A gift in the Mail

My niece chastised me on the weekend for not telling you about the surprise book I received in the mail.

It was one of those days when life wasn't going all that well. No one thing was weighing me down, rather a bunch of little things had crept together and were doing their job. I had set myself the task of tidying some things that had been sitting since the end of last year and low and behold I found a gift, wrapped in Christmas paper, sitting in the final stack of stuff.

I vaguely remembered it arriving late in the year, but in the turmoil of life, it disappeared. Well, I have to say it re-appeared at the perfect time. There was no card, but I knew it was for me. It had been sent to me by an unknown Bookcrosser. I torn off the wrapping and found a cookbook inside. Its a thick spiral bound book that was put together by the Coldwell Banker staff in West Bend and Menomonee Falls Wisconsin.

Wow, what a Treat. It lifted my spirits and left me smiling for the rest of the day. I'd like to thank the mysterious sender, but I don't know who that is. Even now, days later, I still smile when I see the book on my counter.

My lesson from this: not to underestimate the value of those seemingly small gestures, they may mean the world to the recipient.

Below is the first recipe that I tried from the book and have fallen in tasty love with.

Aunt Bernice's Rhubarb Dream Dessert

2 eggs
1 1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups chopped rhubarb

Crust
1 cup flour
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup butter

Mix 1 cup flour, powdered sugar, 1/2 cup butter for crust. Press in 8x8 inch pan. Bake at 350 F for 15 minutes.

Mix 1 1/2 cups sugar, 1/4 cup flour, and salt. Add beaten eggs and rhubarb. Mix. Spoon over crust.

Bake at 350 F for 35 minutes until set in the middle.

Can be doubled for 9x13 inch pan, add 10 minutes to the final baking time.

This recipe was submitted by Mary Sauer who works in the West Bend Office of Coldwell Banker.