Ten on Tuesday: Cake January 30, 2008

This is going to be my new Tuesday ting for now.  Ten random lists, pictures, thoughts, etc. on Tuesdays, until I get sick of it, or have nothing left to say!

Retro Bakery and their soon to be opening store have me hungry for cupcakes today, or really just cake in general.  So, here are my top 10 faves…

10. Red Velvet Cake.  I don’t love the flavor per say, but I love the color!
9.   Carrot Cake.  Love me some good carrot cake, but some people put too many nuts in theirs, and I don’t like that!
8.   White trash, white grocery store cake, with really sugary icing.  I hate whipped cream icing… blech!
7.    Poppy Seed Cake.  My mom makes the best, and even thought I have her recipe… mine never tastes the same.
6.   My grandma use to make a cake… I don’t even know if it had a name, but it was a yellow layer cake with grape jelly and whip cream filling.  I don’t like grape jelly, but she made hers, and is was delicious!  I also don’t like whip cream, but she made that too, and again… so good.  Mmmm… I can taste that cake!
5.   Again… this is a family recipe.  It is a chocolate cake, with chocolate chips in it, and chocolate icing.  Sooooo good.  The recipe is from my great Aunt Stella, who my mom says was a downright nasty lady, but she sure could bake!
4.   Another chocolate fave… Chocolate Covered Cherry Cake.  Enough said.
3.   Ooey Gooey Butter Cake.  This is so darned good, and sickeningly sweet.  I think that is why I love it so much.
2.   Pineapple Upside Down Cake.  I have a love/hate relationship with this cake.  Why?  Well, my grandma used to make it for me on my birthday, and it was so yummy.  It is also Dandall’s favorite cake, when his mom makes it, and hers is phenomenal.  However, I hate it because my grandma doesn’t have her recipe anymore, and Dandall’s mom refuses to share hers.  She says it is “basically” the same recipe from the boxed cake mix, but it SO isn’t.  Therefore, I am on a search for the perfect recipe, and I am sad to say that I have not found it yet.
1.   Honey Bun Cake.  Yes… it tastes just like a cinnamon bun, but even better!  I don’t know if I could call it my all-time favorite, but it is definitely one of them, and I have been craving it!  Since my mouth is watering, I may have to make it today, and of course, I’ll share the recipe with you!

Honey Bun Cake

• yellow cake mix 
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 4 eggs
• 1 (8 ounce) container sour cream
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon 
• 2 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 4 tablespoons milk
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine cake mix, oil, eggs and sour cream. Stir by hand approximately 50 strokes, or until most large lumps are gone. Pour half of the batter into an ungreased 9×13 inch glass baking dish. Combine the brown sugar and cinnamon, and sprinkle over the batter in the cake pan. Spoon the other half of the batter into the cake pan, covering the brown sugar and cinnamon. Twirl the cake with a butter knife or icing knife until it looks like a honey bun (or whatever design you want to make).
2. Bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Frost cake while it is still fairly hot. Serve warm.
3. To Make the frosting: In a small bowl, whisk together the confectioner’s sugar, milk and vanilla until smooth. You will probably have extra frosting left over.

It’s Raining… It’s Pouring… January 29, 2008

My husband is snoring…

Poor Dandall… he is STILL sick.  This means someone (sometimes more than just one) has been sick in our house since the beginning of December.

Dandall has been sick on and off since Christmas.  He is a freak of nature, and has a condition called Addison’s disease.  He was diagnosed with it when Mr. Man was 18 months old, after being very ill for a year.  He lost 40 pounds, could barely get out of bed, and he and I both seriously thought he was dying.  Of course, I didn’t admit that to him at the time, but I did, and I was scared.  It was very trying on our marriage, his career, and his parenting.  THANK GOD, we finally found out what it was, and now he is much better.  He will though have to take daily medication for the rest of his life, and there are some drawbacks, like a low immune system, hence the lingering cold.

Dandall thinks he is VERY special because of his “condition” and he milks it for all it is worth.  Truthfully, he is special, because only 1 of 1,000 people have the disease.  Don’t tell him that I agree with him though.  And, if you ever happen to be  somewhere with him, and I am not there, and he doesn’t have his medic alert bracelet or necklace on, will you please smack him on the head for me?  He never wears either, and it pisses me off.  I kind of understand this too though, because he is an otherwise healthy, young man, and doesn’t want people to be wondering what is “wrong” with him when they see his medic alert stuff.  Again though, I will not admit to that either!

