APPLE CAKE

I took my apple cake to church today for Bible study and it was a big hit.  People were going back for seconds which hardly ever happens and Dottie even cut herself a slice to take home with her.  It was good (if I do say so myself).  I took slices in for the people at work and everyone loved it.

I still wasn't feeling well today so I came home from work 2 hours early.  I was on the front desk at 5 p.m. and felt so bad that I was sitting there laying my head on the desk when there was no one waiting to get checked in or out.  When I got home I took my blood pressure and it was 152/77.  Not real high, but enough to make me feel bad.  After dinner I took it again and it was down to 129/69.  And I was feeling so much better.  Hopefully it will stay down now and I can get back to doing things around here.

Anyway, the apple cake was so good that I wanted to give you the recipe.  I got it from the October issue of Ladies' Home Journal, but I changed it a bit so this is my version, not theirs.

APPLE CAKE
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 cup unsalted butter, softened (I used margarine)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 cups sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 large eggs
3 large or 4 medium apples, peeled and cut into a 1/2-inch dice (I used Gala, but the recipe says to use Mutsus, Winesaps, Empires or Granny Smith)
Cinnamon sugar

1.  Heat oven to 350*F.  Grease a bundt pan.  Sprinkle bottom with cinnamon sugar and set aside.

2.  In a bowl whisk together flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt; set aside.  In an electric mixer cream together butter, oil, sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Working in two batches, incorporate dry ingredients into butter mixture.  Fold in apples.

3.  Spoon batter into the prepared pan.  Bake until top is golden and a tester inserted in cake's highest point comes out clean, about 1 hour and 10 minutes.

4.  Allow cake to cool in pan for 15 minutes before transferring to a plate.  Sprinkle top with more cinnamon sugar.  Allow to cool completely.

I meant to take a picture of it to show you, but it was gone before I got to do that.  It was such a big hit that I know I will be making it again soon and I will take a picture then.  It was really easy to make.  I hope you try it.

COLUMBUS DAY

It was really nice having today off from work for the holiday.  Especially since I wasn't feeling well.  My blood pressure was up and I did everything I could think of but couldn't get it down.  It has given me quite a headache.

I felt better later (but still with the headache) so I made a chicken pie for dinner from my new Amish cookbook.  It turned out really good, except I wish I had thickened the gravy a little more.  Next time I will put more flour in than the recipe calls for.  Joe really liked it and told me it was a "keeper".  I didn't have a pie crust in the freezer, so Joe took a cup of Bisquick and 1/3 cup of milk and made a delicious crust.  Oh, my it was nice.  More like a biscuit crust, but very thin.  I do like having a baker/cook as my husband.  He knows so many tricks in the kitchen that I don't.

Now I am waiting for an apple cake to come out of the oven.  It has about 25 minutes to go.  It is for our Bible study tomorrow.  Another new recipe that I found in the Ladies' Home Journal.  Yes, the Bible study people are my guinea pigs for new recipes.  But then again, they will eat just about anything.

Since I slept most of the day you wouldn't think I would be tired, but I am.  There is so much to do around the house and I've done nothing.  Absolutely nothing.  I must get something done this week.  Halloween is coming and I have nothing decorated!  And I have so many decorations to put out.  Oh well, as Scarlet O'Hara said, "Tomorrow is another day."

JONAH

Since I was working today, yesterday was my day off from work.  Remember a couple of weeks ago I was taking Joe to Sight and Sound Theater as my gift to him for our anniversary and he was too sick to go?  Well yesterday was the day I had switched the tickets for.

The show started at 4:15 p.m.  We left early to give ourselves plenty of time and it was a good thing we did.  Our hour and a half drive turned into almost three hours because for miles and miles on several different roads it was bumper to bumper traffic.  It seems there is a major road repair project going on in Montgomery, Chester and Lancaster counties.  The roads will be nice when they are finished, but what a mess now!  We left at 1:00 p.m. and got to the theater at 3:50 p.m.  So much for looking around before the show.

But sitting on the road not moving for minutes at a time gave us time to take some really nice pictures.  It is so beautiful in Lancaster County.

We weren't supposed to take pictures in the theater, but I sneaked this one in.  It's a little dark because I didn't use a flash, but I think you can see it.

The play was wonderful!  I had seen it with my sister in August and knew it would be good.  But even though I knew what was coming next, it was just as great.  Joe really enjoyed it.

At intermission Joe went to the Men's Room and I wandered around the lobby taking pictures.  Most of them didn't turn out real well, but I think this one of an angel statue was good.

When we got to the parking lot the sun was just setting.

We went to Sonic for dinner.  Our Sonic shut down a year ago and I have been dying for tater tots and a lemon slush.  I could eat them every day I love them so much.  It was such a treat! 

We didn't get home till about 10:00 p.m. and I had to get up for work this morning.  You know I didn't get much sleep, but I got through the day.  It was well worth it.  We had such a marvelous time.