Where All the Women Are Strong, All the Men Are Good Lookin'...

In the previous day's entry I mentioned dehydrating rhubarb and Lanesboro so what's better than adding to my rhubarb recipes by ordering "Everything Rhubarb?" This year's winners for Lanesboro's Rhubarb Festival  (always held the first Saturday in June) sure won't be in this rhubarb book so I thought I would include the 2015 top 3 winners from the tasting contest here.

1st Place 2015 Contest Winner 


 

FRENCH RHUBARB PIE

Diane Haight

1 egg

1 c sugar

1 t vanilla

2 c diced rhubarb

2 t flour

1 unbaked pie shell

Topping:

3/4 c flour

1/2 c brown sugar

1/3 c butter

Put rhubarb mixture into an unbaked pie shell. Cover with topping. Bake at 400 for 10 minutes. 

Reduce heat to 350 and bake 30 minutes more.

2nd Place 2015 Contest Winner!

RHUBARB OATMEAL CUSTARD BARS

Linda Hazel 

Crust:

1 3/4 c oatmeal

1 3/4 c all purpose flour

1 c brown sugar

1 t baking soda

1 c butter or margarine, melted

Filling:

1 c sugar

1/4 t salt

2 T flour

4 eggs

1 t vanilla

4-5 c rhubarb

Procedure:

Preheat oven to 350. Spray  9x13 pan with cooking spray.

Crust: combine  crust ingredients. Mix until crumbly. Reserve 1/3 of mixture.

Press remaining crust mixture into 9 x 13 pan. Bake 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned.

Prepare filling while crust is baking.

Filling: In large mixing bowl beat eggs. Mix flour, salt and sugar together in separate bowl. Pour over eggs and blend well. Then add vanilla and rhubarb. Blend well. Pour mixture over partially baed crust. Sprinkle remaining rust mixture over top of rhubarb mixture. Continue to bake for 30-35 minutes. Cool. Store leftovers in refrigerator.

3rd Place 2015 Contest Winner!

RHUBARB CROISSANT BREAD PUDDING

Kitty Baker

8 lg croissants

2 1/2 c candied rhubarb bits (semi-dried, then sugared to intensify flavor)

1 c sugar

2 c cream

8 eggs

1 T citrus zest

1 t salt

Preheat oven to 350.

Cube croissants into 1" pieces. Toss with candied rhubarb and pour into a buttered 9 x 13 glass baking pan. Combine sugar, cream, eggs, zest and salt and mix well. Pour over the croissants, poking pieces down into the egg mixture. Let stand to allow liquid to be absorbed. Bake until the bread is puffed and knife inserted comes out mostly clean (approximately 45 minutes).

Serve warm. For a special treat, top with rhubarb sauce and vanilla ice cream.

*Recipes 'borrowed' from Lanesboro Rhubarb Festival's website.

Let me know what you think.

Here's a link from when Garrison Keillor came to Lanesboro:

Lanesboro and Garrison Keillor

Home Away from Home

We've started a tradition in celebrating our summer birthdays and anniversary in the historic bluff country of Lanesboro, Minnesota, a charming town with great bike trails and the Root River tubing/ canoeing activities about an hour from the End of the Rainbow Valley.

The Bed and Breakfast Habberstad House serves as our central base. After a long day on the trail/river we return to the comforts of ‘home.' We biked about 20 miles to Preston and back this visit to Lanesboro.(More about the biking another time)

This 1897 Victorian beauty is filled with original woodwork, gorgeous refinished wooden floors, pocket doors, high ceilings and whether you are in the front entry, sitting room, parlor/dining room all public spaces are filled with ‘tasteful’ interest and antiques.                          The owners, Nancy and Dave live in the back part of the house which includes a magnificent kitchen where both whip up yummy breakfasts that fill one to the gills.

We had peaches n cream, fireman's banana bread and apple pancakes with chicken herbed sausage.




Dave keeps the grounds immaculate and you can enjoy various seasonal blooms including a kitchen herb garden. Seating areas are scattered throughout the property whether one wants to hang out on the front porch/ sit by the fountain / under a grape arbor/one of the gazebos/ on a patio.

Since our first stay which I think was for my 50th, we have stayed in where else but the inviting 'Scandinavian' suite. It is a mixture of Norway’s blue and red painted knotty pine with stenciled motifs in the sink area. A Swedish bright yellow dons the bathroom walls.

Wood furnishings and especially the gorgeous oak leaf carved queen size bed make the large room comfy. I love all the wood. There are sitting areas and a small table to play games/ use your computer. Lots of details to enjoy. I think my biking shoes look quite at home here, don't you?

Various amenities have been added. This time we used the new Keurig coffee maker. Last visit a flat screen TV had been added for those that can’t live without it and a DVD player. (Need I say that we haven’t used those yet?) We did take advantage of the cd player for some mood music and had a good giggle over the canned bird and cricket noises. I told Natureman he must have that same cd playing outside our bedroom in the End of the Rainbow Valley …

The room is large enough to also hold a 2-person spa whirlpool ( not like our cow trough one☺) and there are salts and plush bathrobes. Natureman did bring our champagne flutes, bubbly, brie, smoked trout and crackers to complete the 10th anniversary celebration.

                                   The room also has a delightful balcony which we always use to enjoy the gardens and even a warm summer day as the birch trees now have grown to provide ample shade and privacy,


and to enjoy another beautiful sunset here in bluff country just on the other side of the Mississippi from the End of the Rainbow Valley...