For the past few days we've had sunshine here in the northwest, and it has me longing for spring. I think we might even need to mow the lawn soon. The gardener has been here cutting back the dead brush and trimming trees, putting all of it through the chipper, and we now have a few nice piles of mulch to work with. Some of it will be spread throughout the flower beds, and some of it will be composted to enrich the soil for the veggie garden. This picture (above) is for my sweet friend in northern Michigan, who asked recently (via SKYPE) if we had any bulbs coming up yet and as you can see, the answer is yes! To our surprise and delight, a variety of small daffodils were uncovered by the afore mentioned gardener this week. With all the craziness going on everywhere, it's important for me to remind myself to stop and "smell the roses", and appreciate the miracles around us.
I'm really happy to hear that my little blog happening is being so well received and that many of you found a use for that first sweet offering. In the meantime around here, I finally finished reading, Can't Wait To Get To Heaven by Fannie Flagg, and it was just as good as everyone said it was. A wonderful story, and with more home-style recipes in the back. The first thing I did when I turned that last page was head straight for the kitchen to see if I had all the ingredients needed to make Neighbor Dorothy's Heavenly Caramel Cake--page 361. (I'll report back when I get around to baking it.)
My cupboards aren't fancy. We buy organic spices in bulk. I just re-labeled some of the jars using SUKIE labels from modcloth, (just noticed they're sold out--check Amazon). I love that site, especially their quirky fashion blog and "style inspirations". I think nerd in tartan is one of my faves so far.
But anyway, I was speaking of cakes, and I have to tell you that I found the recipe for one I remember from a childhood birthday party, way back in the late 1950's...and I nearly gasped out loud in the used book store when I ran across the original Betty Crocker's Cooky Carnival cook book that it obviously came from. I've never forgotten that cake, and when I saw the picture on the cover, well, it just made me smile. And drool. Just a little.
