Monthly Archives: March 2014

Fever Bake

Posted on by under Recipes, Videos

I was deliriously exhausted after a weekend-long illness and decided to make pineapple upside down cake. Because, of course.

Jared lent emotional support and read all the Czech labels for me. What a friend.

Here is the actual recipe because only part of the dribble I managed to scrape into a cake made it into the footage.

PINEAPPLE UPSIDE DOWN CAKE:

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 (15 ounce) can pineapple chunks, drained

2 tablespoons chopped pecans(optional)

1 1/2 cups biscuit baking mix

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup milk

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 egg

  1. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
  2. Melt butter in a 9-inch baking pan in the preheating oven. Remove pan.
  3. Sprinkle brown sugar evenly over butter.
  4. Arrange pineapple chunks in a single layer over the butter and brown sugar, then sprinkle with pecans; set aside.
  5. Beat biscuit baking mix, white sugar, milk, vegetable oil, vanilla extract, and egg together in a large bowl on low speed for 30 seconds, scraping bowl constantly.
  6. Increase mixer speed to medium and continue beating until batter is smooth, about 4 minutes more.
  7. Slowly pour batter over the pineapple mixture.
  8. Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes.
  9. Run a paring knife between the cake and the edge of the pan to loosen cake. Cover the cake pan with a plate, and invert it to flip the cake out of the pan and onto the plate. Cool at least 10 minutes before serving.
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Don’t translate that

Posted on by under Blog

IMG_6608There comes a moment for every teacher when they realize how much they love their students.

I’ve been here for six months. I spend more time at school than anywhere else. I see the same faces every day (or almost every day, depending on which classes I teach or which students decide to rough-house in the hallway I monitor during break).

The stages for teaching at a new school are metamorphic. Both the new teacher and the new students are fascinated by one another. There is some awkward shyness and general curiosity.

This quickly fades into what I like to call “judge and be judged.” That is to say, if you have a strong need for affirmation or personal approval…Don’t be a teacher. This job requires the ability to be scrutinized unmercifully by a hundred tiny people every day. I confess, sometimes I have to drag myself from my office to the cafeteria, pulling the shattered remains of my ego, vanity and overall sense of self-worth dejectedly behind.

I barely survived junior high myself. Teaching it is just as bad.

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