Ride With Tank

I have managed to get off the couch a little bit in the last few weeks so I figured I may as well do an update!

I took the trip back to Morgantown and retrieved my personal items off of the Vstrom.  Above you can see a picture of our last goodbye.  Soon that magnificent motorcycle will belong to Geico insurance.  I went down and got things like my GPS mount and my thermometer and the various other chargers and things that I had mounted under the seat.

Last weekend we took a trip down in the Taurus to attend the EOSB at Deals Gap.  We really had a good time and it was kind of a bummer to be there without a bike but it sure was a heck of a lot more fun than sitting on the couch. 

The food was absolutely amazing.  I am not much of a chicken eater, but I am telling you this was the best chicken I ever ate.  There was also some barbeque on the menu along with a whole assortment of sides.  There was one particular standout item on the menu:  Gooey Butter Cakes.  Beth made them and they were absolutely amazing.  Now I know this web site is a really manly type site, but I am going to post a recipe on here right now for these things because they are just so good I am willing to risk the integrity of the web site by putting a recipe on here.  I am only posting this so we can have our bitches bake these for us.

Trust me when I say that these things are a little bundle of sugary goodness.  I have not made any yet, but I might just give it a shot today.  I am sure I do not have the cooking talent that Beth has, but if mine come out even half as good as hers I will be happy.  I mean it folks – these things are good.

• Cake

• 1 (18.25-ounce) box yellow cake mix

• 1 egg

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted

• Filling

• 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened

• 2 eggs

• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

• 1 (16-ounce) box confectioners’ sugar

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 13x9x2-inch baking pan.

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine cake mix, egg, and butter and mix well. Pat into the bottom of prepared pan and set aside.

3. Still using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese until smooth; add eggs and vanilla. Dump in confectioners’ sugar and beat well. Reduce speed of mixer and slowly pour in butter. Mix well.

4. Pour filling onto cake mixture and spread evenly. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes. Don’t be afraid to make a judgment call on the cooking time, because oven temperatures can vary. You want the center to be a little gooey, so don’t bake it past that point!

5. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely. Cut into squares. Just remember that these wonderful little cakes are very, very rich, and a little will go a long way-even for piggies like me!

Pumpkin Gooey: This variation has to be at the top of my list, especially around Thanksgiving. For the cake part, I sometimes use a spice cake mix. I have even used a chocolate cake mix, but I think my favorite is the basic yellow cake mix. Follow the original recipe, adding a 15-ounce can of pumpkin pie filling and an extra egg to the cream cheese filling. Bake as usual, remove from oven, and allow to cool. Cut into squares and top each square with a pecan half. Serve with a dollop of fresh whipped cream. I promise you’ll never want pumpkin pie again!

Pineapple Gooey: Add a 20-ounce can of drained crushed pineapple and an extra egg to the cream cheese filling. Proceed as directed above.

Lemon Gooey: Use a lemon cake mix in place of the yellow cake. Add the juice (approximately 1/4 cup) and zest of 2 lemons to the cream cheese filling. Proceed: as directed above.

Carrot Cake Gooey: Use a spice cake mix, and add 1 cup chopped nuts and 1 1/2 cup finely grated carrots to the cream cheese filling. Proceed as directed above.

Peanut Butter Gooey: Use a chocolate cake mix. Add 1 cup creamy peanut butter and an extra egg to cream cheese filling. You can sprinkle the top of batter with 1 cup chopped peanuts if you like. Proceed as directed above.

Chocolate Chip Gooey: Use either yellow or chocolate cake mix. Sprinkle 1 cup chocolate chips and 1 cup chopped nuts on top of filling. Proceed as directed above.

Banana Gooey: Use a yellow cake mix. Prepare cream cheese filling as directed, beating in 2 ripe bananas and an extra egg. Proceed as directed above.

Nutty Gooey: Use a yellow cake mix, and add 1 cup chopped nuts to the cake mixture. Proceed as directed above.

Chippy Gooey: Stir 1 cup white chocolate chips, peanut butter chocolate chips, butterscotch morsels, Heath Almond Toffee Bits or Heath Milk Chocolate Toffee Bits into filling. Proceed as directed above.

We did a little sightseeing on the way down and back and had some really nice weather. 

People in Kentucky really do like to drink

This will probably be my last stay in room 3.  Next year will be really different for me.  All the room are being redone and there will be queen size beds in the upper rooms.  This means I must say goodbye to room 3.  The Vstrom will not be with me.  I will adapt.

The colors were pretty good in some sections of the Cherohola.

We also stopped at the Cumberland Gap.  It is worth stopping by if you are in the area.  The road up to the overlook is very interesting.