Humpastry Day - Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie:

(This is my sorry attempt at making a lattice type top crust.  I know it's not pretty, but I'm no Martha Stewart.  Plus, we get over it pretty quickly once we cut into it and gobble it up!) 

Alright, let me just say this right now so there is no confusion.  There is absolutely nothing healthy about this pie, unless you count the fact that it has some fruit in it! :)   I know Humpastry Day is supposed to be about tweaking recipes to incorporate healthier ingredients in them, but I just couldn't resist making this.  Let me explain.  My neighbor that lives behind us grows rhubarb in his garden every year.  And every year he asks us if we want some.  I never pass up free homegrown goodies, so of course I say yes.

When I lived in KS as a kid, my grandma grew the most amazing rhubarb in her garden.  I have very fond memories of sitting down with a stalk of rhubarb in one hand and a small bowl of sugar on the table.  We would lick the rhubarb, dip it in the sugar, then eat a big chunk of sugared covered goodness!  It was soooo yummy!  When I got the stalks from my neighbor, I of course, sat down with my boys with our own stalks and bowls of sugar.  I think they liked it! :)

 Anyways, back to the pie.  I got a great recipe for Strawberry Rhubarb pie from my neighbor's wife (who's in her 80's by the way) and it is simple and delicious!  There is only a certain time of year when strawberries and rhubarb are in season together, so we only get to eat this wonderful pie during the end of spring/early summer.  But, that's o-kay with us, because it is something that we all look forward to every year because it has become a sort of family tradition.  :)  I made this pie this weekend to celebrate my race and my husband's century ride and it was an awesome treat!  


Ingredients:

*  1 1/2C sugar
*  1/4 tsp. salt
*  1/4 tsp. nutmeg
*  3C rhubarb cut into 1/2" pieces
*  1C sliced strawberries
*  2Tbl. cornstarch
*  1/4C water
*  1 egg
*  2- 9" pastry crusts
Directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2.  In a small bowl, mix the water and cornstarch in a small bowl until cornstarch is dissolved.  Set aside.
3.  Combine the sugar, salt, and nutmeg in a large bowl.

4.  Add in the fruit and cornstarch mixture.

5.  Mix well and let sit for ~20minutes.

6.  Beat an egg and brush the egg on the bottom of the pie crust.  This will prevent it from getting soggy.
7.  Spoon the mixture into a 9" pastry crust.

8.  Top with latice pieces or a regular crust.
9.  Bake at 425 for 15min.  Then turn down the oven to 375 degrees and bake for 45 min. more.  **Note: because this pie uses fresh ingredients, it gets pretty juicy and tends to drip in the oven.  What I do is put a cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil on the rack below the pie.  If any juice drips down, it falls on the foil instead of the bottom of the oven.  Easy peasy clean up! :) 
10.  Turn off oven and let sit inside for 10minutes.
11.  Remove from oven and let cool a little bit.
12.  Serve warm with a scoop of your favorite vanilla ice cream.
13.  Enjoy!

O-kay, I know this looks more like mush than a piece of pie, but I didn't have an egg to put on the crust, so it got pretty soggy.  But, it was still delicious!

They say it's your birthday, da da da da dada, It's my birthday too, yaa! 
In other news,  my birthday was yesterday!  I turned the big 3-4, which means I only have one more year before I move up to a new AG category.  Yikes!  I had a wonderful day that started with an awesome gift certificate from my husband to Spavia Spa for a sports massage.  Ahhh....seriously, just what I need!  I cannot wait to schedule my massage!  Then, I spent the day with my boys going to story time, swim lessons, and playing outside.  We ended up going to dinner for sushi, then coming home to this for dessert:

 My sister sent us an Edible Arrangement and it is amazing!  I have always wondered what they are really like, and let me tell you, they are awesome!  The fruit is fresh and the chocolate is absolutely delicious!  This one even had a mix of milk chocolate and peanut butter chocolate (my favorite combo!).  Yum, yum, yum!  And, once the fruit is all gone (which will be soon), I have a super cute pot to plant flowers in.  It is a great gift!  Thanks, sis! :)