During the summers of my childhood, we would spend eight weeks living with my dad in Virginia. I have so many memories of summer days gone by–in my grandparents’ pool, playing with my cousins at their house, running around in the sweltering heat, and trips to Virginia Beach.
Other things I remember have to do with special treats–sneaking cookies out of the jar in Mema’s kitchen, going to the “Sugar Shack” for icee drinks, begging to go to Country Cookin’ for dinner, and eating frozen Twinkies given to us by Grandaddy.
But one particular treat had been long forgotten, until recently. I got a bundt cake pan for Christmas, and suddenly, it hit me that I really wanted rum cake. The same rum cake that used to magically appear at my dad’s house every once in a while, and was quickly devoured.
I called my dad and asked him if he had the recipe. I remember, in years past, seeing it hanging on his refrigerator. He said that he didn’t have it anymore, but that it was Grandad who used to make it all the time. So I called up my sweet, southern grandparents and my Mema gave me her specific instructions over the phone.
Rum cake was to be had!
And as it turned out, it was to be had very easily. To my surprise, this is actually a doctored cake mix. Score! It came together extremely quickly and made a perfect birthday treat for the celebration of Michael’s birthday this past weekend.
I have to admit, I was pretty surprised at how much it tastes like rum. The strongest rum taste definitely comes from the “glaze” portion of the recipe. From when I was a child, I don’t remember the cake having quite that strong of a flavor to it. I figure that 1) I was too young to know what rum tasted like, so I was just oblivious to the flavor, or 2) my grandparents may have made the cakes without the glaze when they made them for us.
The glaze, which gets completely absorbed into the cake, helps make the cake extremely moist and delicious. However, for a more subtle flavor, I might try the cake without the glaze next time, just to see if it more closely resembles what I remember from all those years ago. I do encourage you to try it with the glaze, though–I think you’ll find that this is unlike any cake you’ve ever had before! :) We gobbled up a good portion of the cake after dinner at my in-laws’.
Alright, enough talk.
Rum Cake
(Source: My Grandparents)
Ingredients:
For Cake:
– 1 box yellow cake mix
– 1 box vanilla instant pudding
– 1/2 cup water
– 1/2 cup rum
– 1/2 cup oil
– 3 large eggs (or 4 smaller ones)
– 1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)
For Glaze:
– 1 stick butter or margarine
– 1 cup sugar
– 1/4 cup rum
– 1/4 cup water
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour a bundt cake pan. (For greasing and flouring, I usually use nonstick spray and then lightly coat with flour. For this, I broke out the shortening because I didn’t want to take any chances. Use butter or shortening to liberally grease all of the nooks and crannies in the pan, then flour well.)
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine cake mix, pudding mix, water, rum, oil, and eggs. Beat together for two minutes.
3. If using the chopped pecans, pour them into the bottom of the prepared bundt pan. Spread them evenly along the bottom of the pan.
4. Pour cake batter into pan, and spread evenly. Bake for 55-60 minutes.
5. During the last few minutes of baking, start your glaze. Melt the butter/margarine in a small saucepan over high heat. Once melted, add sugar, rum, and water. Stirring the mixture often, dissolve the sugar and bring everything to a boil. Boil for approximately 5-6 minutes.
6. Once cake comes out of the oven, leave it in the pan. While the cake is still warm/hot, poke holes into the cake (I used a skewer). Remove hot glaze from the stove and pour it evenly over the cake in the pan. You’ll see the glaze collect in the sides of the pan.
7. Let glazed cake cool for 30 minutes. At this time, the glaze should be completely absorbed into the cake. Turn cake out onto serving dish. Keep covered until serving.
We celebrated a very special birthday in our house yesterday. With a very special birthday treat.
Doesn’t it look… delicious?
It’s a gingersnap with a huge dollop of peanut butter, topped with a frosted mini wheat and pink sprinkles. In other words, it’s Tessa’s dream come true.
Tessa turned 4 yesterday, and as is tradition, I scrounged up a scrumptious birthday treat using ingredients already in our cupboards. To see her past birthday treats, see last year’s birthday post. :)
She absolutely loved her birthday “cake” and we’re very happy to have had her around for another year! It might start to be a challenge to fit all of her candles on her treat. To solve that problem, the treat may just have to keep getting bigger. (I’m sure Tess won’t complain about that!)
Funny little story about the candles. She knows they’re for her. Michael’s birthday was earlier this week, and I picked up a little birthday treat for us to share. I stuck a candle in it to sing to him and Tess was going NUTS! She was jumping on me as if I were preparing her a steak. And same thing last night as I was preparing her treat. She left me alone while I did everything, but as soon as she saw the candles and the lighter come out, she was on me like white on rice. Crazy, crazy girl.
