Tasty "Therapy"

As you regular visitors know, Aunt Julie--The Pop'r Queen--bakes quite a bit. She regards this kind of nesting as a "tasty therapy," which helps to brighten her day, along with those of Uncle Lynn (you all know him as The Pop'r King) and the rest of her brood.

Last week, Aunt Julie dropped a delightful Blueberry Pie recipe on us. Today, she reached into her Secret Recipe Box and pulled out an index card for Strawberry Rhubarb Pie. Uncle Lynn's on his way home from Talking Pop'rs at the International Food Technology get-together in New Orleans. Anyone who Snaps, Crackles or Pops in the food industry was at the IFT Fest, including The Popr King, promoting his home-grown company with the able assistance of two of his sons, who help run the family business.

This yummy pie combines a fruit and a vegetable that are both in season. Won't Uncle Lynn and the boys be pleased when they get home? Aunt Julie's happy to share, so enjoy!

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie
2 cups cut up strawberries (Julie uses more!)
2 cups cut up rhubarb (Julie uses more!)
1 1/3 to 1 ½ cups sugar
1/3 cup flour

Heat over to 425 degrees. Prepare pastry. (Auntie J's secret? "Unrolling a Pillsbury crust, and thanking God that I don’t have to make my own!") Mix sugar and flour, and then gently mix these ingredients with the strawberries and rhubarb, to coat them. Obviously, if you'd like more than 2 cups of each fruit/veggie, you should go for it--Aunt Julie does! Turn the mixture into a pastry-lined pie plate. Sprinkle with any remaining sugar/flour mixture. Cover with top crust. Cut slits and sprinkle with sugar. Seal the edges well. Cover the top of the pie foil, 'til the last 15 minutes of baking. Bake 40-50 minutes. Best served warm, with plenty of vanilla ice cream!

You Say Tomato, I Say Pop'rs!

Unless you've been living under a glacier (assuming you can find one big enough--poor dears!) at the South Pole, you've heard about the Deadly Tomato Salmonella Outbreak. OK, a tomato is a fruit, but Veggie Mom feels a close kinship with the juicy red critters. My kids are real tomato afficionados, too. It just breaks their Tomato-Pickin' Hearts that Mom's not acquiring these tasty treats on her bi-weekly jaunts to Ye Local Grocery Store.

But there's a Silver Lining here. First, the Good News. Not all tomatoes are affected--we can still pick up Cherry & Grape Tomatoes & Tomatoes on the Vine, all the while resting assured that our little darlin's will sleep well at nite. The Even Better News is that we can now introduce other yummy fruits & veggies to our families, with a fun twist.

You've probably noticed in my bio to the right that I'm a Mom who's committed to her family's health & well-being. I'm also related to Uncle Lynn. He's the Pop'r King, & boy, does he have some great suggestions for jazzing up that food that Junior & Little Miss turn their noses up at now & again.

Here are some Neat New Ideas for serving those delectable fruits, veggies & other yummy treats that The Family has gotten so close to over the years. The 8 different Pop'r flavors, BTW, come in fun 1-ounce shakers, & are available online at http://www.poprs.com/:

• Try Cinammon Pop'rs on applesauce.


• Sprinkle Color Burst on any flavor of yogurt.


• Chocolate's a super flavor on top of pudding.


• Introduce Strawberry to your kiddos' cereal in the morning.


• Raspberry is a treat with yogurt & ice cream.


• Corn & other veggies take well to Butter.


• Taco can't be beat on mashed potatoes.


• Buffalo (as in the seasoning used on wings) goes hand-in-hand with brocolli & its kindred spirits.
  

Did I mention that these Fun & Scrumptious Seasonings are vitamin-fortified? Hey, if they get my kids to Eat Their Veggies, what's not to love?