Trapped in the house, unable to navigate the icy roads, my mood turned gloomy. I needed a “chocolate fix” … and I needed it right away! Rummaging through the pantry, I was delighted to find a chocolate brownie mix. But, when I read the ingredients, I screamed, “Aaargh!” That meant, “Dadgum it! I don’t have eggs!” Depression loomed.

Glancing out the window, I noticed the snow piled like a thick layer of confectioner’s sugar on the porch railing. My mother often piled that powdery sugar on top of a cake, because she didn’t like to make icing. Usually, it was thick enough to choke a horse. I remembered that she put it on a chocolate cake she called “Wacky Cake.” It was called that because the recipe didn’t require milk, butter, or eggs…

Wacky Cake! That was the answer! In her battered metal recipe box, I found the stained index card with her Wacky Cake recipe and frantically pulled ingredients from the cabinet. In less than an hour, I satisfied my need for chocolate!

Do y’all turn to the foods of your childhood when you need comfort? I certainly do. This Wacky Cake recipe was one of Momma’s favorites, because after a hard day at the office she wanted to keep those four kids of hers quiet with a dessert that mixed up quickly. Wacky Cake does! Mix up quickly AND keep the kids quiet (if you share it). In fact, it takes me longer to lick the mixing bowl than it does to make the batter.

Since this is Friday (and I like to think about only the good on Friday), I’ll share the recipe. It’s my way of wishing you a happy Friday. I’m betting that some of you are familiar with it.

To make Wacky Cake, first you put on some music that you think is pretty wonderful. I either choose a CD by Keb Mo or one by Queen. Preheat the oven to 350°. Prepare a baking pan (grease and flour it). Gather the following ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon vinegar
• 5 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 cup cold water

Gently plop them all into a mixing bowl. It doesn’t matter what order you add the ingredients, but I like to put the dry ingredients first (with baking soda on top), then add the vinegar and the other liquids. Why? Because I like to see it fizz when the vinegar hits the baking soda. That thrilled me as a kid, and I still get a kick out of it.

Stir the ingredients until it is well mingled. The batter won’t look very dark, but once it’s cooked, the cake turns to deep chocolate. Put it into the baking pan and pop it into the oven to bake it until it tests done with a toothpick (usually 25-30 minutes).

While you wait for it to cook, lick the mixing bowl and dance around the kitchen a little. Perhaps even wash the dishes, so you can enjoy your chocolate cake with no worries.

You can put your favorite icing on the cake, or pile Confectioner’s sugar on top … or just eat it plain (or with ice cream). It’s delicious, and will cure your depression in a hurry.

Speaking of which, after looking on-line a bit I discovered that sometimes this cake was called “Depression Cake,” because during the Great Depression there were shortages of eggs and milk. Some brilliant soul discovered this recipe that Momma called Wacky Cake.

I noticed that in some recipes people add strange ingredients like coffee to the cake. I’ve considered adding bacon (the fifth major food group), but I figure you don’t mess with perfection.

So, have you had a cake like this before? What “in-a-hurry” dessert is your favorite?

© Shelly for This Eclectic Life, 2011. | Permalink | 9 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Only The Good Friday, recipes

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Tomorrow is “Make a Difference Day.” It’s not a national holiday or anything … it’s a day that USA Weekend Magazine has designated as a day to help others (always the fourth Saturday in October). People all over the United States are making an event out of helping others. Some of the projects might even win a cash award from Newman’s Own and get national headlines. Don’t get me wrong … I think it’s marvelous incentive to get people involved … but what about the rest of the year?

According to the USA Weekend Magazine website : “In 2009, 3 million people cared enough about their communities to volunteer on that day, accomplishing thousands of projects in hundreds of towns.” Imagine what we could do if all of those people who got involved for one day carried that over to EVERY day!

Being part of a big community project is a marvelous thing, but the act of giving — of making a difference — should be as natural to us as breathing. We need to reach past our differences and reach out to each other.

It doesn’t take that much to make a difference!

