my reading

I just finished reading Julie & Julia.  It took me awhile. Maybe 4 months!  My problem is that I was reading mostly in the car when I was waiting for my girl to get done with school.  Well now school is out for her.  I just had to sit down and read the last pages if I ever wanted to get anything else done in my life.  It is the worst thing ever to have a book that is just half read.



The best part of this book for me was the ending.  When all of Julie's cooking nightmare's come to an end and she finds both her future and some perfect closure at the Smithsonian.  All done in pure Julie Powell style.



So here is my own cooking venture.  A recipe from Susan Branch The Summer Book.  The perfect Pineapple Upside Down Cake.



I've made this before following the directions and my oven runs hot (without me realizing it) so it was overcooked a bit.  The Vanilla Sauce came in handy that time.  And this last weekend I made it using my cast iron skillet. I also used marchino cherries instead of walnuts.  Isn't it pretty!



 I watched the timer closely and it took about 15 minutes less to cook, because my oven was still too hot.  But it did come out yummy!  I didn't make the sauce this time either, because I couldn't find any of my vanilla beans.  And we didn't really need it, because the cake came out perfect.  Did I say that already?



So have fun and make this cake.  It is perfect for summer.

Bon Apetit!