Gluten Free Strawberry Rhubarb Cobbler

The strawberries are here! As a child, I knew that strawberries came right around Easter. My best friend and I would melt down our bunnies and have chocolate covered strawberries and it was always my favorite part of spring. Growing up in California we picked apples in the fall and once we picked grapes in the San Joaquin valley, but that was it. I lived in a suburb of a large city and there weren't many farms around. Well, I've come 180* in the opposite direction! It takes about 30 minutes of driving to get to the nearest mall or Target and in between is nothing but fields and farms. My location may have changed, but not my love of strawberries, and this year we got to go out in those fields and pick them ourselves! I quickly learned that "pick your own" is a bit of a scam, and something we'll only do once a year. For $16 you get 4 quarts of strawberries that you pick yourself. Or, alternatively, they'll pick them for you for...you got it, $16 for 4 quarts. I do all the labor and pay the same price??? scammmmm! But, it was really fun, and SweetPea loved it.

SweetPea and my mom

We went to an orchard close to our house and picked, and picked, and picked...I've got to say, it's hard to leave some behind! They're all so red and juicy, I kept thinking, "just one more. oh wait, that one too. but, that one is so big!" Then, as I went up to pay it occurred to me to double check on these delicious looking berries as I didn't see any bugs out in that field, which was suspicious. Sure enough! The teenager at the counter looked from side to side nervously and then leaned in to whisper,
"They DO spray. Must be because the man who owns this place is really old and that's what they did back in the day". WHAT???!!! I just payed $4 a quart, spent an hour picking them in a field and they're nothing but grocery store strawberries that I could have paid $2.50 for at the commissary?! Suffice it to say, I was irked**. They were amazingly delicious though. And over the next 4 or 5 days, we ate them pesticides and all.
The next time I wanted strawberries, I wasn't taking any chances of being ripped off again and called ahead. There is a lovely little certified organic farm about 15 minutes down the road and I picked up a flat (8 quarts) for $35 and didn't have to pick them myself. That's a WAY better deal! And next year, we'll go to that farm for the strawberry picking experience.

I used 2 quarts to make jam, we ate 2, I sliced and froze 3 and I used 1 quart to make strawberry rhubarb cobbler. This cobbler is one of the best things that I have EVER eaten, and I'm not just saying that because it's my recipe. I was skeptical about rhubarb for years. Why do I want something that resembles celery in my strawberry pie? I thought it was weird. Last April Mr. F and I went on a date about a week before he left for 3 months for OCS. It was one of the best dates we've ever had. We went to the Boardwalk and shopped at a farmers market, and watched the sunset over the ocean while we ate strawberry rhubarb pie and I was sold. Strawberries and rhubarb are one of the most perfect flavor combinations in existence. I've wanted to try my hand at those flavors ever since, but I didn't want to do it with out of season fruit. So, I waited patiently for Spring. It was well worth the wait and this will definitely become a Spring time tradition in our family.

Gluten Free Strawberry Rhubarb Cobbler

1 lb rhubarb sliced thin and chopped into 1/2" pieces
1 lb sliced strawberries
1 cup sugar
2 TB cornstarch
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla

1 stick of butter (Earth Balance for Vegan) softened
1 cup almond meal
1/2 cup brown rice, sorghum or oat flour
1 1/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup gf rolled oats
2 TB Olive Oil
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
small pinch of nutmeg

Preheat the oven to 375*. Coat the rhubarb in sugar and let it sit for 10 minutes. This sort of "cures" the rhubarb. Throw away any leftover juices. Mix the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar with the strawberries and to the rhubarb. Add cornstarch, lemon and vanilla and stir. Place in a medium sized baking dish.
Mix together almond meal, flour, oats, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and sugar. Stir well. Add Olive oil and butter and mix with your fingers until it becomes a coarse crumble. Generously sprinkle over the filling and bake for 45 minutes. Turn down the oven to 325* and bake for another 15 minutes. Allow it to cool for about 20 minutes. This will allow the filling to set but will still be warm. Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

**As a side note: I'd like to mention, that while we do eat a lot of organic foods, we do eat non-organic too. It depends on the item, availability and the price. Some months we choose to do other things with our money and have to buy a lot non-organic, but I always strive to stick with the dirty dozen list. I never want to come across superior sounding; eat the best you can afford and do what you can. Every little change makes a difference.

Wonderland

I'm not dead! I haven't forgotten about my blog either, but man am I tired. I came down with a horrible case of the flu last week that kicked.my.butt. I always hear people say, "oh, I just had the flu" in an off-handed, no big deal kind of way. They are so wrong. THAT is not the flu! When you have the real flu, you don't move, don't talk, don't get out of bed. All I can say, is that the inventors of Zofran and Tamiflu are geniuses and I will forever love them. Which, coming from me, means a lot.

