Tuesday, November 29, 2016

Rounding out the Cabinet

I don't know why just Presidents have Cabinets. We all need to surround ourselves with experts, people who help us to navigate our daily lives, guide us as we make decisions, provide a much needed sounding board. In fact, we all do have these people in our lives, but do they know it? Do we tell them how much their council means on a daily basis? 

Well, truth is, some of the people we look to for guidance might take out a restraining order. But maybe that's just me.

No matter the consequences, I'm going to lay it all out. Loud and proud. Here are the people I look to on a daily basis. Or will. Once I'm President.


Rounding out the Cabinet. Everyone needs trusted advisors, whether they are president or not | www.BakingInATornado.com | #humor #funny #MyGraphics


Vice President (President of Vice): This has to be College Boy. He'll have marijuana decriminalized in a hot second.

Secretary of the Exterior: Hubs. And that to-do list is growing so he better hit the ground running.

Secretary of Steak: PurDude will do the honors. And nothing will go to waste.

Attorney General: My mom. A clear sense of right and wrong (and the patience of a saint). I'm telling you right now you all better behave or she'll put you in a time out. Although, knowing mom, she'll probably feed you while you're there.

And now that the blatant nepotism is out of the way, lets round out the cabinet:

Secretary of Energy: Every mama knows that nobody has more energy than a toddler. Any toddler. I don't have toddlers any more so I'll just draft that little cutie up the street. I'm sure her parents won't mind. After all, it's an honor.

And I'll feed her plenty of sugar. That energy will be boundless. I'll start baking now.
 
Holiday Chocolate Mint Cookie Cups, an impressive holiday treat made with just 3 store bought ingredients | Recipe developed by www.BakingInATornado.com | #recipe #holiday #dessert

Holiday Chocolate Mint Cookie Cups
Holiday Chocolate Mint Cookie Cups, an impressive holiday treat made with just 3 store bought ingredients | Recipe developed by www.BakingInATornado.com | #recipe #holiday #dessert



Chief of Staph: Dr. Derek "McDreamy" Shepherd. Or Dr. Jack Shephard. I'll take either Patrick Dempsey or Matthew Fox. Either way, send all infections to them. 

Secretary of Treasury: This one's a no-brainer, I select Jed Clampett. Start digging, Jed. We're all waiting for our gusher.

Secretary of transportation: Captain Montgomery Scott. Because we all want to be able to say "beam me up, Scotty." 

Secretary of Labor: Michelle Duggar. Hasn't she had like about a bazillion kids? Seems to me that no one has more experience with labor than Michelle.

Secretary of Defense: Chuck Norris. 'Nuff said.

Secretary of Education: Welcome back, Kotter.

Homeland Security: I was thinking The Cowardly Lion because lions are the king of the forest, but that whole "cowardly" thing has me feeling worried so I think I'll go with King Kong.

Secretary of Agriculture: I wonder if I can have one person run two departments. Because I think College Boy can do both Vice and Agriculture. They're closely related after all. I mean, once he legalizes marijuana, I'm sure he'll be happy to be sure there are amber waves of grain above the fruited plain.

I better warn PurDude, with all that legal pot, we're gonna need a lot more steak. And cheetos.

Did I forget anyone?

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





Holiday Chocolate Mint Cookie Cups
                                                                       ©www.BakingInATornado.com
 
Printable Recipe
 
Ingredients:
1 (16.5 oz) Pillsbury refrigerated sugar cookie roll
1/2 package (16 oz) Nestle Toll House refrigerated dark chocolate peppermint cookie dough 
12 Andes or 12 Hershey's Candy Cane Kisses

Directions:
*Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 12 cup cupcake pan.
*Open sugar cookie roll and cut into 12 even slices. With your finger, press one slice into and up the sides of each well in the prepared cupcake pan.
*Take 12 squares of the chocolate peppermint cookie dough and form each into a ball, then flatten slightly and place each into one of the sugar cookie cups.
*Bake for 20 minutes.
*Remove from oven. 
*Immediately put a mint candy into the center of each cookie cup.
*If using an Andes, once it melts, use a knife to spread the melted candy around the center of the cookie cup. 
*If using the kisses, you can spread them around with a knife once melted or leave as is.
*Gently run a knife around the edge of each cookie cup, then allow to set until cool until removing from the pan.



