Tuesday, September 29, 2020

Easy Does It, Work In Progress

My grandfather ( ליה השלום ) had a favorite saying. It was "easy does it."


Or maybe that was just his most used saying around me. I've always tended to be a bull in a china shop kinda girl.

But his point, better understood with maturity, has come to be not just about patience but a life lesson about mitigation, tempering the absolute.

Much of what I've tried to teach my boys, to model for them in my life, may not be what's expected. I don't swallow memes whole and spit them back out. Even absolutes like "don't hate." What they choose to internalize and what they choose to reject is, at this point, up to them, but my hope is that for them it's a process, it certainly has, and continues to be, for me. 

Lessons learning, as opposed to learned because we are, after all, a work in progress:


1) Don't scorn anyone who has not personally given you a reason:

~ Conversely, it's OK to dislike someone who has earned it. Hate is a sharp word, but let's not pretend it's wrong to use your experiences and your judgement to decide who belongs in your life and who does not. Taking a step back from what's harmful or hurtful, not being a doormat in a relationship that isn't symbiotic is actually a way to value yourself.

~ Confrontation isn't the best strategy here, avoidance it.

2) People change, have the grace to give them a second chance, but it's perfectly acceptable that you require they earn it.

~ Just as it's not in our best interest to be in toxic situations or have hurtful people in our lives, we also need to leave that door open just a crack. I've certainly needed to be afforded that opportunity.

Egalitarianism, I've come to realize, requires tipping the scales in order to balance them. I often responded to "Black Lives Matter" with "All Lives Matter." It came from a good place but many may not have heard it the way I meant it. They may have felt that I wasn't someone they wanted in their inner circle. College Boy helped me to understand how an answer I thought was all inclusive was actually insensitive. I hope that anyone I offended will give me another chance. The response to "all lives matter" that I've been seeing that resonates with me is "all lives can't matter until black lives matter." Well said.

I also want to address "Blue Lives Matter." Yes, they do. But Black Lives Matter and Blue Lives Matter have become a tug of war, taken on the inference that there's a need for one side to win and the other to lose. This serves no one.

Although I believe there needs to be a systemic change in police training to focus on "protect and serve," the deficits in the training with which our police force is currently equipped does not make all police bad people. Chances are, if they are bad people after police training, they were bad peole before training. Part of the systemic change also needs to be in higher standards in terms of character, weeding out those who might have a propensity to abuse power. The response to the current crisis in policing that I've been seeing that speaks to my point of view is "we train them to be military, then send them out to be social workers." Well said.

And to the preponderance of law enforcement officers who are decent people, making a difference, keeping us safe sometimes at the risk of their own lives, if you are made to feel unappreciated, please give us all another chance. Growth and change are not a judgement but a necessity in every profession.

Easy Does It, Work in Progress | graphic designed by and property of www.BakingInATornado.com | #MyGraphics #Life


3) Find a way to include without excluding.
~This can often be a challenging balance. I am in and run some FB groups out of necessity. With FB's self serving monetary-based "algorithms" blocking the majority of my friends and followers from seeing my posts, it was the only way to have the people who participate in the blogging challenges I run actually be assured to see timely announcements. Originally, though, I resisted groups. When people asked me to join theirs, I declined. It seemed to me that by including only people invited, it was also serving to exclude the people who were not. I acknowledge that some groups are a more efficient way to connect people with similar interests, but I still believe that if the original concept of FB hadn't become bastardized, forcing many of us to break off and insulate, if people could still freely see the posts of the people they've friended and the pages they took the time to like, there wouldn't be as much need for including at the price of excluding.

4) Keep what you need, give what you don't, share what you can.

~ Keep what you need: I don't believe in "give till it hurts". It's a worthy sentiment and there are people able to, even compelled to, live that way. Although I commend them, I also acknowledge that it's not for everyone. I think for some of us, were we to give till it hurts, we'd burn out. For most of us, we can best care for others if our own needs (and even some of our wants) are met. Keep what we need, that's a given.  

~ Give what you don't: There are certain things we associate with giving, like outgrown clothes and replaced appliances. There's so much more that we can do, though. Being more conscious of what we may waste, items we haven't used in too long, or, most importantly what we do with our time, all of these are opportunities. Look for them.

~ Share what you can: I always include recipes in my posts and you know I'm going to work it in here somewhere. Food is love and both food and love are easy to share. Donating to food banks has increased in importance since Covid interrupted our lives. Paying it forward in a take-out line is a fun trend that has emotional value. I've talked before about taking dinner to a family whose house flooded, about baking for the Wee Care volunteers. Food is sustenance for the body. Sharing is sustenance for the soul.

