strawberries make me happy

if you are playing along with the home game, you might know that i get depressed in the winter. for the most part, its like those five extra pounds i can't seem to shake: i carry it well. but back in ky it was always so cold and the sky so blah and there are no good fruits and veggies at the store. so i love living out here in vegas. its warmer; lows of 30s at night, highs in the 60s. and its always perfect blue skies. i look out the window and can't help but smile. strawberries also make me very happy.

i don't follow the almanac. i think there are two sure and true signs of spring. first, walmart blocks off half the parking lot and fills it up with patio/gardening stuff. second, strawberries are less than a billion dollars at the grocery. right now they are about $3.50 and the container is 1/4 white strawberries. rough weeks in ky, i'd buy them anyway.

this recipe doesn't have actual strawberries but its strawberry flavored. its rich and sweet and i've made it several years for my birthday (which is coming up in a couple of months). i think this is the first dessert i've shared, so here we go...

strawberry banana cake

1 box super moist yellowcake
1 box strawberry jello
1 cup boiling water
1 cup strawberry soda
4-5 bananas
1 box sm vanilla pudding
1 cool whip

bake the cake according to the box. in a bowl, dissolve the boiling water in the jello. add the soda to the jello. punch holes all over the cake and pour the jello mix over the cake. slice the bananas and layer over the cake. make the pudding according to box. mix with cool whip. spread over the cake. this is a very moist messy sort of cake, so its odd that i like it because i have soggy food issues. but somehow someway i love it. keep this one in the fridge. its not the sort of cake that lives on the counter, unless of course you eat it all at one setting. enjoy!