Cinnamon

Pumpkin Layer Cake with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Icing

November 4, 2015 by Charles Leave a Comment

Oh birthdays!

As a kid, birthdays are amazing spectacles, full of friends, cake, presents, noise-makers, silly hats, and confetti. Fire trucks, magicians, and even costumed superheroes may make an appearance. All in the spirit of celebration.

And then, at least for some, birthdays lose their luster. They cease to be either fun or exciting, but simply mark the inevitable drum beat of time and aging.

I am not there and hope never to be — hiding from my birthday, pretending it has not yet come or gone. Bring on the birthdays! And bring on the cake and presents! …

Homemade Cinnamon Twists

June 5, 2011 by Charles 4 Comments

If you’ve seen my camera after I’ve been in the kitchen, you might think that it doubles as my sous chef. The shutter button is a little greasy and there’s flour dusted along the hand grip and on the aperture dial. There may even be a little sugar along the shoulder strap. Even the tripod may bear some semblance of kitchen work. Cinnamon or nutmeg may be sliding down its leg.

One of my favorite parts about creating my blog entries is assembling the collage, putting together the step-by-step tasks that create the final product. But to do so requires shuffling my floured hands back and forth, from the cutting board to the shutter, and then, possibly, to the white balance meter and the focus arrows.

Once the shot looks good, it’s back to the board, …

Cinnamon Raisin Swirl Bread

January 24, 2011 by Charles 9 Comments

Growing up, we used to devour this stuff. I can remember my younger brother popping two slices into the toaster, waiting for that mechanical “pop,” and then throwing a slab of butter between the warm slices as he placed them on his plate. After which, he put two more slices into the toaster.

This past Thanksgiving, I showed my youngest brother how to make scrambled eggs. Saturday night we went to the Kroger, picked up a pan, a whisk, a dozen eggs, and a DVD from the Red Box. After a quick tutorial, we settled down on his dorm couch to scrambled eggs, raisin bread, and The Girl Who Played with Fire.

My mind must have wandered to that night. That, combined with my love of bread-baking, inspired me …

Chai Concentrate

November 16, 2010 by Charles 6 Comments

I don’t have a coffee habit. In fact, I don’t even like it. Which, I suppose, is good for me, given the relative cost of feeding a daily Starbucks-addiction.

Instead of coffee, my tastes run towards tea. And lately, as the Fall weather has turned gray and cool, I’ve turned towards the friendly spices of a chai tea latte. Unfortunately, the cost of a chai tea latte can rival the cost of any quadruple-hyphenated drink at the coffee shop. And sometimes, the drink isn’t even that good.

One solution is the packaged chai mixes found in the grocery store. The mixes are pretty good and will make about eight cups of chai, depending on what kind of milk to chai ratio suits your tastes. I’ve found the mixes in almost every large grocery store.

Another solution, a better solution, is …

Perfect Coffeecake

February 12, 2010 by Charles 3 Comments

Coffeecake may be a bit of a misnomer, but I’m not complaining. Coffeecake is one of the ultimate comfort desserts or snacks, a perfect combination of cinnamon and moist cake to accompany a hot coffee or chai tea latte (in my case) , on a cold wintry morning. Indeed, this coffeecake comes together so quickly and effortlessly, it might be ready in the time it takes…