"Step Away From The Cake" Recipe

Here's the recipe for the best rhubarb cake ever made (in my humble rhubarb-loving opinion) per a request made by a reader to a recent posting of mine.

This recipe was printed a couple of years ago by a gal who writes a food column for our local newspaper.  I changed the name and made slight modifications to the recipe, but owe its lusciousness to her originally shared recipe.

I don't usually enjoy or make cakes because about 98% of them seem too dry to me.  This cake is not dry in the least and is my go-to cake whenever rhubarb is in season.  Here goes:

Step Away from the (Rhubarb) Cake

Sift into a large mixing bowl:
    1 cup sugar
    1 teaspoon baking soda
    1/2 teaspoon salt
    2 cups flour

Then add and mix well until batter is fairly smooth:
    2 beaten eggs
    1 cup plain yogurt

Next fold in:
    4 cups diced rhubarb 

Batter will be very thick.  Put it into a greased and floured 9" x 13" pan and smooth it out with a spatula.

For the topping, in a small bowl combine:
    1/2 cup brown sugar
    1/4 cup flour
    1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Cut in 1/4 cup butter until thoroughly combined.

Sprinkle topping mixture evenly over top of the cake.

Bake in a 350 degree oven until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes.

Four people did this much damage to the cake in one day.  (Is that a bad thing?)

I may have under-baked the cake a smidge bit this time around as it usually rises a little higher, but the flavor was not hurt one iota.

Every time I make this cake, I get a good chuckle reading the last line the author put at the bottom of the printed recipe.  After the baking instructions, she wrote: 

"Eat every last crumb then make a second

cake for your family and friends."

Yes, the cake is that good!

Feeling Less Behind and Happy at Home

Whew, we've had a couple of really nice days (not always sunny, but if there's no rain, I label them nice) lately, and I've been able to get a lot done in the garden.

Rain was forecast for all day today, but when we got up and there was no evidence of moisture, I didn't even stop for breakfast but headed right out to the garden.  I did have to stop for lunch around 11:30 (much to my also hungry husband's delight) because I was so hungry I was starting to feel nauseated.  But then right back out again and all was well until 3 p.m. when the intermittent raindrops became more steady than intermittent, and I had to call it a day.

Our asparagus continues to be bountiful . . . and we're succeeding in eating all of it fresh.  I haven't frozen any at all yet, and you would think we'd be tired of it as it appears on our table at least once and sometimes twice a day.  But, nope, we're both still exclaiming how wonderful it tastes.  (Can you break out in hives from eating too much asparagus as some people do when eating too many strawberries?  If so, we're in trouble.)

I took the first cutting of rhubarb today.  Seems the stems shot up from 6" long to a foot long nearly overnight.  Soon as I finish with this post, I'm mixing up a favorite rhubarb cake recipe for tomorrow.

Another milestone today . . . Papa Pea decided it was time to integrate Mama Duck and her brood into the big poultry yard and pond.  I was nervous as to how the geese would react, but any fears turned out to be unwarranted.  The big, ol', clumsy geese exhibited a little curiosity which then quickly turned into boredom and by afternoon all the poultry was co-mingling without any problem.  Mama Duck continues to be a good mother and is keeping the little ones close.  They have all gone down to the pond several times and although Mama Duck goes right in, her offspring have (so far) stayed near the shore with short (very short) forays into the water.  You can almost hear them saying, "Wow, this is one BIG water pan!"

I'll try to get some pictures to post soon.

The chicks we ordered from the hatchery several weeks ago are still corralled in their chicken tractor with an additional small pen attached to it.  They'll be let in with the rest of the whole feathered flock probably sometime this coming week.

We're spending the Memorial Day Weekend at home which to my mind is not a bad thing.  I went into town yesterday and the traffic on the roads was heavy.  Cars and trucks and trailers and campers and boats, oh my.  Papa Pea never fails to reminisce about when we were still living in Illinois and decided to go to Mammoth Cave in Kentucky over a Memorial Day Weekend.  Coming home it was bumper to bumper the whole way home, and we didn't pull into our driveway until the wee hours of the morning.  Nope, we're not fighting traffic anymore in this phase of our lives.  We're happy, happy, happy celebrating most holidays right here at home.

Hope you're all having a lovely weekend in whatever way you choose to spend it!

Would Like to Post More . . .

. . . but don't have the time.  I know you can all relate this time of year.

We still seem to be in the midst of two days of rain, one or two days of sunshine.  Temps are still cool (yes, I sound like a broken record), but when the soil is dry enough I take full advantage of garden work.

In the last couple of days I snapped some pics of our feathered friends.

Wet, wet, wet.  Rain falling but the birds don't seem to care.

Even in the rain, afternoon feeding time is a popular affair.

Several of the birds will come up to eat out of Papa Pea's hand.

Mama Duck giving her little ones a lesson in preening after getting soaking wet.  Being out in the rain was their choice.  They had a high and dry house to go into, but obviously it was more fun to splash in the wetness.

"Quack." 

Actually, the Muscovy ducks don't quack.  Their method of communicating is more of a chirp/hiss/whistle.

Yesterday we had (hallelujah!) bright sunshine.  Here's Mama Duck (she's such a good mother) with her little brood resting in the shade.

More sun forecast for today . . . so I'm outta here!

Saturday Night, After Dinner, Before Bed

I'm feeling behind on getting the garden in.  (I say this every year, don't I?)  The weather hasn't been conducive to planting.  We seem to be getting two days of rain, two days of no rain.  The first day after the rain stops, it's too wet to do much in the field garden, but I can usually work in the raised beds . . . which is good.

