Friday Friend Recipe #257-Stripe it Rich Cake

Come with me as I continue to countdown my Friday Friend Cookbook!

What is it, you may ask?

In a nutshell....

About 20 years ago, 50 of my closest friends and family, who had been on an

  e-mail forum with me, sent in recipes in different categories and we compiled a cookbook.

I decided to count those down!

Why?

Because one night I was looking thru the cookbook and I said, "I should make every recipe in  here for my blog."

The Handyman, who thinks he knows me better than I know myself, said "you'll never EVER do that."

Well, maybe I will!  Maybe I'll show him!

Which brings me to recipe #257--my Stipe it Rich Cake

I often wonder--why in the  heck did I put this in the Friday Friend Cookbook?

Everyone and their dog knows this recipe and has done it before. 

But... have you ever done it with Oreo pudding?  Neither had I, but when I made it this time for the countdown I decided to switch it up a bit and you know what?

It's the best!

I'm going to buy Oreo pudding every time I do this cake (about once a year for a backyard BBQ)

So, this is my recipe and I have no idea how many I've turned in so far--today I'm having a melancholy day. 

 Not really melancholy--I don't know how to explain myself.  It's the  middle of the Corona Virus!  Covid-19.  Day 41 of being in Quarentene.  

Words escape me right now.  Some days are good, some are great, some are sad for what we are losing and some days are filled with fear for what's to come. 

 Most days are good tho.

Until I listen to a small business owner tell me that she is almost to the bottom of the barrel.  Until I know that my husband, as Mayor,  might have to tell someone they can't gather for a funeral right now.

Until I have to turn down my friends for a social distance outdoor bookclub, for fear of being shamed for not staying at home.

Those days, in these times, are not good.

But most of the time, the glass is half full and I can  think of a million little things to bring a smile to my face.

One of those things is my grandchildren.

We've been having conversations.

Wonderful conversations.

Altho, it's a bit surreal when you ask  your 2 year old granddaughter which face mask she likes better.

A bit surreal when your 12 year old granddaughter texts you and  is so excited because "they might open the state back up!"

One says,  "I miss my family, we can't leave our state"

One says, " I haven't laughed for weeks now"

One says "I want to see my friends"

One says "Did they find a cure?"

One says, "I have to do homeschool EVERY DAY?"

One says, "Can we get a quarantine puppy?"

One says, "I'm  sooo BORED!!"

One says, "I bet one day when I'm in college, our teacher will tell us to turn to page 2019 and then 2021.  When someone asks why not page 2020, the teacher will say, 'We don't talk about 2020.'*

One says, "Hey Gram, what's your password for Netflix?"
Another says "what's your password for Amazon prime?"
and another, "what's your Hulu password Gram?"

They all say,  "What will happen with Cousin  Camp at the cabin this summer?"
I have no answer for them. (and if you think I gave them my passwords for my streaming channels? HA!)  (actually one of their cousins would chime in who remembered the password and  my passwords were flying all over the texts) 

Although not a text, but when I did get to see my 6 year old grandson recently and we were playing stuffed animals and he said to one "do you have the coronavirus?" 
No stuffed animal should ever have to ask that of another stuffed animal! EVER!

My granddaughter in Arizona was making a shopping list for things she wanted.  It was a big list, with big items.  Her dad asked her what she was doing and she said,  "making a list for what I'm going to get with my money?"
Her dad said "what money?"
She said "the president is giving me money.

Her dad said, "he is?"

She said, "yes.  He's giving you $1200, Mommy $1200 and me and Chris each $500."

Hmmmmm---I wonder if that worked?

This is all so surreal!

And kind of heartbreaking.  

But also kind of uplifting.

Uplifting because all those conversation (except one ) were on a group text. A Cousin and Gram group text.    
They made movies on text--I was too dumb to figure out my part, but one would do something like drop a hairbrush and then the next kid would begin her or his video by getting a hairbrush dropped on their head and so on--so that 4 or more texts/with video made a silly little movie.  So smart.  LOL  As I said, I could never figure out my part.

Granted, it might have been a little annoying when I got 143 texts in one hour,  but the point was--they were having fun during quarantine. 

Together!

I like it when they have fun together. 

Technology can be a wonderful thing.

Stay healthy and safe friends!

*actually not from a text conversation, but from Eli in a conversation he had with his mom.
All the others?  Text conversations from each and every one of the 4.  The Four out of 12 are the same age (within a year or two)

And this my friends is 

recipe #257

and I know all my grandkids would all eat this Oreo Stripe it Rich Cake!

Only 110 left to go!

Woo Hoo!

Here's the deal.

I was going to put up a few pictures of my grandkids.

At first, just the four of them who made me laugh and have me on a text group, but then I thought, well, they are all amazing.  I'll show you all of them!

I started to upload a few photos--then a few more.  Then a few more.

Thinking---do I have everyone?  Do I have a grouping of a few or more? Do I have them all? Do I have the same amount of each? 

Hmmm--I have a lot.  I'll go back and delete, maybe just have one photo of each.

And then I figured 

SCREW IT!

Deal with it people.

I have 12 grandkids ranging in age 2 to 23.

I think they are all amazing!

I know I have everyone at least once--you might have to look at them twice or more--but like I said--deal with it.

They are amazing and cute and smart and funny!

At least I think so.

They feel my heart with joy!