My plane from San Luis was scheduled to depart today at 9:24 a.m. I was hoping someone from the office would show up early on a Friday and give me a ride to the airport next door. So 8:30 rolls around and not an employee in site. Hmm this is going to be a close one. I grab all my gear and hoof it to the SLO airport. Granted it was about a 20 min walk I arrive at 8:50 and see the plane on the tarmac. I’m thinking to myself great I still have time to catch the plane. Nope. Turns out I still need to check in and check my baggage. Two people in front of me so I figure it would take a few minutes tops. An old lady at the front kept asking questions forever. Seriously does it take 15 mins to tell the clerk your name. As she kept asking I turned to slowly see the doorway to the runway close. That’s when I knew this would be a long day.

I wanted to slap that lady for making me late. Next available flight left San Luis Obispo at 7:55 p.m. and connected through Chicago O’hare. Great. Tack on an extra 12 hours easy. I planned to use Friday as a travelling day. Now I’m putting in a full days work plus probably a good 30 hours of flights and airports. God damn old ladies!

Another hit at the Pongs!

Cake Mixture
2 cups white sugar
1 1/4 cups vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups canned pumpkin
4 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Cream Cheese Frosting
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a bundt cake pan. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl combine sugar and oil. Blend in vanilla and pumpkin, then beat in eggs one at a time. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in nuts. Spread batter into prepared bundt pan.

3. Bake in the preheated oven for 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool.

4. For the frosting in a medium bowl, cream together the cream cheese and butter until creamy. Mix in the vanilla, then gradually stir in the confectioners’ sugar.

5. Spread frosting on cake. Sprinkle with chopped walnuts

I made this last week for our dinner party. It was amazingly good. Crispy on the outside and moist on the inside. Goes great with vanilla ice cream.

2 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups white sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
4 cups apples – peeled, cored and diced

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour bundt cake pan

2. In a mixing bowl; beat oil and eggs with an electric mixer until creamy. Add the sugar and vanilla and beat well.

3. Combine the flour salt, baking soda, and ground cinnamon together in a bowl. Slowly add this mixture to the egg mixture and mix until combined. The batter will be very thick. Fold in the apples by hand using a wooden spoon. Spread batter into the prepared pan.

4. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 55 minutes or until cake tests done. Let cake cool on a wire rack. Once cake is cool serve with a dusting of confectioners’ sugar.