Grandma's Classics: rhubarb cake

Grandma's recipe is by far the quickest and easiest way to turn these tart beauties into something truly enjoyable.
All it takes are a few rhubarb stems, eggs, flour, butter, sugar and 30 minutes bake...

Grandma's rhubarb cake

15-20 rhubarb stems

250g butter
200g sugar
4 eggs
400g flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 180°C (360°F).

All ingredients should have room temperature to combine well.

Butter the bottom of your baking mold and dust it with flour; remove any excess of flour.
Beat the butter, sugar and vanilla on highest speed until creamy, 4 to 5 minutes, in a bowl with the paddle attachment of the mixer.

Turn the mixer to medium-low speed and add one egg after another, beating for about a minute after each egg.

Turn the mixer to low speed and slowly add the flour together with the baking powder.  Don't overbeat, to prevent the batter getting chewy.

Transfer the batter to the baking mold, smooth with a spatula and arrange the rhubarb stems on top. Until this point it's the exact "Grandma" version. No extravaganzas as you already know, Grandma kept it honest and simple.

I experimented with precooking the rhubarb stems in a mixture of butter, sugar and lemon juice (one tablespoon each) for a few minutes. Don't let the rhubarb turn soft, just let it adopt the caramel flavour.  Heaven!

Bake at 180°C (360°F) for about 30 minutes or until the rims turn golden brown.

Before serving sprinkle with icing sugar.

Enjoy it with a good cup of coffee!

Grandma in her twenties

a glimpse of April

around here..

..enjoying the sunny day and looking forward to lots and lots of new photo projects. Be curious!

on my running track n°1

Can you believe we still have snow?

let water be thy cure

The best way to flush out toxins is simple: lots and lots of water. I start my day off drinking water from a bottle right in the bathroom and continue throughout the day finishing at least one big jug more.


    1.    Recommended amount: at least 2 litres daily.

    2.     Have a glass of water with your cup of coffee/ expresso or black tea because caffeine  
            dehydrates the body.
         
    3.    Add natural flavours like lemon, mint, cucumber or lemon balm. Simply drop your
            chosen ingredients into a jug of water and chill for at least one hour.
       
    4.    Water is a carrier of information and has a memory.
            Information can be stored for a long period of time in the water showing certain clusters of
            the molecules. The results of Masaru Emoto's scientific research on this topic are amazing.

    5.    Add an organic mineral salt to your bath. My personal favourites are Himalayan salt and the
            Jentschura Alka Bath. A high concentration of salt in your water will pull toxins out of your
            pores and leave you with a deeply cleansed and healthy skin. After a 30 minutes' bath you will      
            feel exhausted but really good. I would compare the feeling to a rewarding workout or a stay
            in the sauna.

    6.    Cleanse your eyes with a 3% salt solution. I do it nearly every day and love the refreshing and
            relaxing effect.
       
     

green lunch/green smoothie

 If you still haven't got a 1000 watt blender, buy one. It has been one of my best purchases last year.

The whole smoothie mania has been initiated by my friend Nancy who didn't stop praising the benefits of shredded greens and fruits emerging constantly from her newly bought vitamix - until eventually we all got infected more or less by the smoothie virus. According to her theory at least one of the components has to be a fresh green vegetable (or herb) to turn the smoothie into a true source of energy.
I love the smoothies' fresh taste and the endless variety of combinations. Try it with strawberries and portulaca....yummy!

Today's green smoothie
1 apple
1/4 small pineapple
1/2 banana
1/2 green bell pepper
1 glass of water

Today's green lunch: green bell pepper, Chinese cabbage and sweetheart cabbage with tuna
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
a piece of Chinese cabbage, chopped
a piece of sweetheart cabbage, chopped
a bit of grated ginger and garlic to taste
olive oil
salt
pepper
some pieces of canned tuna

Heat the olive oil in a pan, add the vegetables, garlic and ginger and stir fry until all ingredients are tender. Add the pieces of tuna and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Essen ist fertig!

time to start off with a little spring detox

Begin the day with a detox tea of your choice and some oatmeal for breakfast. Soaked in rice milk. Or soy milk. Or fruit juice.

Don't forget sports: I try to swing the hula hoop for 10 minutes at least and force myself to practise yoga on a daily basis. My daughter warmly recommended me to join the fitocracy website for better motivation.

My today's lunch:  roasted fennel, leek and bell pepper, half a glass of "siciliana" tomato sauce with sweet potato/buckwheat noodles

In case you have to shop at Ikea don't buy yourself a HotDog for hungry you might be (I  did #¶¢ƒ…#??¿). Better snack some roasted seeds instead (if you have them at hand, haha!)

the daily dose of green

This week I had to protect the flowers on my windowsills with bed linen from the bad attack of Servatius, Pankratius, Bonifatius and Kalte Sophie, commonly known as "The Saints of Ice". They really lived up to their names bringing some days of nasty rain and icy temperatures. It was so demoralizing!
At least they also brought plenty of lush green - and from today we could relax again in our sunchairs instead of sitting by the tile stove...