Happy Birthday Pumpkin Nose!

Today is my husband's 46th birthday. He hasn't had a good day. He had a truck break down 600 miles  from home and he had to drive down to fix it. Not a fun way to spend your birthday when you had much more entertaining things planned for your day, and my dear hubby never likes to take a day for himself. He thinks of it as any other day--i.e. no good reason to sit around doing nothing or celebrate. It's taken a few years for me to appreciate and embrace this asepct of his psyche, but I have finally come around. I was glad when he said he would spend the day at an auction and spend his evening watching the NASCAR race (and Oh how I hate NASCAR!). But then the truck pooped out. Always something! Just one of the many challenges of being a small business owner. I'm glad he possesses the ambition and drive to continue being his own boss and takes pride in his accomplishments. One of the reasons I married him!

In preparation for his big day, I asked what he wanted for his birthday treat with an idea of what he'd choose--white on white. He really likes my white cake with white frosting. Sure enough "White on white" is what he told me as I stirred up a batch of Scotcheroos, which he then tried to claim as his birthday treat. I reminded him it was 2 days to his birthday and the bars didn't count! (Mostly I'd been craving them and I don't need to run the oven to make them, a win-win on a hot day).

I guess that means I need to give out a few secrets here... A few of my coveted recipes. WARNING: This message will explode in 60 seconds! Better print it off now!

First up: Scotcheroos, a.k.a KR Kryptonite (because he can't keep his fingers out of the pan no matter how hard he tries), or in our house simply Rice Krispie Bars. When I first joined this cohort and asked what type of treat I should make, I was told Rice Krispie Bars. Naturally I made the traditional marshmallow based goodie. Everyone stared at them in disappointment and I seem to remember something about "These aren't what Grandma makes..."

KR Kryptonite

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup corn syrup

Boil for a couple minutes--until the sugar melts or a soft ball stage. I test with my fingers, which can sometimes hurt, but it's effective. Do not overboil or you'll break your knife trying to cut them!

Stir in:

1 cup peanut butter

Add:
6-7 cups Rice Krispie cereal

Spread in lightly greased 9x13 cake pan.

Melt together and spread over top of bars:
1 cup milk chocolate chips
1 cup butterscotch chips

I made these a short time ago and my mother in law complimented me on my recipe, to which I replied I used half a cup of white and half a cup of brown sugar. "Oh, you do?" she said. I said, "Ya, it's your recipe from the family cookbook!" We had a good laugh over that! I did switched up the topping, though and stole it from another good family friend. The original family recipe uses all semisweet chips and a GR amount of peanut butter: a blob.

White on White Cake
1 Ducan Hines white mix
   Ingredients to make cake using extra large eggs--use the whole egg!
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Bake as directed on box. Check for doneness after about 26 minutes, as you won't want to overbake your cake. One cake mix will make a decent 9x13 (quarter sheet) cake or 24 regular sized cupcakes. Cool completely before decorating.

For fancier, more professional looking cakes, you can make 2 batches of cake mix. Each cake mix yeilds about 4 1/2 cups of batter. For a 9x13 cake, you'll want 7 cups of batter and for an 8' double layer round cake, you'll need 3 cups of batter per layer.  If you're going to turn the cake out of the pan, be sure to heavily grease and/or flour the pan(s) or use parchment paper.

Decorator's Icing
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1/4 cup Crisco shortening (not butter flavor and do not use generic brands)
1 tsp. clear vanilla extract or other flavoring
hint of almond extract (and I do mean "hint"-- 1/8 tsp or less), optional
pinch of salt
4 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp. merigne powder
2-3 T. water

Cream butter and Crisco together with flavorings and salt. Add 2 T. water. Mix well. Add powdered sugar, and merigne powder. Add more water, a teaspoon at a time, until icing is desired consistency. You'll want softer for icing the cake and stiffer for decorating. One batch will frost and decorate (or thickly frost) a 9x13 cake, top only. To frost and decorate a cake out of the pan, you will need a double batch of icing.

You can vary the fat amounts, i.e. use all Crisco or all butter or some other combination of the two. Omit salt if using salted butter. Crisco leaves a snow white icing while butter gives the icing a pretty, light, ivory color. Color icing if desired. You can fill a double layer cake with fruit or custard fillings, add crushed Oreos or chopped candy if desired. Be sure to outline the bottom layer with a bead of icing before adding the filling to prevent the filling from spilling out once the cake is decorated.

I have dabbled in cake decorating for years. I have yet to master the art, but enjoy creating from time to time. My last two "creations" have looked pretty pathetic, but have served a purpose. As my father always used to say: It all looks the same when it hits the bottom. So it may not look very fancy, but it's gonna taste pretty darn good!

My First Rhubarb Dessert

I have been away from cooking for what feels like too long--I think it equates to about 2 weeks. I am back on the wagon again, for a bit.

It's early summer, and here in the Midwest that means rhubarb! Everywhere rhubarb! This year's crop has been fantastic. We had an unusually warm winter which led to an unusually warm spring, and the rhubarb came to life by early May. This time of year I am always reminded of my very first trip here to SD with my husband, then boyfriend, to visit his family. It was the first time I met them Up to that point in my life I had declared I did not like rhubarb and never would. The first thing offered to me was a rhubarb dessert. I remember thinking about what I had been taught, that it would be rude to refuse what was offered, and I wanted to make a good impression. So I cringed and took a bite. If anyone had been looking, they might have seen my eyes light up, then roll back as I realized what I'd been missing out on all those years. That dessert was unbelievably delicious! Who knew, 10 years later, that that dessert would become an early summer tradition and trigger so many memories for me. Naturally, I must share this with the masses! It's an old recipe found in my husband's family cookbook; a recipe my father-in-law's mother used to make, and he's 70 years old, so you know these simple ingredients in just the right mixture can stand the test of time!

Rhubarb Dessert
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Bottom Crust:
1 1/2 cups Flour
2 T. + 2 tsp. Powdered Sugar
3/4 cup Butter

Combine. Pat firmly into bottom of greased 9x13 pan. Bake for 10 minutes.

In the meantime...
Beat 3 eggs until foamy--about 3-4 minutes. Add:
4 T. Flour
1 tsp. Baking Powder
2 1/4 cups Sugar
4-5 cups Rhubarb, sliced, diced, anyway you like it

Mix until rhubarb is coated. Pour over crust and bake 35-40 minutes, starting at 375 degrees and reducing to 350 degrees about half way through. Serve with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream or Cool Whip. Refrigerate leftovers.

Marriage isn't as easy as I thought it would be. My husband and I have been through some tough times. But foods like this rhubarb dessert remind me of what's good about our marriage, and what's always been good about our life together. We are simple like the ingredients in this recipe, and I think we're just the right mixture. Sometimes we bake up better than others, but in the end we're pretty good together. :)