Blueberry Breakfast Bundt is a beautiful breakfast pastry, which can also be served as brunch or a snack. Perfect for company, this recipe comes together in under ½ hour. | Recipe developed by www.BakingInATornado.com | #recipe #breakfast

Blueberry Breakfast Bundt
Blueberry Breakfast Bundt is a beautiful breakfast pastry, which can also be served as brunch or a snack. Perfect for company, this recipe comes together in under ½ hour. | Recipe developed by www.BakingInATornado.com | #recipe #breakfast



~ Share what you can isn't just objects. I donate blood, I'm in the bone marrow registry, and I'm registered as an organ donor. 

Easy does it. Mitigate the absolute. Value others. Take care of you. ❤ 


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





Blueberry Breakfast Bundt
                                                         ©www.BakingInATornado.com


Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups frozen blueberries
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 tube (8 count) refrigerated butter flavored biscuits
1 TBSP butter

1 TBSP powdered sugar

Directions:
*Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a bundt pan.
*Place the frozen blueberries in a colander and run under cold water for one minute, allowing to drain into the sink. They will be partially frozen.
*Place the blueberries onto paper towels and pat the excess water off of them.
*Mix together the brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Place the blueberries in a bowl with about half of this mixture, toss together, then spread evenly into the bottom of the bundt pan.
*Take the top layers off of the biscuits and arrange, overlapping slightly, over the blueberries. Sprinkle with about 2 TBSP of the brown sugar mixture, then top with the remaining biscuit halves.
*Melt the butter and mix with the remaining brown sugar mixture. Drizzle into the pan.
*Bake for 20 minutes. Allow to sit for 15 minutes in the pan. Run a knife around the edges, place a dish on the bundt pan and flip over. Place another dish on top and flip again, so the blueberries are on the bottom. 
*Serve sprinkled with powdered sugar.

Friday, September 25, 2020

Screw Loose: Funny Friday

Funny Friday:a multi-blogger challenge: one picture, five captions,  | developed and run by www.BakingInATornado.com | #MyGraphics


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.






Here's today's picture. It was submitted by Me!


Funny Friday, a multi blogger picture captioning challenge | Picture taken by and property of.BakingInATornado.com | #funny #laugh


1. Dad (mumbling under his breath): Some assembly required, they said. It'll be easy, they said. Easy, my ass.
Son: What, daddy?
Dad: I said grass, It'll be easy to assemble on the grass.
Grandfather (under his breath): Grass, my ass. 

2. Mom (to grandmother, both watching from the kitchen): You know he'll be a teenager before they get that done. 
Grandmother: It can be his high school graduation gift.

3. Grandmother (to mom): Let's go get mani pedis. You know dear, we should find them an 8 hour project every weekend. 

4. Son: Is it done yet?
Dad: We're just starting.
Son: Now?
Dad: It's going to take some time.
Son: Is it done yet?
Dad: I think mom's calling you why don't you go see what she wants?
Son: Then it'll be done?
Dad (under his breath): If she keeps you in there till dinner time.

5. Dad (walking into the house triumphantly): It's done! There were only like 6 screws left over, I'm sure they were extras.
Mom (whispering to grandmother): If he thinks I'm putting my son on a swing that's missing screws, he's got a screw loose himself.

And now for something yummy:

 

Mocha Swirl Breakfast Puffs are simple but elegant. Light puffs are infused with coffee and chocolate flavors. | Recipe developed by www.BakingInATornado.com | #recipe #breakfast


Mocha Swirl Breakfast Puffs
Mocha Swirl Breakfast Puffs are simple but elegant. Light puffs are infused with coffee and chocolate flavors. | Recipe developed by www.BakingInATornado.com | #recipe #breakfast

 
Click on the link below for more smiles:

Southern Belle Charm 


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

Mocha Swirl Breakfast Puffs        

                                                       ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:  
1 1/2 cups milk, divided 
1 TBSP baking cocoa
1 TBSP sugar
1/4 cup brewed coffee
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
 
1/4 cup powdered sugar
 
Directions:
*Whisk the baking cocoa and sugar into the brewed coffee. Mix in 1/4 cup milk and set aside to cool.
*Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray 12 muffin tin wells with non stick spray.
*Whisk together the remaining 1 cup of milk, eggs, flour and salt. Whisk the coffee mixture one more time, then drizzle into the batter (do not stir).
*Place the muffin tin into the preheated oven for about 30 seconds, just to heat up.
*Take the pan out of the oven and quickly pour the batter evenly into the 12 wells.
*Bake for 35  minutes, without opening the oven at all.
*Run a knife around the edges and pop the puffs out of the pan (they will deflate). Sprinkle with powdered sugar to serve.