Friday, November 25, 2016

Funny Friday: Strange Bedfellows

Today’s post is this month’s Funny Friday, a regular feature published on the last Friday of every month. Funny Friday is a collaborative project. Each month one of the participants submits a picture, then we all write 5 captions or thoughts inspired by that month’s picture. Links to the other bloggers’ posts are below, click on them and see what they’ve come up with. I hope we bring a smile to your face as you start your weekend.

Funny Friday: One picture, Five Captions | www.BakingInATornado.com | #MyGraphics


Here’s today’s picture. It was submitted by Sarah of Not That Sarah Michelle

Funny Friday: a group blogging challenge. One picture, five captions | Picture contributed by Sarah of Not That Sarah Michelle | Fearured on www.BakingInATornado.com | #humor #funny #laugh



1. Cat to dog: Enough cuddling, The Real Housewives are on and I want to see who's bitch slapping whom.


2. Dog to cat: You're taking your life into your hands if you dare try to change that channel. Brady's got the ball again.

3. Cat to self: Why can't I stop singing that song:
"Ebony and Ivory, living in perfect harmony."

4. Cat to dog: Hey buddy, you need a shave. I'm going to end up with one hell of a body rash.

5. Cat to her dog boyfriend: Love that you invited me over to spend a quiet evening watching movies with you but I'm getting hungry. Got any mice?


Speaking of hungry, here's what's been going on in my kitchen. Mouse free, of course: 



Chocolate Andes Cake, a dense chocolate cake flavored and decorated with mint | Recipe developed by www.BakingInATornado.con | #recipe #chocolate #mint #cake
  Chocolate Andes Cake
Chocolate Andes Cake, a dense chocolate cake flavored and decorated with mint | Recipe developed by www.BakingInATornado.con | #recipe #chocolate #mint #cake
 
  

Click on the links below and let some other bloggers make you smile:

The Bergham Chronicles  

 Dinosaur Superhero Mommy
Not That Sarah Michelle
 Spatulas on Parade 

Baking In A Tornado signature/logo | www. Baking In A Tornado.com | #MyGraphics


Chocolate Andes cake
                                                                     ©www.BakingInATornado.com
 
 
Ingredients:
1 box devil's food cake mix
3 eggs
1/2 cup water
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup oil
1 tsp mint extract
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped Andes mints

4 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 stick butter, softened
1/2 tsp mint extract
1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
up to 3 TBSP milk
1 TBSP chocolate syrup 
1 TBSP unsweetened cocoa
green food coloring

additional chocolate syrup
8 - 10 Andes mints, cut in half

Directions:
*Grease and flour a bundt pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
*Beat cake mix, eggs, water, sour cream, oil and mint extract for 3 minutes.
*Mix in 1/2 cup chopped Andes and mini chocolate chips.
*Place into prepared pan and bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until center springs back to the touch.
*Cool for 15 minutes in the pan before removing to serving plate. Cool completely.
*Beat the cream cheese, butter and mint extract until smooth. Slowly and carefully beat in the powdered sugar. Add the milk, one TBSP at a time, until the frosting is still thick but can be drizzled in thick ribbons. Divide in half.
*To half of the frosting, add 1 TBSP unsweetened cocoa and 1 TBSP chocolate syrup. To the other half, add 2 - 4 drops of green food coloring.
*Place the frostings separately into 2 piping bags or plastic ziploc bags (snip the corner). Pipe the frosting up and down the sides of the cake. Drizzle with a little chocolate syrup around the cake and decorate the top with the Andes mint halves.

Tuesday, November 22, 2016

A Royal Flush

I've mentioned this before, I mostly write my blog posts a month in advance. This month just hasn't worked out that way. But if I wanted to post something today and, after all, I had made a lovely new recipe and couldn't wait to share it, I needed to get to it. With Thanksgiving coming up fast, I needed to have this done at least the week before. So last week I put it on my to-do list. "Write Tuesday's Post". No longer on the "pencil" to-do list, this was written in magic marker. Like, "don't go to bed without getting this done". 

