Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble

Birthdays around our house are usually punctuated with something chocolate. This year, for my husband's birthday, found us with an abundance of strawberries and rhubarb, and an absence of chocolate powder in our pantry. The lack of chocolate is not intentional (believe me!), but it was a fun challenge to come up with a different kind of dessert  for our family of 3 celebration.

The result? A scrumptious, and super easy, strawberry and rhubarb crumble that even my toddler enjoyed, and I, his mother, could feel guilt free as he jammed fist-fulls of the cobbler into his mouth.

Ingredients:
Fruit Mixture
2 pounds of Strawberries (about 3-4 baskets)
1 pound rhubarb (about 5 stocks)
1 cup sugar or honey

The Crumble:
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter (one stick)
Dash of Nutmeg
Dash of Cinnamon

Slice the strawberries four ways and set aside. Chop the rhubarb into 1/2 inch chunks and set aside. Pour the strawberries and rhubarb together in a bowl and mix with the sugar. Spread the fruit mixture into a 9 inch pan or dish. Let sit while you prepare the crumble. In a medium-sized bowl mix together all the dry ingredients for the crumble. Melt the butter and pour over the dry crumble ingredients. With your hands sprinkle the crumble on top of the fruit mixture. Cook at 375 degree Fahrenheit for 20-30 minutes, or until the crumble has started to brown. Serve hot or cold.

Birthday Parfait Recipe

I love fruit.

Especially, for dessert.

 I know, I'm weird. Ever since childhood, I have always requested some sort of custard with fruit for my birthday treat of choice. No cake or ice cream for this girl. But, don't get me wrong I DO love a good hunk of cake with a dollop of ice cream now, and then.

This year we made yogurt and fresh whipped cream Parfait desserts for E's second birthday. They were so tasty that I requested the same dessert two weeks later for my birthday treat.

Parfaits are so simple to make, and they turn out stunning.

Here's everything you need to make your own Parfait dessert at home:

-1 large container of vanilla yogurt (I like Straus or Clover brand best)
-1 small carton of heavy whipping cream
-Assorted fresh fruits: blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, mandarins, etc.

To Make/Construct:
First whip your whipped cream with an electric mixer. Add sweetener such as honey or powdered sugar to taste. In tall glasses (I used pilzner glasses) add a heaping spoonful of yogurt, followed by enough berries to cover the yogurt. Then top the berries with a dollop of whip cream and repeat. Top the Parfait with whipped cream and decorate with your fruit.

These are healthy crowd pleaser, and a dessert I didn't feel too guilty about watching my toddler chow down on.

Do you have a quick and beautiful dessert you like to serve for special occasions?