Wine Cake

August 22, 2008

Wine Cake

Someone wanted to know what a wine cake is, because I mentioned that Mamacita was baking one and the smell of it was killing me. Killing me because it made me hungry and because she was taking it in to work today for her coworkers. Well, there was a little left over and so I got a small slice of it today. This smells like butter when it's baking and there is no butter in it. It is so simple to make and people enjoy it. Give it a try, and if you do, please let me know how you and others enjoyed it.

Wine Cake
1 yellow cake mix
1 small vanilla instant pudding mix
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup dry Sherry
4 eggs
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg

Mix all of the above in a mixer or with a portable mixer for 5 minutes and pour into a tube/bundt/angel food cake pan and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Cool for about 15 minutes in pan, use a knife on the inside and outside edges to loosen and flip onto a plate or serving platter. Sprinkle with powdered sugar when completely cool.

Have you?

Have you?

I saw this meme here and thought this is one that would be interesting to me. The rules are to bold what you have eaten and to strike thru things you would not try. *but I don't know how to edit to strike-thru so I will italicize the things I would not try. Or in my case, I'd have to have quite a few dirty martini's before I'd consider trying! So lets see how adventurous I've been so far...



1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras (I don't do innards, but I'd like to try this.)
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis (I'm on the fence, but I don't think I want to try)
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill (all kinds of gross!)
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky (or something similar).
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare (rabbit)
87. Goulash
88. Flowers (nasturtiums are peppery)
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake

Wordless Wednesday, etc.

August 20, 2008

Wordless Wednesday, etc.

Wouldn't you like to be that comfortable? I would, I'd love to find that perfect spot to lie down on, and lose myself to restful sleep and not have a care in the world. I've always said I'd like to be reincarnated into a pampered cat. Pampered meaning that I wouldn't have to deal with the elements, wouldn't have to hunt for food, would have a soft comfy bed in the morning sunlight and have my food bowl constantly filled, eat whenever I wanted to.

So I obviously haven't gotten back to my old blogging self, but perhaps I've improved a little in the last couple weeks. Still, I blame plurk.com, it sucks time away from me, but is fun, it's very interactive and I like communicating that way. I'm mitchypoo on plurk if you'd like to friend me.

I've got a new pen pal thru the Plurkette Hencircle and have a received a lovely, long letter from her. She's from the UK, on the coast and is quite interesting. I'm enjoying getting to know her. Hi Peri, if you are reading!

My tummy issues have continued and I'm doing what I can to try to heal myself. Well, I'm working with Eleni, my ayurveda practitioner, I'm not doing it all on my own. My diet is really good and I'm really enjoying it too. I'm limiting my wheat to see if that helps. I'm listening to my body as far as hunger goes and that is working for me.

And amazing things are happening, such as because I'm eating so well, my headaches are improving, and I'm not so lethargic. I'm enjoying the changes and trying to just keep it up, it's a change and I want it to become a habit, a daily routine. I'm also taking some herbs before and after meals and we'll see how that goes. The one herb mixture is not in capsules and I'm suppose to put it in some warm water and drink and I'm sorry but it's just NASTY! It has fennel in it, and I don't like the anise flavor, and it's gritty, oh, i may have to go buy some capsules. It's new too, so I'll continue and work it out somehow.

I've lost 25 lbs. total and tonight is weigh in and I'm hoping I've lost more, we'll see. We don't have a scale at home that works, so weigh in is it, so I have to judge by how I feel and right now, I feel like it could go either way. Be optimistic. Right? I think I've lost, and I want to see a loss, but truly even if I have gained, I feel better and that's more important.

Thursday Thirteen #48

August 7, 2008

Thursday Thirteen #48

Wow, it's been awhile since I've posted for Thursday Thirteen but Citizen Jane inspired me and I'm stealing her theme too! It's about guilty pleasures and I have many. So here we go.. Thirteen Guilty Pleasures of Mitchypoo magazines...I'm addicted. It's not a good mail day unless i get a magazine. It can be a knitting mag, fashion, gossip, doesn't matter. Tom Jones. Can't help it, I love him after my Mamacita dragged me to one of his concerts a long time ago. Krispy Kreme donuts. I'm glad they closed, the one near me, I don't know where one is available and that is a good thing. Sorbetto's from Starbucks. It's only a guilty thing because it's full of sugar. In-n-Out burgers. Well, actually a Cheeseburger! With grilled onions....and fries! And a chocolate shake! Watching bowling...I actually use to do this all the time with my Father. We also watched bull fighting. The bull fighting seems so repulsive now. Yarn. It's a guilty pleasure because I love it so much and love to buy it and smell it and touch it and feel guilty now if I do because of finances. Perfume. I have quite the collection of perfume, who needs that much scent...me I guess. Makeup. Again, nobody needs that much makeup but I love it, the new shades, the new formulas, etc. Amy Winehouse. I love her music, she is SOOOO talented, but my GOD, what a trainwreck. Chocolate. I like white, milk or dark, but Lindt is my favorite. I don't eat much of it, but once in a while I have to have chocolate. Candy~so bad for me, but sometimes Mamacita gets me a box of sweet tarts or something tart. Narine~my lovely stylist. She's the best and worth every dollar.

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The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others' comments. It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

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I've been tagged!

August 1, 2008

I've been tagged!

Jenn at I Knit Alone tagged me, which was a pleasant surprise, I haven't been tagged in a long time. You should go visit her blog and check out her Cleopatra socks, they are very cool! And she got me to post again, wow, two days in a row. Maybe there is hope for me. Anyway....

The Rules: Rules are posted at the beginning. At the end of the post, the player tags 5 people and posts their names. Then the player goes to each of the “named” people’s blogs and leaves a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read your blog. If you’ve been tagged, you do the same, letting the person who tagged you know when you’ve posted your answer. They, in turn, answer the following questions. Here we go!

1. What was I doing 10 years ago?
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. Who said that? Did I quote it correctly?.... I was madly in love with a hunka hunka man, after a horrible divorce. Well actually the divorce wasn't terrible, the marriage was. It was so wonderful in so many ways to have found someone who at the time loved me so completely and I haven't found a love like it since. But I was also recovering from a major surgery and had a very sudden change in my love happiness. I know i'm evasive, but it's something that I'm over with and choose not to talk about.

2. What are 5 things on my to-do list today? Clean the cat box (not the daily clean, the big clean, ewww), clean and organize yarn area, laundry, paint my nails (going out tonight), go buy more acidophilus drink for my tummy.

3. Snacks I enjoy: salty potato chips and ranch or onion dip, cheese and crackers, Weight Watcher Cheese Twists, fruit, cashews.

4. Places I’ve lived: California, Oregon, Minnestota.

5. Things I would do if I were a billionaire: Mamacita would retire if she wants to, (but I suspect she wouldn't). We would buy a house on the beach. Or buy a lot and build a custom home with full wheelchair access for Gary and I would hire people to help with his care and he wouldn't live in his care facility. I would donate money to small charities that I believe in that help women and animals live a better life. I would get an advanced degree in Art History. And then I would start the business that my best friend and I have been talking about for years. It would have to do with knitting and yarn!

Now I’m supposed to tag 5 more people. Please don't hate me! So, here I go: Angela, Opal, Beverly, Citizen Janey, and Manda. All of these lovely ladies are worth a look at their blog.