Ohhh Honey . . .Honey Bun Cake is AWESOME!

 So every now and then I get the hankering to bake something and well that happened this weekend.  Before I launch into my weekend baking story I would just like to clarify that I am by no means a professional cook or even a very good cook. I mostly cook out of a necessity to live. Growing up my Mom use to practically beg me to spend time with her in the kitchen so she could show me how to cooks, but I would have rather watched football with my Dad than stand around the kitchen. SO when I got married despite my Mom’s best efforts I could put together a mean mac’n cheese and that was about it. Unfortunately, as a newlywed you can only have man’ n cheese so many times before your waist line starts to reflect it. Thus, I had to embrace cooking and learn things trial by fire. There were a lot of panicked calls to Mom which I am sure she was amused by, but I have now developed a fairly good respect for cooking. The one thing I have always enjoyed is baking even in my younger non-cooking days I loved to learn about anything that would satisfy my sweet tooth. Just to reinforce I am not an expert, cook I mostly just have the right tools and know how to read from a recipe (I don’t even do that to well sometimes).

Okay, back to my baking urge I got this weekend. When Nick and I got married a former co-worker, Regina, gave us a Pampered Chef fluted/bunt cake pan and a customized cake recipe book. She had actually made the recipe book herself and bound it. Such a sweet gift. I have used the recipe book several times because like me Regina also had a fierce sweet tooth and I knew she would only give me excellent recipes. This weekend I made the Honey Bun Cake recipe from her book. OHHHH my it was FABULOUS!! Below is the recipe if you would like to also experience this awesomeness.

 

Honey Bun Cake

Cake:

1 Box yellow cake mix

4 eggs

3/4 cup oil

8 oz sour cream

1 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon cinnamon

Mix 1st 4 ingredients together until well blended. Spread 1/2 of the cake mix batter into a 9 x 13 cake pan. Mix brown sugar and cinnamon together. Put 1/2 of this mixture over the cake batter in pan.  Add remaining cake batter and remaining cinnamon/sugar mixture. Swirl with butter knife.

Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes

 

Topping:

1 pkg chopped pecans

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

3 tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix all topping ingredients together and pour over hot cake.

The cake is awesome! A special thanks to Regina for her wonderful Cake Book gift, it has come in handy many time.

Hope you have a fabulous time with your baking!

July 4, 2009- Long Weekend Events

 

Friday Night Double Date Night

Normally on Friday night Nick and I have date night but this Friday we got to have Friday Night Double Date night. We went with John and Nicole to seen Transformers Revenge of the Fallen at the Abingdon Cinemall and then dinner at Macado’s in downtown Bristol.

Transformers- Revenge of the Fallen

I love seeing movies at the Abingdon Cinemall because normally the movies with more special effects you can see in digital in there theater with the “Lucas” sound system.  Most recently we had seen the new Star Trek there in digital and it was AWESOME! A direct quote from Nick about the picture clarity “It’s so clear I might cry.” Well, this Friday, July 3rd Nick, Nicole, John and I trekked out to the Cinemall in hopes of seeing Transformers ROTF in digital and were disappointed to find that they were not showing it in this format.  Needless to say this is only where the disappointment begins. I honestly had a few doubts about this movie going in especially after reading some of the reviews, but I keep some hope alive. However, the reviews were true the movie was short on plot but did have plenty of action! The one thing that bugged me the most was the ill-placed sexual innuendo that had nothing to do with the anything at all. It is hard for me to give this movie a solid “Bad” because my husband loves Transformers in general. We actually own the old animated movie. So I will just say I did not like the movie but liked the idea behind it.

Disclaimer- This is my opinion alone and I am sure there are people out there that loved this movie and I mean no offense.

Macado’s

After the disappointing movie we decided to check out Macado’s, a new restaurant in down town Bristol. Several of my co- worker’s had eaten at Macado’s in other cities and had sang its praises. So when John suggested we eat there I was really excited to try it out. Macado’s was FABULOUS! I got a chicken and Mac n’ cheese bake and it was awesome! Nick got a Ruben and said that he still has dreams about. So if you have not been to Macado’s I definitely recommend giving it a try.

All in all Friday Night Double Date Night was a success and as always we had a great time hanging out with John and Nicole.

 

Fireworks in Telford

For those of you who attended big city fireworks you missed a really great show right in the heart of Telford on July 4th. Nick and I gathered along with several others at his friend John David’s house and had our own fireworks show. No one was injured (to badly), nothing was burnt down, and we got to see some cool fireworks without fighting the crowds. I did not actually participate in any of the lighting of the fireworks but I did attempt to take pictures of the antics. And this attempt reminded me yet again that I am ready for a digital camera up grade. My shutter speed was just way to slow really capture the action. I got my digital in 2005 and it still works for the most part but the technology has come so far since then and I just really feel it is time for a new one. I need facial recognition!!!  Despite my camera issues we had a great time with great friends and below are a few of my feeble attempts at pictures.

 

A special thanks to anyone who has fought or is currently fighting to defend our freedoms! Happy Independence Day!!