a.k.a. Oola Johansen

I come to you today from Sedona, Arizona, blogging from the center of a vortex. Well, not really. But I am in Sedona and I am feeling some vortexty vibes. Or it may just be the poppy seed bagel I had for dinner.

I didn't mention this little trip earlier simply because I think you people would rather hear about wonderful artists and free giveaways. When it's just little old me, on vacation with the boy, there's not a lot of excitement. We are here and Sugar Daddy stayed behind so he can attend his first "survivorman" camp out.

Why Sedona?Only because it is a mecca of Native American jewelry and there is a big pawn sale starting tomorrow. There will be pieces there from the early 20's and 30's. I'm thinking Sugar Daddy was very, very foolish to let me come alone. With my checkbook.

I decided to chef up some CIA coffee cake, just like my mother used to make whenever our family took a road trip. This recipe was given to my mother in the 70's when my dad was in the CIA. We all love it and we don't even drink coffee. It slides down real easy with a glass of milk or a cup of hot cider.

What? I haven't ever told you that my dad was in the CIA? Well, we don't mention it much, but he was. He was a spy. Not the macho James Bond kind of spy. No, much to the chagrin of his children, he was a computer geeky type of spy. The one exciting event was that we had to travel with aliases when we flew. I asked my parents what my alias name was, because I was too little to remember, and they said they forgot! They forgot the one cool thing about my dad being in the CIA!* So this is why we don't mention it much. It's boring. You'd rather hear about cool art and free stuff.

Back to the cake. I made our family recipe and I thought I would share it here with you. You may be in the mood for a little cake with your coffee, or milk or whatever it is you drink to feel cozy this time of year. It's special, straight from the CIA cookbook. You know those law enforcement types, they like their sweets.

CIA Coffee Cake

Batter:
3/4 c. butter
1 1/2 c. sugar
3 eggs
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 c. sour cream
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3 c. flour
Filling:
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. nuts
2 Tblsp. cinnamon

Cream butter, sugar eggs and vanilla. Stir in sour cream. Sift dry ingredents together and add slowly while stirring. Pour half of batter into greased bundt pan. Layer half of the filling. Add the rest of the batter and top with remaining filling.
Bake 350 degrees for 60 min.

Let me know if you make it and how it turns out. Tomorrow's giveaway is gunna be a goodie! Come on back now, ya hear?

*I like to think that my alias was Oola Johansen. I like that name.