112 Letters Home: Monday, December 4, 1944

Grandma continues to surprise me with her passions cooking and baking. Her meals were simple but tasty when were growing up. She did mention Lipton's Chicken Noodle soup in her last letter, which I still think is the only pre-made chicken noodle soup you should eat. It's pure salt but it replenishes all the electrolytes (salt) that you lost when you were sick. Grandma then mentions making Lady Betty cake. Also which I have never seen or heard her make, ever.

"I made my Lady Betty cake for Bud and it turned out very good and I was so proud of myself -- so was Bud. I wish you were here to have a piece of it. I have been making things and we have more fun. I made some chocolate ice cream with marshmallows in it and it turned out good too. I expect Bud to put on some weight with all this."

I found a recipe for the Lady Betty cake in The Sydney Morning Herald from January 2, 1936. The ingredients call for: 2/3 cup butter, 1 1/2 cups sugar, 4 eggs, 2 1/3 cups flour, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 3 teaspoons Aunt Mary's Baking powder, 1 cup chopped walnuts, 1 cup milk, and 3 oz unsweetened chocolate melted. Sounds like a delicious cake and a great way to celebrate my 33 letters, 30 days challenge!

Now in non-baking new, Beverly called off her wedding. Her boyfriend is being transferred and she decided she didn't want to go with him, and that was the end of that.

"I forgot to tell you in the last letter that you don't have to buy Bev a wedding present. Her boyfriend is being transferred so she decided not to marry him. I don't think she loves him in the least or she would have gone ahead and married him anyway. I know that if Bud would have transferred the next day I would have married him. She has called off everything. I guess it is just as well. She is a queer duck in some ways."

Beverly might be a queer duck but you gotta be sure you find the right one!