Spring Rolls In...Some Exciting News...and Palm Sunday!

Spring is rolling into Carolina! Hooray!

This past week was a bit tempestuous, however.

We were treated to two days of dramatic storms that brewed flash floods and tornadoes all across the Southeast.  If you remember fall 2015 as well as I do, then you know I do not take flood warnings lightly. Not anymore. Amazing how some things stay with us, even long after we are healed from the trauma of it. Still, we were blessedly safe and all the anxiety resulted in two days of coming home early from work. I'm not going to complain about that as there was plenty to do here as always!

During the worst of the weather, I finished up my dad's birthday slippers. He turned 70 during the week but we celebrated yesterday. On Thursday, my son made his gift for my father, which was a homemade fruitcake.

Now that, my friends, was a true labor of love. We made the little one so we could sample it. My oh my. Definitely keeping this recipe for Christmas gifting. Here it is for you!
 http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/christmas-special-fruitcake

In preparation for the special day yesterday, we went out for strawberries last Saturday! This time of year many local farms let you pick your own, which is backbreaking work really that reminds us to truly appreciate and thank all of those who play a part in getting our food from seed to table.

These strawberries were used to make the strawberry shortcake for my dad's birthday party yesterday. It was a big hit. A spring and summer dessert staple around here. Luckily the storms this week didn't do much damage at local farms and we'll be able to go gather more throughout the season...

...because nothing beats strawberry jam, right?

 I was up to my ears in strawberries last Saturday it seemed, but so worth it to have several jars already for enjoying and gifting to others. We are still moving towards more and more homemade and handmade gifts for all occasions and nothing beats yummy foods! Everyone already seems to have so much stuff, don't you think? 

I also made a shoofly pie last weekend, and let me just say, oh...my...goodness! This is one I will definitely make again, maybe even today.

The recipe came from a little book I have been enjoying reading a bit of each evening. Because no one does simple living quiet like the Amish, correct? 

It's a great little read, filled with great traditional recipes from Amish country and reminders of how to slow down, step out of the hectic, consumer-drive pace of mainstream society and embrace the things in life which matter most.

Which brings me to a bit of excitement...I have secured a monthly meeting place for the SC based branch of Radical Homemakers! I am really excited about this and busy planning the year's curriculum now! What would you like to learn about and enjoy if you attended these meetings? I'm thinking of everything from learning to keep bees to making Christmas garlands from old cards. Oh, it's going to be delightful! Learn more about the Radical Homemaker movement here http://theradicalhomemaker.net/ and if you are local, join our SC group for updates and meeting times/location! https://www.facebook.com/groups/1731283990482692/

Today is the Palm Sunday Procession and service at our church and since our priest applied for and received a parade permit, and we know bagpipes and donkeys are going to be included, we are pretty excited about attending! Afterwards, a slow Sunday with lots of playing outside and a bit of painting for me. I've a commission to complete and a few new pieces, including this one, Pine Moon, to varnish for upcoming shows. 

Thanks so much for stopping by! Have a blessed and happy Palm Sunday!

The American South and Finland Share a Food Tradition: Rhubarb Pie!

Many of my readers know I have close ties to Finland via my friend Essi, who I met back in high school (I won't say how many years ago!)

 

In 2010, I was finally able to visit there and it was wonderful to see Essi again, meet her family and be in the country I'd spent 20 years reading, learning, and studying about!

Next summer, we plan to be there again, and I can't wait. Finland is a beautiful place and from there one can relax in the vast quiet of wild nature; spend time at the many wonderful lakes and marinas around Essi's hometown of Lappeenranta; stroll down the streets of Helsinki, one of Europe's oldest cities; visit Sweden, Russia, or Estonia for a day; have licorice ice cream; tour lovely Fiskars Village; take a boat ride around a castle in Savonlinna...just writing about it makes me so excited for our trip next year!

In the meantime, I enjoy sharing cultural traditions not only with Essi, but other friends I've made there - her sister Johanna; Sannamari, a friend I met through a Ravelry swap; and Mari, author of my favorite blog! I look forward to meeting both Sannamari and Mari next year when we are there and enjoy the connections we have now.

For the past few weeks, however, my social media newsfeeds were full of images of rhubarb and talk of rhubarb pies from my friends across the sea. Though I have never made one, I was bit surprised to discover a cultural food tradition that the American South shares with Finland! I decided to make one for a family cookout this past Sunday, but I asked Essi for a Finnish recipe. I found it was somewhat different from traditional Southern recipes but it turned out really well. Of course, finding fresh rhubarb was not so easy, but after visiting a few stores, we located it at BiLo and got to work!

 

Getting the dry ingredients blended. I always give this job to my son!

 

I also gave my son the job of cutting the rhubarb into small pieces. The recipe calls for 7 desiliters of rhubarb. My measuring cup has a reading for desiliter, but if yours doesn't you can find translation here. 

While he prepared the rhubarb, I got the crust ready. The crust recipe reminds me of Southern cobblers, and I can easily see using this with cherries or blueberries! Every Finnish pie recipe I have tried requires making crust from scratch. When I was there in 2010 and wanted to make a pecan pie for friends, I remember trying to express that I wanted a frozen pie crust. You won't easily find that there! I simply wanted to save time but rarely ever use those in my own cooking at all, and found it funny it was basically non-existent there!

 

Then it was time to sugar and soften the rhubarb...

 

...then put it all together...

...and into the oven!

I had to experiment a bit with temperature. The recipe says 200 which is low for American ovens. I'm not sure if this is a 'lost in translation' thing or if it really was supposed to cook on such a low temp. About 25 minutes in I upped it to 350 and kept a close watch for about 15 more minutes, and that seems to do the trick!

 

It was hard to keep the youngest household member from sampling it as it cooled! Even the finickiest child will be keen to try any food they've helped prepare, I've learned! It doesn't hurt that the smell was wonderful!

I was delighted to have borrowed this recipe from across the sea and put a new twist on an old Southern classic. It did taste a bit different in some ways than tradition Southern rhubarb pie, but it was delicious topped with whipped cream, and I'll definitely make it again!

And guess who got the last slice? 

For traditional Southern Rhubarb pie recipe, click here. To read about our making traditional Finnish Karelian pies, which was a fun culinary adventure, click here!

Finnish Rhubarb Pie

Ingredients:
2 desiliters Lactose-free buttermilk (soured milk)
2 desiliters sugar 1 desiliter running margarine (or melted)
3 1/4 desiliters flour
1/2 tablespoon baking powder
7 dl pieces of rhubarb
1 desiliter sugar

Soften pieces of rhubarb with sugar in a flat container in the microwave for 5 to 8 minutes. If the liquid comes off a lot, drain it off, and use in other recipe such as the soup or juice.
Mix the base ingredients. Pour batter into pie pan (Ø ~ 28 cm). Add the rhubarb on the surface. Bake at 200 degrees for 20 - 30 minutes or until done. Serve with custard, vanilla sauce or ice cream.

TIP * Use on the berries of the season (about 3 dl), or apples. (Apple cubes or pre-cooked slices in the microwave oven in the same way as rhubarb.) Use sugar as needed.