 

Tuesday, September 22, 2020

Ideal Inspiration


Ideal Inspiration Blogger Award | Feaured with permission on www.BakingInATornado.com | #MyGraphics #blogging
                    
I don't write blog award posts any more because . . . well . . . 56.                           

 
But on the occasion of my nomination for a 57th award, I've decided that at this moment in time, I have something to say about it. About ideal inspiration, past and present. In this current climate, I think it's appropriate, urgent even, that we acknowledge each other, put voice to what encourages us, sustains us.




Although I don't write a post each time I receive an award, it's not that I don't appreciate every one of these awards, I do. As I said in my 3rd award post "most of my friends know how I feel about Blog Awards. I love them. They're similar to a virtual hug, given by people who know how challenging blogging can be. That means a lot." I felt that way then and I still feel that way now.

But here's my history with blogging awards:

Just a few months after I started blogging, I was honored with my first, a Liebster Blog Award from my very first blogging friend Michele, of Follow Me Home. I gladly accepted and wrote the post. Two weeks later I wrote Really, 11 Things about Me, Too? Liebster Award, Take 2, Final Take after receiving 3 more awards, stating this would be my last post of this type, as there are only so many similar posts you can write. I updated this post every time a new honor was bestowed upon me over the next 8 months, mentioning all new awards and linking to the blogger to whom I owed thanks.

Then a whole new group of awards came my way and I wrote yet another acceptance post called A Whole New Crop. Awards received after that were added to this post, which I updated close to 20 times.

I did eventually write a few more, including the Triumph Trophy. A friend, Kristi, left me a blog comment on one of the award posts saying "You should also get an I Didn't Kill My Teenager Award today as well." Yes, I should. And so should many others, so Kristi and I developed our own reward, The Triumph Trophy, and started passing it around.

Triumph Trophy blogging award | Graphic designed by and property of www.BakingInATornado.com | #MyGraphics #blogging

That was pretty much the last one, I was done, after all, 56 is a pretty big number. So is 57, right? So why am I writing this one? 

Because now.

A few months ago I initiated a multi-blogger post to celebrate National Pink Day. I considered it the perfect opportunity to acknowledge, as I said at the time, my fellow humans of the female persuasion for stepping up to the plate during this Covid-19 nightmare.

Ideal Inspiration:

Ideal connotes excellence, perfection. Inspiration is not just about motivation, but evoking enthusiasm. Just as National Pink Day inspired me to honor women in general, this award inspires me to recognize a subset of them, bloggers, and all we have done and continue to do to reach out to each other, to support each other, and to inspire each other. Especially now.

For the rules (which I always, always bend, btw):
Rule #1. Thank and link to the person who nominated you.
~ Thank you, Mimi of Messymimi's Meanderings, for the honor and for your friendship. 

Rule #2. Display the award (see above) and link to the creator.
~ The Ideal Inspiration Blogger Award was created by Rising Star of It's All About Inspiration.


Rule #3. Answer your nominator's questions:

Q: Who is your favorite writer and what is that person's best book in your opinion?
A: All of my friends' blogs are my absolute favorite reads.

As far as books go, I'm an avid reader but mostly read for amusement. My genre of choice is mystery and as a subset of that category, I gravitate towards a humorous mystery, or one in which the protagonist is a chef or baker.



Apple Cinnamon Ring, a hot apple pie, cinnamon roll mash up. A beautiful dish that can be a breakfast, brunch, dessert or snack. | Recipe developed by www.BakingInATornado.com | #recipe #apple

Apple Cinnamon Ring

Apple Cinnamon Ring, a hot apple pie, cinnamon roll mash up. A beautiful dish that can be a breakfast, brunch, dessert or snack. | Recipe developed by www.BakingInATornado.com | #recipe #apple

I read light books predominately but not exclusively. This past winter, for instance, I read the entire Mueller Report, and even wrote a blog post, Book Review: The Mueller Report.

