Strawberry-Rhubarb Crisp

Summertime is awesome for a myriad of reasons, but one of the things I love the most about it is that we can both cook and eat outside! Only this time, it is Paul who does the heavy lifting and plans the main meal. I'm in charge of making a salad and concocting some type of dessert but that is so much easier when the main course is taken care of.

Paul has been on a roll in terms of his barbecuing this summer. In May, he made the most perfect baby back ribs that I've ever tasted. They were so tender, had the perfect amount of seasoning, and were paired with a sticky sweet-and-sour sauce. The kids devoured their meals and never once complained. I also loved the fact that Paul had made about 8 pounds of ribs in one go so that the meat fed us for three days - and the kids looked forward to eating them every single night. Lucy, in particular, has proven to be quite the little carnivore. She would climb into her high chair, attempt to place her bib around her own neck, and demand: "I eat ribs!"

The other day, Lucy and I took Peyton for a short little walk around the block. At one point, the smell of a charcoal grill began to permeate the air. Lucy stopped and sniffed the air in an exaggerated fashion, her lips curled up duck-style.

"I smell, Mommy!" she said, continuing to sniff around.
"What do you smell, Lucy?" I asked her.
"I smell..." she paused and sniffed the air some more, "I smell daddy cooking!"

I think that story just about made Paul's day.

Paul has been riding his rib success high this summer and made another batch this past weekend. Of course, none of us were complaining. I began to worry when the forecast predicted rain for Sunday after Paul had already lit his grill in preparation for his ribs. I shouldn't have doubted Paul's dedication to his craft. When the rain began to pour, Paul was out there with his umbrella carefully protecting his grill from cooling down too much. That's dedication.

He's adorable.

The ribs survived the rain and were wonderful. We celebrated by enjoying our feast in our garage. We had our table and chairs set up out there still from the garage sale and the kids had the great idea to eat out there since we can't eat on the deck currently as it is still under construction. It was actually kind of fun, albeit a bit white trash.

A delicious meal deserves an equally amazing finale and I can't imagine a more fitting one than Strawberry-Rhubarb Crisp. Everyone should have a recipe for fruit crisp in their recipe arsenal - one that is tried and true and quite possibly even memorized so that a batch can be made up at a moment's notice. I love how this dessert is so ridiculously easy to toss together but yet when served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream your guests will praise your handiwork as if you labored for hours. I have no idea where I got this recipe originally, probably from an old Taste of Home magazine, but it has been used by us for years and years. I like a heavy amount of topping in our crisp but if you prefer a little less, you can always halve it while keeping the fruit proportions the same. It will still be incredible. I promise.

Strawberry-Rhubarb Crisp

1 cup white sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 cups sliced fresh strawberries
4-5 cups diced rhubarb
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup butter
1 cup rolled oats

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large bowl, mix white sugar, 3 tablespoons flour, strawberries, and rhubarb. Place the mixture in a 9x13 inch baking dish.

Mix 1 1/2 cups flour, brown sugar, butter, and oats until crumbly. I use my fingers to rub the butter and topping together, but you can also use a pastry blender.  Crumble on top of the rhubarb and strawberry mixture.

Bake for 45 minutes or until the topping is lightly browned. Serve warm or at room temperature.