Refreshing Cake

Good Tuesday morning!

The Gallery Pics are a few trampoline photos I took Saturday afternoon of Roxie and her friend, Kendall. Teenage girls are photo-ops ready and waiting to happen. They LOVE having their picture taken... and taken... and taken. Of course, unlike the male species, the picture has to be "perfect" or it is immediately deleted. Pros and cons. Pros and cons. (Needless to say, the above photos were stamped "APPROVED" before posting.)

RANDOMNESS #1 - I have one word for you... RHUBARB! I received my Martha Stewart Living magazine yesterday, and it is FULL of recipes for RHUBARB. Rhubarb Chutney, Rhubarb Custard, Rhubarb Upside-Down Cake, Rhubarb Meringue Pie. Much like the parsnip, I have never really had an interest in rhubarb. It's not a pretty word, is it? It's almost scary. However, "chutney," "custard," "cake," and "pie" are all delightful words.

So I was wondering aloud last night as I flipped through the magazine, "Mikie, have you ever tasted rhubarb?"

I can't spell it, but there was an audible groan/moan. "I hated the parsnips, and I'm pretty sure rhubarb falls into the same category."

"But we'll never know if we don't try... and all of these recipes have sugar. It can't be all bad if it is mixed with sugar." I was also trying to convince myself.

Mikie grew quiet, but I could feel his eyes on me as I read over the recipes.

"Mikie, have you ever had chutney?" I asked. Mike doesn't like meringue, so the pie recipe was out. Custard is a tricky one. Not a favorite, but he has tried a custard or two in his day. That left chutney and the upside-down cake.

"I'm pretty sure I'm not going to eat rhubarb anything," he replied.

"All righty then! Rhubarb Upside-Down Cake it is!" Insert another audible groan/moan (which I cannot spell) here.

This should be interesting. Upon reading the article more closely this morning, I discovered the leaves of the rhubarb plant are POISONOUS and contain a toxic amount of oxalic acid. Martha says this is "a substance that can cause illness if ingested." Thus, it is very important to just use the red stems in the recipes. So I'm guessing I won't be using the leaves as a garnish either. (A little adventure with our dessert. Doesn't it sound fun?)

Today I am off in search of rhubarb. Wish me luck!

RANDOMNESS #2 - As some of you may know, I would one day like to own a taser. I have several good reasons for wanting to own this particular weapon.

1. It has settings. When I use it as a parenting tool, I could use the lowest setting just to get my point across. "I thought I told you to take the trash out 30 minutes ago." BUZZ!

2. Until I get my own portable heart defibrillator to carry in The Big Gold Van, in my mind I could use the taser (again on a low setting) to get me going when I'm having one of my many panic attacks which present in the form of heart attacks symptoms. (I'm using the word "present" in ER terminology. "He presented with asthma symptoms." I didn't want you to think I meant a gift.)

However, a friend pointed out there has to be another person with you to actually remove the taser from your body. It isn't made for self-administration. Bummer.

3. I would much rather carry a taser around instead of a gun for safety. (And, of course, with the many, many kids in my house and The Big Gold Van, guns and tasers are out of the question for the next few years.) If I need something to defend myself, I'm pretty sure I could just throw a yelping beagle at someone's head and have plenty of time to get away.

I've talked about tasers this morning because I saw a news story about a man who used a taser on a female co-worker yesterday... as a joke. I guess I should say "unemployed" man. I have a feeling he's looking for new employment as we speak.

Unless you have really, really good reasons to own a taser (like the reasons I've just listed above), I personally don't think people like the man in this story should be allowed to own a taser.

You must use it responsibly... like I would.

Refreshing Cake

I found this recipe in one of my many Becky Freeman books, Coffee Cup Friendship & Cheesecake Fun. As I said yesterday, it is simple enough for your child to make. There are no mixers involved and no draining necessary. And it is wonderful!

You will need:

Cake:

1 box yellow cake mix
4 eggs
2/3 cup oil
11 ounce can Mandarin oranges with juice

1. Mix ingredients with whisk. Batter will be lumpy.

2. Grease and flour oblong cake pan.

3. Bake at 325 degrees for 30 minutes uncovered. Lightly cover with foil and bake 20 more minutes.

4. Cool and chill.

Icing:

1 small can crushed pineapple (undrained)
12 ounce Cool Whip
Large box instant vanilla pudding

1. Mix ingredients for icing together with a wooden spoon.

2. Ice cake and keep in refrigerator.

3. Serve cold.

Easy, breezy and definitely refreshing. Let your little cook try this one for tonight's dessert.

Have a fantastic, sunny Tuesday. Wednesday's post will be full of good stuff... Wednesday Wisdom, a Seasonal Tradition to try with your kiddos and so much more.

Take care, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.

Sincerely,

The Enchanting Belinda