So I sat down to write and found myself at a real loss. It had been a pisser of a week. And, sadly, that pun is intended.

Royal Flush, Murphy's Law kicked up a notch | www.BakingInATornado.com | #funny #MyGraphics


On Monday the handle on the toilet in the basement broke and the toilet would not flush. Hubs had worked late but after work went out to buy a new handle and was able to get the toilet fixed. A pain in the butt and a long exhausting day for Hubs but it was handled (yeah, another pun, sue me).

On Tuesday I innocently went out to get the mail. Big mistake. When I took a look at my credit card bill it was clear there was a problem. Apparently I'd been purchasing hundreds of dollars worth of baby snacks at target(dot)com and having them sent to an address in St. Louis. NOT. An hour and 4 phone calls later I was shredding my credit card and both Target and Visa had a fraud report.

On Wednesday one of the sinks in the boys' bathroom would not turn off. It wasn't dripping either, it was running. I had to shut the water off at the valve. We had just bought both new faucets and had a plumber install them in June. Hubs had to go out and buy another faucet, which will not be an expense as we'll return the broken one, but we will have to pay the plumber to come out again to pull out the old one and put in the new one.

On Thursday our lawn guy came to put down the final treatment for this season and pre-emergent for next year. We thought he'd already come. We had shut down and drained the sprinkler system. It needed to be watered in. No rain in sight, of course.

On Friday the chain from the brand new toilet handle broke. Oh crap. Literally. 

This whole damn week has been a royal flush. Not the winning poker hand kind, the toilets are my enemy kind.

Then on Sunday I put my Maple Pineapple Crock Pot Pork Tenderloin on to cook and headed for the airport.


Maple Pineapple Pork Tenderloin, pork tenderloin wrapped in bacon with sweet potatoes and pineapple slow cooked in an easy sauce. | Recipe developed by www.BakingInATornado.com | #recipe #CrockPot #dinner

Maple Pineapple Crock Pot Pork Tenderloin
Maple Pineapple Pork Tenderloin, pork tenderloin wrapped in bacon with sweet potatoes and pineapple slow cooked in an easy sauce. | Recipe developed by www.BakingInATornado.com | #recipe #CrockPot #dinner
 (going into the crock pot)


And when that plane landed and I saw my youngest walking towards me, that royal flush was no longer of the week long toilet issues kind. I had a winning hand.

I wish you all the happiest of Thanksgivings.


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





Maple Pineapple Crock Pot Pork Tenderloin
                                                                          ©www.BakingInATornado.com
 
Printable Recipe
 
Ingredients:
2 - 2 1/2# Pork tenderloin
salt, pepper
1 (16 oz) package thick cut bacon slices
3 large sweet potatoes
1/2 cup cranraisins
1 (20 oz) can pineapple chunks
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/3 TBSP balsamic vinegar 

Directions:
*Spray the inside of your slow cooker with nonstick spray.
*Sprinkle pork tenderloin with salt and pepper. Place in the slow cooker and wrap with the bacon slices, tucking the ends under the tenderloin.
*Peel and cube sweet potatoes. Place into slow cooker around the tenderloin. Sprinkle the sweet potatoes with cranraisins.
*Drain the pineapple chunks reserving the juice. Place the pineapple chunks over the cranraisins.
*Whisk the reserved pineapple juice with the maple syrup and balsamic vinegar. Pour over all of the food in the slow cooker.
*Cook for 1 hour on high, then 1 1/2 hours on low. Carefully turn the meat over, stir the fruit and vegetables and cook on high for an hour.
*Turn the meat back over, lower the temperature again and cook another 1 1/2 hours. Check temperature of the pork to be sure it is at least 145 degrees (145 degrees is more rare, 160 degrees is medium). Remove the tenderloin, slice and serve with the fruits and vegetables. Drizzle with the sauce.

Friday, November 18, 2016

Fly on the Wall: I Said Balls?

Welcome to a monthly Fly on the Wall group post. Today 7 bloggers are inviting you to catch a glimpse of what you’d see if you were a fly on the wall in our homes. Come on in and buzz around my house. At the end of my post you’ll find links to this month’s other participants’ posts.


