Sunday Happy

I don't know if it's because it's spring and the days are longer and we getting more sunshine, but I am feeling good and feeling like anything and everything is possible. Like I could take on the world and do it all. What all is I am not sure yet but I am feeling it. The winter thaw, the spring awakening. Only complaint I have is all the dog poop that is now surfacing from under the snow. And maybe the crazy ass dreams that I have been having. Does anyone else have crazy dreams in the spring? I think it's a thing because it happened to me every year. 

This past week was all about the littles. Coco was in the hospital with some nasty bronchitis shit all week which means we had Miley and Judah for the week. We had pretty good routine going on. Wake up, make breakfast and beat on the mr.  Off to school they went and we had a few hours to do what we could do (like chop apart huge trees, sew chair cushions, stock up an food because they eat A LOT, and clean their house and bedrooms).  Then pick up and conversation on the way back to our house, snack time, homework, drawing and game playing, make dinner, go for a walk, watch some Iron man (they had a Iron Man movie marathon going on), nighttime reading, brush the teeth then bed. And that was not just the littles, that was all of us. We function well together. Then Coco the hulk (the meds they had him on made him into hulk monster.. it was amazing) was released from his hospital room and is doing great and the littles are all at their home and now I miss them. But at least I don't have to sit through any more Iron man so I am ok with that. And the mr and I deep cleaned the house yesterday of all the sticky..... How do they make everything sticky?  Those littles. They are freaking awesome. 

Today, we are childless with a clean house and it's Sunday so Yeah!!!! The mr is probably going to go off and work on his fly fishing cabinet and I need to go through all the seeds we got at the seed swap yesterday. Plus I rented like 10 books from the library and have been getting back into painting with acrylics  so I think I am going to spent the day doing just that, planting some seeds, reading, and painting. And we have plans for a good long walk. It's all about taking it easy today. And hey, it's spring so it's time to spend all the time outside!

Interneting from the week. 

-Hundreds of Thousands March For Gun Control Across The U.S. The message is simple. Never again. These young people are amazing. 

-As soon as the weather is nice enough, this will be my new project, seriously. Couple builds tiny A-frame cabin for just $700

-What’s the Deal With Olive Oil’s Shelf Life? I think I have kept a bottle around long enough to go rancid.....oops. 

-This show was one of the best growing up. Guitar rift here. Explain It All: Why Was it So Easy for Sam to Climb into Clarissa’s Window?

-What Ever Happened to Colored Toilet Paper? It always seemed wrong to me. Glad it's not around much anymore. 

-To all the people who think they know me so well, you are delusional..haha..Invisibilia: We All Think We Know The People We Love. We're All Deluded

-This is a good thing to know. I have definitely used unactivated baking powder and it's a bummer. The Surefire Way to Test Whether Baking Powder Is Still Good

-I just really liked this. The Acrobatic Entanglements of Everyday Objects

-Doing my research on insects in the garden for. I get ladybugs, but I also get aphids. Let them eat each other I guess. Ladybug Patrol

-Why Do Cats Have Whiskers? Every now and then I notice how freaking long Only's whiskers actually are. Like really long. 

Week in Pictures 

Have a great day.

-C

Rhubarb Poppyseed Cake

First rhubarb of the season!!! The patch in my backyard is large and wild and I am about to be swimming in humongo pink stalks of the stuff within the week. There will be rhubarb in everything.

Last year we ended up eating so much rhubarb. I didn't really have much of a game plan for it, I just ended up sticking it in everything and for the most part, it worked out great. Cakes, pies, salads, and soups. Rhubarb can find a place in anything. But for the first rhubarb of the season, I wanted to make something that was all about the rhubarb without too many other flavors to contend with.  And I wanted to make something pretty. Rhubarb cake with poppyseeds Sweet and tangy with a little earthiness, great texture, and color. A spring celebration cake if you will and made me very happy.

The mr and my sister were very much pleased with how this cake came out. (It was gone pretty much gone the next day) A cake win for sure and a good start to rhubarb in everything season.

The stuff. Rhubarb and poppyseeds. for all the flavor. Then you need flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, sugar, oil (I used coconut but I think any oil would be fine) soy milk, vanilla and a little apple cider vinegar.

Once you get the oven going, chop 2-3 stalks of rhubarb into small pieces about 1/4 inch thick until you have 1 1/2 cups. Take another stalk and cut lengthwise into thin strips for the top of the cake.

In a small bowl mix the oil, sugar, and vanilla together. Add the vinegar to the soy milk.

Whisk together all the dry, add in the poppyseeds then mix in the chopped up rhubarb to coat each piece.

The wet mixture goes into the dry along with the soy milk. Everything mixed until just combined.

Dump the mixture into a well greased pan, level off and sprinkle the top with poppyseeds . Take the thinly sliced rhubarb you reserves and lay on top any way that looks nice to you, giving in a little press into the batter so it stays put.

Now into the hot oven it goes.

And after a time in the oven you get yourself this gem of a cake.

Cooled a bit and ready for eating. A piece or two celebrate.

Rhubarb season has begun. Start it off right with cake!

-C

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Rhubarb Poppyseed Cake

Makes a 9x9 square cake

• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
•  5 tablespoons poppyseeds
• 3-4 large stalks of rhubarb (1 1/2 cups chopped and a little extra for top)
• 1/2 cup coconut oil
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 3/4 cup soy milk

Preheat oven to 350

Chop rhubarb into 1/4 inch chunks until you have 1 1/2 cups. Extra stalk and slice lengthwise into 4 thin strips and set aside.

In a large bowl whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and 3 tablespoons poppyseeds. In a smaller bowl mix together the sugar, oil, and vanilla extract until completely combined.  Add vinegar to soy milk. Toss the chopped rhubarb into the dry mixture and coat the rhubarb pieces. Dump the wet mixture into the dry and add in the milk. Stir together until just combined.

Dump batter into a well greased 9x9 baking pan and level off. Sprinkle the top with remaining 2 tablespoons poppyseeds then lay the thinly cut rhubarb on top anyway you think looks good to you.

Stick the cake into the oven and bake for about 45-50 minutes or until the cake tester(or fork) stuck in the middle comes out clean.

Remove, let cool, then eat at your own pace.