Friday, March 13, 2015

Use Your Words: Behind Closed Doors

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. All of the posts will be unique as each writer has received their own set of words. That’s the challenge, here’s a fun twist: no one who’s participating knows who got their words and in what direction the recipient will take them. Until now.

Use Your Words blogging challenge | www.BakingInATornado.com | #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: behind closed doors ~ positively ~ admire ~ fresh
They were submitted by: Searching for Sanity.

I enjoy watching television. I know that many people don’t watch, but there are quite a few shows on these days that I really like. I don’t watch daytime TV but in the evening, when chores are done, dinner has been served, the dishwasher is running and my laptop is open to about 12 pages at once, the TV goes on. It’s the time of day for relaxing and unwinding, letting someone else amuse me for a few hours.

The days of three major channels is long gone. The days of cable just being for movies is long gone. There are so many channels and such a large variety of options that there always seems to be something fresh and new to watch. Mystery (both true stories and fiction) and dance have always been favorites. I admire the guts and determination of the participants on Dancing With The Stars.

I love comedy (only the funny ones, not the stupid ones). And I am positively in awe at the level of creativity on HGTV and, of course on the Food Network.

Triple Layer Cookie Bars | www.BakingInATornado.com | #recipe #bake

Triple Layer Cookie Bars
Triple Layer Cookie Bars | www.BakingInATornado.com | #recipe #bake


What does NOT amuse me, what actually causes me stress, is the flip side. Some of the other dreck (crap) that causes my jaw to drop as I flip through the channels.

What goes on behind closed doors is decidedly not staying behind closed doors. I am actually stressed and distressed when I see people making an ass of themselves on TV (and that goes double for on social media too). All that keeps going through my head is “oy, what do your poor mothers think?”

Yes, as we reach a new high in program options, we have reached a new “reality TV” low as well. I can happily live the rest of my life without ever seeing:

*Women flipping tables in a restaurant, talking behind each others’ back and pulling each others’ hair.

*A show that puts two naked strangers (a man and a woman) into the woods to . . . well . . . I really don’t know what they’re there to do.

*Gypsies who spend their day trying to wear a gaudier outfit than their neighbor.

*Teenager who have babies, then spend an hour a week on TV fighting with their baby-daddies in front of their kid.

*Sex Sent Me To The ER. Yes, that’s the name of a show. Apparently to these people pride is nothing but a group of lions.

*A show about weird obsessions where someone spends a half hour explaining why she eats deodorant.

*Cheap people explaining the extremes they go to in order to save money, like washing and reusing old rags instead of purchasing toilet paper and the whole family sharing bath water.

*Fat Guys in the Woods. Although I’ve never seen this show, just knowing that there’s a show by this name is causing me shpilkes (anxiety).

What I want to know is when reality became so . . . unreal. If this is reality, I choose fiction.

Links to the other Use Your Words posts:


Baking In A Tornado signature | www.BakingInATornado.com | #MyGraphics





Triple Layer Cookie Bars
                                                                     ©www.BakingInATornado.com
 
Printable Recipe
 
Ingredients:
1 stick butter, softened
1 stick margarine, softened
1 cup white sugar
½ cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
 
1/3 cup baking cocoa
1/3 cup white chocolate chips
 
1/2 cup peanut butter
¼ cup quick oats
 
1/3 cup chocolate chips
2 TBSP flour
 
Directions:
*Grease an 8 X 11 baking dish.
*Cream the butter, margarine and both sugars. Beat in the eggs and vanilla. Carefully mix in the flour, baking soda and salt.
*Divide the dough into thirds (approximately, it doesn’t have to be exact) and place in separate bowls. To one, add the baking cocoa and white chocolate chips. To another, add the peanut butter and quick oats. To the last, add the flour and chocolate chips.
*Spread the peanut butter dough into the prepared dish. It’s easiest to spread if you slightly moisten your fingers and use them to even it out.
*Wrap the chocolate dough and the chocolate chip dough separately in plastic wrap. Place all 3 in the refrigerator for about 45 minutes.
*Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
*Unwrap the chocolate dough, leave on the plastic wrap, top with a piece of wax paper and roll out to approximately the size of your baking dish. Place over the peanut butter dough in the dish. It doesn’t have to fit exactly but trim any ends that are longer than the dish.
*Either roll out the chocolate chip dough in the same way and place on top of the chocolate dough, or just dollop it on top. If dolloping, use small scoops and gently press down so the dough isn’t a lot thicker in some areas than others.
*Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until the center is set and the top is golden brown.
*Cool completely. Cut into squares.





