Cooking in the West

Summer is the time when I decide to roll up my sleeves and clean out some junk. However, my parents were children of the Great Depression, so I can still hear their voices ringing in my ears when I think about pitching stuff that could potentially have some use in the future--even though it has received no usage within the last 25 years. Marilee Robinson of Billings, Montana sent me her delightful book “East Meets West,” and one of her essays, which I have abridged this week, is called “Throwin' It Out.” I love her style of only using dialogue to tell her stories.

"Throwing It Out!"

"Where'd we get all this stuff, anyway?"

"Well, let's see--25 Christmases, 93 birthdays, 2032 trips to town, and of course shopping the catalogs helped some."

"OK, never mind where we got it--let's get rid of it!"

"Right, these piles of magazines and newspapers can surely go."

"Not my “Western Horseman,” “Agri-News,” or “Horse 'N Rider.” We better keep those newspapers and the “National Geographic” too."

"How about those old boots, shirts, and Levis?"

"Those boots have lots of wear in 'um yet. I have had these shirts since high school. Some of those old Levis are worth big bucks, and they're useful in lots of ways, so we better keep 'em."

"How about those old shoes and blouses?

"I was married in those shoes--don't you remember, and those blouses are for painting."

"How about these old toys of the kids'?"

"Well, I was saving them for their kids."

"How 'bout this old frying pan?"

"That was the first gift you gave me for Christmas--don't you remember?"

"How about these empty boxes?"

"No, I need them for Christmas, birthdays, secret pal things, and tons of stuff."

"How about these old cans of paint?"

"Oh, I'm going to mix it all together and paint the bunkhouse with it someday."

"What about these old cards?"

"I saw this thing on the t.v. where you can make your own cards and decorations out of them."

"What about this pile of scrap material?"

"Are you kidding? People will kill for scrap material. Think of all the quilts and doll clothes and potholders and Halloween costumes I can use them for?"

"What about this old lantern?"

"No, I can use it in a hunting camp if we can find a wick for it somewhere."

"How about these old cupboard doors that don't fit anything?"

"I'm sure a person could make something out of those some day."

"How about this wad of string?"

"Well, ok, throw it out, but we'll probably be needing it next week!"

It is getting a little late in the season for rhubarb recipes, but hopefully you still have some to harvest or have stored some in the freezer to try these rhubarb recipes.

Rhubarb Pudding Cake:

2 C. rhubarb, chopped

1 3/4 cup sugar, divided

3 T. butter, softened

1 t. baking powder

1/4 t. salt

1/2 C. milk

1 t. vanilla extract

1/2 t. almond extract

1 C. sifted flour

1 T. cornstarch

2/3 C. boiling water

Cover the bottom of an 8 or 9 inch square glass baking pan with fruit. Mix 3/4 C. sugar, butter, baking powder, salt, extracts, milk and flour together. Add a little more milk if it is too thick to pour; pour over fruit. Mix remaining sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl; sprinkle over mixture in pan. Pour boiling water over the top. ( I know this sounds strange, but trust me, it works to create a pudding around the rhubarb in the bottom of the pan.) Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes. Serve warm with whipped cream or ice cream.

Rhubarb Cream Cake:

1 box yellow or white cake mix

3 C. rhubarb

1 C. sugar

1 pint whipping cream

Mix cake according to directions. Put in a 9x13 cake pan. Cut rhubarb into small pieces. Spread over cake mix. Sprinkle sugar over rhubarb and then pour the whipping cream over sugar. Do not mix or stir! Bake for 45 to 60 minutes at 350 degrees until light brown and cracks form on the top. (Cake rises to top and a custard forms at the bottom). This freezes well.

Easy Rhubarb Cake:

4 C. rhubarb, chopped

1 C. sugar

18 1/4 oz. box white cake mix

3 oz. pkg. strawberry gelatin

1 C. water

1/3 C. butter, melted

Place the first four ingredients in a 9 X 13 pan in the order listed. The cake mix and gelatin go in dry. Pour water and butter on top, but do not stir. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 60 minutes.