Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

I have this great big gorgeous rhubarb plant growing outside so I figured it was time to make something with rhubarb.

I opted for a very simple strawberry rhubarb pie. I started with a recipe I found on allrecipes.com and my trusted pie crust recipe from my kitchenaid book and made a few simple modifications. It turned out great!

Here's my version of

Rhubarb Strawberry Pie

1 lb rhubarb, chopped (this was 6 stalks for me)
1 lb strawberries, sliced
1/2 cup flour
1 cup sugar
pie crust (see recipe below)
1 egg white

In a large bowl, mix together the sugar and flour.  Add strawberries and rhubarb, mixing well.  Cover and let sit for 45 minutes. (don't skimp on this sitting time or the pie will be runny)

Meanwhile make your pie crust. I slightly increased my measurements from the standard recipe because I never seem to have enough.  This amount made a lattice crust in a deep 9" pie pan.
Pie Crust
3 cups flour
1/2 cup shortening
5 T butter, chilled
8-10 T cold water

In your mixer combine flour, shortening, and butter. Mix until shortening has broken down to pea size bits.  Start adding the water 1T at a time until the dough just starts to stick together.  Separate into two balls (they say half but i do 2/3 and 1/3 and use the bigger one for the bottom crust) and refrigerate for 15 minutes.

Now to the pie.....

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.  Roll out the pie crust bottom and place in a 9" pie pan crimping the edges over the sides.
Making sure it is well stirred, add the strawberry rhubarb filling into the pie
Roll out the remaining pie dough and make a lattice crust over the filling, attaching the pieces using a small amount of water.
If you choose not to make a lattice, make sure you cut an 'x' in the middle of the pie so it can steam.
Using a brush, brush the egg white onto the top crust. Sprinkle sugar on the crust.

Place on a cookie sheet to prevent spills and bake for 35-45 minutes or until the filling is bubbly and the crust is turning golden.

Now turn off the oven but leave the pie inside to cool down slowly. (you can crack the door if you want).  This will help the filling to solidify.  These pies can be runny if you don't let them cool for a few hours.  I took my pie out an hour after I turned the oven off, put foil over the top and let it sit for another two hours before serving.

It was sweet and tart and delicious served with vanilla ice cream.   A great spring pie and a wonderful way to use up my rhubarb, and really a very simple pie recipe.

Happy Cooking.

Walking in Colorado : White Ranch Park

It's a rainy day today, but it was glorious last week, so I went on another adventure.  I am trying to make the rounds of all the Jefferson County Open Space parks this summer, because they are FREE, and finding a nice place to hike that is free is not always an easy thing.

So last Thursday I went to White Ranch Park in Golden, Colorado.
http://jeffco.us/openspace/openspace_T56_R57.htm

It is located off of Golden Gate Canyon Road, which is just off of 93, north of downtown Golden.  I have never been to this park, but I have been to Golden Gate Canyon State park also on this road, and I forgot how much I really don't like Golden Gate Canyon Road.  I can't explain exactly why, as there are plenty of curving windy roads in the foothills, but for some reason this one always gets me car sick.  So be warned, you will have to drive up a windy 35 mph road for a half hour to get here.

When I finally arrived, the view was beautiful, so it almost made the drive worthwhile.

White Ranch Park - View from Parking lot

This park has an extensive trail system, and two entrances. I would recommend accessing it from the west entrance, as most of the trails start there.  There is even camping here, as well as an equestrian campground which I thought was kind of neat for the horse lovers out there.  While here I saw other hikers, mountain bikers, and equestrians. I went on a Thursday and it was not at all crowded, though I don't know how crowded it gets on the weekends.

After studying the trail map, I decided to start off on the Rawhide trail going clockwise, cut across on Wrangler's Run and join back up with the Rawhide trail which would take me back to the picnic area/parking lot, where I planned to have my picnic lunch. This is a total of 2.5 miles. I was then going to walk the Sawmill trail to where it meets the Maverick trail to create another loop of approximately 2 miles.  The trails here have many intersections so I would highly recommend taking a map with you and picking your trail combinations by the distance you want to travel.
http://jeffco.us/jeffco/openspace_uploads/whitemp.pdf
The open space website also has a trail profile where it describes the trails and their steepness.

Going in the clockwise direction the Rawhide trail is a gentle slope downhill along a wide dirt road. It travels through meadows and pine forest.  Here's a few pictures along the Rawhide Trail. I saw plenty of birds and grasshoppers and even a mule deer on this trail.

a mule deer that spotted me before I spotted it

Pine trees and boulders dotting an otherwise open meadow

The rawhide trail is intersected by the Wrangler Trail, which is a narrow foot path that slopes down through a creek bed. There were thousands of grasshoppers hopping around on this path, though I didn't see any other wildlife.

Wrangler's Run Trail

Where Wrangler's Run trail joins back up with the Rawhide trail, the uphill portion of the hike begins.  It is about .5 miles of steep uphill back to the parking lot.  The trail goes up through a forested area, so there is at least shade while you are trekking uphill.

When I got back to the parking lot, my total hiking time was about 1 hour 15 minutes.  Unfortunately it took me a lot longer to drive here than I had originally thought, so I didn't have enough time to do my second loop of Maverick and Saw Mill trails.

I would recommend this location if you have all day to explore the trails, as the drive here is long and slow.  There are quite a few picnic bench sites with grills (though there is a fire ban here right now) so it could be a great way to spend the day with friends and a picnic lunch.  It is a large park offering beautiful vistas, and a good variety of trails.

Happy Trails!!

Walking in Colorado : Van Bibber Park

It's officially May, and one of the nicest months for being out of doors in my opinion.  This month I decided to go on walks all around Colorado and document them on my blog. Hopefully they will be informative or inspiring.  Even if it is a quick walk in the neighborhood, I always feel great after I've gotten outside for a bit.

Today I went to Van Bibber Park, which is part of the Jefferson County Open Space.  It's off Ward Rd, just south of 58th Street in Arvada.  The main path is a 1.5 mile paved trail (3 miles round trip) ideal for walking, jogging, or biking.  It's very popular with families, people with dogs and runners. There's also dirt trails if you want a little variety in your walking. I love to go here because it is pretty in all seasons and is a pocket of nature very close to home.

Here's a link to their website which contains a trail map:  http://jeffco.us/openspace/openspace_T56_R20.htm

Van Bibber Park

There is a stream that goes through the park, which supports lots of wildlife from birds to bunnies, and even a coyote family which I've seen a few times.  Walking down the trail there is a constant soundtrack of meadowlarks and red winged blackbirds. Robins, magpies and other birds hop near the trail and if you look at the very tall trees at the edge of the park you may see an owl or hawk.

Nestled along the stream there are stands of old and narly cottonwood trees.  They are so picturesque nestled into the valley.

There are picnic tables and benches along the trail.  Sometimes I've come just to sit there to listen to the birds and the breeze in the trees.  Today I saw an eastern blue jay hopping around on this picnic table. I don't know what it was doing in Colorado.

 

The trail runs along some major power lines, which can be a little annoying due to the constant hum, but it isn't too distracting, and I have seen hawks and eagles perched on the lines.  The path winds all the way over to Indiana Street, where there is another small parking lot, where I turn around and head back.  The houses that border the park near Indiana St. abound with rabbits hopping around their fences.

 

It works out for me to be about a one hour walk, which is perfect for a weekday; at lunch or in the evenings. And I always feel happier after I've gotten to get outside for an hour to enjoy the great weather, the sunshine, and a little bit of nature.  

  I'm hoping my next walk will be the Pawnee Grasslands this weekend.

Happy Trails!