So please sicky karma… leave our house, and go bother some other sleep deprived family!

Something a Little Bit Fun January 27, 2008

So… you create a profile on this site, and you pick 5 things YOU think about yourself.  Then, you ask people (um… that would be you… readers!) to click on this link:

http://kevan.org/johari?name=shaynee

and pick 5 thinks that you think about me!  Then, we can see what matched up, and what didn’t.  Hmm… what do you really think about me?

There She Is… January 27, 2008

Miss America!

Anyone else watching this???

I admit, I got suckered in to watching a few episodes of “Miss America, Reality Check” (what can I say… I like TLC!), so I decided to watch some of the pageant tonight.  After all, I do have my own torrid past in the pageant world, but I will spare you all the details…

Anywho… they totally tried to “re-vamp” Miss America this year, mainly because of horrible ratings.  They started out with all of the girls in cute shirts and jeans (which is so not Miss America-ish) and the swimsuits were very updated too.

It was all going well… until the dreaded talent portion.  WHY, oh why do they have a talent portion???  I mean, really, is is necessary?  So there it goes, the “modernized” Miss America down the tubes with off-key singing, really bad dancing, and even BATTON twirling.  What is this… the 1960s?  I mean, you could tell that most of these women just tried to learn a single song, dance, etc. just so they would have a “talent” to present.  Why can’t they stick to talking about their platforms?  I’d much rather watch their minds work than have to sit through a painful “talent” performance any day.

I don’t even think I am going to watch it until the end to see who wins.

I wonder what my talent would ever be if I were to go to Miss America… hmm… I can bake a mean cake, make funny voices, change a poo-filled diaper in any sized public restroom, and spout off random medical terms thanks to my hypochondriacism (you like how I just invented a word… don’t you) and medical transcribing, but somehow… I don’t think those talents quirks apply. 

Back to TV and TLC… stay at home moms… get ready to watch this TLC show!!!

The Secret Life of Soccer Moms

Making it’s debut on TLC hopefully very soon!  It’s all about stay at home moms who completely lost themselves in raising their kids (one of my biggest fears, personally).  The show gives them the opportunity to explore what their lives would have been like (careers, etc.) if they hadn’t stayed at home.  I will be watching this one for sure, even though I am quite enjoying being a soccer mom these days!

Before My Very Eyes… January 25, 2008

Time is flying by, and I don’t like it.  Not one bit.  Mr. Man is 4.  Doodle Bug is 6 months.  JJ is pregnant with #2 (yeah!!!)and my brother left today for Spring training.  Wait… isn’t it January though?  Crazy baseball players…

 I swear, if I close my eyes for a second, I miss more than I care to.  Like, Doodle’s two toofies that I swear, seemed to come in overnight.  Or, Mr. Man telling me he has a “girlfriend”.  At four years old???  Not to be alarmed… I think it only lasted a week or so.

Life is good… kids are good, hubby is good, friends are good, but for some reason, I’m  gloomy.  I think it has to do with Mr. Baseball leaving, and the winter blahs… whatever it is, I hope it passes soon.

Here’s what cheers me up though…

A girl who can make herself crack up…

And… a little soccer star!

No Rest for the Weary January 25, 2008

Every once in a blue moon, being a mom is no fun.  Today is one of those days.

Just when I thought I was out of the woods regarding the flu bug that struck my family.  It has hit… hard.

Dandall, of course, is out town for three days.  I have a temperature of 102, a cough, and a bad tummy.

I take care of everyone… but who takes care of ME???  Um… that would be me.  And when I am sick, I can’t take care of myself, because I am too busy taking care of the kiddos.  Try laying in bed with a 4 year old and a 6 month old.  Not possible.

 Just for once… I want someone to take care of me.  I want to be allowed to be sick…

I’m Baaaaaack January 16, 2008

And I am sure my one or two readers missed me lots and lots ; )!

The holidays go the best of us this year… EVERYONE got sick, and I am still trying to catch up!

More later today…