Happy 4th Birthday to our “little girl.” :)
It’s that time again, folks.
Time for me to get all caught up in the tremendous life stories of athletes, watch sports I normally don’t give a crap about, and root for people I’ve never heard of before. It’s time to stay up way too late every night, cry at the sound of “The Star Spangled Banner” as it’s played for someone standing atop a podium with a medal around his or her neck, and feel myself fill with pride for the good ol’ U.S.A.
My favorite sports to watch are skiing (all events), snowboarding, speed skating, and figure skating. Even the bobsled and luge events are cool. Although I do prefer the summer Olympics, I always enjoy the winter ones as well. I’ve been growing more and more excited every time I turn on the Today Show in the morning and see them broadcasting from Vancouver. And tonight, it’s finally here!
I’m still in quite the funk about winter (will we EVER get out of 20-degree temperatures again?), but the Olympics should hopefully help a bit. Go U.S.A.!
When I was searching for a book to read as my December selection, I browsed some of the racks at a local library. I came across this memoir, Name All the Animals, written by a woman named Alison Smith. I had never heard of the book, but it sounded like it could be a good read, so I gave it a chance.
Imagine my surprise when I was a few pages into it and started reading about familiar places–towns, streets, schools, and stores that I recognized. As it turns out, this woman grew up in an area not too far from here. As a result, I felt an immediate connection to the author.
Name All the Animals takes us back to Alison’s years in high school. When she was 15 years old, her beloved older brother, Roy, was killed in a tragic car accident. What follows is Alison’s story of grief. We are given a glimpse into the years after the accident, and come to understand the effect Roy’s death has on Alison’s life and the lives of her parents.
But grief is only part of the story. As I’ve mentioned, the book chronicles Alison’s teen years, which we all know are some of the toughest years of our lives. Like many of us, Alison struggles to see where she fits in, especially in light of being “the girl whose brother died” at school. Through friends and experiences, reading and researching, living and experimenting, Alison soon finds her true self.
Also at play here is an interesting look at religion and its role in Alison’s life. Raised Catholic, Alison attends a Catholic school and is expected to follow strict Catholic “rules.” After Roy’s death, Alison’s parents turn to religion more than ever before, but for Alison, the experience is different. As I turned the pages, I found Alison’s feelings about religion to be incredibly authentic. Her recollection of trying to continue to believe in a God that “allowed” her brother to die, and in a religion that condemned many of her actions, is thought-provoking. I found myself able to completely understand and relate to her feelings in some ways.
Name All the Animals gives us a glimpse into life after tragedy. Still, it is not all depressing and sad. As they say, life goes on, and Alison is forced to keep living.
Is this the best book I’ve ever read? No. But it is worthy of your time. For anyone interested in reading something real, I’d recommend this memoir by Alison Smith.
I’ve told you all about frito pie, haven’t I?
Sure I have. In this post about our vacation in Austin in December. It was when we first “discovered” frito pie (thanks, Texas).
From the moment we first tried it, we knew that it would make an excellent Super Bowl dish. Sooo… what do you know? I made it yesterday for the Super Bowl.
Last week, I did some Google searches and found that a “recipe” wasn’t really needed. I used some of the tips and information gathered, but I sort of improvised. It really doesn’t get much more simple than fritos, chili, cheese, and jalapenos. And for those who might be inexperienced with frito pie, it’s best served with a spoon, and eaten with forks. :)
This was a huge hit with our Super Bowl crowd, so I’m sure I’ll be making it for years to come!
Frito Pie
Ingredients:
– 2 bags Fritos
– 2 cans Hormel chili (with or without beans–your choice, but I used one of each)
– 2-3 cups shredded cheddar cheese
– sliced jalapenos
– green onions
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Cover the bottom of a large baking dish with a thick layer of Fritos (I used almost a whole bag). On top of the Fritos, spread one can of the chili. Top with about half of your shredded cheese.
3. Add another layer of Fritos, topped with the second can of chili, and spread the remainder of the cheese on top of everything.
4. Place sliced jalapenos on top, and sprinkle with sliced green onions.
5. Bake for approximately 20 minutes. Serve immediately.
About
I'm Heather. I'm 33 and have been married to Michael for seven years. Together, we have two beautiful little girls we love more than anything, and a miniature dachshund who drives us crazy. I'm a full-time working mom who has very little time for my own "stuff" these days, like home improvement, cooking/baking, cake decorating, and photography. Despite the team not making the playoffs since 1999, I'm STILL a Buffalo Bills fan, which I think speaks to my loyalty AND sense of humor. I can't wait to pick up the pace with travel again some day... you know, when we're done being ruled by tiny fists. Welcome to my blog.
