Celebrate - In The Park

the outdoors and some pretty scenery such as the rose garden in our local park.

It is lovely this time of year. Here’s an even better idea: don’t wait for your mother’s funeral before you send her flowers. Send them now so she can enjoy them. Once a month ought to be enough to convince her she is not forgotten until you need something.

Memorial Day is no longer just a day, but rather, a whole weekend. How else is it possible to fit in all the parades, memorials, ceremonies, retail sales, cookouts, BBQ’s and picnics in the park?

There is one common theme recurring in all these: eating in a park. Yes, this requires . . . well, WORK! All the food has to be prepared and packaged for transport along with all the little details we don’t think of at home. For example, the salt shaker is always on the table at home, but we have to remember to take all our condiments along to picnics.

It’s not so bad if everyone brings something. That’s why whenever given the choice, I opt for taking desert. It doesn’t require but one dish. To that end, here is a recipe which was introduced to me recently and I have been finding lots of different uses for it.

Mandarin Orange Cake

2 cups all purpose flour

2 cups white sugar

2 eggs

2 cans mandarin oranges (11 oz. each), drained

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons vanilla

1/2 teaspoon salt

TOPPING:

3/4 cup brown sugar, packed

3 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons milk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 325ºF. Lightly spray 9X13” pan with non-stick cooking spray. Place all ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Beat for 3 minutes with an electric mixer. Pour into prepared pan and bake for 30 minutes.

While the cake is baking, combine all the topping ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Pour hot topping on cake immediately after it is removed from the oven. Serve warm or at room temperature. Garnish with whipped topping if desired.

As with all my recipes suggestions, I try them out first at home. This one did not disappoint. I ate some warm, room temp and even chilled. I liked all three. It was good with whipped topping or alone. Even though it doesn’t need it, ice cream is always an option. I was not surprised to discover it stayed moist for an entire week. This cake is easy to transport and suitable for any or all occasions.

So, whether it’s dancing around a Maypole or enjoying a concert in the park, taking Mom to enjoy a flower garden or pausing to remember our military who have fallen, you always have the option of using local parks. Take time to appreciate the time and effort required to keep them clean, beautiful, functional and free for all to use.

And remember, take time to smell the roses.