Rhubarb and Strawberries

In BC the church secretaries within MCBC have an annual "Secretaries' Retreat". 
Yup... and I have the privilege to partake because I am an "alumni". :-) 
It's generally organized by the MCBC Office Administrator or, as we like to call her - the "Boss Secretary". For several years we went for an overnighter to Camp Squeah - Sunday to Monday, however, the last 2 years, for convenience & proximity sake, we have used the MCC Deertrail Guesthouse. 
We gather for dinner, visiting, sharing and laughing and some do stay overnight. Obviously, not all of the secretaries/alumni can attend but for those that come out, it is a lot of fun. 
Dinner is a potluck and this year I was asked to bring some dessert. 
Below are the two things I brought along. Enjoy! 

Rhubarb Square or Muffins

Received this recipe from my Sister-in-Law and we have enjoyed it ever since.

Ingredients: 

2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup sugar

11/4 tsps. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1 large egg

1/4 cup vegetable oil

2 tsps. grated orange peel

3/4 cup orange juice (I do half orange and half lemon or whatever combination you happen to have handy)

11/4 cups fresh or frozen rhubarb, finely chopped

Preheat oven to 350⁰ F if making muffins.

Directions: 

In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, sugar, baking powder, baking soda.

In a medium bowl, beat egg. Stir in oil, orange peel and juice. Add to flour all at once and stir just until moist. Stir in the rhubarb. Lightly grease muffin tins and fill cups three-quarters full.

Bake for 25 to 39 minutes.

I decided to make a square out of the above recipe and then added the streusels of top of the batter. Baking this in a 9x13 inch Pyrex. I lowered the oven heat to  350⁰ F.

Bake for about 40 minutes or until a tester comes out clean.

Streusels:

¾ cup sugar

¾ cup flour

1 tsp vanilla

¼ cup vegetable oil (butter can also be used and to make the streusels a bit crunchier you can add 1 or 2 tbsp of whipping cream)

Mix by hand, crumbling it until well mixed.

Spread over top of rhubarb cake.

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Cream-Cheese Stuffed Strawberries

Source: Pinterest

Ingredients:

1 lb large strawberries

1 (8 ounce) package Cream Cheese (softened) 

1 cup slightly softened Cool Whip

1/4 - 1/2 cup Graham Wafer crumbs

Directions:

1. Rinse strawberries and cut around the top of the strawberry. Remove the top and clean out the with a paring knife, if necessary (some of them are hollow already. Prep all the strawberries and set aside.)

2. In mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, Cool Whip, sugar and vanilla extract until creamy. Add mix to a pipping bag or Ziploc bag with the corner snipped off. Fill the strawberries with the cream-cheese mixture. (The recipe is slightly different on Pinterest but I prefer it with the Cool Whip added - makes the cream-cheese a bit softer and the cheese flavour is milder.)

3. Once strawberries are filled, sprinkle or dip the tops with Graham Wafer crumbs. If not serving immediately, refrigerate until serving.

Fruit of the Month - Rhubarb

Naomi Unger writes:  This recipe from my files is in the handwriting of a school child. I remember my sister instructing her son, years ago, to copy it out for me after I complimented her for her very tasty meal. 

Rhubarb Dessert 

Crust:

1 cup flour

1/2 cup shortening

2 T sugar

pinch of salt

Mix like pastry and pat into 9"x 9" or 9"x13" pan.  (Using the smaller pan will give you a thicker square.) Bake at 350ºF for 20-25 minutes.

Filling:

1 1/4 cup sugar

1/3 cup cream

2 T flour

2  1/4 cups diced rhubarb

Heat in saucepan until warm. Beat 3 egg yolks, add to mixture and cook until thick. 

Spread over the baked crust. 

Meringue:

3 egg whites

Beat egg whites until stiff, slowly adding 5 T sugar and 1/4 tsp cream of tartar. 

Spread over the filling.

Bake at 400ºF until lightly browned.

Note from Liz:  I used a 10" glass pie plate and 3 cups of rhubarb and increased flour to 3 T.  I also did not have cream on hand so used 1/3 cup milk and 1 T margarine.  It turned out great, but was very sweet.  Next time I will only use 1 cup of sugar and there definitely will be a next time.   Thanks for the recipe, Naomi!

SOMETHING NEW FOR OUR BLOG!

While looking over the statistics of our blog I noticed that the most popular postings have been the ones that our "4 Grandmas 4 U" contributed.  Unfortunately they are no longer able to do this.  I have been wondering if we could do a seasonal experiment with fruit recipes.  I have polled the executive and they are willing to submit some recipes.  We would also welcome input and/or comments from any of you. This is not in any way intended to compete with the Mennonite Girls Can Cook whom we endorse and affirm but simply an effort to share our favourite recipes with  those who visit our blog.  I have a couple of rhubarb recipes almost ready to post so check back in a few days!  Each month we will feature a different fruit. We'll start off with rhubarb and perhaps also include a few strawberry recipes.