Thursday, May 26, 2011

Eating our Veggies... and Liking It

I'll admit it. My kids don't eat veggies like they oughtta. I blame this solely on Jesse, who didn't even eat onions before I met him. (Weirdo.) Me, I love 'em all, brussel sprouts, spinach, green beans, eggplant. you name it! Anyway, it's a pain to get them to eat 'em and so there are plenty of days where we just don't get in all our five fruits 'n veggies... which when I was sleeping has been raised from five to seven or nine! What!?! When did that happen?

So in an effort to get more in what do I do? I cover em up with what ever will sell the kids (and hubby). In this case butter and sugar. :) It's a give and take right?

One of my favorites to find at the Farmer's market on Saturday mornings is Rhubarb. I love, LOVE it! And didn't realize until after I was married that not everyone was aware of this wonderfully tart veggie! (It really does have to be combined with sugar to make it edible.) Anyhoo... when Jesse and I moved to San Antonio it was nearly impossible to find and when I finally did find it, it took the grocer forever to figure up how to ring it up because not only did she not know what it was, it wasn't on her little fruits and veggie code list. Which made me sad for her because she's missing out on such a wonderfully beautiful veggie.


So, lest anyone else out there does not know about Rhubarb, here it is. Looks a lot like celery, except it often turns this beautiful bright red.

Which reminds me of this pretty Coral Bell I bought the other day- Crème Brûle. Pretty, huh? Okay, back to the subject at hand.

During the summer, Rhubarb Crisp is a staple. You need about a pound. Cut off the ends and then cut it into half-inch pieces. Then throw it in a pie plate.

Next, in a separate bowl add the following: a 1/2 cup of softened butter (I believe in using salted butter.)

Add a half cup of packed brown sugar and a quarter cup of sugar. (Or if you're like me and your pantry hasn't recovered from making sticky-buns, then use 3/4 cup of sugar. Oops!)

Next add a cup of oatmeal.

A 1/4 cup of flour.

And about 1 1/2 teaspoons of cinnamon.

Cut with a pastry blender until mixed well.

Sprinkle over the top of your rhubarb.
 And...gasp! throw it in the microwave for 12-15 minutes... because who has time in the morning to wait for breakfast to bake?

We pour milk or (if I have it) whipping cream on top of ours. Yum!  So, for all you Rhubarb virgins out there... off to the market! (You have to try it at least once.)


3 comments:

Elizabeth said...

If u want a plant come up north and I will dig u up some.

Dixie said...

We had rhubarb crisp tonight for dessert. I never thought of having it for breakfast!

Bethany said...

Elizabeth- Sounds dreamy... somehow it always seems that my vacay budget won't stretch much farther than to allow us to visit family. But, my, oh my! what a tempting offer! =)

Dixie- What? I thought it was breakfast! Perhaps this goes to show how much of a sweet tooth my family has because both crisps and shortcake are regular breakfasts in our households.