Ve Vill Make Da Rhubarb Cake!

Hello, beautiful! Here we go, ready to get muddy?

First, I need to cut the rhubarb! Out we go to the misty landscape. Sometimes, after a good soaking rain, the earth almost feels HAPPY. The seeds are in the ground, some sprouted already, some are softening and ready to show themselves. The earth is full of promise. Since it's been raining all night and part of the morning, I get the wellies out so I won't sink in the mud! They've never seen the mud before-- or --the garden, so they're pretty happy that they are finally useful to me.

Out to the garden, our hound, Duke races ahead, to look for bunnies in the peony bushes...while I'm hoping there's no garter snakes hiding in the rhubarb....that would mean an automatic heart attack, harmless or not I hate, hate, hate snakes!

There you are, you tart, sweet .... vegetable? Fruit? Neither? I don't know what you are but you're going into my cake!

A sharp knife is the key, rhubarb is tough and stubborn....

Back to the kitchen....now which apron shall I wear? Whose turn is it today?

Yes, I chose the one right in front and center; with the fruit and apple blossoms...and I'll use the bowl my sister gave me, for no reason, other than she knows I'd love it!

Apron strings are tied, ready to BAKE! Here's the recipe for all you who'd like it!

Rhubarb Dump Cake
1 pound (or 3-4 cups) rhubarb cut into 1/4" slices (I would use more rhubarb...perhaps a bit more sugar, too.)
1 c. white sugar
1-3 oz. package strawberry flavored Jello mix (powder only)
1 c. water
1-18.25 oz. package yellow cake mix
1/4 c. margarine, melted
(chopped pecans, optional)
Preheat oven to 350. Butter a 9 x 13 baking dish. Spread the rhubarb that has been tossed with the jello and the sugar into the bottom of the baking dish. Sprinkle the cake mix over the top of the rhubarb mixture, the pour the margarine and the water over top of the cake mix. DO NOT stir.
Bake for 45 minutes in preheated oven, or until the rhubarb is bubbling and tender.

NOW, my alter ego, the crazy baking lady is taking over....here goes...don't mind the accent!

Come, let's make a velly delicious cake. Da rhubarb is vashed....and chopped. Ve can get to vork. It veely is much ado about nutting....because zee cake is velly, velly EASY! Embawassingly easy!

It's done! It smells velly goot. I should have put da chopped pecans on top...oh vell. VAT? No vipped cream in da house! Vat vill ve do about dat?

Ve vill eat it anyvay!!

I must get a big, cold, glass of zee milk....farm girls like zee MILK! YUM! Vant coffee? Velly good. You like? Eh? Vat's dat? You vant more? Come, ve vill go out to da porch...and ve vill visit vile ve eat!

It's me, Joni. I can't believe it, but I FORGOT AN INGREDIENT in this simple cake recipe. I completely left out the water!! (And, my alter ego is "velly, velly disappointed in my poor cooking skills")! Your rhubarb cake will turn out much, much, better!