GR&DF I do thank you for the kind words about my less than stellar snaps of SF. The Bay area is a really lovely place to live and there are so many really interesting things to see. Any suggestions of places you want me to visit and take some snaps of? I have lived here for the last 15 years and seem to always go and do the same thing - that which is comfortable is good - and the unknown is often odd. We try and get to different things but it just seems that we tend to do the same things over and over.
There is lots to post so I will do it chronologically.... starting with the mail on Friday - and sweet it was. A while back I helped out a fellow stitcher, Nicola, with a chart she was wanting. I feel we should always help where we can - I have a pass it on kind of attitude. I have gotten much help and wonderful things from folks out there in Blog land and I am truly blessed with some wonderful readers that have become friends - this makes me want to help and pass on things when I can...... so on Friday, totally unexpected a package arrived from the UK (and you know what a real Anglophile I am) I got really excited!! When I got home and opened it up I had been gifted a great tea towel for sending on a little bit of kindness -
Not only did Nicola send me this great towel but she also included and great skein of brown Needleworks floss - Thank you so much !!!! Also in the mail was some more stash.... I know I did need any of it, but wanted it!!!
I couldn't pass on the PS charts - and break up my ever growing set - and the Jenny Bean charts are too cute not to have this, the third in the series... and A flag with the state quilt blocks - I have wanted this for the longest time!! Yes, I know, all rationalized for my continued sanity, but hey, it works for me!!
On Saturday, we did our usual running of the errands - and not the sales - and in going from store to store, Rico mentioned how he would like a Pineapple Upside Cake. Now, this was a cake my Mom made all the time while I was growing up so I am very familiar with it, but I have made very few - and none since I moved out here, but hey how hard could it be.... famous last words! first I found a basic recipe - and then got together all the ingredients...
and then started the construction of "the cake mess from Hell!!!" Mixing the batter for the required 2 or so mins....
created a golden mix of delicious cake batter - I do love some cake batter!! Then melting the butter in the skillet, adding the brown sugar, stirring until I had a gorgeous brown slurry of sugar deliciousness - and then arranging the pineapple, cherries and walnuts I had the pan ready for the batter....
Then I started to pour the batter onto the prepared fruit... and ended up with this cake.....
Now, you are asking how did I get from a 12 inch skillet shaped cake to a 13x9 pan sized cake....
In my silly ignorance I had made a recipe for a 13x9 pan and not skillet size cake. Now here I am with a full skillet of cake that was sure to overrun and cause a mess in the oven AND what was I to do with the rest of the batter - as frugal as I am I certainly wasn't pouring it down the drain!! I ended up hauling out the 13x9 and melting more butter in this new pan and using what was left of the brown sugar to make the slurry - while the butter was melting in the new pan I carefully scooped out what cake batter I could from the skillet and then pulled out the pineapple and cherries and what was left of the brown sugar slurry - I eventually poured in to the new pan - this was a totally messy procedure and I had cake batter all over me, the floor and counter by the time I was ready to put the now new cake into the oven. It was ready in about 45 mins and not the hour it was supposed to take and then when I was popping it out of the pan about half the pineapple slices stuck so it isn't as pretty as it could be, but it is pretty tasty and in the end that is what matters!!
Yesterday started off with a nice breakfast at...
where I had - Huevos Rancheros....
and Rico had Chorizo and eggs...
From breakfast we went to the Civic Center Farmers Market.......
This post is going on a bit long today - so I will leave the visit to the Farmers market until tomorrow.
Thanks for stopping, do come again!!
Tale care,
edgar
There is lots to post so I will do it chronologically.... starting with the mail on Friday - and sweet it was. A while back I helped out a fellow stitcher, Nicola, with a chart she was wanting. I feel we should always help where we can - I have a pass it on kind of attitude. I have gotten much help and wonderful things from folks out there in Blog land and I am truly blessed with some wonderful readers that have become friends - this makes me want to help and pass on things when I can...... so on Friday, totally unexpected a package arrived from the UK (and you know what a real Anglophile I am) I got really excited!! When I got home and opened it up I had been gifted a great tea towel for sending on a little bit of kindness -
Not only did Nicola send me this great towel but she also included and great skein of brown Needleworks floss - Thank you so much !!!! Also in the mail was some more stash.... I know I did need any of it, but wanted it!!!
I couldn't pass on the PS charts - and break up my ever growing set - and the Jenny Bean charts are too cute not to have this, the third in the series... and A flag with the state quilt blocks - I have wanted this for the longest time!! Yes, I know, all rationalized for my continued sanity, but hey, it works for me!!On Saturday, we did our usual running of the errands - and not the sales - and in going from store to store, Rico mentioned how he would like a Pineapple Upside Cake. Now, this was a cake my Mom made all the time while I was growing up so I am very familiar with it, but I have made very few - and none since I moved out here, but hey how hard could it be.... famous last words! first I found a basic recipe - and then got together all the ingredients...
and then started the construction of "the cake mess from Hell!!!" Mixing the batter for the required 2 or so mins....
created a golden mix of delicious cake batter - I do love some cake batter!! Then melting the butter in the skillet, adding the brown sugar, stirring until I had a gorgeous brown slurry of sugar deliciousness - and then arranging the pineapple, cherries and walnuts I had the pan ready for the batter....
Then I started to pour the batter onto the prepared fruit... and ended up with this cake.....