Q: Are you more inspired to write by what you hear in conversation, what you see, or what you read?
A: I have developed and administer 8 monthly multi-blogger writing challenges. The participation in these challenges provide the vast majority of my inspiration. As for the rest of my blog calendar, I have learned to view everything I hear, see, and read as possible fodder for a blog post.

Q: When are you at your best, mornings or evenings?
A: Evenings. Don't talk to me before my coffee. Or my shower. Or the clock hitting the noon hour, for that matter.

Q: What is your favorite thing about blogging?
A: The people, the connections, the friendships and fierce support.

Q: What is one cuisine you have never tried but want to?
A: Authentic. 

Yes, I know that's not a cuisine. Through my travels I've had the local cuisine in Israel, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Taiwan, England, Venezuela, Mexico, Canada, Korea, St. Lucia, and many of the United States including Hawaii. So although I've had French food, I've yet to try it in France. I've had Italian food but not in Italy, and enjoy Greek food but would love to try it in Greece.

Rule #4. Nominate up to 9 other bloggers and ask them 5 new questions.
~ Here's where I'm bending the rules. There is no way for me to choose, among current bloggers, which provide me with ideal inspiration more than others. You all do, in one way or another, at one time or another. If I'm the friend that I hope I am, you know who you are and you know how I feel about you. My heartfelt thanks for being in my life and making my blogging world a better place.

So . . . I'm going to nominate 9 bloggers but ask no questions (oops). These are mostly women in my original blogging tribe, back in the day, who are no longer (or very rarely) blogging. They may have moved on from the blogging community, but the friendship, the support, the late night laughs, the inspiration, it's all still with me. They continue to hold my heart and my admiration:

Michele of Follow Me Home
Ashley of Sorry Kid, Your Mom Doesn't Play Well With Others 
Bonnie of A Little Unhinged
Rhiannon of Happy Little Feet
Melissa of Home on Deranged
Stacy of Stacy Sews and Schools
Erin of Searching for Sanity
Vicky of The Greek Housewife
Jenn of My Daily Jenn-ism

I and miss you all.



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





Apple Cinnamon Ring
                                                                       ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Ingredients:
2 apples
3 TBSP melted butter
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tube refrigerated biscuits (8 count)

Directions:
*Grease a bundt pan with non-stick spray. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
*Core, peel, and slice the apples to about 1/4 inch thickness. Fan over the bottom of the pan.
*Whisk together the melted butter, brown sugar and cinnamon. Set aside about 2 TBSP of this mixture.
*Drizzle about 1/2 of the remaining mixture onto the apples.
*Open the tube of biscuits. Take the top approximately half of the layers of each biscuit off and add into the pan over the apples.
*Drizzle with the other 1/2 of the butter mixture and gently spread around. Top with the remaining bottom halves of the biscuits, and drizzle with the 2 TBSP of the butter mixture you'd set aside.
*Bake for 20 minutes. Allow to sit for 10 minutes before running a knife around the edges and inverting onto a plate.

Friday, September 18, 2020

Weeds, Rodents, and Mourning Bees: Fly on the Wall

Welcome to a monthly Fly on the Wall group post. Today 3 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, a multi-blogger writing challenge | developed and run by www.BakingInATornado.com | #MyGraphics


Hubs comes into the kitchen where I'm working at the counter.

Hubs: What are you doing?
Me: Rolling out the pizza dough. 

Hubs: Oh. What's for dinner.
Me: {{blink, blink}}.

I mean, really, what do you say to that?


Fly on the Wall, a multi-blogger writing challenge | developed and run by www.BakingInATornado.com | #MyGraphics


I was trying to stream the Red Sox game to our TV. PurDude had it set up for us with the HDMI cord attached to the TV, ready to plug into my laptop. Unfortunately I have a new laptop and the cord wouldn't fit in the port, so I had to just stream it to the laptop, not onto the TV. 

Hubs: That HDMI cord that we have that fit your last laptop is an old one, they don't even make them any more. You can just buy a new one online. 
Me: I'd probably get the wrong cord. 
Hubs: I doubt it. 
Me: I'd probably end up getting the same one we already have. 
Hubs: You couldn't even buy that old one if you tried. 
Me: Have you even met me? 

PS: That wasn't the HDMI cord I was trying to attach, but an old PC cord, we had the right HDMI cord all along, and it was attached right to the back of the TV just as PurDude had left it.


Fly on the Wall, a multi-blogger writing challenge | developed and run by www.BakingInATornado.com | #MyGraphics


We were sitting in the den watching TV when we heard a bang on the glass. We live along the woods, have a lot of windows, and knew what it was. A bird had flown into our slider and was laying on the deck. Often they are stunned, flip themselves over and fly away. Hubs and I went over to look. 

