The fam and I took a walk in the back yard tonight, and I found that the rhubarb is much bigger up close than it looks from the kitchen window. I really need to make some rhubarb barbs (aka rhubarb bars). I used to make these with my Grammy when she’d come to take care of me when my parents were busy. I like to use my site as a reference for recipes, so here it is for my future search purposes.

This isn’t exactly the recipe we used in the old days, but it’s close. I find my grown-up tastes prefer butter to shortening in the crust, and I skip the Jell-o from the original.

I could seriously eat a whole pan of these.

Rhubarb Barbs

Crust and topping:

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups old-fashioned or quick-cooking oats, divided
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup brown sugar

Filling

• 1/4 cup water
• 2 T cornstarch
• 1 1/2 cup sugar (you may need a little more sugar if you don’t like tart-flavored things)
• 4 cups rhubarb, chopped into about 1/2″ pieces
• 1 tsp. vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 375F.
2. Mix cornstarch and water. Add granulated sugar and rhubarb. Cook in a heavy saucepan over medium heat until thick. Cool slightly and add vanilla.
3. In a food processor, pulse together flour, baking soda, brown sugar, salt, and 3/4 cup of the oats a few times to combine. Add butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
4. Remove from food processor and stir in remaining 3/4 cup oats.
5. Spray a 9×13 baking dish with nonstick spray. Pat 2/3 of the mixture into the dish and press down to form the crust. Spread cooled rhubarb mixture over crust. Sprinkle the remaining crumbs on top.
6. Bake for 30-35 minutes until light golden brown.

I have been remiss in posting lately. Life has been busy.

Here’s a quick recap on recent and upcoming events:

Last weekend we went to my cousin Laura’s wedding shower. She and her fiance Joe are getting married in St. Louis in a couple of weeks, which will be our first significant trip with the kiddo. We’re excited about it, especially since their reception is at the St. Louis Zoo. I’ve never been there, but I’ve always wanted to, ever since my dad told me stories of Phil the Gorilla when I was a kid. Phil was a stuffed gorilla housed somewhere on the zoo property; I don’t even know if he’s still there, but I’m glad to have my childhood dreams fulfilled and see my beautiful cousin get married at the same time. Birds, stones, etc.  Edited to add:  Phil apparently only exists in bronze form nowadays.  Nonetheless, I hope to get a picture with him.

At the shower, Miles (and Denny and I) got to meet cousin Anna, my cousin Betsy’s little girl. Betsy and I are close in age and always had lots of fun together growing up, so I think it’s really cool that our kids are close together too. Anna was supposed to be older, but due to Miles’s surprise appearance and her reluctance to emerge, Miles ended up coming first. It was really fun to have two babies to play with.

My first Mothers Day was great, even though I was really tired because Miles pulled one of his bad nights that night. He only does it about once a week now; most nights he’s only up once, but that particular evening he woke me up four times. Happy Mothers Day indeed. However, it was nice to spend it with my family, including my own mother and one of my grandmothers. Denny got me some really thoughtful gifts, including a lovely bottle of wine and dinner at our favorite restaurant.

We went early, thinking that would be the best time in case Miles got squawky, and the staff there actually carried him around and played with him while Denny and I ate our food. Now that’s some serious service. On a related note, we were watching Little People, Big World the other night (a non-sleazy reality show about a family that includes some dwarfs), and part of it took place in Mount Vernon, where Amy had a speaking engagement. We asked the staff if she ate at the Lincoln Cafe, and apparently she did. Excellent choice, Mrs. Roloff.

Things aren’t going to slow down any time soon; this weekend we have a graduation reception for Denny’s cousin, then a reunion of our childbirth class (babies on the outside this time). After that is Laura’s wedding, then we’re going to Portland where Denny has a conference to attend and Miles and I will see the sights. June is full of more weddings, and at some point I hope to get together with my best girlfriends in Ames.

Perhaps when this is all over, I’ll report back with fascinating anecdotes. The prospect of flying on a plane with a four-month-old is a recipe for content, no?