Now, you are asking how did I get from a 12 inch skillet shaped cake to a 13x9 pan sized cake....
In my silly ignorance I had made a recipe for a 13x9 pan and not skillet size cake. Now here I am with a full skillet of cake that was sure to overrun and cause a mess in the oven AND what was I to do with the rest of the batter - as frugal as I am I certainly wasn't pouring it down the drain!! I ended up hauling out the 13x9 and melting more butter in this new pan and using what was left of the brown sugar to make the slurry - while the butter was melting in the new pan I carefully scooped out what cake batter I could from the skillet and then pulled out the pineapple and cherries and what was left of the brown sugar slurry - I eventually poured in to the new pan - this was a totally messy procedure and I had cake batter all over me, the floor and counter by the time I was ready to put the now new cake into the oven. It was ready in about 45 mins and not the hour it was supposed to take and then when I was popping it out of the pan about half the pineapple slices stuck so it isn't as pretty as it could be, but it is pretty tasty and in the end that is what matters!!
Yesterday started off with a nice breakfast at...
where I had - Huevos Rancheros....
and Rico had Chorizo and eggs...
From breakfast we went to the Civic Center Farmers Market.......This post is going on a bit long today - so I will leave the visit to the Farmers market until tomorrow.
Thanks for stopping, do come again!!
Tale care,
edgar
You just keep taking wonderful pics of whatever you like and we'll keep gazing in amazement!! The towel and floss are great. I'm presuming that with all of your treasures you find, that your kitchen is a well decorated/ put together hodge podge? I mean this is a good way, but am curious. Love the new stash! Lucky you! I made a cake this weekend as well. Just a plain old butter recipe with chocolate frosting. It was good though.
ReplyDeleteI had to laugh over your cake disaster. Too funny. But like you said the important thing is the taste not what it looked like. :) I have a simpler version somewhere in my files. No precooking of the brown sugar and pineapples. I'll have to try and find it and send it on.
ReplyDeleteLove the new stash. :)
Oh my goodness - quite the cake adventure! I had the mental image of the cake batter/flour/etc. all over - but you know - the cake doesn't look bad to me - it looks homemade with love and those are the best cakes!!
ReplyDeleteGreat new stash! Can't wait to see some stitchy pictures!
Fantastic! Nice present from the UK! And great cake too! I'd love to have had some of that yummy looking breakfast too. I'm hungry! lol!
ReplyDeleteMmmm...huevos con chorizo! Reminds me of my childhood. I've never heard of Los Jarritos before...will have to check it out someday.
ReplyDeleteYour pinapple upside down cake looks scrumptious too despite the initial disaster. That reminds me of my childhood too. Yummy!
Great stash!
What a cake story! But I do believe the taste is the important part so I'm glad you were able to rescue it! That breakfast looks yummy! I've been thinking alot about the flag sampler lately too! I saw it at my LNS when she had the trunk show and it is really great. Nancy D. in NY
ReplyDeleteYour cake story was so funny, I laughed out loud! It reminded me of a day I spent(many years ago) making Christmas cookies and all I had at the end was a pile of messy crumbs-they tasted good too!
ReplyDeleteI am laughing at your cake adventure. I think I need to make this for my husband - he loves pineapple upside down cake.
ReplyDeleteDid I ever tell that my son lives in SF and dances for the ODC (Oberlien Dance Company). He sometimes has 'house tickets' so if you and Rico ever want to go let me know and I will see if there are any tickets available.
I did notice that transition from the circle to larger rectangle, lol! It looks really delicious, however. Now, I want one, too! And I don't think I've ever even eaten one! :D
ReplyDeleteOMG, I'm just drooling all over myself and the keyboard! What amazing "transfer skills" you have to get that upside-down cake rightside-up and then upside-down again into another pan. 10.00 for artistry and execution.
ReplyDeleteOh how I love Huevos Rancheros! Mmmmm
ReplyDeleteThat's too funny that you made pineapple upside down cake Edgar! Sunday morning I said to DH, we should make pineapple upside down cake one of these day! I don't even know what made me think of it. I haven't had any in...well geez...ages!
Yummy,you made me hungry!Ariadne from Greece!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great post, Edgar! Love the goodies you got and the new stash is great - we can not have too much! The pineapple upside down cake looks delicious and nice to see you and Rico eating a healthy, low fat breakfast! ;-)
ReplyDeleteCake is good! You could have scooped off the excess batter into cupcake papers or a single cake pan and put in freezer ala Ina for another day. She makes a 2 layer - serves 1 and freezes the other for later. What a gal!
ReplyDeleteNo stitching?
Happy Day!
What a jam-packed fun Monday post!
ReplyDeleteThe cake story, the new stash, huevos rancheros....all great! The cake looks very artistic in an offbeat sort of way. I bet it tasted delicious.
Carolyn
Great new stash! I love the Rosewood Manor piece! How funny about the cake. As long as you enjoyed it is all that matters!
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful towel! I am an Anglophile as well.. can't get enough of the UK! Your cake story made me laugh, it SO sounds like something I would do.. but who cares how it looks as long as it tastes good? Exactly right!
ReplyDeleteChorizo and eggs...yes, there are certainly things I miss about California! I wish I had known you wanted that quilt flag pattern as it is in the pile of patterns I am releasing back into the wild! Shucks.
ReplyDelete