Fly on the Wall | www.BakingInATornado.com | #MyGraphics



College Boy (calling to me as he walks up the stairs): Do you want a swastika?

My heart stops cold. What the hell? How could he? Has he been radicalized by all the hate he sees around us these days? No, he's thoughtful and level headed, it can't be.

College boy comes up the stairs and says it again: Do you want a swastika?

In his hand he's holding what must have fallen off of one of the shampoo bottle I'd put into the downstairs bathroom, a Suave sticker.



Fly on the Wall | www.BakingInATornado.com | #MyGraphics


I did not grow up in the Midwest and I think because of that I'm especially fearful of tornadoes, they're new to me. But my kids grew up with the warnings. Didn't mean anything to them. They'd grab a few things and head down to the basement where we've got a TV, pool table, fridge, bedroom and full bath.

I think it's better to have the fear than to be complacent. Like when College Boy called me on the phone last week.

College Boy: Hi, Ma. Had a minute and thought I'd call you.
Me: I can barely hear you.
College Boy: Yeah, I'm standing outside. It's really windy.
Me: What is that I hear? Wait. Are those tornado sirens?
College Boy: Yeah, they've been going off for a few minutes now.
Me: Get off this phone. Get inside. Somewhere safe. Now.
College Boy: Jeez, I don't call and you get mad. I call and you get mad. No pleasing you.

He may have said something else, I'm not sure, I'd hung up.



Fly on the Wall | www.BakingInATornado.com | #MyGraphics



I was on my cell phone responding to a comment on my Baking In A Tornado Facebook page.

You know how, when you write a word, your cell tries to figure out what you might want to say and gives you 3 word or multi-word suggestions to choose from based on what you've texted in the past?

Well, I wrote the word "I". My three suggestions from my cell? On the right, "think", on the left "want", and in the center "said balls."

Huh?


Fly on the Wall | www.BakingInATornado.com | #MyGraphics


Speaking of balls, I had developed this new recipe for Biscoff Apple Bourbon Balls. I had to ask College Boy if he wanted to one.

Me: Do you want one of my balls?
College Boy: No thanks.
Me: Are you sure?
College Boy: Yeah, I'm good.
Me: But I have the best balls.
College Boy: I'll pass.
Me: They're "uge".
College Boy: Stop.
Me: No one has better balls than me.
College Boy: {{silence}}.
Me: Just ask Trump.
College Boy: {{groan}}.
Me: We can discuss it in the next debate.

{{ . . . and College Boy exits the room . . . }}

{{ ba dum tss }}. I'll be here all week, folks.


Biscoff Apple Bourbon Balls, a take off on a long time favorite cookie. No bake, quick and easy to make, so much flavor | Recipe developed by www.BakingInATornado.com | #recipe #holiday #cookies
Biscoff Apple Bourbon Balls
Biscoff Apple Bourbon Balls, a take off on a long time favorite cookie. No bake, quick and easy to make, so much flavor | Recipe developed by www.BakingInATornado.com | #recipe #holiday #cookies
(Thank you Jenniy, for being my muse on this one)


I was sitting on the couch, minding my own business working on my laptop when I turned my head and looked out the front door. I was surprised to see a truck sitting right in front of my house. It was running, there was a guy in it and he was eating. Strange. 

Twenty minutes later he's still there.

Hubs walks by, sees me looking out the door and realizes the guy is just sitting there.

Hubs: That's weird. How long has that guy been sitting there?
Me: I noticed him about 20 minutes ago.
Hubs: Why is he sitting in front of our house? Is he casing the joint?

Ten minutes later he's still there. College Boy walks by, looks out and the guy is cleaning his glasses, then opens a notebook and starts writing.

College Boy: Stake-out. Let me know if you see him pee in a jar.

Fly on the Wall, is this guy spying on me? | www.BakingInATornado.com | #funny #humor

OK, who is so desperate to see what new recipes I'm making that they hired this guy to spy on me?   

Fly on the Wall | www.BakingInATornado.com | #MyGraphics


I wrote a post last month about the new knife set I got when Hubs' company mistakenly thought he was retiring. 

