Friday, June 14, 2019

Can I Blog? Take Two: 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: sticky ~ stencils  ~ water tank ~ phone ~ airplane
They were submitted by Karen of Bookworm in the Kitchen.
                        
I don't exactly know how to fit these words into it, but I wanted you to know that today is a celebration. It's not just the 66th month in a row that I've run and participated in our Use Your Words monthly writing challenge, although that seems quite the feat in and of itself. Sometimes the words form the post almost on their own and sometimes they're a bit . . .  well . . .  sticky, but for 66 continuous months I've joined my blogging friends in meeting the challenge.

This post today is also the 800th Baking In A Tornado blog post. 800. Who knew I had that many words? Well, everyone I suppose since it seems I'm known for making a short story long, but still . . . 800 (semi)composed written pieces, including graphics I make myself, recipes I develop and pictures I take, edit and, despite varying degrees of success, publish. That's a lot of work just to amuse myself, now that I think of it.

And I'm not done there. Today, this exact day in history (well, my history anyway), is the anniversary of that water tank shed moment (does it count as using my word prompt if I cross half of it out? Oh wait, I forgot, I made the rules . . . so yes, it does). The day I chose a name (well, technically my son chose from my second choices since my first choice was taken) and wrote a post called Can I Blog?. It was scary back then, setting up a theme, picking a tag line, making a graphic, all the things I didn't know how to do. There are no stencils out there that worked as is for me, that I could just put up in the interwebs, and be happy with. I needed to feel that it represented me, not just the words but the look. So after doing and redoing and redoing and redoing every little detail, and after much trepidation, on June 14th, 2012, I finally pressed that "publish" button. It was done. I was out there. 

What started out as a 6 months at most venture, has suddenly turned into 7 years. Somehow I'm still here, still going. Thanks in part to all the stress in my life, and some very loyal blogging friends (I think you know who you are), I'm still here, still pressing that publish button. Over and over again. Fortunately with little trepidation at this point.

So how to celebrate? With baked goods, of course. I was going to post a recipe for a grilled dinner today but nope. Thought about a cake but decided against that too. Ended up choosing French Vanilla Glazed Baked Coffee Donuts. Not only did I recently write an entire blog post about my love of (well, need for) coffee but, well, donuts.



Nothing says “morning” like coffee and donuts. They’re married together in these French Vanilla Glazed Baked Coffee Donuts. | Recipe developed by www.BakingInATornado.com | #recipe #donuts

French Vanilla Glazed Baked Coffee Donuts



So can I blog? Turns out you don't have to be a brain surgeon, it's not even (as I may have envisioned all those years ago) as hard as landing an airplane (not that I'd know, but I had to use the word). Hell, these days you can even do it from your phone. Whatever blogging is, or isn't, it seems that I am, in fact, doing it. Whether or not I'm doing it successfully? Well, that's up to you.


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

French Vanilla Glazed Baked Coffee Donuts       
                                                       ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients (makes 15):
1 tsp instant coffee granules
1/4 cup brewed coffee
1 3/4 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
6 TBSP butter, melted and cooled slightly
3/4 cup buttermilk
2 eggs, room temperature

1 1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
4 - 5 TBSP French Vanilla creamer

Directions:
*Mix the instant coffee granules into the brewed coffee, stir to dissolve and set aside to cool.
*Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Grease 15 donut pan cups.
*Whisk together the flour, sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
*Separately, whisk together the milk, coffee and eggs, then the melted butter. Add to the flour mixture, just until incorporated.
*Spoon or pipe evenly into the prepared donut pan(s). Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the center springs back to the touch. Cool in the pans for 5 minutes before removing.
*Whisk together the powdered sugar, vanilla and as much French Vanilla creamer as is needed to get the mixture to a glaze consistency. Drizzle evenly over the warm donuts. 

16 comments:

  1. Happy Anniversary on so many blog accomplishments. You have certainly been the one to push me along with encouragement and positivity. Has it been 7 years since we met on Bloggers? Unreal. Keep going, girl. You're doing great! Plus, you know me and my obsession over donuts! Love you.

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    1. Thank you, Michele, for being my very first blogger friend, for always being in my corner, and for being my challenge muse. Love you too!

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  2. Happy blogversary, dear Karen
    Time flies while you're having fun, right?
    My 800th post and 7 year anniversary is coming up as well. I think I remember when we said our blogs were toddlers. They're full blown elementary students now, jeez!
    Thank you for hosting these challenges, I really enjoy them. Have a great weekend!

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    Replies
    1. I knew your 7 year anniversary was coming up too. You, Dawn and I all started right around the same time.

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  3. 7yrs is amazing, bloging is so much fun, I love it

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    1. It has its ups and downs, but it sure does keep me busy and amused.

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  4. Congratulations! Here's to many more.

    My first blog was a 'thing a day' challenge. When that challenge ended I was hooked on blogging and didn't want to stop. So here I am 11 years later, still hitting that Publish button.

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  5. Putting your work out there was a great idea. I had a similar story. I had been blogging for a me, myself and I for a while there and then I decided to blog for the public, not knowing about blog hops, it was a very slow running. I had no idea what I was doing and my early years were quite embarrassing. He- he.

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  6. Not only have you done it. You've done it well! :)

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    Replies
    1. Thank you for the continued support, Diane. So glad to have "met" you.

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  7. Big milestones all on the same day?! Well miss overachiever! LOL
    I'm so glad that 7 years ago I found you on Facebook, started reading your blog and became your friend. I can't imagine doing this thing called 'blogging' with out you. Happy Blogiversary, happy 800th post and 66 months of writing challenges. Whew that's a lot.

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    Replies
    1. I'm so glad you found me too. And happy 7th blogiversary (almost) to you too!

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