Me: He's floundering around but not getting back to his feet. 
Hubs: I know, this one may have broken his neck. 
Me (going out there with a long stick): I'm going to flip him over. 
Hubs: Be really gentle. 

I flipped him over but it didn't look good. Whenever this happens we're really sad. Later we were talking about how much we hate when this happens. 

Hubs: Now if that had been a spider, you'd have been fine with it. 
Me: If a spider ever hit our glass door that hard I'd be in the next county and still running before you even made it over to check on him. 


Fly on the Wall, a multi-blogger writing challenge | developed and run by www.BakingInATornado.com | #MyGraphics


Hubs walks in the room and I'm watching the TV.

Hubs: What are you watching?
Me: It's a fairly new show I've been hearing about, I thought I'd check it out.
Hubs: What's it about?
Me: A couple who are pregnant with triplets.
Hubs: There's really not all that much unusual about triplets, we have friends with triplets.
Me: This couple has 11 kids.
Hubs: On purpose? 
Me: Well, I'm guessing they know where babies come from. If not, someone needs to clue them in.
Hubs: Yeah, about 9 pregnancies ago.



Fly on the Wall, a multi-blogger writing challenge | developed and run by www.BakingInATornado.com | #MyGraphics



Hubs: You have some weeds in your flower pot on the back deck, I'll pull them.
Me: NO.
Hubs: No?
Me: They fill in the pot, and they have pretty flowers.
Hubs: So you're going to keep them?
Me: You gonna stop me?


He may be getting old, but turns out he can still run pretty fast.


Baked Garlic Shrimp (no butter) is baked in a garlic white wine sauce for a quick and flavorful dinner. | Recipe developed by www.BakingInATornado.com | #recipe #dinner
Baked Garlic Shrimp (no butter)
Baked Garlic Shrimp (no butter) is baked in a garlic white wine sauce for a quick and flavorful dinner. | Recipe developed by www.BakingInATornado.com | #recipe #dinner


Me: Holy crap, there's some kind of rodent in the garden by the front door.
Hubs: Oh? How do you know?
Me: I can see little droppings on the front porch, and I caught a glimpse of him scurrying away when I opened the front door. 
Hubs: You better stay out of there.
Me: But my little reading nook is in there. 
Hubs: Read on the back deck.
Me: So we're just going to turn over the side garden to him? That's your answer?
Hubs: Pretty much.



Fly on the Wall, a multi-blogger writing challenge | developed and run by www.BakingInATornado.com | #MyGraphics


Me: The birds are eating the Mullberries from the bushes in the woods and leaving purple bird poop all over the deck railing.
Hubs: I know, I saw it.
Me: I don't want them doing that any more, it's gross.
Hubs: What do you want me to do, guard the deck?
Me: Yes, thank you, that would be great.


Fly on the Wall, a multi-blogger writing challenge | developed and run by www.BakingInATornado.com | #MyGraphics


Me: I'm in mourning.
Hubs: Mourning? What happened?
Me: My giant bees are gone.
Hubs: Gone?
Me: Yes. Well at first I thought maybe I'd offended them and they just left.
Hubs: But?
Me: I just found out that they only live 2 months.

Hubs: Ummm . . . I'm sorry for your loss?



Fly on the Wall, a multi-blogger writing challenge | developed and run by www.BakingInATornado.com | #MyGraphics


Sometimes typos are funny, I like those, anything that makes me laugh, actually. But other times they are embarrassing, and I'm afraid that's the category most of mine fall into.


I was recently messaging my son and I was talking about something I'd cooked that was a favorite of his. Yes, my ulterior motive was to entice him to come home but so what, I'm not above a little blatant manipulation.

Anyway, I had wanted to say that we all enjoyed it, but that we all were acknowledging how great it would have been to have had him here. I had meant to say "We were all talking about how much you loved it."

What I did say was "We were all talking about how much you loved tit."

One letter. Just one little letter. And I am mortified! 


Fly on the Wall, a multi-blogger writing challenge | developed and run by www.BakingInATornado.com | #MyGraphics


Me: I'm going to make some muffins today.

Hubs: Ummm.
Me: Ummm?
Hubs: No offense, I'm sure they'll be delicious but I think I'll pass.
Me: Really? Why?
Hubs: I saw the ingredients and I just don't think they're for me.
Me: The ingredients? Where?
Hubs: On the counter.

