Cinnamon Bundt Cake Recipe

   
 T'was the day before Thanksgiving and all through the house,
there are aromas of food that would hurry a mouse!
The turkey was thawing in the fridge with cold air
In hopes that the family would soon be all there.

The children weren't snuggled all warm in their beds -
They left home years ago to follow their heads (?)
And mama in her apron, and I in my Blues cap
Are looking real forward to a long afternoon nap!

(my weak attempt at a poem based on T'was the Night Before Christmas...sad, I know..)

...and if you're like me, you're busier than a honey bee in a clover field!  But it's a fun kind of busy.  This will just be a quick post, but I wanted to share this delicious, moist cake recipe with you that's been in our family for decades.  My Aunt Ruby made this and I was crazy over it, so I asked for the recipe and have been making it for my husband's birthday ever since!

One thing I love about it is that it's fast, easy and you really can't mess it up!  Plus, it feeds a crowd! So what's not to like?

A short story...when our first child was a baby, I was making this & he needed tending to - I forgot about the cake for a full 30 minutes after it should have been removed from the oven!  But guess what?  It was still moist and delicious - you would never have known I over-baked it!

Ok, here you go...

Cinnamon Bundt Cake (with orange glaze)

1 pkg yellow cake mix                                            1/2 cup sugar
2 small pkgs INSTANT vanilla pudding                 2 teaspoons cinnamon
3/4 cup oil                                                                1/2 cup chopped pecans
3/4 cup water
4 eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix all ingredients together in mixing bowl and beat for a good 5 minutes on med-high speed. While that's beating, mix in a small bowl the sugar, cinnamon and nuts.
Pour 1/3 of batter in greased & floured bundt pan, then 1/2 of the nut/sugar mixture, the repeat, ending with batter.
Bake at 350 for approx 55 minutes - I always check at about 45, but it usually takes a full 50 minutes or so.

Let cool.  Glaze with 1 cup powdered sugar mixed with 1 1/2 tablespoons orange juice or enough to make a good drizzle consistency.

Quote of the day: "
Thanksgiving, after all, is an action."
and..."It isn't so much what's on the table that matters as who's on the chairs." ;)

 Happy Thanksgiving to each and every one of you!

Thanksgiving Tips and Fresh cranberry sauce recipe!

Thanksgiving is just days away and I don't know about you - but I can always use a few tips to make the gathering and meal more enjoyable.



So here are a few:

Do as much prep ahead of time as possible...duh, I know...but here are some examples.

1) Do any deep cleaning several days ahead, people won't be looking at baseboards or behind furniture anyway..
2) Clean oven!  That burnt food on the bottom of your oven will affect the flavor of whatever you are baking
3) Bake turkey the day before the meal, carve and pour juices over, then seal tightly and reheat on Thanksgiving at 325 for 45 minutes or an hour, but test after 1/2 hour...you don't want it to dry out!
4) Peel and slice potatoes the day before and put in pan of water in fridge.
5) Make cranberry sauce the day before-fresh is best and very easy! Recipe below..
6) Pies can be baked the day before as well, or even the week before and frozen


and 7) Take the phone off the hook after lunch and rest for an hour before everyone comes over! I highly recommend this - it helps revive me and can enjoy the evening so much better if I am rested and NOT stressed!

Last, but not least...if everything is not perfect, don't worry - your guests will enjoy the meal and their evening together if they sense that you are, too.  Remember: There is no perfection this side of eternity - but there can be a lot of fun if you maintain a sense of humor!

That's all I can think of for now...here's your fresh cranberry sauce recipe:

Cranberry Sauce

12 oz fresh cranberries
1 cup sugar
1 cup orange juice
pinch of cinnamon

In a medium saucepan, dissolve sugar in orange juice.  Stir in the cranberries and cook until the cranberries start to pop (about 10 min). Remove from heat, sprinkle on cinnamon & place in a bowl. It will thicken as it cools. Enjoy!

Quote of the day: Smile! It's contagious! 
Happy Thanksgiving!