Who doesn't love a little rhubarb pie? Turns out - Mr. Organic. He once had a near death experience with a rhubarb cobbler and has been turned off of anything rhubarb since then.I almost can't blame him, raw rhubarb smells exactly like B.O., but once it's baked up in a pie - it's deliciously tart and absolutely divine served hot with vanilla ice cream. I was first introduced to this recipe by my Uncle Hugh - I have since been informed that he uses my Aunt Moana's recipe.
Moana's Rhubarb Pie - that Hugh can't get enough of
2 C rhubarb stalks, washed and cut into 1/2 inch chunks
1 C sour cream
1/2 C flour
1 1/2 C sugar
1 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt
1 pie shell
Layer a third of the rhubarb in the bottom of the pie. Mix all but the remaining rhubarb together. Once it's well blended, stir in the rest of the rhubarb and spread in the pie crust. Bake for 10 minutes at 400, then reduce heat to 375 and bake a further 40 minutes. If crust starts to brown too much, cover with foil. Serve hot with cream or vanilla ice cream. It's the grown up version of eating Sour-Patch Kids.
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In other news, today is the first Mother's Day since I've lived in this house (8 years) that I did not cry. Traditionally, I have viewed it as the Annual You're-Not-Measuring-Up-On-The-Yardstick-Of-Motherhood Day. I would attend church and end up coming home to cry it out and collect myself before the kids arrived. I was brutal with myself and noticed all the ways in which I still had so far to go as a mother (it's quite a list and rather disheartening).
This year, however, I had an epiphany; it came to me shortly after attending a graveside service for a little one gone too soon. Mother's day is not about me and my expectations of myself. It is not about whether I've mastered patience with my children, and it is not about how well I'm doing my job raising little people - helping them to become self-assured yet humble, compassionate individuals (and goodness, a lot of that is really up to them). No, it's really not about any of those things.
This year I have seen Mother's Day in a whole new light as an opportunity to be grateful. It's a day to realize what a pleasure and a privilege it is to participate in Motherhood, to be thankful to God for the potential and the opportunity he's given to me (and to a whole sisterhood of women).
Whether or not my personal journey has been stellar is beside the point. The point is that it's an unbelievable, irreplaceable gift to be a mother.
So today, rather than thinking of all the ways in which I have yet to grow as a mother entrusted with the care and nurture of giant, little souls I am thinking instead of how wonderful it is to be a mother (to play one in real life) and to have my own (that I share with 6 other siblings) mother that I know and love so well.
Happy Mother's Day!