• The simple act of opening a door for someone and offering a smile makes a difference. Try it and see.
• Let someone merge into the lane of traffic. You’d want them to do it for you!
• Tote the trash cans for an elderly neighbor. It might make all the difference in their day! While you are at it, offer to pick up some groceries for that elderly neighbor when you are on the way to the store. Check on them when the weather is inclement to make sure their home is a comfortable temperature. Or, drop off a plate of chicken and dumplings (in a container they can freeze) when you make a big batch.
• Offer to babysit for a single mom. Or, buy her some diapers. Make sure her kids have warm coats and school supplies. Is Santa going to be able to make it to their house this year?
• When you see someone at the store counting pennies to buy milk and bread, drop a five dollar bill on the floor and say, “I think you dropped this” and walk away.
• Don’t walk past that McDonald’s bag that someone tossed near the trash can on the street. Bend down and pick it up … it’s good exercise.

The list could go on ad infinitum. In fact, why don’t you leave a comment with a suggestion or two?

On Make A Difference Day, don’t hesitate to join with others to volunteer for a good cause. But, remember that we can “make a difference” in our world every doggone day. We just have to open our eyes to the possibilities.

“We must become the change we want to see in the world.”
~~Mohandas Gandhi

Let’s make a difference 365 days out of the year.

© Shelly for This Eclectic Life, 2010. | Permalink | 8 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Only The Good Friday

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Lately my internet reading has reminded me of the bumper cars at the local carnival. I bump over to one blog and on to the next until my head is reeling. I thought I’d share a few links to just a fraction of the gems I often visit. It seemed appropriate for a Friday, which is a day I celebrate only the good! I hope you find some new friends on this list.

• Joe Spado at Round Circle blog often touches my heart with his posts about his family. He shared a tale of taking his granddaughter, who is obsessed with elephants, to ride one in his post Pachyderm Playground . He’s the perfect grandfather! Joe, when you have Lilly’s elephant drawing made into fabric, I’ll buy some!
• Speaking of pachyderms, Brenda Freeman uses some facts about the training of elephants to illustrate her point in an inspiring post called Have You Learned to Be Helpless?
• At The Backroads Photo Blog, read about understanding a horse in He screams With His Ears. Actually, the post is about connecting with a horse, but it could be extrapolated to our interactions with people.
• If you love ghost stories, Fairweather Lewis celebrates October with a shivery tale every day! Fascinating stuff, Faire.
• If you celebrate Dia de los Muertos, Thorne is making some sugar skulls, decorated in the Aztec tradition You can buy them at her Etsy shop. They absolutely rock.
• Speaking of “rock,” my buddy Jessica The Rock Chick posted a video of a spectacular wedding celebration the other day that I’ve been viewing daily. The wedding party turned into a musical (the groom is a professional, so don’t groan). Just go see it at L’chaim.
• Slam Dunks has an inspirational post about another blogger’s writing that “hit home,” so to speak at Last Try.
• Jamie, at Duward Discussion wrote a breathtaking poem to celebrate Autumn called “Last Chances.” She included it in her post That Time Again
• Anne is a jewelry maker who shared some pretty fabulous work. She used beads from Nigeria that were made from recycled records. You would never guess that’s what they are! I need to ship my old LP’s to an artist in Nigeria!
• Then hop over to Exile Imaging for a taste of Costa Rica, which is where my friend Van snapped this portrait of a woman about to explain the how coffee beans are processed. As are all his photos, its gorgeous!

Oh no! Now, I’ve gone and thought about coffee! It’s time to throw on a ratty t-shirt and head to the coffee shop. Why “ratty t-shirt?” Because I spill coffee down the front of me every stinkin’ day! I should just wear a bib, but I’ve got a better plan. I can take those stained t-shirts and make an “elegant” necklace à la Martha Stewart.

Y’all have a beautiful Friday.

© Shelly for This Eclectic Life, 2010. | Permalink | 20 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Link Love, Only The Good Friday

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An older woman stood between me and the bargain bin. She was sorting through the items that the craft store was selling “on-the-cheap,” and her hands got dangerously close to the items I wanted. I shoved her out of the way “gently repositioned her” so I could snatch the two balls of brightly colored ribbon. It was a bargain! I needed it.

I brought it home and shoved it into the craft closet … with all the other things I “needed.” There it languished for a year or two. As I got started on my Fall Overhaul, determined at last to break my hoarding habit, I realized a truth: A bargain isn’t “a bargain” if you aren’t going to use it.

I held that yarn in my hand and tried to determine whether to keep it or donate it. Finally, I pulled out my knitting needles to make it into a scarf.

