Ode to Cake

 In clearing out extraneous documents from my computer, I came upon this ode written by my grandson when he was 12. It warmed my heart, not to mention the heart of my husband who bakes it. Since I'm very proud of both of them, I knew I wanted to share. This cake is a speciality in our house, made from an old Danish recipe entitled Sand Cake:

Sand Cake (Sandkage)  from Danish Home Baking by Karen Berg

1 cup butter  (2 sticks)
1 1/4 cup sugar
1 2/3 cup wheaten flour
6 eggs, separated, whites beaten until stiff  ( 6 large)
Vanilla

Cream butter & sugar
Stir in egg yolks one at a time
Sift the flour and mix thoroughly
Fold in stiffly beaten egg whites
Line a cake pan with thin paper and fill with batter
Bake in a cool oven (300F) for about 1 hour 20 minutes

Baker's Notes: Not very sweet, but good with coffee. I used a tube pan, it fills about 1/3 and does not raise much at all, not that I expected it to.

This cake can be made gluten free by substituting casava flour mixed 1 to 1 with gluten free oat flour. The photo below is of the gluten free. The wheat version has a finer crumb.

Here's Paul's Poem:

Ode to Marvelous Cake

We love spending time with our grandparents

But surely, you'll have to take

That of our visit cake was the best part

Thus this ode to marvelous cake

Oh, the light, sweet, fluffy interior

The part which is hard to bake

I think you would find superior

To anything but more cake

Sure, the grandparents took us bowling

And will bring us to play in the lake

But really, how does that compare?

To the marvelous, fabulous cake?

 -- P D Eastlund, 2021

With thanks to both my grandson, Paul, and my husband, Chris!  Love you both!!!

The Friday gathering is at Leap of Dave where he's tried an etheree and blogs about finding castles and biking. Thanks for hosting, Dave, and good luck with your year ahead.

A Bit Crazy

 After 16 days of renovation followed by a weekend with the grandkids (and grand dog) it has been a bit crazy here, but all in a good day. We've had a few days to breathe before this weekend's town-wide yard sale, which I signed up for because we've emptied closets and revisited toys and books and done some weeding. Necessary weeding. Overdue weeding. You know the kind...

The unexpected splash of color with this dumpster supports the fight against breast cancer

Full house! A grand time of games, music, movies, hugs, cookies and pickle wraps!  

Kids love making cookies with Papa Chris... and yes, she is standing on a chair...

What will they remember?

Cookies, no doubt

Chile topped with sour cream

Pickle wraps

Hugging through the scary parts of Harry Potter movies

Grace before meals - who said thy instead of these?

Sleeping three or four in a small room

Night lights

Corn hole

Naming plants in the garden

Piano duets

Endless games of hand and foot

Last hugs on the driveway...

- beginnings of a list poem

by Grandma Karen

Time to prepare for the yard sale.  I wish you could drop by...

Carmela hosts this week's Poetry Friday Roundup... please visit her here to see all the wonderful things happening in the children's poetry community, you won't want to miss her dandelion poem. Thanks so much for hosting, Carmela...

Poetry with Grandkids

 Hi All...  It's 

And... it's a week with grandkids!  We love it... the only drawback is our waning energy.  Still, what memories we will have!  Crafts, which this week included slime and some undefinable goop, paper plate frisbee, bowls made from paper plates and yarn, and many origami projects... and then there were card games which occasioned silly, ridiculous and hilarious interchanges, an afternoon bowling, and all that food! We ate well. 

I challenged my two visiting grandkids, Paul is 12 (almost 13) and Claire is 11, to write me some poetry for my blog. Here are their wonderful submissions...

Paul's Poem 

We love spending time with our grandparents

But my opinion, you’ll have to take

That of our visit cake was the best part

Thus this ode is to marvelous cake

Oh, the light, sweet, fluffy interior

The part which is hard to bake

I think you would find superior

To anything but more cake

Sure, the grandparents took us bowling

And will bring us to play in the lake

But really, how does that compare

To the marvelous, fabulous cake?

© Paul Duncan Eastlund

A beautiful ode to such a simple cake, right?  This is that last of the Sand Cake, from an old Danish Recipe, very much like a pound cake. The only rising agent is the egg whites, which are beaten to a peak. It is made simply from butter, sugar, flour, eggs and a little vanilla. No need for sugary frosting. This particular cake is made with cassava flour due to wheat intolerance, and is rich in eggs, so it even makes a good breakfast.

Getting a recent photo of these kids is tricky. They play shy to the camera. So... we sort of cornered them for this one. I think it's rather cute. (See the red case behind Claire?  That's her lizard, Spike.)

Here's Claire's poem:

A Girl's Demise

By Claire Eastlund

I like ooey, gooey slime

But I can’t think of a rhyme

This poem is wasting my precious time

And it doesn’t even pay a dime

If I had a choice I would be asleep

Knocked out and snoring in dreams so deep

If a tank rolled by I wouldn't make a peep

My notes ‘bout this poem piled in a heap

I would dream about slime jumping from the page

Red as an apple and frothing with rage

It chastised me for putting it in a cage

And made it so I would never see old age

THE END

Slime made with white glue, shaving cream & borax

Today's round-up is at Carol's Corner. Click the link to find more poetry...

Be happy, be well, and always be hungry for a poem.

Good Gifts and Curveballs

Mid-year update: Life offers some amazing good gifts along with a few curveballs.

Two deer jumped over a neighbor's fence and walked between my house and Peter's house. In his front yard they stopped to look around, and I imagined them thinking, "We must have taken a wrong turn somewhere."  I'm aware that deer have been in my yard, but this was the first time I'd seen them... graceful and effortless in their movements... poised... calm...

I've been reading Mary Oliver. Her poetry is amazingly honest and straightforward, and her thirst for God is a inspiration to me. Here are two quotes I've marked from More Beautiful Than the Honey Locust Tree Are the Words of the Lord:

It's close to hopeless

for what I want to say the red-bird

has said already, and better, in a thousand trees.

Part 6

Instead I prayed, oh Lord, let me be something useful and unpretentious.
Even the chimney swift sings.
Part 7

                                - Mary Oliver in Thirst

Time, energy and a pain in my back radiating down my arm have challenged me lately. Curveballs. I will see my doctor tomorrow, hoping for some relief.

Two beautiful grandkids are coming to spend the week. Here's a photo of them a few years back.  We will read and paint and play games and sew and cook together. I'm praying for a grand week.

Halloween 2015

A big event is coming up for us. This year will be our 50th wedding anniversary, and our two sons are treating us to a week with everyone together. We are so blessed. Plans are laid to go to a dude ranch and spa in Wyoming. No cooking or clean-up for a week! A beautiful lake to canoe on and enjoy, horses for the kids, lovely scenery. Good gifts.
 

And....my irises have bloomed profusely this year! 

Every good and perfect gift is from above.  James 1:17

My best wishes and prayers for you and yours. Thanks to Ruth who is hosting today's group at There is No Such Thing as a God-forsaken town. This week as thrown her some curveballs also, yet she flourishes.