Friday, April 11, 2014

April Use Your Words

Today’s post is a monthly writing challenge. If you’re new here, this is how it works: participating bloggers picked 4 – 6 words or short phrases for someone else to craft into a post. All words must be used at least once and all the posts will be unique as each writer has received their own set of words. That’s the challenge, here’s the fun twist; no one who’s participating knows who got their words and in what direction the writer will take them. Until now.

Use Your Words, a monthly group writing challenge | developed by and graphic property of www.BakingInATornado.com | #bloggingchallenge #MyGraphics



At the end of this post you’ll find links to the other blogs featuring this challenge. Check them all out, see what words they got and how they used them. I’m using: Pixie Stix ~ Lucky Charms ~ Jagerbomb ~ dustpan ~ burlap sack ~ ball gag. They were submitted by: The Momisodes.

I try to provide my family with healthy foods. I know it may not seem that way since I mostly feature chocolate and cocktails on this blog. It’s difficult to do because even though they’re grown men, my boys are still pretty picky eaters. My younger son has a hyperactive gag reflex so it’s always been impossible to get him accustomed to new foods. TMI, I know.

Honestly, you can make great, healthy dinners but if no one eats them you aren’t really accomplishing anything.

I recently came up with a recipe for Taco Stuffed Potato Skins that went over well with the family. I made them with lean ground beef but they could be made with chicken or turkey as well. They’re chock full of (cleverly disguised) vegetables. Score.


Taco Stuffed Potato Skins | recipe developed by www.BakingInATornado.com | #recipe #dinner

Taco Stuffed Potato Skins 

Taco Stuffed Potato Skins | recipe developed by www.BakingInATornado.com | #recipe #dinner

 







 And yet, sometimes I try something new and even I have to admit that it just didn’t work. These are our “bowl of cereal” nights. Unfortunately on those nights my brilliant experiment feeds the trash compactor and everyone happily grabs a bowl of their favorite cereal. 

OR “bowl of cereal night” could be necessitated by a scenario similar to this:

My family likes meatballs. I had this great idea that I’d make us each an individual giant meatball, kind of a cross between a meatball and meatloaf. Brilliant dinner idea.

But an innocent misstep the night before put the kibosh on that idea.

Jagerbombs are deceiving. If you’re not familiar with Jagermeister, yes it’s alcohol but it’s made with 56 herbs, fruits and spices. Seriously, check their web site. Can you think of anything healthier than ingesting something made with 56 herbs fruits and spices? Jagerbombs are a shot of Jagermeister in a glass of Red Bull. Red Bull, pfffft, just glorified soda, right?

OK, I may have added some Pixie Stix, you know, just to sweeten it a bit but that has not been confirmed (or denied).

Truth is, Jagerbombs will put you right over the edge, or hanging off a ledge, as the case may be. Anyway, innocent misstep. Lesson learned.

Well needless to say the next day I felt like I was going to be removed from my home feet first on a gurney and wrapped in a burlap sack. Or a hazmat bag. The house was a disaster; bottles and cans all over the counter, pixie stix dust all over the floor.

As my family made their plans for the day, and I tried to figure out who was the most likely person to cooperate when I handed them the dustpan, they asked about dinner and the new recipe I had been talking about trying. It was all I could do to squeak out an answer: “don’t even talk to me about that meat ball, gag me. It’s “bowl of cereal night”, grab the Lucky Charms.”

PS: Before you go off planning my intervention, let me just say that this piece is a work of fiction. Well, mostly. I could still make that giant meatball some day. Stranger things have happened.

Links to the other Use Your Words posts:



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Taco Stuffed Potato Skins
                                                                                                                                       ©BakingInATornado.com
 
Printable Recipe
 
NOTE: After I scoop out the potatoes I mash them and use them to either pipe onto the top of the Taco Stuffed Potato Skins
OR to make Potato Crusted Meatloaf
OR Individual Taco Pies
 
Ingredients:
1 lb lean ground beef, boneless skinless chicken strips or ground turkey 
Taco seasoning mix (one packet or 2 ½ TBSP if you make your own)
2 cups cooked, cooled, chopped mixed vegetables of your choice
3/4 cup salsa
4 slices sharp cheddar cheese
Large baking potatoes (approximately 4)
Vegetable oil
 
Directions:
*Scrub your potatoes to remove any dirt from the skin, wipe them dry. Pierce the potatoes with a knife in the middle of the side (where you’ll later cut them in half). Lightly grease them with vegetable oil and bake until cooked through (depending on the size of the potato this should take about 50 minutes at 400 degrees).
*Cool at room temperature until you can handle them (about 20 minutes), slice in half lengthwise and scoop out most of the potato, leaving some potato in, you don’t want just skin.
*Cook the meat with the Taco seasoning until cooked through. Drain any fat, then add the vegetables and salsa until everything is just heated through.
*Using a pastry brush, lightly oil the skin of the potato halves. Place them on a baking pan. Scoop the meat and vegetable mixture into the potatoes, top with a half of a slice of sharp cheddar cheese.
*Bake for approximately 20 minutes until the potato and filling are hot.
*Serve with Homemade Pico de Gallo


33 comments:

  1. Have to say your use of ball gag was very creative!

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    1. Yes, I have to admit I thought long and hard trying to use that one.

