make this cobbler.

To get here,

We’ll need to start here.

My friend Marie gave me some of her copious amounts of hearty rhubarb. Thanks, Marie! Lookit! It’s thriving! And right in my front yard! Neighbors, “Hands off, frog face!” At my last home, the rhubarb was as big around as my ring finger, at best.  It was so puny!  I think it was a variety called “strawberry rhubarb.” This is so much better!

Random fact: My friend T.J. eats rhubarb raw.  I just say no to this practice, but it’s kind of interesting! Since he knows weird facts about me {like that I can’t ever eat one piece of cereal by itself, because I feel badly that it will be dying alone}, I won’t give him a hard time about it!

I have always loved rhubarb. It’s not always every kid’s fave.  I have a vivid memory of my mom and her friend Barb pulling off to the side of some shady road in rural Connecticut, where i grew up, and harvesting tons of fat rhubarb stalks. Sadly {I say at times like these}, I live in the Pacific Northwest. That doesn’t happen here, folks!  If it did, I would have a freezer of only rhubarb to sustain me 12 months a year!

When i was in Anchorage one summer {Mr.Fresh Scratch is from Alaska}, my mom-in-law had the craziest rhubarb – it was like Dr. Seuss-style! She had a bajillion recipes for rhubarb {I guess it’s a big deal up there}, and one was from her sweet neighbor. I baked it like three times in that one week visit. This is the one I’m sharing with you today. I’ve baked it with all different kinds of fruit combos, fresh or frozen.  It’s always fun to make {you’ll see; it’s kind of weird!} and even more enjoyable to eat.

you’ll need:

9×13 pan

oven set to 350 degrees

two bowls

1. line your pan with four cups of chopped up rhubarb (or whichever fruit you’re using).

2.. in your mixer, blend:

1 1/2 cups sugar

6 T butter, room temp.

2 c. flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt (if your butter is unsalted.  otherwise, no salt needed.)

3. Add 1 cup of milk to this mix to make a batter.

4. Spread the batter over the fruit.

5. In your other bowl, whisk together:

1 1/2 c. sugar

3 T corn starch

1 tsp. cinnamon

6. Sprinkle the dry mix over the batter.

7. Here’s where it gets kind of freaky-mo-deaky: pour 1 c. water over the whole thing.

I know, right?!

8. Pop it into the oven for one hour (toothpick test it!).

When it’s ready, it should look a little something like this:

It’s soft and cakey inside, and crisp and chewy up top.  And your house will smell like what I imagine a Parisian bakery smells like {sniffffffff}. And, if you want, it pairs nicely with some strawberry ice cream:

Now go find a friend who wants to get rid of some rhubarb so you can enjoy this at least as much as I am going to this rhubarb season!  The stuff thrives and is so easy to replant.

Just don’t let your pets or kids lick the leaves, because I have heard they are poisonous.  :) That’s my public service announcement.