Sometimes “the good” is in very small things:

• I spent a buck and some change to get this ribbon, and with a little work I’ll have a lovely scarf for winter.
• That shouldn’t be too far away, because its only getting up into the 90s this week.
• The scarf is simply row after row of knitting, so making it is almost “meditation.”
• Hopefully, I’m learning my lesson about bargain hunting! I’m optimistic that the lesson will “take!”

That’s my “good” on this “Only The Good” Friday. Can you share some “good” in your world today? If you don’t see it at first, look a little harder … it’s there.

© Shelly for This Eclectic Life, 2010. | Permalink | 7 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: crafts, Only The Good Friday

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The folks at the post office are wondering about the packages that I juggle as I leave each day. They have no idea that inside are lovely crocheted squares from around the world that will be made into afghans for children at a cancer camp next summer. So far 1,353 squares have arrived for Share A Square 2010 (a tenth of what will eventually be joined together).

As the project went into full swing, I got some devastating news: the camp I had originally chosen was going through some changes this year and decided they could not accept our gift. I was aghast! But, I have told you time and again on this blog that you have to look for only the good … and I found it!

It’s called Camp Quality.

Actually, Camp Quality is a network of camps across the United States (and beyond — it was started in Australia). Each summer children with cancer and their siblings get to visit free of charge. Their website states:

Surrounded by new friends that can relate, loving volunteers who care, and loads of fun experiences, Camp Quality campers find joy, new courage and renewed hope for the future. They are free to be themselves . . . free to be kids again.

I spoke to the director of the Camp Quality in Texas, which is held near Tyler in East Texas. She was excited about the possibility of receiving our Share A Square afghans … but her camp would only need a third of the amount of afghans we had planned to make! So, I talked to the directors of the Camp Quality in Louisiana and Camp Quality in Arkansas.

We are going to blanket children in THREE DIFFERENT STATES with our love!

If you would like to be a part of the project, here are three things you can do:

1. If you can crochet, visit the FAQ to learn about what we need. Join our Facebook group if you would like (you can even join the Facebook pages for Camp Quality in Texas and Arkansas). If you are on Ravelry, there is a Share A Square 2010 group there as well. Make those squares and send them on to me!
   If you’d like to be aware of my updates, you can visit my category page to keep you informed.
2. If you can’t crochet … can you talk? Tell folks about it who can crochet. If you tell eight people, who each send 10 squares (6′x6′), it will make an afghan!
3. OR, do as the lovely (and brilliant) Ridgely Johnson at Savor The Ride plans to do. Here is what she said on Facebook:
   

   I attempted, without much success mind you, to teach myself to crochet today- now I am an accomplished, quilter, decorative painter, so-so knitter- Monday I am en route to 2 local shops to enlist the crocheters of the area- I will buy the yarn, they will crochet, they will crochet and I WILL get my pledged squares in …dogged determination, hanging in there like a rusty fish hook, as my mommy says. I have made a rag rug- did crochet that- I just get confused where to stick the hook in when you zip back stop laughing

So, Share A Square 2010 is “switching horses in midstream,” but I think it might be one of the best things that has happened to the project. The BEST thing, of course, is YOU.

The Share A Square Project is an ongoing one! You can see posts about what we did in 2010-2011 at this category link. Join us at Facebook or Ravelry. We would love to have your help. Visit the FAQ for more information.

© Shelly for This Eclectic Life, 2010. | Permalink | 8 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Only The Good Friday, Share A Square 2010

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Although sunflowers are pretty (and I enjoy eating their seeds) they are not my favorite flower. However, this morning an enormous bouquet of sunflowers adorns my desk for Only The Good Friday. I’ve placed them there to honor my husband’s favorite aunt, who died one year ago. I’ve told you about Aunt Cleo before; she was my hero.

Her favorite flower was the sunflower, and she decorated her home with a profusion of them. The sunflower is a fitting symbol for Cleo, for they represent warmth and happiness. The color yellow is also a good match for her, for it means optimism, enlightenment, and happiness. That sums up Cleo pretty well.

