1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup flour
1 cup oats
1/4 cup butter, melted
pinch of salt

1 cup rhubarb, cubed
1 cup strawberries
1 cup water
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon lemon juice

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine brown sugar, flour, salt and oats, then gradually mix in the butter until the whole mixture is of a crumbly consistency.
3. Meanwhile, boil the water in a pot and stir in the sugar.
4. Reduce to medium heat and add the rhubarb, cooking until fork tender.
5. Add the strawberries and lemon juice and remove from heat, stirring until mixture has formed into a thickened syrup.
6. Pour the strawberry rhubarb mixture into an oven-proof dish and top with the oatmeal crumble topping.
7. Bake until the top is a golden brown, about 30 minutes.

Makes 8 servings

4 small potatoes, peeled and quartered
1/2 small onion, chopped
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
2 slices bacon, chopped
1 clove garlic
1 tablespoon chives
salt and pepper

1. In a skillet over medium heat add the oil and fry the bacon until just before crisp.
2. Add the garlic and the onions and saute until just tender.
3. Reduce the heat to medium-low and stir in the potatoes.
4. Cover and cook until potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Season with chives, salt and pepper.

Makes 4 servings

8 stalks celery, cut into 4 inch pieces
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup chicken broth
salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Arrange the celery in a single layer on the bottom of a large, oven-proof skillet.
3. Season the celery with salt and pepper and dot with butter.
4. Bring the chicken broth to a boil and pour over the celery.
5. Cover the pan and bring the stock to a boil over medium-high heat, then place it in the oven.
6. Simmer until tender, about 30 minutes.

Makes 4 servings

1 pound beef, cubed
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup beef broth
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
salt and pepper

1. Coat beef cubes with flour, salt, pepper and parsley.
2. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the beef in a single layer to the butter, turning as it browns.
3. Once the beef is cooked add the beef broth, reduce the heat to a simmer and cover tightly.
4. Cook until beef is tender, approximately an hour and a half, stirring occasionally to prevent burning.

Makes 4 servings

3/4 cup pot barley
1/4 cup wild rice
2 cups vegetable stock

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Bring vegetable stock to a boil in a pot and stir in barley and rice.
3. Transfer mixture to a casserole dish and cover tightly.
4. Bake in the oven until fully cooked, adding more broth if necessary. Check on it every 20 minutes and stir until water is fully absorbed, about an hour.

Makes 6 servings

Somehow this dinner evolved out of my curiosity to try Braised Celery. For the record, celery should not be braised. It should be eaten raw and filled with peanut butter like God intended it to be. Even while soaking in the flavors of chicken stock and butter I still felt as though waiting half an hour to eat a wilted piece of celery was a waste of my time. I'm sure the leftover liquid will make a valuable addition to another meal, though.

I took two things that I know go together, which are beef and potatoes, and made 2 separate dishes. The Buttered Beef and Gravy isn't going to win any health awards, but it doesn't take much to satisfy any sort of stew related craving we might have been having. It's rich and meaty and that's about it; but being that rich and meaty is its only purpose, it does the job quite well.

The Chive and Bacon Potatoes are fine on their own, but I preferred them with the gravy. I'm really not a fan of chives or bacon, but shoving things I don't particularly enjoy into my mouth from time to time I guess doesn't hurt me. I may want to consider doing it with food that's healthier than bacon and butter coated potatoes, I suppose.

Baked Barley and Wild Rice doesn't blow anyone away, but it's not necessary to have a plate of several outstanding dishes, something has to take the back burner. It's nice to just have some boiled, or in this case baked, grains on the side. I recommend making your own stock or at least using a high quality store bought one, since that's where all the flavor is going to come from. I like the different texture that the wild rice adds to the whole dish and the general earthy taste.

For dessert we had Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble which was wonderfully tart and, well, crumbly. I particularly enjoy making crumble desserts because they're comparatively healthy and I genuinely enjoy them more than a cake or pie. They're good warm, they're good cold and they're so simple, easy and versatile. I just looked up the difference between a crumble and a cobbler on Ochef.com and discovered that this dish is neither. It's actually a pandowdy; a spoon pie, with fruit on the bottom and a rolled crust on top, which is broken up to allow the juices to come through. I stand corrected!