Tuesday, February 25, 2020

Call Me Bob the Build It and They Will Come

Just call me Bob the Builder. Except my name's not Bob. And I can't build, well, anything. Actually, is there a word for someone who's the opposite of handy? Inept? Clumsy? Yeah, that's me. I'm not allowed near tools. I'm even dangerous with a glue gun.

I guess I should start with a little background:

Unfortunately, I've had this earworm lately. Not the same earworm I talked about in my post a few weeks ago. That time it was "Eensie Weensie Spider". I know what you're thinking, but in my defense, you don't get to pick your earworms.

What's been going through my head lately though, probably wouldn't meet the parameters for an earworm since it isn't actually a song. It's a line from a movie. Not even that, really, but an overused (and actually incorrect) version of one. 

Maybe I better go back a little further:

We've had a lot of bad luck lately. Last weekend it came in threes, as it often does. And every time I've tried to calm myself down and figure it out, what I'd hear in my head was "build it and they will come." Huh? Really? I haven't got enough problems, I need cryptic subconscious messages too?

Of course, "If you build it, he will come" is the actual quote but, again, I didn't pick this phrase, nor ask it to run through my brain like a hamster on a wheel. I am at the mercy of my mind, and that can be a terrifying thing.

I just want to be on the record as saying that all earworms should be required to be melodious. I mean, if I have to be tortured, I should at least be able to hum along, right? Apparently not. {{sigh}}.

Back to the whole builder thing. The third of our issues started with a visit from our next door neighbor (note to self: when going through a bad luck streak, it might be wise to just not answer the door). "Have you seen the side of your house?" Ken asked. That sounded ominous. And, of course, it was. Somehow our sump pump, which drains there (and has, successfully, for over 20 years), decided to dig a canyon in our side yard along the shrub line. Perfect. And all of the soil that had been there had become a mudslide (and not the yummy cocktail kind), partly on our lawn and partly on our neighbor's. 

Flooded side yard | Picture property of www.BakingInATornado.com


Imagine Hubs' surprise when we sat down to figure out what to do about the situation and my answer was "build it and they will come." 

"Listen," Hubs said, "I'm going to have to put off having you committed until later, for now I need to deal with the yard."

He went off to the home improvement store and I went into the kitchen. There I know I could start building a new recipe that would get my mind off of the stress and block out any baseball movie sayings.


Tropical Rugelach is cream cheese based dough, topped with a sweet filling and rolled up crescent style. Featuring orange, pineapple and ginger this cookie makes you long for summer. | Recipe developed by www.BakingInATornado.com | #recipe #bake

Tropical Rugelach
Tropical Rugelach is cream cheese based dough, topped with a sweet filling and rolled up crescent style. Featuring orange, pineapple and ginger this cookie makes you long for summer. | Recipe developed by www.BakingInATornado.com | #recipe #bake


Later (and calmer), we checked out each others' work. He had built an aquaduct. I had built a new cookie (well, a new version of an old cookie). And when it comes to a day's work, I won.

Because although his build solved a serious problem (well, temporarily) . . . no one came. My cookies, as always, are another story completely. My build brought Hubs, my older son, the neighbors (and I think I saw a few dogs scratching at the front door too). 

Just call me Bob the Builder.

Now if I could just figure out how to build summer. Think I could do that with legos?



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Tropical Rugelach         
                                                       ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 small block (4 oz) cream cheese, room temperature
1 stick butter, room temperature
2 TBSP orange juice
1 1/4 cups flour

powdered sugar for rolling

1/4 cup orange marmalade
1/4 cup sweetened dried pineapple, chopped
1/4 cup ginger snap cookie crumbs (can substitute vanilla wafer crumbs and 1/4 tsp dried ginger)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup brown sugar

1 egg beaten with 1 TBSP water
2 - 3 TBSP sugar

Directions:
*Cream the softened cream cheese, butter and orange juice. Starting at the lowest speed, incorporate the flour. Form into a ball, using a spoon or your hands, and cut in half. Place each half on a separate piece of plastic wrap, flatting into a disk, encase completely in the plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour.
*Mix together the orange marmalade, chopped pineapple, ginger snap cookie crumbs, cinnamon and brown sugar.
*Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
*Sprinkle powdered sugar over 2 pieces of parchment paper, then roll each dough half out, individually, with plastic wrap over the top. You want to end up with an approximately 9 inch circle.
*Remove plastic wrap and gently spread each circle, leaving about 1/4 inch border around the edges, with half of the orange marmalade mixture.
*Using a pizza cutter, cut, like you would a pizza, each circle into 12 slices (triangles).
*Roll each slice up like a crescent roll. Using a pastry brush, paint the tops of the cookies with the egg wash and sprinkle with sugar. Place, point side down, onto the baking sheet.
*Bake for 20 minutes or until they just barely start to brown.
*Cool for one minute before removing to cool completely.

19 comments:

  1. Now. If you can find a contractor who is willing to pay with cookies, you are all set. In case the aqueduct doesn’t work out. Alana ramblinwitham.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. If I found a contractor willing to work for cookies, I'd have him working full time and I'd be baking like crazy to keep up.

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  2. It's funny how everyone in a family processes problems differently. I'm a 'go into the kitchen and cook' type of person too.

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  3. Or maybe have a bake sale to raise money for building. That will backfire if the family eats too much of the profits, though.

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    Replies
    1. Yeah, in my house those baked goods wouldn't make it to the sale.

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  4. Food I wish I could reach into the screen and take one to taste

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  5. You think i could build a boat with LEGO?

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  6. Again tomorrow’s forecast. At least no flooding, so I may not need the boat.

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  7. Wow. Good luck with the yard.

    Hm, I've never ventured beyond basic cookies - drop or cookie cutter, with occasional forays into spritz cookies - never done filled ones.

    Will try to keep this in mind if the gas ever gets turned back on in my half of the building. Gas company found a leak. I'm glad they found it, the alternative is too awful to think about, but boy am I suddenly obsessed with all the things I can't bake right now! :D

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    Replies
    1. Isn't that always the way? Don't know what you've got until you miss it. I'm glad they found the leak though, that's terrifying.

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  8. You definitely win!
    Legos are my construction go-to. Except when you step on one. Then they are notable for their creative qualities vis-a-vis launguage.

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    Replies
    1. Yes, having Legos around is definitely a good news/bad news proposition.

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  9. You can do anything with Legos. Have you seen the new show Lego Masters?? Oh man! They are amazing.
    So what was the cause of the sump pump issue? Just something random to add excitement to your life? I know you were getting bored of normal LOL but glad it didn't run into the basement.
    love these little ... rolls?
    Dawn aka Spatulas On Parade

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. No idea why the sump pump eroded the dirt like that, but we're going to have to permanently move where the water comes out.
      And, LOL, they're cookies.

      Delete
  10. Oh no! This is one of the giant reasons why I rent! We had a sump pump as a kid and it was always causing problems. I'm not really sure of the concept. I just remember my dad cussing ours often.

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    Replies
    1. Yeah, we've had a problem or two but this is the first time we've ever had this happen.

      Delete

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