Rhubarb Upside Down Cake

Easy and yummy way to use rhubarb....

Ingredients:

1) 4 cups rhubarb cut in 1/2" pieces - fresh or frozen (thaw and drain if frozen)

2) 1 pkg. Strawberry Gelatin dessert - 6oz box

3) 1/2 cup sugar

4) 1 box yellow cake mix

5) 2 cups mini marshmallows

6) whipped cream (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Rinse and drain the rhubarb. Arrange the rhubarb in the bottom of a greased 9x13 pan. Pour the gelatin (unmade - just the powder) over the rhubarb. Drizzle the sugar over that. Arrange the marshmallows over the rest. Prepare the cake mix as directed on the box. Pour the batter evenly over the ingredients. Bake at 350 for 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the center. Let the cake stand for 10 minutes. Run a knife along the edges of the cake then flip onto a plate. Top with whipped cream and serve.

Enjoy!

I made this tonight and it was so yummy and easy. I love recipes that take only a couple of steps and have ingredients and quantities you can easily put to memory. What's your favorite recipe like this? Maybe you want to try something new.....Mommy DID!

The Mysterious Plant....Mommy DID Figure It Out!

I love summer! I might start each blog post with that sentiment until Winter begins again. The warmth, the thunder storms, the plants growing...it's all so great!
One of the plants in my yard had me thrown. It appeared to be a poppy of some sort because the buds were more like pods. The plant itself were just so large that it was hard to imagine it being a poppy plant. Well, my first intuition was right! It's a Papaver orientale or an Oriental Poppy. There are several varieties, but ours is dark orange-ish red with a center that is so dark purple it almost looks black. The bush is over 3' wide and stands about just as tall. There are probably 20 pods on the bush with about 8 open already. They are loaded with pollen and the bees just love them!
Now I just need to research a little and see if I can harvest poppy seeds from the pods when they dry out. I'll keep you posted!

So get out there and enjoy some flowers today...Mommy DID!

Well...um...I don't know!

I don't know about the rest of the country, but Rawlins Wyoming knew it was the first day of Summer. It was warm and lovely and the perfect day to be outside. Unfortunately, the Friend family spent most of their day inside. We were able to make up for it after dinner though. I taught Laura how to pull a weed, Dylan had fun climbing around and jumping in front of the hose water. The kids even drank from the hose...you would think they have never done anything before! Anyway, it was a blast and we got a ton of work done.

Now, I need some help. There are a couple of plants in the yard that I just can't identify and am hoping someone might know what they are. I'm thinking the bushy type plant (that smells like sage) might be a blue sage. The only thing is the "deadness" that was there when we moved in, looks like there were flowers on the bush. Anyway, if you have an idea what either of these plants are, feel free to comment. Maybe together we can figure out what they are. I would like to be able to tell my kids what they are since they all have asked about them.

Maybe you have a plant in your yard that you don't know about. Share with us....Mommy DID!

Things That Fly....UPDATE!

You must read the first post to understand the importance of this update. So stop....read that post. I'll be here when you get done.......................................

So now that you have read the first post, I can tell you that Mr. Moth is officially dead! This morning while getting ready for work, I saw him just hanging out on the wall behind the toilet...waiting for me! (just like I said he would be)

Mommy DID swat that moth and

Mommy DID place said moth in the toilet and

Mommy DID flush that toilet water (and watched to make sure that the moth actually went down with the water and didn't miraculously hold onto the bowl or fly out of the water with wet wings!!!)

Mommy DID take care of that predator that was tormenting me! Yes!

Breakfast Dinner!

We love breakfast dinners in our house. Sometimes it's biscuits and gravy with eggs and sausage. Then other nights we might have waffles with scrambled eggs. Tonight was a different night. We had waffles...decorated waffles! Nutritious? Nope, not in the least! Did the kids eat them all up? You bet they did! Laura's had whipped cream pig tails, Ben's had a beard with heath bar bits and Dylan's had a chocolate syrup smile. Sometimes you gotta have fun with dinner....Mommy DID!

Rhubarb!!!

So my lovely neighbor just shared some Rhubarb with me. How lucky am I? Well, I'm not sure. I have never baked with Rhubarb. She tells me though that it freezes easily and, if dried out at all, can be "rejuvenated" by placing the stalks in a pitcher of water! Amazing! One site refers to Rhubarb as the "stalk of the gods". That's pretty lofty! So what makes this pie suitable vegetable so great?
1) It's a tart vegetable that when coupled with sweet, puts out its' own amazing, sweet flavor.

2) It's super rich in vitamin C and is actually one of only a handful of natural vitamin C's.
3) It's really easy to grow, loves cold climates and doesn't shy away from an overnight frost.

4) Makes a beautiful addition to a flower arrangement...be aware that the leaves are toxic!

Now, my husband loves strawberry-rhubarb pie. I will be researching recipes to find one that sounds good. He is gone for another week for National Guard drill, so I have some time. The most recent Taste of Home magazine has about 6 Rhubarb recipes that all sound really great. I think I will play with it a little first to better prepare myself. My neighbor said to be prepared for more because she has a ton! Ya? I'll keep you posted....

Here's a link to a site that has some GREAT rhubarb tips. If you have rhubarb growing in your garden or just a rhubarb lover in your family, check out this site: http://www.recipetips.com/kitchen-tips/t--1110/all-about-rhubarb.asp I think you will find the info you need there....I know Mommy DID!

And.....ready for business!

365 Day Projects

365 Day Projects are something of a "fad" since, I think, the movie Julie and Julia. In the movie, Julie decides to start a project where she cooks Julia Child's recipes for 365 days strait and blog about her endeavor. I have since found several blogs where people have started such projects. One girl took random horrible dresses/mu-mus and transform them into something really cute and useful. In each blog entry she not only describes what sewing she did, but also shows pictures of the process. It's very cute, actually! So here are some thoughts I had for a 365 Day Project for myself. Now, don't get any ideas. This is completely non-committal for now! I am, however, looking for input. So....comment away!

1) Bake It/Share It - For 365 days, I bake a little something and share it with an unsuspecting neighbor, friend, family, co-worker, etc. That's 365 different recipes over 365 days to 365 different people. Blog about the food made, their reaction to the giving, etc. Hmmm...might be a lot of cost and time. Would certainly be worth the effort though! That's 365+ lives touched and given to.

2) Thank you! Thank you! - For 365 days, write a thank you note to someone. Someone from my now or my past. In the mail, email, or hand delivered. Get creative with the mediums used to create the thank you and blog about that. Would be less of a cost and less time consuming as project #1, but as fun? Not too sure....

3) Party It Up! For 365 days, blog about party ideas. Start with the theme/event and essentially plan a fake party. Be descriptive, use pictures and be detailed...even down to how much it would cost. I LOVE party planning and have had some great ones for my kids. I have also helped with a couple of my sisters wedding. This might be a fun one...and no real cost at all. Lots of time though...

So there you have it! 3 ideas for 365 Day Projects. Which would you choose? What other ideas do you have? If you know me well enough, is there one you know I wouldn't/couldn't do? Is that a dare??? Hmmm??? Well, let's hear it! Comments welcome! And as always, feel free to share!