Ingredients for a Fly on the Wall, a funny look at life | Picture taken by and property of www.BakingInATornado.com

The muffin papers had flattened on my baking supplies shelf, so I put them into tins and put random bottles and containers into them to try to reshape them. So no, those weren't the ingredients for the muffins.

Hmmm, should I tell him? Or not?


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

Never Ever Give Up Hope  
Menopausal Mother 





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






Baked Garlic Shrimp (no butter)       
                                                       ©www.BakingInATornado.com


Ingredients:
2# large raw shrimp
2 TBSP olive oil
2 TBSP lemon juice
1 TBSP minced garlic
1/4 cup white wine (can substitute chicken broth)
1/2 tsp stone ground mustard
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper 
2 tsp dried parsley

Directions:
*Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease an 8 X 11 baking dish.

*Peel and devein the shrimp, pat dry.
*Mix together the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, white wine, mustard salt, pepper and parsley in the baking dish.
*Add the shrimp to the pan and mix. Bake for 10 minutes.
*Remove the shrimp from the oven but leave the oven on. Mix the shrimp and the sauce and return to oven for 10 minutes or until all of the shrimp are completely cooked, pink and no longer translucent.

Tuesday, September 15, 2020

Sumtumn: Word Counters

Counting my words again. 

Today my fellow Word Counters and I are sharing our monthly group post. Each month one group member picks a number between 12 and 74. All participating bloggers are then challenged to write something (or a few somethings, as the case may be) using that exact number of words. Today we all share what we came up with.



Word Counters, a multiblogger writing challenge | Developed, run by and graphic property of www.BakingInATornado.com | #MyGraphics


 The September number is 22. 
It was chosen by Me.

As I've been doing in these Word Counters posts, I've chosen a theme and am using my word count multiple times in keeping with the theme. This month I've chosen the theme Sumtumn.

~ Today I'm talking about celebrating sumtumn season. Never heard of it? That's probably because you don't live in my head. Lucky you.

~Sumtumn is a hybrid of summer and autumn. I was always team summer, when I lived near the ocean. Now? Team sumtumn.

~ Yeah, I made it up, genius, right? Long overdue, someone had to. You know those days, daylight's shortening and weather's in limbo.

~ The not still broiling summer days but not yet crisp autumn days deserve a name. They're my favorite days of the year.

~ You know, three outfit days. Long sleeves with shorts in the morning, switch to short sleeves in the afternoon, sweatshirt for evening.

~ To recipe developers, it's the best of both worlds. Summer fruits are still out, but pears and apples are showing up too.




Lemon Pie Cake with Strawberries is a summer celebration. Just 6 ingredients are needed for this lemony cake studded with fresh strawberries. | Recipe developed by www.BakingInATornado.com | #recipe #cake
Lemon Pie Cake with Strawberries
Lemon Pie Cake with Strawberries is a summer celebration. Just 6 ingredients are needed for this lemony cake studded with fresh strawberries. | Recipe developed by www.BakingInATornado.com | #recipe #cake


~ We used to just call this "sleeping weather". Turn off the air, open the windows to that gentle breeze and sleep comfortably.

~ Sumtumn is a short season, friends, so be sure you're celebrating every glorious day from the last week in August through September.

~ Truth is, as much as I'm team sumtumn, I'm actually quite fickle. Build an ocean in my backyard I'm back, team summer.

~ A quick point of order. Does sumtumn count as a word, since it's not one officially, dictionarily? If not? Sorry (not sorry).


Here are links to the other Word Counters posts:

Messymimi’s Meanderings 
On the Border 




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





Lemon Pie Cake with Strawberries
                                                         ©www.BakingInATornado.com


Ingredients:
1 box yellow cake mix
1 cup lemon lime soda
1 can (21 oz) lemon pie filling, divided
1 cup fresh strawberries, hulled and chopped

2 TBSP lemon juice
2 cups powdered sugar

fresh strawberries for garnish

Directions:
*Grease and flour a 9 X 13 baking pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
*Mix the cake mix, soda, and 1 cup of the lemon pie filling until fully incorporated. Spread evenly into the prepared pan. Sprinkle with 1 cup fresh strawberries.
*Bake about 35 - 40 minutes, just until the center springs back to the touch. Cool completely.
*Whisk together the remaining lemon pie filling, lemon juice and powdered sugar. Spread over the cooled cake. Garnish with fresh strawberries.
*Store, covered, in the refrigerator.