I recently came across a really great little company through a friends facebook page. It's called Gingermelon and she makes the most adorable doll and stuffed animal patterns that I have ever seen. Sometimes, I just stare at them. I don't know what it is, but something about their little faces just gets to me. The patterns range in price from $10-$18, which isn't too bad. But, before I forked over $15 for a pattern and another $10 in wool felt, I wanted to make sure that I would even like doll making. Plus, I have huge problem paying for things when I'm pretty sure I could figure out how to do whatever it is myself. So, I sat down with my sketch book, made up a pattern and got to work. I don't normally enjoy hand sewing, but this was really fun! Probably because the doll I made was small and for SweetPea. SweetPea is absolutely smitten with her "baby baby Alice" and has demanded that I make Belle, Gaston and "Big Other Nice Beast" to be her friends as well. It took me about 3 hours (with the kids awake) to finish and I am in love! I am not going to teach you how to make this doll though since it wasn't really my idea to begin with. The general shape and Alice in Wonderland idea belongs to Gingermelon. When I get more adventurous and creative I may do some sort of tutorial (with my own pattern), but for now you can buy them at the link above. What I love about this doll is that it's soft, made of organic fabrics and stuffing and doesn't have any small parts that a baby could choke on. It would be perfect for a little girls first doll.

Meet Alice: 

My mom was here for 10 days right before I came down with the flu and we had such a great time We went to the Zoo, shopped, the park, shopped, played scrabble, shopped. We like to shop. It was wonderful having her here. As sad as I was to see her go, I was a little relieved to try to get my figure back. She's a really bad influence when it comes to sugar. I can't say no when someone is offering to buy me gourmet meals and donuts every time we leave the house. What can I say? I'm a sucker for good food.
I forgot how nice it is to have someone around who knows all of my stories, secrets and is comfortable even in silence. It's very quiet without her here. But, I have visitors for May and June and my sister is moving in next month, so the quiet won't last for much longer, thanks goodness. For anyone wanting to come visit us...come prepared for SweetPea, "the terror". She turned into a complete monster the first day my mom got here, was worse by the weekend when my dad arrived, and has just now began to mellow out and get back to her sweet self. I think it was all just too much for her little heart to handle. My mom and her were so close back home, she must have been on emotional overload last week. Sassy, whiny, crying, hysterical, hitting, tantrums, no naps, the highs and lows have had me exhausted. I'm glad to see a light at the end of the tunnel as she's calmed down this past week and become her sweet self again. What a relief that it isn't permanent!

Here's a quick kabob recipe for you. It's a great meal that can be prepared the day before and is good with coconut rice or lentils.

Sticky Kabobs:
1 red bell pepper
1 green bell pepper
1 package baby bella mushrooms
1 package grape tomatoes
1 can pineapple or fresh if possible
1brown onion
2 chicken breasts

Marinade:
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup olive oil
1/3 cup gf soy sauce
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
12 bamboo skewer
Soak skewers in water for at least 30 minutes prior to cooking. Chop chicken, onion, and peppers into large bite sized pieces. Whisk marinade ingredients together in a large bowl and add all ingredients to bowl. stir until coated. Cover and let it marinade in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours. String onto wet skewers approximately 2 pieces of meat and try to get at least one piece of the rest of the veggies on as well. Cook on grill about 20 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. Mr. F was feeling sick so I cooked them in the broiler for 15 minutes and they were still delicious.

6 Easter Tutorials You Won't Want to Miss

What are your Easter plans? Anything fun?

We're going to church, a friends house for a potluck brunch and then some other friends are coming over for Easter dinner that evening. I've never hosted a holiday before, and I have to say, I'm really excited! I'm serving garlic cilantro deviled eggs (recipe coming soon), Honey Baked Ham, homemade Gouda and Cheddar mac n cheese, braised green beans, and Grandma D's famous rolls (I've been sworn to secrecy on the recipe, sorry). I can't wait to celebrate Jesus' resurrection with food and friends in our new home! Here are a few tutorials I've been eyeing this week, wishing i would have thought ahead to make them. As it is I have to shop, cook, clean, make SweetPeas hair bow and finish the vest and bow tie on chunks Eater outfit all by Sunday. Wish me luck, and Happy Easter.

Check out these adorable fabric eggs over at Retro Mama. Easy to make and a great way to use up all your extra scraps. Whip a few of these up for a centerpiece, string them onto some garland, hide them in your kids baskets...the possibilities are endless.

This is pure genius! Maybe I'm behind on this one, but this is the first year I've seen these amazing beautifully dyed eggs. A quick trip to Goodwill should score you a few colorful ties, or alternatively, raid your grandpas' closet.

While you have to admit this is an easy tutorial, it is by no means a quick project. If you have some down time though, this is by far the best Easter wreath that I've come across. I desperately wish this was my idea.

Who doesn't love peeps?! Actually, I hate the way they taste. But, no matter! These bunny peeps will light up your room and bring a smile to every face.

I could spend hours at Moda. The fabrics, the patterns, the quilts. Ah, it's love.



If you haven't noticed by now, I like to do things that are...hmmm, how should I put it? A little more... granola. I'm a hippie at heart. This is a great way to get beautifully colored eggs without using food coloring. Plus, these are way prettier!

He is Risen!