32 comments:

  1. OH MY GOODNESS!!! I have never heard of most of those shows!!! YILES!!! What crap!
    What gets me is that there is no history on the History Channel, no learning on TLC and only things like Pitbulls and Parolees on Animal Planet. What happened?????

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I know, it seems that most of the channels have forgotten their original mission and fallen into showing the same crap as every other channel. Someone has to be watching it. Not sure if I want to know who . . .

      Delete
  2. I am with you on the weird TV shows. It goes to show how low key some consumer's taste is.
    At least it gives you something to blog about ;-)
    Except for the oats I positively admire your freshly baked cookie bars! I would eat them behind closed doors so the others couldn't snatch any from me. But something tells me they are for a certain son of yours...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, actually they're for everyone. They have a bit of everyone's favorite cookie, making them all happy. The peanut butter layer is for that certain son who will be home tomorrow.

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  3. I hate reality tv. Way too dramatic for me. I do watch HGTV and Food Network.

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    Replies
    1. Yes, there's almost always something worth watching on both of those channels.

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  4. I'm not much of a TV watcher, except for Grey's Anatomy. It's my secret indulgence. I DO like to watch the cooking channel when I'm in the kitchen cooking though and of course HGTV is always fun! Btw, those bar cookies look ridiculously good!!

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    Replies
    1. I watched Grey's Anatomy for years, then I lost track of it. Really wish I hadn't, it's a great show.

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  5. I'm very depressed to say I knew all of those shows you were talking about. My sister was telling me about an episode of sex sent me to the ER the other week. She also updates me on 19 kids and counting and sister wives when we catch up. I have cable TV too I just refuse to watch this dreck. I prefer cop shows like Bones and Castle. Lots of crime solving and smoldering sexual tension, much more fun to watch.

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    Replies
    1. Yes, Bones and Castle are some of my favorites too. Also Elementary, love that show.

      Delete
  6. I love the Amazing Race and survival shows like Ultimate Survivor Alaska-can't help that addiction. Reality television gets so annoying after a while...but I won't lie-I like the gaudy, horrid, hundred pound wedding dresses on the gypsy show on...it's okay to judge me lol.

    Did you see the advertisement for the show where people who are having martial issues meet with sex therapists...then proceed to have sex. On stage. In a box. With people in the audience....never seen it but seen the advertisements for it....no thanks.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. YES, I saw the info about that show. In fact, I wrote an upcoming post about my version of the show. Watch for it!

      Delete
    2. Ha! A continuation of our conversation from yesterday! I agree with every bit of it. Well, except "Fat Guy In The Woods" I've watched once or twice and it is okay. Bad eating guy wants to change his ways goes out into the woods to play Survivor Man with teacher.

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    3. You've really seen Fat Guy in the Woods? I'm thinking that the pictures running through my head are probably better than the actual show.

      Delete
  7. There's a spew about fat guys in the woods? I might have to sign up

    ReplyDelete
  8. Totes get you - that's why we got rid of cable. And those look fan freaking tastic. Yum!

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  9. Sadly, I know all those shows you mentioned. I agree reality TV is ridiculous - not worthy of watching - but it's so damn popular! I guess people want to see lives more dysfunctional than their own, so they can applaud themselves for not being sunk to that level.

    Your triple layers look divine, though!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. There are shows worth watching, but there are just so many "reality" disasters. Can't wait till this trend is over.

      Delete
  10. Didn't recognize any of the shows you mentioned but I certainly do have my favorites - record them and then watch the series all at once with no commercials. Hate reality T V. My type of show is drama or crime drama but not cop shows or CSI type. Favorites are Suits and Blacklist and The Good Wife - hands down.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I like the same kinds of shows that you do. Suits is one of my favorites as well.

      Delete
  11. Great use of your words! I don't watch a lot of TV, but I do enjoy a lot of the old movies. Your cookie bars look really yummy!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Dawn. As always the words were a challenge but fun.

      Delete
  12. "Reality" TV has gone way down the tubes! It's all about sensationalism and the gross factor. I'd much rather watch scripted comedies or home improvement shows.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I completely agree. And cooking shows, don't forget cooking shows!

      Delete
  13. The new one Sex Box, haven't watched and not going to. These shows stared with the Judge shows and went down hill.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I have an upcoming post about that Sex Box show. I put my own spin on it. Hope you'll check it out when it goes live.

      Delete
  14. Oh goodness, I saw that one with the naked people in the woods. I don't care how much money is involved, there is no way I'd participate. There's also a naked dating show. No thanks.

    I do enjoy HGTV way too much and my poor hubby gets a panicked look in his eye whenever I mention something I saw that I liked.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I love HGTV too, only I know not to try any of that artistic or diy stuff myself, I always end up crying.

      Delete

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