This past weekend was my birthday. Yes. I get a whole weekend. Since David wasn't in town (I know, he stinks) I had to keep it a little more low key than usual, but still had a ton of fun. My youngest sister came to stay with me while David was away, and after lots of planning and thinking on our part, we decided it would be fun to cross off one of the items from my list: gem mining.

Up here in the mountains, we have a good gem pool to pick from. There are gem mines everywhere. We opted for a little place about half an hour from home a little deeper in the mountains. A little place called Gem Valley. It was the epitome of a family business, with the daughter running the shop in the front, and mom and dad running the flumes by the creek. We had a ton of fun, scouring through the "complimentary" buckets we got when we payed the "entrance fee" and continuing on to a bigger bucket that we shared.

I really thought Lily would love the opportunity to play in the dirt and rocks and water, but found out quickly that playing in these things isn't much fun for her if she has to sit. But she kept herself entertained an Molly and I had a blast being dirty kids for a few hours.

Several weeks ago I underwent my first go at making one of my favorite European treats, crème brûlée. It turned out fantastically, and I knew it wouldn't be the last. Since then I've tried a nice little variation: chocolate crème brûlée.

The recipe came from a very NOT-European, Paula Deen. However, the result was fantastic and made for a fantastic 4th of July treat. You can get the recipe for yourself here.

It is no secret that I am smitten with the Ashe County Farmer's Market. We have yet to miss a Saturday market since we moved here 2 months ago, and I make no plans to miss one until we're gone. The atmosphere is spectacular, the people are genuinely friendly, and the food is to die for. Smitten.

I was sad that spring was ending because that meant the end of strawberries, which is an everyday snack and/or dessert in this household. Lily is addicted. But this past Saturday, the first of the summer, brought all kinds of other yummy goodies. Last Saturday's haul was spectacular. We got carrots, summer squash, broccoli, salad greens, rhubarb, baked goodies (those cranberry and white chocolate cookies were the best things I've ever eaten), eggs, fresh flowers, and fresh ground beef. I'm sure I'm leaving something out, but you get the picture. It's quite possible to live quite well off of farmer's market food here.



The rhubarb was a first for me, and might be some of the last of the season. I've seen rhubarb pies and muffins and jams, and to my knowledge I had never given it a try. My seasonal cookbooks are full of rhubarb recipes so I thought I'd give it a chance. And the outcome was eaten in about 24 hours. Fantastic.

The lady I bought the rhubarb from is a regular at the market. I've purchased her greens and dried teas before, and this week I bought her rhubarb. She accompanied the stalks with a couple of recipes on a card and suggested I give the Rhubarb Crunch a try. Let me just say that it was ridiculously fantastic and you have got to try this for yourself.



RHUBARB CRUNCH

1 cup flour
3/4 cup rolled oats
1 cup brown sugar
1 stick melted butter
1 tsp cinnamon
1 cup white sugar (I used the organic sugar that's not white, not sure what it is exactly)
1 cup water
2 T cornstarch 
1 tsp vanilla
4 cups chopped rhubarb

Mix flour, oats, brown sugar, butter, and cinnamon until crumbly. Pat 1/2 of mixture into a 9-inch square pan. (I used a 6x8, worked fine.) Top with rhubarb. Mix white sugar, water, cornstarch, and vanilla. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring until clear. Pour sauce over rhubarb and top with remaining crumbs. Bake one hour at 350 degrees. Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. (We did the ice cream. O.M.G.)

Italicized ingredients are local and/or organic.

I will have to ask the lady her name this weekend so that I can give her some well deserved credit for this recipe. I'll be getting more from her Saturday to make this for my family which is coming to visit for the weekend. They're deeply entertained at how well I'm adjusting to my mountain home.