Rediscovered treasure

 Ada Dedell 1924, aged 42

Today I did some rearranging of paperwork and supplies in my office and I discovered a manila envelope, labeled in my mother's handwriting "Recipes - Ada May Greenia Dedell- in her handwriting." Ada, my grandmother, was born February 25, 1882. Ada like so many of her generation was an excellent cook. I remember well enjoying the meals she cooked for me when I stayed at her house for a few weeks in the summer. We would walk around the block to the neighborhood grocery store in the early afternoon or late morning and buy fresh vegetables and meat for our evening meal. I especially remember shelling peas and eating about as many as I put into the pan. I expect that she planned on that happening!

The treasure part is that one of those recipes was her mother's recipe for Rhubarb pie. Ada's mother, Nellie Ruth Greenia, was born in 1855. This is the recipe for Nellie's Rhubarb Pie just in time for spring rhubarb in the northeast:

"Skin the rhubarb. Cut in 1/2 inch pieces. Fill the crust with the raw fruit and sprinkle liberally with sugar and 2 tablespoons flour. Bake about 3/4 hour."

When everyone cooked nearly every meal at home, it was assumed that the cook needed very little in the way of instruction. First my grandmother and then my mother expanded the instructions and now I am adding what I think is required for today's cook.

Rhubarb Pie Filling

3 cups rhubarb cut into 1-inch pieces

1 1/2 cups sugar

3 tablespoons flour

1 bottom and 1 top pie crust

Follow the instructions on the package for the pie crust. If you have made your own pie crust, you do not need to be told what to do.

Preheat the oven to 400 F.

Rinse the rhubarb and cut it into 1-inch pieces, removing and discarding any tough ends and all of the leaves. Combine the rhubarb, sugar and flour in a large bowl. Place the bottom crust in a pie pan. Pour the mixture into the bottom crust and cover with the top crust. Make a few slashes in the center of the top crust to allow steam to escape. Trim the crust to fit the pan and crimp the edges of the top and bottom crust together. Bake for 10 minutes at 400 and lower the heat to 350. Continue baking until the crust is golden brown. Cool on a rack and serve at room temperature.

Avocado and mango tostada

No, sorry, but that is not chocolate! But these tostadas were so delicious I just have to share them with you even though it is not the most photogenic food. There is a more appealing photo of a tostada on Wikipedia.

At about noon every day I get hungry, really, really hungry. I don't want take the time to cook in the middle of the day, but I admit to being a picky eater. That means I have to at the very least prepare some food. I can't just grab a piece of bread with a smear of something and be satisfied. I like to reheat leftovers whenever they are available. If there are no leftovers in the refrigerator, I try to have a sandwich and fruit or sometimes a fruit sandwich. This might be called a Mexican fruit sandwich. Not by a Mexican of course, but that is the way I thought of it.

I often toast corn tortillas made by La Banderita and sold at Publix stores where I live and at Wegmans where I often visit. Even though the tortillas contain those chemicals that I can't even begin to pronounce, they are the only grocery store corn tortillas I like the taste of.

In the refrigerator I found the tortillas, left-over refried black beans, spicy tomato salsa, a few leaves of Boston lettuce, half an avocado and a mango. The avocados and mangoes available right now are outstanding so as soon as I saw them I knew I had lunch. I put the cut up fruit and lettuce in a small bowl and splashed on some seasoned rice wine vinegar. In the microwave, I reheated the refried beans while the corn tortillas were toasting and assembled my Mexican open-face sandwiches.

It has taken me longer to write this than it took to prepare lunch!