Daddy's Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

It's rhubarb season in Maine, with strawberries to follow soon. My Dad (aka "Daddy") loved strawberry rhubarb pie and we often substituted it for birthday cake on his June 15th birthday.  I can't even smell rhubarb pie without remembering Dad (a humble member of the "Greatest Generation" who survived the beaches of Normandy) and how much he enjoyed it.

We knew a pie was in our future when friends of ours, two sisters who have lived in our small Maine town their whole lives, surprised us with a big bag of fresh rhubarb last week. DH, who is the baker in our family, found some beautiful strawberries to add to sweeten the pie.

Here is a link to the Strawberry Rhubarb Pie recipe he uses. It's from the website Smitten Kitchen.

He likes this recipe because it uses tapioca to thicken the pie so that the juice doesn't run when you bake and serve it. This recipe also uses less sugar than previous recipes he's tried.

DH  usually uses refrigerated Pillsbury pie crusts. They worked perfectly.

The green of the rhubarb mixed with the bright red strawberries makes a delicious-looking pie filling.

Add the top crust . . .

Brush it with a little melted butter . . . 

And it's ready for the oven.

I only wish Dad was still here to enjoy it with us. 

Since we had enough rhubarb for two pies, DH gave the second pie to our sister-friends, Jo and Margaret (we lovingly call them "the Ladies"), who gave us the rhubarb.

I love the foods we look forward to every summer in Maine. 

We're enjoying rhubarb and and fiddlehead ferns now . . . 

. . . and later will be able to make pies with sweet Maine blueberries.

It's all good!

This post is linked to:

Wednesday DIY Link Party at To Grandma's House We Go
Talk of the Town at Knick of Time

Road Trip: Smokey Mountain National Park

Yesterday dawned bright and sunny so we decided to spend the day in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

I had forgotten how beautiful it is here in the Smoky Mountains.

"May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view. May your mountains rise into and above the clouds." – Edward Abbey

Swollen brooks run down through the woods to join the Little River as it runs through the valley.

And the sights and sounds of Spring are all around us.

We were looking forward to driving the eleven mile loop road through Cades Cove.  

From the Smoky Mountains web page:

"The first European settlers arrived in Cades Cove in the early 1820s. They quickly built log homes, barns, corn cribs, smokehouses and cleared land for farming. The land was rich and fertile and provided the settlers with abundant crops, such as corn."

"When the states of Tennessee and North Carolina begin to purchase land for the creation of the national park, the first large piece of land purchased in 1927 included most of the land in the mountains north of Cades Cove. A few families welcomed the state's effort to buy land for the park; they willingly sold their land and moved out of the Cove.  Some residents signed life-leases that allowed them to live on their land for the rest of their life. As residents left the cove and the community dispersed, there was no longer a need for facilities and services. The last school in Cades Cove closed in 1944 and the post office closed in 1947."

"Today, the National Park Service manages and maintains Cades Cove as it looked in the early days of the settlers. In 1945, the National Park Service designated Cades Cove as a "historical area" and restored several of the older log cabins and barns. "

After learning about Henry Lawson on Tuesday, we weren't totally surprised to learn that the Dan Lawson family once lived at Cades Cove. DH's grandparents were farmers in rural Amelia County Virginia. Now we're even more curious about possible ancestral connections to the many Lawson families who farmed here.

When you sit quietly and look out over these mountains, you realize how well the name "Smoky Mountains" fits them. They are every shade of blue and gray.

"The Smoky Mountains are a rare jewel…Why not have a place where you can still see the stars? There is value to keeping things primitive." – James Dawson

If you look carefully, you can see mountain roads on each side of the Little River down in the valley.

Later in the afternoon, we passed yet another "Lawson" home and business; this one belonged to Paul Lawson (DH's brother;s name).

Again, DH went to the door to introduce himself. But the house was closed up with shades drawn as if no one had lived there in awhile.

DH was disappointed to think that maybe Paul Lawson was deceased as well. We would have like to say "Hello" and ask about possible relatives in Virginia.

We're so thankful for this trip and the opportunity to watch Spring arrive as we travel through the South. What a beautiful part of the country!

"You’re off to Great Places! Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting, so…get on your way." 

– Dr. Seuss

Who knows what today will bring?

We're off on another Tennessee adventure!

This post is linked to:

Thursday Favorite Things at the Eclectic Red Barn
Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage

Road Trip: Townsend, TN

Late Monday afternoon, we arrived in Townsend, Tennessee, "the quiet side of the Smokies".

On our way in from Rt. 40 , we passed the Bush;'s Baked Bean factory (and Bean Museum!) in Dandridge, Tennessee.

Since we live right near the OTHER baked bean company, B & M, we just had to stop to check out the competition.

The Bush's beans weren't bad, but, being from New England, our loyalty will have to remain with B & M, the ones we grew up counting on n Saturday nights. The general store and cafe at the Bush complex were well worth the stop though. 

We finally arrived at our campground, which is right on the Little River (tubing headquarters) in the Smoky Mountains town of Townsend. The Internet is a bit "iffy" here because of the mountains so I may keep my "Tennessee" posts a little shorter than usual. Hopefully, the pictures will tell most of the story.

Yesterday we took a ride. It's been 14 years since we last stayed in Townsend so we wanted to get our bearings again.  We hit the brakes when we passed this old gas station.

Since DH's name is Henry Lawson, he decided to get out and introduce himself to the "other" Henry Lawson. 

Sadly, the other Henry Lawson, who owned the place for years, passed away in 2004. But the new owner was thrilled to meet DH and tell us the story. 

She even shared with "my" Henry Lawson a pgoto of "her" Henry Lawson. I guess he was a fixture in the area. That's him on the left. We only wish we could have met him!

There are antique shops around every corner here in the Smokies so I'm in my glory. We stopped at a few yesterday and will visit more tomorrow. (I'm seeing lots of gorgeous old tobacco baskets here!)

As well other favorites like  linens . . .

And vintage kitchen items. (Since I still use my original 1970 Betty Crocker Cookbook, like the one in the photo, I think I might now be considered "vintage" as well).

Everywhere you drive here is beautiful. Here are some scenes we passed on our way back to our campsite.

The Little River in Townsend is popular for tubing in the summer. We did it when we were here fourteen years ago - so much fun. You can tube downriver for miles. Just before the falls a bus picks you up and takes you back upstream for another river run. It's still a little cold for that this trip but I hope we can do it again someday!

Little white churches dot the valleys.

 I don't know why, but I love dilapidated old buildings!

                                     All of the flowering trees are in bloom here.

And roads lead to "hollows".
(Guess we know what we'll find in this hollow!)

We got back just in time for a campfire.

And a few quiet moments with our books before bed.

Tomorrow we;ll explore the Smoky Mountain National Forest and Cades Cove.

Hope you'll follow along with us!

This post is linked to:

Thursday Favorite Things at The Eclectic Red Barn
Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage