Grandma cooking

I have discovered the deep secret of grandma cooks who can “whip up” anything — or else I have reached “that” age.

I was somewhere in the middle of Iowa on my way back to Illinois for a family event. Katie called me. She had just picked up some fresh rhubarb from the farmers market in Kansas. She was craving my mom’s rhubarb cake. Could I share the recipe? I was nowhere near my recipe files, but I had had the same craving a week earlier and made my first rhubarb cake of the season. The recipe was right on the top of my head. I started rattling off ingredients, amounts and instructions as I cruised down the interstate.

In that moment, I learned I had reached the age or stage of Grandma cooking. It appeared I could just whip anything off the top of my head. My memory was fresh, but the years of practice had solidified the recipe in my DNA. It is like the granny who made loaves of fresh bread every day; her memory of loved ones faded over time, but her hands would constantly be “kneading” the dough in her lap.

Here are some rhubarb recipes shared by neighbors and friends. I even left my exclamation marks on Denise’s recipe because it is that good. Enjoy Grandma cooking.

MOM’S RHUBARB CAKE — Becky Dowell

2 cups rhubarb, diced

1/2 cup sugar

1/2cup butter

1 1/3 cups sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 egg

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon soda

1 cup sour milk

Cinnamon

Mix rhubarb and ½ cup sugar in bowl and let stand. Cream butter and sugar; add egg and vanilla and set aside. Dissolve soda in sour milk; set aside. Mix cinnamon in flour. Alternate adding dry ingredients and milk to creamed mixture. Add rhubarb-sugar and mix. Pour into greased and floured 9- by 13-inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes. Serve topped with whipped cream! I usually make two pans, one to eat right away and another for the next day.

RHUBARB CUSTARD PIE

Baked pie shell

2 1/2 cups rhubarb, chopped

1 cup sugar

3 eggs, separated and yolks beaten

2 tablespoons flour

2 tablespoons butter

3 egg whites

2 tablespoons sugar

Combine rhubarb, sugar, egg yolks and flour in a double boiler and cook until thick. When mixture is thickened, stir in butter. Pour into baked pie shell; set aside. Prepare meringue by whipping egg whites to stiff peaks, adding the sugar at the end. Spread over the hot custard. Spoon meringue around the edges first, spreading toward the center. Seal meringue to crust all around pie to prevent shrinkage of meringue during baking. Brown meringue at 350 degrees until golden, about 10-15 minutes.

If you’re craving a pie but without all the fuss, try this recipe.

RHUBARB CHERRY PIE

3 cups sliced fresh or frozen rhubarb

1 16-ounce can pitted tart red cherries, drained

1 1/4 cups sugar

1/4 cup quick cooking tapioca

4-5 drops red food coloring (optional)

Pastry for double crust pie

1-2 tablespoons butter, cubed into chunks

In a mixing bowl, combine first five ingredients; let stand for 15 minutes. Line a 9-inch pie plate with pastry; add filling. Place butter cubes around pie to help prevent bubbling over. Top with a lattice crust; flute edges. Bake at 400 degrees for 40-50 minutes or until the crust is golden and filling is bubbling.

RHUBARB SALAD — Nancy Dowell

4 cups diced fresh or frozen rhubarb

1 1/2 cups water

1/2 cup sugar

1 6-ounce box strawberry gelatin

1 cup orange juice

1 teaspoon grated orange peel

1 cup sliced fresh strawberries

In a saucepan over medium heat bring rhubarb, water and sugar to boil. Cook uncovered until rhubarb is tender, about 6-8 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in gelatin until dissolved. Add orange juice and peel. Mix well. Chill until begins to thicken. Fold in strawberries. Chill. Can be garnished with mint leaves or additional strawberries.

RHUBARB CUSTARD BARS — Denise Plumski

Crust:

2 1/2 cups flour

1/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 sticks softened butter

In bowl, combine flour and sugar, cut in softened butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Press into greased 11-by-15-inch jellyroll pan. Press down lightly with rolling pin. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Prepare filling. If using 9-by-13-inch pan, decrease crust by 1/2 cup flour and 1/2 cup butter. Bars will be thicker.

Filling:

2 cups sugar

7 teaspoons flour

1 cup whipping cream

3 eggs, beaten

3 cups finely chopped fresh rhubarb (frozen can be used, but drain liquid)

Combine sugar and flour in bowl. Whip in cream and beaten eggs. Stir in rhubarb. Pour over crust. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes until custard is set. Cool.

Topping:

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup whipping cream, whipped

Beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until smooth. Fold in whipped cream. Spread over cooled bars. Cover and refrigerate.

As their four children pursue dairy careers off the family farm, Natalie and Mark Schmitt are exploring new adventures on the farm outside of the milking barn at their farm north of Rice, Minnesota.