A Birthday Surprise and Cinnamon Roll Cake

I  am just back from spending a week in the US, celebrating my mum's 70th birthday. I was also able to see most of my kids and their families. My trip was a surprise to my mum and I am so glad we were able to make it happen. My uncle also surprised her by using his expiring air miles to come for the weekend. We had a great time together and a big thank you goes to all who had a hand in making it happen.

Me, my mum and my uncle.

One of my "must do" things, every time I go home, is to visit Tony's Pizza. A favourite hang out in my growing up years, it serves the best Italian Sausage sandwich around. They are also famous for their football (both in shape and size) pizza which feeds a crowd and one is recommended to serve 6-10 people! Having a meal there is never a disappointment. What is disappointing is realising that I am now the old people in the booth . . .

On another note, I have a great recipe for you today, it's not for the calorie conscious so beware! Make it when you are going somewhere so you don't eat it all yourself. If you have good self-control you can freeze it in portions and warm it up in the microwave before serving. I made this to take to work before I went off on holiday and unfortunately didn't take any pictures before it was demolished, sorry about that, maybe next time!

The measurements are US measurements so you will need to convert if you are making it elsewhere.

Cinnamon Roll Cake:

3 cups flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup sugar

4 teaspoon baking powder

1 1/2 cups milk

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

4 tablespoon butter, melted

8 ounces butter, softened

2 tablespoons flour

1 tablespoon cinnamon

Use an electric or stand mixer to thoroughly combine the first six ingredients. Slowly add the melted butter. Pour this batter into a greased 9x13" baking pan. In a large bowl mix the remaining ingredients until well combined. Drop by spoonfuls onto the top of the batter and then use a knife to swirl it into the cake batter. There is no right or wrong, the more you swirl the more evenly flavoured the cake will be, if you swirl less you will have "pockets" where the butter melts and leaves carmelised cinnamon sugar behind.  Bake at 350 (f) for 25 - 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted near the centre comes out nearly clean.

While the cake is baking make the frosting:

Cream Cheese Icing

2 ounces butter, softened
3 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cup powdered (icing) sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon salt (or use salted butter)

Use an electric or stand mixer to combine all ingredients until smooth. Spread the frosting on the cake while it is still warm. I use half and freeze the other half for another time but feel free to use it all if you want, no frosting shaming here!

This cake is best served warm or room temperature, I just pop a piece into the microwave to warm it up before I eat it.

Hello old friends, did you miss me?

WOW!!! It has been three years and three months since I last posted on here. Where does the time go? 

We have had lots of changes since I last was on here. I moved jobs, I am now a trainee Paralegal with a large Scottish law firm. I work in the Executries department and I love it. We have a great team and the work is busy and interesting. I am also taking a course which will eventually lead me to being a qualified Scottish Law Accountant. I am taking the first year of the course just now and will take the second year once it is offered. 

Larry and I got married in June of 2015. We had a registry wedding and a reception in the pub where we met and then had a second reception back in the US in October. Both events were perfect. It's a wonderful thing to be married to your best friend!

The Happy Day

We lost Larry's mum the end of August. She was 87 and a cracker of a woman.

This past December we bought and moved into a beautiful 155 year old stone built cottage in a small market town. Loads of little things to do but we have years to do it. The first project was to get the wood burning stove up to code which we did and we love it. Nothing quite like sitting in front of a blazing fire.

Next time I will tell stories and share pictures of our various holidays, we have been to Portugal (x3), Hawai'i, Amsterdam and Kansas City. Until then, smile, life is too short (or too long) to not enjoy it.

Holidays and Catch up

It has been ages since I have updated the blog, I have been crazy busy (aren’t we all?). This summer we went back to the States and did some touristy things. My Dad and his wife drove us from Oklahoma to Wisconsin by way of Saint Louis, Missouri, where we went to the Budweiser Brewery and to the Gateway Arch. We then made a stop at Springfield, Illinois where we saw Lincoln’s family home (before he went to Washington) and the Route 66 Museum. We spent some time in Wisconsin just chilling and visiting with family and then it was on to Chicago for the educational stuff, i.e.; the History Museum and the Planetarium. We ended the trip in NYC where we went to the Native American Museum, did the Water Taxi tour and spent as much time as we could on 42nd Street. Larry and I loved it so much that we plan to go back again and stay right down-town.

I've managed to get a great job which I love! I did a three week temporary contract which led to a full time position as a Legal Secretary. It is a great job that keeps me busy both physically and mentally. Everyone I work with is really nice and, since it is a small firm, it is like a big family. The only down side is we are not allowed to use Facebook or write/update any blogs using their computers and they don’t have WiFi so I can't do it on my phone. I have found my way around the blog thing by typing it up as a word document, on my lunch break, and then emailing it to myself to upload once I am home. Hopefully this way I can keep up on the blog and not go so long between posts.

The other big news is that Larry and I are in the process of buying a house. The mortgage has been approved so now it is just a matter of waiting for the loan papers to get to our Solicitor. We are planning to move in the last week of November and I will put up lots of pictures then.

So, this is just a short update to get you all back into the loop. I promise not to stay away so long again! I hope you are all well and happy. Keep warm!

Route 66!

Here are some pictures from our holiday for you to enjoy.

The Lincoln House in Springfield Illinois

A Budweiser Clydesdale Horse

The View from the Gateway Arch in Saint Louis Missouri

This is us at the bottom of one of the legs of the Arch.

The sign from little tavern in Dundee, Wisconsin
They sold UFO beer.

Just a shot of the sea of humanity, on 42nd Street, going nowhere.

Yes, we ate here!

Where's the baby?

Look at those eyes!

Sixteen years ago today I gave birth to my youngest child. I can't believe how fast the time has gone! Being the youngest of a large group of (mostly) doting siblings, Connor was very spoiled. Despite the dire warnings and predictions of many, he has grown out of this and become a caring, sensitive and thoughtful young man. I am so proud of him. He has the best sense of humour and really enjoys a dry wit.  He has made me laugh so much, the best part is when he is making a joke but trying not to laugh himself, he cracks us both up.  He gets such a goofy grin on his face when he does that.

The Cheeto King
Connor would do anything for a Cheeto or two.

The (American) Football picture was taken in 2010 and the final picture was taken last November.  Quite a change . . .

                  

As mentioned in my last post, the birthday person gets to pick the menu for the day. Connor has chosen spicy chicken wings, baked potato salad and brownies. I am throwing in some salad (his choice) just to make the meal a bit healthier. As promised, here is the brownie recipe. These are thick and fudgey, not cakey, and are really yummy.

Fudge Brownies

Preheat oven to 350f or 175c

lightly butter an 8x8 or 9x9 tin

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 cup golden castor sugar (or regular white sugar is fine too)

1/4 cup (2 ounces) butter, melted, or oil

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup all purpose (plain) flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

In a medium bowl, stir together, cocoa powder, sugar and butter/oil. Add in eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Add vanilla. In a small bowl sift together the remaining ingredients. Add to the bowl of liquids, stirring just until mixed in, do not over mix! Spread in prepared pan and bake for 30-35 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted near the centre comes out with just a bit of crumb and not wet. You can add chocolate chips or whatever you want to the batter, and/or top these with frosting or powdered sugar after baking, but Connor prefers them unadulterated, with a side of ice cream, and since it is his birthday, he wins. Also, this recipe is easily doubled and baked in a 9x13 baking dish, adding a few minutes to the baking time.