Rhubarb Crisp

In college I worked part time at Perkins Restaurant anytime I didn't have a basketball game, practice, or class.  I loved working there, mostly because I worked with some amazing people and had great customers, but also because I love Perkins food!  Many times I would open Sunday mornings around 5:00 a.m. and had many regulars that I loved chatting with on those mornings.  One of the regulars would bring in rhubarb and I would make rhubarb jam with it.  Gosh, I miss those early mornings at Perkins singing in the back after gobbling up hash browns and eggs.

I love rhubarb jam and probably need to make some of it this year, but this recipe is all about the crisp.  I opted to bring a dessert to the Memorial Day celebration and since there are two LARGE rhubarb plants in our backyard, I decided it had to be a rhubarb recipe!  I tried one rhubarb crisp recipe and it turned out tasty, but looked pretty pathetic.  My second try from shugary sweets turned out delicious and pretty.  Grab some rhubarb at the farmer's market and get busy because this recipe is gooooood!

Rhubarb Crisp

Ingredients

2 cups brown sugar

2 cups flour

1 cup butter, cubed

2 cups oats (recipe from shugary sweets called for quick oats, but I used old fashioned oats)

3 cups rhubarb, sliced

1 cup sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 cup water

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 package strawberry jell-o

Directions

1.  Mix flour, brown sugar, and butter.  Add in oats.  Grease pan.  Press half of mixture into bottom of 9x13 pan.

2.  In a saucepan stir sugar, rhubarb, cornstarch, water, and vanilla.  Bring to a boil and let boil for 2-3 minutes.  Remove from heat and add jell-o.

3.  Pour on crust and top with remaining crust mixture.

4.  Bake at 350 for 40 minutes.