Me: That knife set may have been free, but the amount I'm spending on bandaids sure is getting up there.
Hubs: Be careful, they're new and very sharp. But you've been saying you don't have knives that will cut through meat, now you do.
Me: Yeah, the thing is, the meat I had in mind wasn't me.


Fly on the Wall | www.BakingInATornado.com | #MyGraphics


Hubs came downstairs one morning to find me standing by the sliding door shuddering, with a stricken look on my face.

Took a while to calm me down, but I think I'm still shuddering.

The night before as I was heading up to bed, I'd shut all the lights off but remembered I hadn't put the stick down to block the door. I couldn't see, but felt for the stick and as I was putting it down remember thinking "I wonder why there's a bump on the end of the stick". I went to bed.

The next morning I woke up and went to open the slider. I raised the stick, leaned it along the side and started to shudder. Did I touch that? Was it still alive then?

I've got the heebie-jeebies now just looking at the picture.

Spoiler Alert, Jules: I know you can't deal with spiders so scroll quickly past this picture:


Fly on the Wall: I Said Balls? | BakingInATornado.com


Fly on the Wall | www.BakingInATornado.com | #MyGraphics


I often make my quick breads 2 loaves at a time. Sometimes they disappear almost as quickly as I bake them and sometimes I end up freezing one loaf. When I freeze one, I always date them so I know when they were baked.

I went to the freezer the other day to take out a loaf of Cinnamon Cranraisin Pumpkin Bread I knew was there. Checking the date to be sure it hadn't been in there too long, I found that I'd labeled it 12-22-16. Ummm, good job, Karen. Pretty sure I didn't bake it a month from now.


Fly on the Wall | www.BakingInATornado.com | #MyGraphics


We had a bad plumbing month this month. The toilet on the main floor wouldn't stop running and Hubs had to replace some parts.

Then one of the faucets in the upstairs kids' bathroom wouldn't shut off. We had to call a plumber for this one (and were furious because we'd just had the faucet put in a few months ago).

Next, the basement bathroom flush handle broke and had to be replaced. I was almost afraid to tell Hubs.

Hubs: I'm just going to blow up all of our bathrooms.
Me: That could get ugly.
Hubs: I don't care.
Me: Are you going to build an outhouse in the backyard? Are we going to go all Alaska: The Last Frontier?
Hubs: No way. Just go to the neighbors.
Me: And how will that work? "Hello, we blew up our bathrooms, can we use yours? May as well give us a key, sometimes we go in the middle of the night"?
Hubs: Yeah, they may not go for that.
Me: So you're thinking maybe you better not blow up the bathrooms?
Hubs: No, I'm thinking you better start baking, the neighbors are gonna need bribes.



Fly on the Wall | www.BakingInATornado.com | #MyGraphics

Not as many funny conversations going on this month. Well, that's not true, more like not as many funny conversations being reported this month. You see, my baby will be home in THREE days and I am all consumed by the countdown. I've been counting since he left in August (August 13th, to be exact). He's been gone a long time (96 days as of today, to be exact) and I've been counting down the days until I had him back in my home. And now we're three days out. I just might be really really excited.


Now click on the links below for a peek into some other homes:



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


Biscoff Apple Bourbon Balls
                                                                       ©www.BakingInATornado.com
 
Printable Recipe
 
Ingredients:
1 package (8.8 oz) Biscoff cookies
2/3 cup pecans
1/4 cup Nutella
1 1/4 cup powdered sugar, divided
2 TBSP baking cocoa, divided
2 TBSP light corn syrup
1/3 cup Jim Beam Apple

Directions:
*Place cookies and pecans in a food processor until finely crushed.
*Remove to a bowl and mix in Nutella, 3/4 cup powdered sugar, 1 TBSP baking cocoa, corn syrup and Jim Beam Apple.
*Roll into about 24 balls, about 3/4 inch in diameter each.
*Mix together the remaining 1/2 cup powdered sugar and 1 TBSP baking cocoa. Roll the balls in this mixture. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.

Tuesday, November 15, 2016

Love You Ma

If there's one thing a momma never gets tired of hearing, it's "I love you"s from their kids. At any time, any place, any age, instant warming of the heart.

