Hidalgo Grade School Cafeteria Cake

Hello, Lovely Friends!

After 3 days of sort-of sunshine, Brad and Brock and our neighbors are busy preparing for the farming marathon which will begin very soon, and our new physical-distancing lifestyle is becoming our new normal.

Are you like me-listening to more praise music, praying more, counting your every-day blessings that passed by unseen in your past, pre-quarantine life? Noticing the flight pattern of a ring-tailed hawk, the deer bedding in the middle of a field in the middle of the day, stopping to smell the hyacinths growing in the yard of the abandoned house you have have driven by countless times, reaching out to actually converse with your neighbors instead of only driving by their houses as fast as you can on the way to somewhere else?

Finding new ways to connect with friends and loved ones? Deciding to get dressed in something besides pjs or yoga pants?

Our nest is empty, so no one here is being homeschooled except me, and when someone needs scolding, Brad and I just separate! I realize lots of people don’t have that option and my heart goes out to those stuck in a small apartment in a highrise in a city that is shut down.

But this post isn’t about the scary, hard truths of life today…..so moving on……

Comedy is making a difference for us.

Are you watching any comedies on your preferred TV platform? We are intentionally ending almost every day laughing at The Middle, The Mindy Project, or The Office. Blown away by the funny bone some people are blessed with, I am so grateful that they share the shenanigans they dream up with the rest of us. A good comedian, a funny distraction has been a wonderful buffer for us!

My new friend, Frankie Heck (she’s the mom in The Middle) was trying to use all the food in her freezer in last night’s episode, and I’m doing the same! Anyone else getting a kick out of “making do” and finding new uses for things?

I made a happy discovery this week when I made the brownie recipe I have made a jillion times. Learning I was out of powdered cocoa, I instead melted 4 squares of Baker’s chocolate and threw it in the batter along with a cup of chocolate chips. Those brownies were the BEST-a delicious panful of chocolate goo-iness with a crusty top. YUMMY!!!!

I know sugar isn’t good for us, but I have been making sweet things anyway. I’m so glad the weather is improving and spring is here so we can all be outside in the fresh air every day. Hopefully, all that- and drinking lots of water- will help neutralize the sugar!

Sidebar: Need more comfort food? Try some of these recipes! A Real Ted Talks and a Holiday Recipe

This is getting long, so I’ll get to the point…..My boys were all blessed to attend Hidalgo Grade School and have Diane Griffeth as their cook. They LOVED her cooking and I did, too, on the days I ate lunch at the school for one reason or another. This oatmeal cake is one that she made frequently and it is SOOOO GOOOOD!!!!

If you don’t like coconut, just double the topping and leave it out. And for an extra treat, serve this with vanilla ice cream-you won’t regret it!

Hidalgo Grade School Cafeteria Oatmeal Cake

School cafeteria cooks hold a very high place of esteem for me. The ladies who prepared food for my boys like Diane and Virginia Walden were GEMS!

Today, our school cooks are preparing meals to be delivered to students who are home in precarious situations. I am so thankful for them!

Wouldn’t it be nice if we would all take a moment to send a card to our local school districts thanking these wonderful people for their faithful care of kids?

Have a blessed day, friends!

I am so thankful for YOU!