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  2. AWESOME!!! I couldn't wait to see how you used ball gag! LOL LOVE how you worked it in!!!!!

    GREAT as always!!

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    1. Thanks Stacy, this group of words really got me thinking.

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  3. Hey, the man LOVES his Jager...I think it smells like black licorice, or in other words, death. Ack.
    Can I say (wiping a tear away) How proud I am that you eat Lucky Charms? Even fictionally, that made me smile.
    MMM..potato skins. Mmm...Pixie Stix. Way to use your words, K.
    <3

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  4. That was definitely a random assortment of words... you did awesome!

    Jagerbombs are nasty - too many of those and you're drunk, but to hyped up to properly detox. Horrible invention. :)

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    1. I actually have never had one. Don't think that's gonna change any time soon.

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  5. You know before jumping into a UYW post I use to take a minute to try and imagine what I would do with the words the person got. In your case I had to look up what the h* a ball gag is, and I realized I would have NO IDEA on how to squeeze it in…

    Hahaha, Karen, a little comma made all the difference! Brilliant!

    It's 10pm here, but that doesn't prevent me from getting a little hungry… for meat ball pasta ;-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ha ha, now there's an image you'll have trouble getting out of your head. You're welcome.

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  6. HAHAHAHA!! I'm so happy you got my words! I was trying to use words that would get you thinking!

    I actually have a picture of me doing a Jagerbomb. I use to chase them with Pixie Stixs too.

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    Replies
    1. LOL, I'm thinking my words were a glimpse into your past!

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    2. Minus the ballgag and burlap sack. I'm adventurous, but not THAT much! ;) lol

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  7. Impressive job! I've never seen this challenge before. It reminds me a little of that exercise we sometimes had to do in elementary school where we had to use all our spelling words in a sentence. You could have more than one spelling word in a sentence, so the more words one could stuff into a sentence, the less writing one had to do. We probably spent more time trying to be creative and do that than we would had we come up with short sentences for each word.

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    Replies
    1. Funny, we did that in elementary school too. Guess this means I've sort of come full circle. Well, except I have to admit these words are quite a bit different.

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  8. Great, great post. You had me convinced it was true, not fiction, and I was ready to offer advice! Also, my college palate wants those Taco filled Potato Skins. Great job with the use of words!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for the willingness to offer advice. It was pretty clear early on that I probably wasn't going to be able to work those words into a factual post.

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  9. Great post, really funny!! I love the potato skins, I know my family would love them.

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    Replies
    1. So glad you laughed. They were not the easiest words to use, but I had so much fun with this post.

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  10. Oh man, I made plain old chicken breasts for dinner but now I wish I had some of those Taco Stuffed Potato Skins instead!

    Oh, I've had some bad experiences with Jagermeister!

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    Replies
    1. Ha ha, I bet you could tell some pretty amazing Jagermeister stories?

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  11. Great post on using those words, and I'm not convinced it was fiction ;) wink wink

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    Replies
    1. It's fiction. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

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  12. only one time have i mixed liquor with red bull. I was so drunk. i never get drunk. i had to sit and read a book for like two hours because i have no filter when i drink too much and we had lots of family over that i was ...ummm...shall we say annoyed with?

    i am trying the taco things this week. my husband and i just hashed out how much of a foodie he is and how much of one i'm not. i desire to make tasty things but if i don't...oh well..... he kills our budget cooking so he's only allowed on the weekend. i'm hiding this recipe from him so I CAN MAKE IT and hopefully...for once in 18 years...impress him with my cooking.

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    1. IDK, you're putting an awful lot of pressure on me. But as long as you're making them, be sure to take a pic for me. Hope you love them.

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  13. What a great idea. I never thought of using potato skins as a base for Tacos. This will be a great idea for a future recipe. Thank you for the idea. I love the pictures too. They look very appealing.

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    1. Thanks, Rini. With kids you are pretty much willing to use anything as a base for tacos if they'll eat them!

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  14. Bwahahaha! Genius! Especially loved how you fit in 'ball gag'! :)

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    1. Believe me when I tell you that I was very excited when I finally figured out a "family friendly" way to use that one!

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  15. That was some awesome story telling.

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    Replies
    1. Yeah, some of those words really were quite challenging but I pulled it off.

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  16. You had me believing, right up to the pixie sticks. Tough words but you made them work.

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