17-year-old Helena Muffly wrote exactly 100 years ago today:
Thursday, April 25, 1912: I am beginning to worry about final exams. I’m afraid that I may get left in some of my studies. But I hope that it won’t happen that way.
Her middle-aged granddaughter’s comments 100 years later:
It sounds like Grandma was at the procrastination stage—she knew that she needed to study, but hadn’t gotten beyond worrying.
When I procrastinate, I think of other things that MUST be done—like cooking.
Here’s an old Rhubarb Pudding recipe that I found in the April 1912 issue of Good Housekeeping magazine.
Rhubarb Pudding
Sift together two cupfuls of flour, a pinch of salt, spices as desired, two teaspoonfuls of baking powder and half a cupful of sugar. Stir in one egg beaten with half a cupful of milk and two tablespoonfuls of butter; add two cupfuls of rhubarb, cut into small pieces (use the pink part with the skin left on), bake twenty minutes and serve with a sauce.
The only spice that I used was 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg. The batter was extremely thick. I baked the Rhubarb Pudding in a 375 degree oven. It took about 40 minutes for the top to brown lightly. (Maybe I should have used a higher temperature.)
The Rhubarb Pudding was quite good. It was a pleasant mixture of sweet and tart tastes, and had the texture of shortcake.
I served the Rhubarb Pudding with Vanilla Sauce.
Vanilla Sauce
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
dash salt
1 cup boiling water
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
dash nutmeg
Mix sugar, cornstarch, and salt in sauce pan. Add boiling water; and boil until thick and clear. Continue simmering over low heat, while stirring for 20 minutes. Stir in the butter, vanilla, and nutmeg. Can be refrigerated and reheated.
Rhubarb is one of my favorite Spring foods. Here are the links to past posts that included Rhubarb Recipes: