Tea Bread Tuesday (delayed?): Orange-Olive-Oil Cake

See, here's the thing:  It's been a busy week, what with putting the finishing touches on our 2nd Floor Bathroom, making the video, getting through Thanksgiving weekend . . . and then, unexpectedly, just when a little relaxation was needed badly, I spotted a Michael Connelly book I hadn't seen before . . . Let's just say I'm very fond of Michael Connelly's books . . .

We were having dinner at a restaurant when I noticed a gentleman sitting by himself . . . well, he wasn't really by himself, he had the best company in the world:  A book!  My head started tilting sideways, trying to read the title of the book he was reading . . . Ah!  Now I have it!  "The Reversal" . . . So we just HAD to detour to the bookstore after dinner . . .  And when we got home, instead of taking out the baking pans, I found myself ensconced in my favorite chair going through the bonding ritual between me and "The Book" -  you know, reading the end pages (Yes!  Both Harry Bosch and Mickey Haller are in this one!) . . . checking out the author's picture (handsome guy . . . I don't think too many people could get away with those glasses) . . . removing the sales tags from the jacket (ever so slowly, so none of the sticky glue gets stuck) . . . read the dedication page (hmm . . . don't know who that is . . . ) . . . read over the list of his books . . . (yup . . . I've read all those . . . how did I miss that this one was out?) . . .

Now I'm ready to start . . . Oh . . . Yes . . . er . . . This is supposed to be about the cake . . .  It wasn't until this morning, when I realized that I completely forgot to bake!  But!  How's this for luck?  Today, I came home early from work, so I was able to carry out the baking, albeit, a little delayed . . . ?

We gave the cake mixed reviews:  I loved it, but Lee wasn't overly impressed . . .  The cake calls for the grated zest of three oranges, and I could see the flecks in every slice . . . it tastes like a dense pound cake, fragrant from the oranges . . . Lee thought the crust was dry . . . I don't know, I kind of liked the crunchy crust as a compliment to the dense interior . . . I think we should have followed the directions and let it sit overnight.  But my DH's sweet tooth needed to be apeased, and I'm so happy that my bathroom is done, that it's hard to say no to him lately . . .  I would definitely give this one a thumbs up! 

Here's the link:  http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/39576556/from/toolbar/

Now, back to my book . . .