Thursday, April 25, 2013

A quick & delicious Cinnamon Roll Swirl Cake

I found this recipe today and it appealed to me because I had all the ingredients in my pantry and refrigerator. I got home from work, made dinner then made this cake. It is delicious! And my house smelled great while baking as the cinnamon and sugary aromas permeated the kitchen.  While it was still hot from the oven I poured the glaze over the top and it seeped into all the nooks and crannies in the top caused by swirling the brown sugar-cinnamon-butter mixture throughout before baking. 

Here it is in the required 9x13 pan.  Doesn't it look tasty?! Believe me, it is!


And here's the piece I served my husband.  He was impressed and thought it was most excellent!  Especially that it was still warm from the oven.  I think that's key, having a warm piece of cake that's soft and just the right temperature to make it "cozy comfort food."  This evening's chilly, damp, windy weather called for a nice hot treat.

If you like cinnamon buns or rolls you will love this cake.  Adding nuts and/or raisins would definitely add another level of tasty goodness! 

Herewith, the Recipe from Just a Pinch:


Cinnamon Roll Swirl Cake Recipe



Friday, April 19, 2013

Good Morning!

I had to have a root canal yesterday and was given two apap/codeine pills by the dentist to use in case of pain. I took one when I got home while I was still a bit numb to take the edge off of the anticipated pain.  There's nothing worse than tooth pain except foot pain.  The teeth and the feet.  When they hurt the entire body is in pain!

Anyway, I had a "reaction" to the apap/codeine pill.  I have NEVER had a reaction to meds before and this was very scary and I thought I was going to have a heart attack! My upper stomach around to my middle back was KILLING ME! Much worse than any tooth pain would have, that's for sure! I was honestly afraid for a while, trying to figure out what was going on! I surmised that I hadn't eaten anything for at least 7 hrs and the pain in my stomach was due to the medication being taken on an empty stomach.

My daughter was a great help, she helped me downstairs as I was a bit groggy from the stupid codeine and she heated up some Trader Joe's tamales for me which were probably the best thing I had ever eaten at that moment! They soothed my stomach and made me feel much less groggy and fuzzy-headed. Then I drank about a gallon of water and was well on my way back to normal health.

Unfortunately, this episode brought to my mind my recent experiences of having reactions to common foods that I LOVE!  Namely, these:


Red Onions are just about my favorite salad/burger topping!  I love red onions!

  

Cucumbers are another favorite salad topping. I could eat cukes by themselves, I love their freshness and "green" flavor!



Bananas! My #2 favorite fruit of all time, after apples!  I'm so distressed at not being able to eat anything with bananas, they are so versatile and delicious! 




And now, add apap/codeine. Which I really don't care about, they taste horrible and who wants to have a fuzzy brain? But they do take the edge off pain... Still, there are other painkillers and I rarely ever take any painkilling meds unless I'm having dental work, which is occurring with more frequency now that I'm getting... ahem... older :-\

So, I'm wondering what all of the above have in common that are causing me such horrible, debilitating stomach aches/pains.  My internet research thus far has yielded no useful info. I did learn that many people with banana allergies also have allergies to latex. I don't.

The investigation continues...



Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Hello, it's me...

It's been years... yes... years, but I'm back.  I no longer live in NJ, I'm in Central PA.  It's been taking some getting used to, but I really like living here. It's so quiet, so peaceful, the people are polite, kind and friendly. 

Yes, life sure does change quickly but sometimes the hell we go through brings us to a pretty good place.  And here am I.

When I have a while, and when you have a while, we'll chat about what's been happening. 

Until then, enjoy your day/evening/night.
Sunday Traffic in Central PA