Blueberry cake with streusel topping

I love blueberry season. My kids love to go blueberry picking. I love to go blueberry picking. We pick TONS, and freeze them to use all year long.

While we were recently out of town, my mother-in-law stopped in to check our mail for us. While she was here, she left a section she'd pulled out of the Boston Globe about blueberry cakes. Hmm, I'm game! I tried their winning recipe for a blueberry cake with streusel topping. It sure was a winner--absolutely delicious, and it will certainly be something I make each blueberry season.

I followed the recipe exactly, so I'll just include a link here. Well worth a try!

Raving About Rhubarb

Rhubarb is another rite of spring that takes me back to the days of my youth. I'm not sure whether that has more to do with the fact that it was a pretty regular attendee at family gatherings throughout the spring or because we were continually being yelled at for battering mom's abundant crop. You see, as I was growing up our rhubarb was planted right along our basketball court in the back yard. As a result, it often took quite a beating from errant basketballs. (What's a kid or two to do?)

And as kids, we could never understand what the big deal was over breaking a stalk (or ten). There was still PLENTY of rhubarb to go around. Mom would preserve rhubarb by making and canning numerous jars of rhubarb sauce, we'd also have rhubarb crisp and thus yummy, artery clogging dish called rhubarb fruit pie. But my FAVORITE way to eat it was (and still is) in a regular ole rhubarb pie - well regular to the Nuttall family and those who knew them.

Many people add strawberries to their rhubarb pie to balance the tart taste of this vegetable, which is more commonly considered a fruit. This recipe uses a custard-type filling to achieve what I consider to be a perfect balance of sweet and sour.

I use this recipe for my crust. Once your crust has been rolled out and the bottom crust placed into your pie pan, combine the following ingredients:

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 eggs, slightly beaten (if they are small, use 3)

2 Tablespoons flour

Combine above with 3 to 4 cups of rhubarb cut into one inch pieces and pour into unbaked pie crust. Dot with butter and add top crust. Brush top crust with milk and sprinkle with raw, unrefined sugar.

Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes then lower temperature to 375 for 40-50 minutes. I like to serve this slightly warm or at room temperature with a scoop of local vanilla ice cream on top!

Bon Appetit!

Strawberry Ice Cream

In honor of my favorite you-pick farm, Parlee Farm, opening for strawberry picking this week, I'm posting a delightful strawberry ice cream recipe. This is egg-free, so it tastes a little lighter than regular ice cream. Not that it's light. At all. But it sure is delicious! Quick, easy, no cooking required--yum!



Ingredients:

1 pint strawberries
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
1 pinch salt
extra strawberries and mint leaves for garnish (optional)

Directions:

Hull strawberries and place in a large bowl. Using a potato masher, mash well. (Hint: mash very well. Big chunks of strawberries become hard frozen blobs).

Mix remaining ingredients into the juicy strawberry mash. Pour into ice cream maker and freeze according to your ice cream maker instructions.

Once it's frozen solid (or kind of solid, like I did, if your kids can't possibly wait any longer), scoop into dishes and garnish with strawberries and mint if desired. This year I'm trying chocolate mint in a container on my porch. I ended up tearing up the leaves and mixing into my ice cream. Soooo good! Next time I might add some chopped mint leaves directly into the ice cream!

Carrot Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Mmm, sneaky, sneaky carrots! We've been getting tons of carrots at the CSA, so I had to make something sweet with some. This recipe is originally from Taste of Home, with a few minor changes of my own. Plus, I've halved the recipe here so it doesn't make ridiculously huge quantities, as the first time I made it we had approximately 1 zillion cookies. If you have to feed a roving band of teenagers or something, feel free to double it back up.



Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup shortening
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup shredded carrots
2 cups quick cooking oats (I used old-fashioned oats with no problem)
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup chocolate chips

Directions:

In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter, shortening, sugar, and brown sugar. Beat the eggs and vanilla. Add the carrots; mix well.

Combine the oats, whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt. Add to creamed mixture and mix well. Stir in the chocolate chips. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls 3 inches apart onto baking sheets coated with cooking spray. Bake for 10-13 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool for 2 minutes before removing to wire racks.