You all know that my oldest isn't far from home but my youngest, PurDude, is in college 700 miles away. I'm grateful to be living in an age of cell phones (well, except last spring when we sent PurDude back to school with a brand new cell phone we'd barely started paying for, and are still paying for, FYI, which he immediately and unceremoniously dropped in the toilet).

I digress.

But the truth is, once I had sent him his old cell to reactivate, I could once again take comfort in knowing I can reach him at any time. And more important, that he can reach me. There have been times since he left, really heart wrenching times, when I was so grateful we could be in touch no matter where he was. Including in the hospital.

And texting. An amazing tool. No one has to worry about a convenient time to talk. Just shoot off a short text, get one back and abracadabra, you're in touch.

Except when you start to suspect you're not.

Love You Ma, a humorous look at texting with college students | Graphic by www.BakingInATornado.com | #parenting #funny #MyGraphics
   
Back to the "I love you"s. I was getting a lot of them. In fact, they were suspiciously similar. Same exact wording. Same exact spelling. Same exact punctuation. Sometimes I got them almost the instant I sent my text.

Hmmm.

I know you can have incoming emails responded to automatically with a predetermined response. I'm starting to suspect you can do that with texts too. Lately I've been putting my hypothesis to the test. Collecting data. Analyzing. Hoping to be proven wrong, of course. Here they are. Randomly chosen texts between PurDude and I. A few from each month since he left for school.

August

My text: Miss you already.
PurDude: Ok, love you ma.

My text: Tried a new recipe today. Cinnamon Biscoff Gingerbread Squares. Don't you wish you were here to taste test?
PurDude: Ok, love you ma.


Cinnamon Biscoff Gingerbread Squares, a Gingerbread cookie crust with a chewy center and biscoff cookie topping | Recipe developed by www.BakingInATornado.com | #recipe #Thanksgiving #dessert

Cinnamon Biscoff Gingerbread Squares
Cinnamon Biscoff Gingerbread Squares, a Gingerbread cookie crust with a chewy center and biscoff cookie topping | Recipe developed by www.BakingInATornado.com | #recipe #Thanksgiving #dessert



September

My text: Be careful at that concert in Chicago. Especially driving home with your friends late at night.
PurDude: Ok, love you ma.

My text: How are your classes going?
PurDude: Ok, love you ma.


October

My text: Thank you for not breaking your leg again on my birthday this year, LOL.
PurDude: Ok, love you ma.

My text: Happy Halloween. Is your house having a party?
PurDude: Ok, love you ma.

My text: Your brother says I'm ugly.
PurDude: Ok, love you ma.

My text: I miss you so much.
PurDude: Ok, love you ma.
Me: Love you too, honey.
PurDude: Ok, love you ma.
Me: Not your dad, though. He never much cared for you.
PurDude: Ok, love you ma.



November

My text: Don't bother coming home for Thanksgiving.
PurDude: Ok, love you ma.  
Me: I've left home.
PurDude: Ok, love you ma.
Me: To join the circus. 
PurDude: Ok, love you ma.
Me: I'm walking the high wire. 
PurDude: Ok, love you ma.
Me: Naked. 
PurDude: Ok, love you ma.
Me: Had to clean out your savings account for moving expenses.
PurDude: Ok, love you ma.  
Me: And I'm in love. 
PurDude: Ok, love you ma.
Me: With the bearded woman.
PurDude: Ok, love you ma.

What do you think? I'm on to something here, aren't I? 

{{sob}}

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





Cinnamon Biscoff Gingerbread Squares
                                                                          ©www.BakingInATornado.com
 
Printable Recipe
 
Ingredients:
1 stick butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg, room temperature
2 TBSP molasses
2 cups flour
2 tsp cinnamon 
2 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves

1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup cinnamon baking chips
12 Biscoff cookies 

Directions:
*Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 X 13 baking pan.
*Beat butter, sugar, brown sugar, molasses and egg until creamy.
*Mix in flour, cinnamon, ginger and cloves. Set aside 1/2 cup.
*Press the rest of the dough into and barely up the sides of the prepared pan. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven but leave oven on.
*Crush the Biscoff cookies.
*Place the sweetened condensed milk and the cinnamon chips in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave for about 1 minute or until smooth when stirred. Mix in 3/4 cup of the cookie crumbs.
*Pour over the baked crust. Sprinkle with the remaining cookie crumbs. Dot the top with the reserved dough.
*Bake for 30 minutes. Cool completely before slicing.