Cleo battled Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), also known as “Lou Gehrig’s Disease.” Perhaps you don’t know anyone who has the disease, which gradually paralyzes the muscles of the body which allow us to move, eat, and breathe (but not the part of the brain that allow us to think, feel, and remember). Usually it develops in people between 40 and 70 years old, and 90% of the people who get it did not “inherit” it. It is not contagious, but it is a disease that strikes randomly. According to Frontline, “It is estimated that 30,000 people in the U.S. have ALS at any given time, with approximately 5,600 new cases diagnosed annually. More than 5,000 people die from the disease each year.” There is no cure … yet.

If Cleo were still here, there would be one soon! Even confined to a wheelchair, she “walked” to raise money for ALS research. She knew it wouldn’t help her, but she hoped it would help somebody. This year, her daughters Kase and Patti walked in her memory.

Obviously Cleo didn’t win the battle with ALS (no one does), but she faced this deadly disease with courage, dignity, and laughter … even when she lost her ability to speak. Those would be reasons enough to admire Aunt Cleo, but there was more.

Cleo had the ability to make everyone feel special. She accepted people, no matter their foibles, and welcomed them into her heart. Her heart was doggone big. What a wonderful world it would be if there were more “Aunt Cleos” out there!

I’m betting that you have a hero or two. Who has touched your life, and taught you how to live it fully?

© Shelly for This Eclectic Life, 2010. | Permalink | 11 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Aunt Cleo, Memories, Only The Good Friday

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We all have an “inner child” who speaks to us occasionally. My inner child, whose name is “Muse,” won’t shut up. She can be alternately willful, petulant, charming, funny, humorous, or acerbic. I can often pacify her with coffee, chocolate, or bacon … or by playing dress up and letting her be a pirate. Without her input, I can’t write, for she is my creativity. When she is working with me, she’s “cooking,” but I had no idea she really knew her way around the kitchen!

Hey, Gloomy Guts! Why are you so down? It’s Friday and you are supposed to think of Only The Good … that’s your rule, you know.

I know, Muse, but I’m not feeling it today.

I know somebody who needs her designer coffee! Find your shoes and let’s go down to the coffee house. We’ll turn that frown upside down! Coffee will make you perky. Perky … get it? That’s a joke.

Shush, Muse, I don’t feel like laughing. We can’t go. Haven’t you looked at the checkbook lately? We don’t have work until September. With the kid’s wedding coming up, we have to slow down. If we want to do other fun things, we are going to have to cut out the coffee.

OK. You are probably right … so let’s play in the mud.

I don’t want to get all dirty this morning.

Sheesh! You are slow this morning. “Mud” …”coffee” … get it? C’mon, let’s go in the kitchen. There you go. Now get a pitcher. See that leftover coffee in the pot? Make one and three fourths cups of coffee walk over and hop in the pitcher.

Do what?

C’mon … you always say that your coffee is strong enough to “walk to the cup by itself.” Get it in the pitcher! Good. Now, add one tablespoon of sugar and one fourth of a teaspoon of cinnamon and stir it.

You aren’t doing it right. When you stir it, you have to shake your booty a little. C’mon. There you go! Don’t you feel better already?

Not really …

I’m not finished yet. Now, dance over to the refrigerator. No, you have to dance! Get out the milk, the cream, and the chocolate syrup … the dark chocolate syrup. Good. Add to that pitcher of coffee: one half cup of milk, one half cup of cream and … mmmm … about one sixth of a cup of chocolate (I’d tell you that in tablespoons, but you always tell me I’m not good in math). Now stir, and when you stir you have to shake …

I know, I know. I have to shake my booty.

Now, get Granny Armour’s teapot …

My great-grandmother’s teapot is fragile, Muse! I’m not gonna …

Don’t argue with me, this is for your own good. You played with it when you were a kid. I know that was fifty years ago, but you need to play now. Pour you a cup and let’s sit on the porch and watch the hummingbirds and listen to the mockingbird.

Mocha Mud

Mmmm. That’s good, Muse!

I know! It’s better than the coffee house, isn’t it?

I think so.

When we get work again, we have to go back to the coffee house, though. I need to see my friends. They miss me, you know.

I love YOU, I love bacon, I love YOU, I love bacon.

For those of you who didn’t understand the Muse’s recipe for Mocha Mud, here it is. It’s simple, quick, better than the coffee house, AND it uses up your leftover coffee:

Have a delightful day. I hope it is filled with only the good!

© Shelly for This Eclectic Life, 2010. | Permalink | 14 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: coffee, humor, muse, Only The Good Friday, recipes

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