Books, cakes, and calories

To answer a couple of comments... it was after I wrote about I Love Books that I realized I should have been more specific about the editions.  Yes, the "fatter" volume was the same book just expanded in what he had written.  It had many printings, starting in the 1942 and this larger edition is from 1957.  If you love good literature, old books, and "books about books"... you will be very happy reading this one.  :)

Oh, my... anyone is free to write a "What I read this month" post.  I'm certain I started writing one years ago after enjoying the same type of post on friend's blogs.  Now, I must tell you that I only write about books I've actually read through all the way or at least almost finished.  I don't include any reading materials I pick up and peruse during the day.

Just this morning I was putting back an object on the hutch in the living room and happened to glance at some of my antique books displayed on those shelves.  I remembered John D. Snider mentioning Oliver Wendell Holmes in passing so I picked up the sweet little volume of essays titled Over the Teacups and curled up on the sofa to re-read the Introduction.

I must admit, I bought this little book at the used book room at our library last year because of the title (blush).  It was just a couple of dollars and I thought it would look cute on the hutch.  However, after reading some of it, I was inspired to search for the other three books... the actual "Breakfast Table" series of which this is kind of-part of... a caboose of sorts which he wrote late in life.   I have "The Autocrat" and "The Poet".

One of the things I found amusing (and rather sad at our lack of education) is that Holmes slipped from English into Latin once in awhile, knowing the average American would know what he was writing.  As late as my husband's high school class (he is seven years older than I am), reading Latin was necessary to be considered educated. 

All of this rabbit trail to say... I don't include this type of reading in my "Books I read this month" posts.  I'd have to carry a little notebook with me and then I would get distracted and never get to the housework of the day.

Now... about cakes and calories (which just naturally go along with the cakes)... I threw together a cake today from ingredients I had on my shelves and the result was absolutely yummy.  I'll eventually get the recipe on the recipe blog but it was simply this:

1 box yellow cake mix
1 can apple pie filling
3 eggs
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Mix together in a bowl, pour into a 9 x 13 pan, bake @ 350 degrees for 25 to 30 min (I tend to under bake cookies and over bake cakes by a couple minutes).

Although it would be fine as it is, especially with whipped cream or ice cream (neither of which I have at the moment)... I made a simple glaze of 2 cups confectioners sugar and just enough milk to make it pourable.  I also added about a teaspoon of maple extract but vanilla would do, too.

I poured this over the cooled cake and then put it in the frig to set up.  You don't want a thick frosting but just a thin glaze because the cake is very moist and full of fruit.

Wow, sometimes experiments turn out great!  Hmmm... wonder how this would taste with a spice cake mix?

Calories... that's what one absorbs just by looking at this cake... much less eating it.  When one resembles Pooh after a winter of no exercise, too many calories are not a good thing but if one is going to cheat (not only considering calories but blood sugar numbers)... this is it.

Picture: Apple Pie Harvest; allposters.com