Bulls-Eye Caramel Pie & Caramel-Filled Cupcakes

As a kid, growing up in the Midwest,

I lived in what I thought was the best town ever.

It had everything… at least everything a girl like me,

living her best life in the early 1980’s could ever need…or want.

We had little stores on a tree-lined main street, 

the best bakery ever (still is the best-ever bakery), a city pool, 

loads of friendly neighbors…

We knew everyone on our street 
and everyone knew us too.

It was a wonderful place to call home.

I walked to school every day with friends, 

past quaint manicured homes with dewy little front yards…

Our older neighbors would wave good morning 

as they weeded their flower beds.

We rode bicycles all summer long, to the pool and back,

still soggy from our last dip in the pool with damp towels

 draped around our necks for the ride home. 

We played outside with our friends until the street lights 

came on or until our dad whistled a familiar

tune from the front porch to let us know 

we had better hurry home.

Such a sweet town, during what seemed like a much 

simpler and slower paced time.

When I was old enough, 

I was sometimes given the very responsible job 

of walking to the corner store to buy bread or milk 

for my mother… this was kind of a big deal to 8 year-old me.
It was a big deal,

because nothing makes you feel more independent

 and capable than having a very

important task to do…all alone…in the “big” city… 

I was given a single dollar bill and tasked

 with running to the corner store to
 get whatever dinnertime staple we were low on… 

My mom always, always, always, reminded me 

not to talk to strangers and to be careful 

crossing the street. 

 – money in hand, and off I would go…  

… Maybe the best part…

I was allowed to use the change… and it was only a dime or two…

to buy penny candy for my walk home.

I found that it was better if 
I went on these errands alone, but sometimes 

I had to take my little brother.  

The reason it was better to go alone??  

It was a selfish reason… it was all about the 17 cents.

I would get back a small amount of change… 

...really small... minuscule, but just enough.

  The change I had to spend on candy
 was always less if my brother 

was tagging along. 

When my brother came along it meant sharing--

Sharing my meager, yet 
fortuitous windfall of candy-money.

My trips to the store
were always was made longer

by perusing the candy counter and the endless bins

of confectionery goodness…

I had a few favorites…one of which were
 Bulls-Eyes…those delicious

caramels with the white cream center.
Remember those??

Oh, my goodness... those were so delicious.
--turns out, they are every bit as delicious toady too...

Fast forward to today…

Can you imagine my excitement when a representative

From Goetze’s Candy Company… asked if I ...

Hummingbird Cake

Friends are the family we choose for ourselves.  

This recipe…is a recipe I would choose…

and I would share it with all of

 my best girlfriends… and this…ahem, 

(Spoiler Alert) delicious cake…it’s a good one.

--And isn’t friendship a beautiful thing?

…and to have a collection of people, 

people we chose, to surround ourselves with in life??

  These friends…they make the good times greater…

magnifying the happiness.   

Friends also make the hard times feel manageable, 

by sharing our hurt and cheering us on…

That’s the way I feel about a lot of my 

close friends as I grow older… 

and I am so happy that 

I have all these wonderful (old) friends 

that I do…each one different and 

complex, fun and fabulous in their 

own unique way… 

but also familiar and a little bit 

like family, actually, a lot like family.

This “new “cake recipe I’m rolling out

 is a cake that magnifies my happiness… 

over and over again… 

Old fashioned, and scrumptious…

not too very different from 

many of my dearest friends.

Today, I must introduce you to a close

 relative of one of our favorite cakes...