Spring in Iowa 2024

 Jason sent me these photos taken in Boone Iowa on 3/13/2024! 

Daffodils

                                                    Rhubarb!!

                                                     Tulips!! Pella's big celebration will be in jeopardy.

Rhubarb!

 Rhubarb doesn't grow in the South. But it will be starting to peek its leafy head before long in the midwest. I have had a Rhubarb Pudding recipe for most of my life that was a must-make every Spring.

Here is the recipe from an earlier post;This is an old-time, all-time family favorite and one the whole family asks for every Spring. You cannot even imagine my relief in finding it. Like finding a long-lost friend. Thank you, Sherri Clark for sending me on the last of many searches for this recipe.

 Rhubarb Pudding

3 C. Rhubarb, Coarsely Chopped

1 C. Sugar

1/4 t Cinnamon

Dabs Of Butter

1 Egg

1 C. Flour

1/2 C. Milk

1 t Baking Powder

1 C. Sugar

[Note: Via Shirley Franey and Marian Feld. A very old family

favorite. ]

Place first 4 ingredients in a 8" x 8" pan. Mix together remaining

ingredients and pour evenly over rhubarb mix. Bake 45 min. at 350 deg.

 

And now!!!!! Here is the recipe for an upscale one I found today. It is similar to my old standby. I am anxious to try it. Butch will like it, that's for sure.

Magic Rhubarb Pudding Cake

Yield: 9 servings. Cook Time: 45 mins

Ingredients

2 cups of rhubarb, chopped

1/2 cup white sugar, 1 cup white sugar (for topping)

1/4 cup brown sugar

3 tablespoons butter, softened

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup milk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1 cup sifted flour

1 tablespoon cornstarch

2/3 cup boiling water

Directions

Cover the bottom of an 8 or 9 inch square baking pan with fruit.Mix 1/2 white sugar, brown sugar, butter, baking powder, salt, extracts, milk and flour together. Add a little more milk if it is too thick to pour; pour over fruit.

Instructions

Grease or spray an 8-inch or 9-inch square baking dish

Put the chopped rhubarb evenly in the baking dish.

Mix 1/2 cup of white sugar, brown sugar, butter, baking powder, vanilla, almond extract, milk, and flour. If batter seems too thick to pour over the fruit, thin it with a little more milk.

Pour the batter over the rhubarb. Make sure the batter reaches clear to the edges of the pan.

Mix the remaining 1 cup of sugar with the cornstarch. Stir well, so it's thoroughly combined.

Sprinkle the sugar/cornstarch mixture evenly over the batter.

Gently pour the boiling water over the sugar mixture.

Bake at 375 degrees for about 45 minutes. The top will be crinkled and crackled.

Have You Ever Thought About This?

In 100 years like in 2124 we will all be buried with our relatives and friends.

Strangers will live in our homes we fought so hard to build, and they will own everything we have today. All our possessions will be unknown and unborn, including the car we spent a fortune on, and will probably be scrap, preferably in the hands of an unknown collector.

Our descendants will hardly know who we were, nor will they remember us. How many of us know our grandfather's father?

After we die, we will be remembered for a few more years, then we are just a portrait on someone's bookshelf, and a few years later our history, photos, and deeds disappear into history's oblivion. We won't even be memories.

If we pause one day to analyze these questions, we may understand how ignorant and weak the dream to achieve it all was.

If we could only think about this, our approaches, and our thoughts would change, and we would be different people.

Always having more, no time for what's really valuable in this life. I'd change all this to live and enjoy the walks I've never taken, these hugs I didn't give, these kisses for our children and our loved ones, these jokes we didn't have time for. Those would certainly be the most beautiful moments to remember, after all, they would fill our lives with joy.

Some of us waste it daily with greed, selfishness, and intolerance.

Every minute of life is priceless and will never be repeated, so take time to enjoy, be grateful for, and celebrate your existence.❤️

Salisbury Steak?

 There was a happy hour conversation about Salisbury Steak so I started perusing the Internet and came across this recipe. Sounds like a good one!

https://bellyfull.net/salisbury-steak-recipe/