Friday, November 11, 2016

Use Your Words: Plausible Deniability

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 | 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: bare ~ lies ~ circumstance ~ grass ~ email ~ silence
They were submitted by Jenniy of Climaxed.

                          
I used to start these posts by using all the words in just a few sentences. It's an added level to the challenge and, honestly, if the post doesn't work out the way I want . . . well . . . technically I've completed my contractual obligation.

So . . . 

If circumstances found me bare naked in the tall (or short for that matter) backyard grass, I'd be forced to tell lies about having been there. You know, a flat out denial (and possibly a threat of suit for slander) to silence anyone traumatized by the incident who may have witnessed my momentary lapse in judgement. 

Unless a picture were to arrive by email . . . then I'm screwed.


Grilled Nutella Crunch Sandwich, a crispy crunchy ooey gooey nutella sandwich dipped in a crunchy topping and grilled in a saute pan | Recipe developed by www.BakingInATornado.com | #recipe #sandwich

Grilled Nutella Crunch Sandwich
Grilled Nutella Crunch Sandwich, a crispy crunchy ooey gooey nutella sandwich dipped in a crunchy topping and grilled in a saute pan | Recipe developed by www.BakingInATornado.com | #recipe #sandwich


It started like any other day. I was in the kitchen playing with food, trying to see if my latest recipe idea would work out in the execution. College Boy had put the finishing touches onto the vision for the dish, choosing the cereal to dip the sandwich into, as I had been at a loss. He was now there as my captive taste tester.

In my defense I have to tell you that this growing old thing is kicking my butt. I'm forced to learn to function normally with all kinds of aggravations, basically with one hand tied behind my back. It's especially challenging when I'm in the kitchen, oven on, chopping and cooking and trying to do what I've always done, cook and bake. 

Impatience. Well, lets just say I've never been known for my patience to start with. But it's worse when I have to hold myself back from throwing a cake against the wall. 

Farsightedness. What a pain in the a$$ this has turned out to be. I'm already wearing contacts but I have to put on my glasses to read my notes, take off the glasses to start the recipe, put on my glasses to read the next part, take off the glasses to make the next part. But it's worse when I have to hold myself back from throwing the glasses down the disposal.

Hot flashes. Holy crap, these are killer. They come on without any warning and I'm broiling from the inside out. But it's worse when I have to hold myself back from whipping off my clothes and jumping out the window.  

So . . . 

If circumstances found me bare naked in the tall (or short for that matter) backyard grass, I'd be forced to tell lies about having been there. You know, a flat out denial (and possibly a threat of suit for slander) to silence anyone traumatized by the incident who may have witnessed my momentary lapse in judgement. 

Unless a picture were to arrive by email . . .then I'm screwed.



Here are links to all the other Use Your Words posts:



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Grilled Nutella Crunch Sandwich
                                                                          ©www.BakingInATornado.com

 
Ingredients (per sandwich):
2 slices bread
2 - 3 TBSP Nutella
1 egg
1 cup Cap'n Crunch's Peanut Butter Crunch cereal 
1 TBSP butter 

Directions:
*Freeze the bread. This makes it easier to work with.
*Finely crush the peanut butter crunch cereal. Place on a plate.
*In a bowl, whisk egg with 1 TBSP water.
*Remove bread from freezer and spread Nutella onto one slice. Cover with the other side and press gently.
*Dip one side of the sandwich in the egg mixture. Flip over and dip the other side.
*Place the sandwich onto the cereal crumbs. Press gently to coat the bread. Flip the sandwich over and gently press the other side into the cereal crumbs.
*In a saucepan, melt half of the butter over medium heat until hot. Place the sandwich in the pan and cook until the cereal browns and crisps. Reduce heat a little if it gets too hot too fast.
*Remove the sandwich to a plate. Melt the other half of the butter in the pan. Place the sandwich back in the pan, uncooked side down and cook until this side browns and crisps too.