Friday, January 12, 2018

Voluntarily Housebound: 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. 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, a multiblogger writing 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: dark ~ cold ~ snowy ~ housebound ~ fire
They were submitted by Diane of On the Border.
                         
Are these the perfect words for this time of year or what? I wrote recently about how much I hate the January doldrums, the whole let down from the holidays. These words Diane gave me could easily have been used in that post. When it's dark, cold and snowy out, I tend to be voluntarily housebound, preferring sitting by the fire to venturing out. Winter clothes, winter foods, nothing to do but wait it out.
 

Winter Breakfast Casserole, a breakfast casserole highlighting the flavors of the season including orange, cranberry and eggnog | Recipe developed by www.BakingInATornado.com | #recipe #breakfast

Winter Breakfast Casserole

Maybe it's just my age. Back when I was in college, winter didn't bother me as much, I was always up for anything. I lived just a few hours from some great ski mountains and could often be found in a lift line. But college is a time for making plans and getting out there. 

Or not making plans but getting out there anyway, like these fictional young men:

Winter camping was the plan,
ill advised though it may be.
More than just a little drunk,
plan made by college three.

Long johns, hats and triple socks
to protect them from the cold.
Out into the woods they went,
drunk can make you bold.

The dark of night may not have been
the best choice for these three.
Figured out the third time that
they smacked into a tree.

Build a fire was the plan,
smart they thought they were.
Turns out the only firewood
still attached to Pine and Fir.

And then the first one had to pee,
easier said than done.
Wobbling in a snowy bank,
turns out it wasn't fun.

Home next day some friends stopped by,
"Come with us, snowboard and ski".
"Enjoy yourselves", still cold boys said,
Housebound is where we'll be.


Happy winter, everyone. Stay warm out there!


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

Bookworm in the Kitchen
On the Border
Cognitive Script
 Part-time Working Hockey Mom
The Bergham Chronicles
Southern Belle Charm 
Climaxed
The Blogging 911 
                                                                

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Winter Breakfast Casserole
                                               ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Ingredients:
8 eggs
2/3 cup milk
2/3 cup eggnog
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup orange liqueur (can skip, if desired)
1 tsp orange zest
1/2 tsp salt
1 box (16 oz) frozen french toast sticks
3 oz cream cheese
1 box (16 oz) frozen cinnamon french toast sticks
5 slices bacon, cooked and chopped
1/2 cup cranraisins
1 cup frozen blueberries
OPT: powdered sugar for serving

Directions:
*Grease a 9 X 13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
*In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, eggnog, maple syrup, orange liqueur (if using), orange zest and salt. 
*Spread the cream cheese onto one side of each of the frozen french toast sticks. Cut into quarters.
*Cut the frozen cinnamon french toast sticks into quarters.
*Add all of the chopped french toast sticks, bacon, cranraisins and blueberries to the bowl. Mix well. Pour into the prepared baking dish, cover with tin foil and refrigerate overnight.
*Remove the baking dish from the refrigerator one hour before baking.
*Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake for 55 minutes covered. Uncover and bake for 10 more minutes. Let sit for 5 minutes. 
*OPT: Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

12 comments:

  1. Haha, at least they really tried to do the winter thing!
    Can you imagine how much they would have loved to come home to this casserole of yours? oh, and PS: I envy you guys, you can just buy frozen cinnamon rolls and use them as a base for something. I have to make the rolls from scratch, I won't do more work on top!
    Have a wonderful weekend!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This recipe uses frozen french toast sticks, way easier to make than cinnamon rolls!

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  2. You are turning into quite the poet! I've done the winter camping thing a couple of times. Warm blankets, hot fire and lots of whiskey!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You are a brave woman. Not me, there isn't enough whiskey in the world . . .

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  3. I always think I want to live in snow country until I hear how difficult it can be. I'm not much for sweating, but perhaps it's worth it to avoid having to be homebound. The stuff I'm seeing in the news about the weather up north is horrible. Btw, that casserole looks and sounds decadent---YUM!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I really hate winter now that I can't ski, love the weather you have down there in Florida.

      Delete
  4. Recipe looks great and you know how much I dislike the cold...Even college age, I wouldn't go out in it much

    ReplyDelete
  5. I am not a fan of really cold or really hot, just saying, I would rather stay home in comfort

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I definitely prefer to be indoors in the cold dark winter, but in the summer I want to be outside, no matter the temperature.

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  6. I'm a little housebound right now, but I'll be going outside tomorrow. I don't do well with being housebound, but today was an exception. Happy winter! Alana ramblinwitham.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hope you had a happy day indoors and that it's not too cold out tomorrow.

      Delete

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