Rain (about an inch) is predicted to fall on us over night tonight and if that happens I'll lose another day of progress in the field garden tomorrow.  But I did get all my shell peas and potatoes planted there today.

Wasn't a particularly pleasant day weather-wise.  Very damp with a stiff breeze.  Worked with knit hat and down work jacket on most of the day.  On the other hand, the bugs aren't bad.  (They have yet to make their appearance.  Knock on wood, maybe they'll never hatch this year.  Ha.)

Also got carrots planted in a raised bed.  I'm still shaking my head over the size of my carrots from last year.  They were plentiful but about big around as a pencil.  (Slight exaggeration.  Slight.)  My carrots are usually fat and sassy so last season's were a puzzlement.  I plant a total of 32' of them which is an ample supply for us.  (Except when they turn out to be such skinny-minnies.)

Got a little more done as far as weeding the blueberry patch.  Not totally done yet, but getting there.  Same with the strawberries.  Plants are looking great, but no signs of blossoms forming yet.  It's early for us.

Started zinnia seeds inside yesterday.  They grow so fast that they'll be ready to put out about the first week in June.  If our weather ever turns warm, that is.

I'm not feeling "down" as this post may sound.  Just tired.  I think more from working out in the chilly, breezy weather than the day's physical work.  All is well and I'm feeling very thankful tonight for our little oasis in this crazy world.

A Day Off

And it's just about wrecked me!  I feel more tired, beat-up and run over tonight than if I'd worked hard physically all day.

Yep, until yesterday, I have been working hard getting the garden in, weeds on yet bare ground under control, weed whipping, berry bushes pruned and ready for the season and related outside yard/garden projects.

All that and more until our full day of rain yesterday.

Even then I kept going non-stop all day catching up on repotting seedlings, household-y type chores I'd been neglecting, etc., etc. 

Papa Pea strongly suggested we take today off.  Seems he may have pulled a muscle or ligament or possibly damaged a tendon down by his ankle but has been gimping along on a very swollen ankle and foot for several days.  He finally made the decision this morning (his decision, not my suggestion about which I've been nagging him) to spend the day sitting with the swollen appendage up and resting.  Turns out it's been a good day for his idleness because it was cold and very gray this morning with rain starting again after lunch time.

All I did this morning was go to the library and make a quick stop (the devil made me do it) at a local nursery before coming home.

The rest of the day I've spent reading on the couch . . . which is something I never do during the day, even in the dead of winter.  Why, you may ask?  Because I immediately fall asleep when I'm not moving!  I do declare, I spent more time this afternoon dozing off and then jerking myself awake than I did reading.  Hubby tried to talk me into stretching out and taking a real nap, but I knew I would feel cwappy upon awakening.  (The few and far between times I've succumbed and napped during the day always brings the same yucky results.)

So I guess the moral of the story is the old saying, "It only hurts when I stop."

Sure hope the weather is good tomorrow so I can work hard again.  I'll feel much better.

Another Glorious Day

Our weather has been cool to start in the morning, warming up to shirt sleeves mid-day, and then back to cool 'round about 4 o'clock in the afternoon.  In short, perfect for working in the garden.  The very best part?  NO BUGS, yet!

I've got five cold frames filled.  (One in the picture above is still empty.)  Two hold broccoli and cauliflower I've planted out early.  They wouldn't need the cold frames except for the cold nights.  I don't think the plants would actually be hurt because the temp hasn't gone down to freezing, but I don't want to stress them either while they're so small and tender.

Yesterday I planted a bed (the seeds) of slicing cukes.  Those want to be kept as toasty as possible so I only crack the cold frames open enough during the day to introduce a little circulation of fresh air.  Then I cross my fingers that the soil doesn't cool down too much over night.

My bed of salad greens has sprouted and probably won't need the cold frame over it for much longer.

A good friend gifted me with many tomato plants (Big Boy and Brandywine) and several pepper plants (same ones as I've got started on my seedling rack -- California Wonder) but I don't have a cold frame or makeshift greenhouse, row cover, hoop house or whatever big enough for the tomatoes so I potted them (and the pepper plants) and have the pots set on the soil of a raised bed with a cold frame over them.  Where I'll put them when they grow big and it's warm enough to plant them in the ground, I don't know yet.  Will have to figure that out.  I've never any success growing full-size tomatoes because they need some kind of extra protection for the warmth they require.

I have about half the blueberry patch weeded and got a start on the strawberries today.  We're in need of rain and the soil in the strawberries where I'm trying to dig out weeds is like cement.  If we get the rain predicted over night, that should help.

We were planning on mowing the lawn for the first time tomorrow, but now realize it may be too wet if the rain materializes.  We really do need the rain as the fire danger is listed as High right now.

Our asparagus is coming along, just not fast enough for our taste buds that are all set for it.  The rhubarb, of course, is shooting right up.  I finally found a wonderful rhubarb cake recipe last year, and I fear as soon as the rhubarb is ready, I may break our rule of trying to avoid desserts!

I'm still working at getting all the quack grass out of the as-of-yet unplanted raised beds . . . and I think I may be gaining on it.

I was feeling pretty cocky yesterday thinking I was ahead of the game this year . . . until I checked my records and found I had all my potatoes and peas planted by May 10th last year.  I never should have checked.

Not a very exciting post, I realize, but good as record keeping for me.

Hope the weather in your part of the world is cooperating and your gardening season is starting out really well.