Strawberry and Rhubarb Crisp

I've been a neglectful blogger of late. Not because we're not eating well; I have many great blog entries in my head right now. My problem is, that when the little man goes to sleep, it seems all that I want to do lately is curl up with a good book. OK, this isn't a new problem, but has been a recurring theme throughout my procrastination-rich-book-filled life.

Ah, summer. Ah, strawberry season. When the local strawberry season kicks off my world becomes that much shinier. A good fruit crisp is my faithful standby dessert. I love it - apples, pears, blackberries.. anything goes. Almost better than a crisp with a plop of ice cream, is a big bowl of it for breakfast the next morning. Throughout the winter I have bags of frozen summer bounty to ensure that my addiction is curbed.

But those zip locks have been emptied months ago; fortunately summer is here and berry season has begun. I also currently have a bumper crop of rhubarb that seems to grow like a weed in my garden. From a tiny little plant two months ago, I now have mammoth leaves vying for sunlight with my tomato plants. Finn and I have been eating stewed rhubarb, rhubarb loaf, and rhubarb muffins for the past month. I mixed it up a little and added a few cups of strawberries to create a delicious crisp.

A fruit crisp is another forgiving dessert. It's hard to mess up. My measurements here are all approximations. You really do need to just go for it and see what you come up with.

Rhubarb- Strawberry Crisp

Fruit Mixture
Combine in a 8 inch baking dish or casserole of similar size:
4 or 5 cups chopped rhubarb
2 cups sliced strawberries
1/3 cup sugar (this results in a somewhat tart crisp, add 2/3 cups if you have a sweet tooth)
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Crumbly Topping
Combine:
1/4 c melted butter
1/3 c brown sugar (again, 1/2 if you like it sweeter)
1/2 c flour
1 cup rolled oats (or old fashioned, which is what I used this time)
pinch salt (if using unsalted butter)
shake of cinnamon

You want a nice crumbly texture. If it seems to dry add a T of water or honey. Spread the topping on the fruit mixture.

Bake at 350 for about an hour .

Enjoy. Tastes great cold too.