that matter!  

Aunt Lizzie set a "groaning board" of a table with at least two meat dishes and many bowls of perfectly prepared vegetables.  Dessert would consist of a fruit pie as well as chocolate or lemon meringue pie, a cake and a cobbler.  My favorite of her cobblers was rhubarb.  When my neighbor asked if I'd like some of that tasty stalk, I could hardly wait to pull out Aunt Lizzie's recipe.  It is one of the simplest and, in my opinion, the best.

Rhubarb Cobbler from Aunt Lizzie

4 Tbsp butter
3/4 cup of flour
1/2 cup of sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups of diced rhubarb
1/4 cup sugar

350 degree oven
1.  Place butter into an 8-inch round or square ovenproof dish and place in the oven until melted.  Remove.
2.  Stir the 1/4 cup of sugar into the rhubarb and set aside.
3.  Whisk together the flour, 1/2 cup of sugar, baking powder and salt.  Add the milk and whisk until batter is smooth.  Pour the batter into hot butter.  Do not stir.  Sprinkle the rhubarb evenly over the batter and pour any collected juice over the rhubarb.  Again, do not stir.
4.  Bake until the fruit is bubbly and the batter is browned, about 50 minutes.
5.  Serve as is or add a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

ENJOY!

Please Walk Me!

Master,

why are you just sitting there?

I need my morning walk!

Lily, Charlotte and Baby Bennett Do Disney

Since I'm playing nurse right now, there's not much cooking going on to share with you.  It seems an appropriate time to showcase Lily, Charlotte and new baby Bennett once again.  

It takes a lot of packing for a family of five 

to spend a week at

Disney World!

Lily cooling off.

Next, face painting.

Lily

Charlotte

No face painting for Bennett 

and he's happy about that!

Whoa!  What is that huge

mouse doing hugging

my big sister?

Word is they are all having a great time and even connecting with cousins from other states who are visiting "the mouse".  

Strawberries and Patient Care

I'll be taking a little blogging break while taking care 

of the world's worst patient!!

Sciatica seems to have brought The Baker

to his knees--well, not really his knees!!

I hope some nice strawberries from Florida

will help.

Spinach Pie for Mother?

"For finding your mother,

there's one certain test.

You must look for the 

one who loves you the best."

~ David Kirk

Wishing all of you a happy Mother's Day spent with

those who love you the best.

When The Baker asked if I'd like to go out for dinner on Mother's Day I declined.  Instead, I told him how I'd like to spend the day.  I want to wake up to the smell of freshly brewed coffee and the Chicago Tribune.  I'd like to putter a bit in the garden before a brunch of bagels and lox with all the trimmings and more of the Trib.  In the afternoon, perhaps an old movie or a nap or both.  Dinner can be his choice as long as it includes a small steak, mushrooms simmered in wine, a few roasted potatoes and an excellent bottle of wine.  I would, of course, be the happiest spending it with the children but they are far away.  

If lox and bagels aren't your thing, perhaps this spinach pie might be the perfect alternative.  Although the spinach didn't come from the White House's south lawn garden, it was still quite delicious.  I did make a few changes to the recipe that appeared in the magazine section of the Tribune last Sunday.  

White House Spinach Pie from Michelle Obama and slightly "tweaked" by me

1 9-inch unbaked pie crust
2 Tbsp olive oil
5 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 pound fresh spinach, washed and dried
Salt and Pepper to taste
a pinch of nutmeg (optional)
2 large eggs, beaten
1/2 cup half and half
1/2 cup 1 or 2% milk
1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
1 tsp thyme (fresh if you have it)
6 ounces feta cheese, finely crumbled
8 ounces Swiss cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 375 degrees
1.  Heat the olive oil over medium heat and saute the onion for about five minutes (until transparent), add the garlic and saute another minute.  Add the spinach, a little at a time, and cook until wilted down.
Pour off as much liquid in the pan as possible and season with the salt, pepper and nutmeg.  Set aside to cool.
2.  Whisk together the eggs, half and half and milk.  Add the lemon zest and thyme.  Stir in the spinach mixture, the feta cheese and half of the Swiss cheese and mix well.
3.  Set the pie pan on a rimmed baking sheet and pour the spinach mixture in.  Sprinkle the remainder of the Swiss cheese evenly over the top.
4.  Bake for about 40 to 45 minutes until the center of the pie is set.  Cool for ten minutes.

ENJOY!

The Visit

"The great thing about getting older is that you don't lose all the other ages you've been."

~ Madeleine L'Engle

My sisters left yesterday.  It is really quiet around here.  The guest room linens have been laundered and the rooms tidied.  Memories have been stored.  We had a good time together talking, eating, shopping, reminiscing and....sometimes....arguing.  As always those "discussions" end amicably with no biting, scratching or hair pulling--not that we ever did that sort of thing growing up.

The sun shone on the entire visit.  The flowers and trees around town put on an amazing show.  The Artful Garden was a delight.  We dined in and out.  The Baker provided us with a delicious breakfast each morning before retreating to his "aerie" and leaving us to catch up on friends and family.

Oliver basked in the constant attention of treats and doggie toys that were showered on him.   Now he's catching up on his rest and wondering when those ladies, who sound and look a lot like his mistress, will be coming back.

Mill Mountain Spaghetti Sauce

"We are family

I got all my sisters with me

We are family

Get up everybody and sing."

~ Sister Sledge

My sisters are here for our annual spring visit.

We've been meeting in April and October for many years.  April finds us here one year and in Florida the next.  We meet back in Virginia each October.

For dinner the first night, I knew they would enjoy the spaghetti sauce we had growing up.  It isn't Italian.  Our mother never claimed it to be.  How she came up with the name is a mystery.

We grew up in the Roanoke Valley (southern end of the Shenandoah Valley)

surrounded by mountains.

The most familiar is Mill Mountain, home to the big illuminated star that gives Roanoke the distinction of calling itself the Star City of the South.

It also provides a splendid panorama of the city in the valley below.

Mill Mountain is home to a secluded area called Lovers' Lane 

but I wouldn't know anything about that!!

Here's the recipe.

I hope you will try it and enjoy it as much as we do.

Mother's Mill Mountain Spaghetti Sauce

2 Tbsp vegetable oil (I used olive oil)

1 cup diced yellow onions

1 cup chopped green peppers (for us a mix of yellow, orange and red peppers--no green)

1 tsp garlic powder (I used two fat cloves of garlic, minced)

1 pound hamburger meat (I used ground sirloin)

1 8-oz can sliced mushrooms (I used 8 ounces of fresh mushrooms quartered)

2 tsp dried oregano

1 bay leaf

1 tsp sugar

2 Tbsp tomato paste

1 24 ounce can of marinara sauce (I used some I had frozen from last fall)

Salt and pepper to taste

1.  In a large sauce pan, heat the oil.  Add the onions and peppers and saute over medium heat for five minutes.  Add the ground meat, breaking up well and saute for about five minutes, stirring often.  Add the garlic and saute for one minute (or the powder and just keep going).  Add the mushrooms and saute an additional three minutes.

2.  Stir in the oregano, bay leaf, sugar, tomato paste and marinara sauce.  Simmer, partially covered for 30 minutes, stirring often.  Taste and adjust the seasons.

3.  Serve over pasta and pass the Parmesan

Enjoy!