Dish-a-Licious: Final Farewell

Graduation is sneaking up on us very quickly. I never realized how many different people have come in and out of my life during my four years at OU. Every semester I have met new friends, I have said goodbye to old ones.

Regardless of how many people come in and out of my life, each person leaves some type of impact. It has not always been positive or negative, not necessarily good or bad, sometimes inspirational, and at all times a life lesson has been learned.

One of my closest friendships was developed during one semester's time and was quickly followed by Jenny graduating and heading five hours away to graduate school. Despite the distance, we have continued to keep in touch. One thing that I truly miss with Jenny being so far away is not being able to go on our weekend picnics.

Jenny and I would get ourselves a couple sandwiches, maybe some ice cream, and we'd head to the park. We'd find a park bench or an empty shelter house and claim it as ours.

Jenny and I had many picnics before she left Ottawa and each brought new memories. We always carried our lunches in a paper sack and to this day I wish I had  a real picnic basket.

Now every time I go shopping, I keep my eyes open for a wooden picnic basket. Hopefully I will find one this soon that will be perfect to take with us on our next summer picnic.

Before getting to summer, graduation comes first and with graduation comes family dinners and parties. Seniors, many of you are going to have a graduation party sometime in the near future. You may go out and grab a bite to eat with family and friends or have a get together and a cookout.

Regardless of your after graduation plans, surprise all of those people who support and care for you by making a graduation cake. Nothing is better on a nice spring day than Hummingbird Cake. This cake is very moist, has a wonderful flavor and is even great out of the refrigerator.

Hummingbird Cake is definitely a treat that goes perfectly into a wooden picnic basket. So even if you decide to whip up lunch one day and head to the park with a friend, always remember that when it comes to cooking and living life, don't be afraid to try something new. My most important piece of advice in cooking and life is don't give up. Eventually you'll get it right.