Monday, January 11, 2021

Chores Galore, Poetry Monday

 

Poetry Monday | Graphic designed by and property of www.BakingInATornado.com | #poem #poetry

Slight (OK, major) change to the Monday line-up around here. The second Monday of the month I usually publish a Blog With Friends group projects-based post in keeping with an agree upon theme. In fact, I've been doing that for 76 months. Yes, that's over 6 years!
 
Although some of us were willing to continue, the commitment was becoming more sporadic, so I've decided to shelve that group for now. Hmmm, that leaves a little hole in my posting schedule. What to do? What to do? I checked in with my friend Diane, she and Mimi (and some other of their friends) do a weekly poetry post that publishes on Mondays. Since I still administer and run 5 other monthly group writing challenges, and I don't have to do anything logistically for Poetry Monday, just sit back, wait to be told what the theme is and . . . well . . . write, I'm giving it a trial run in my monthly publishing rotation. I'll still do my Monthly Poetry Group post on the last Friday of the month, so if I continue to participate in Poetry Monday, I'll be gifting you all, my dear readers, with two poetry posts in a month. Yes, I can see you rolling your eyes and if I knew any better, I'd be highly insulted (but I read my own poetry so I'm not).

Now that I've made a short story long (as you know I always do) today marks the end of the Blog With Friends projects, but hopefully the beginning of my once a month collaboration (or more when I can work it in) with this new (to me) group. For me, these posts will have the addition of a recipe, which I will continue to share in all of my blog posts.

BTW: For information on the 5 monthly multi-blogger challenges that I run, you can PM me on my Baking In A Tornado Facebook page or email me.
For information on Poetry Monday, contact Diane of On the Border.

Diane tells me that today's topic is Least Favourite (forgive her for the spelling, she's Canadian) Chore.

Chores Galore
 
Sweep and vacuum, 
wash the floor.
Surely that's my
least favorite chore.
 
But dusting always
makes me sneeze.
Least favorite thing if
I have to wheeze.
 
Wait, the bathrooms,
I've got four.
With boys . . . way worse
than washing a floor. 

Liked food shopping,
Covid ruined my fun. 
Now I fill out a form,
and another chore's done.

Beef Vegetable Soup is a hearty dinner made either in a slow cooker or on the stove top. Lean stew beef is slow cooked, add beans, vegetables, and rice for a one bowl full meal. | Recipe developed by www.BakingInATornado.com | #recipe #dinner

Beef Vegetable Soup (Crockpot or Not)
 
Beef Vegetable Soup is a hearty dinner made either in a slow cooker or on the stove top. Lean stew beef is slow cooked, add beans, vegetables, and rice for a one bowl full meal. | Recipe developed by www.BakingInATornado.com | #recipe #dinner



Cooking dinner is the
never ending chore.
you cook, they eat, 
then you do it some more.

But if you're wondering,
here's the score,
if you like to do it,
it's not a chore.
 
Yet cooking brings
dirty dishes galore.
Definitely in the running
for my least favorite chore.
 
 
Wait!
Read more poetry, 
you're not through.
Some talented writers
are in this crew:
 


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




Beef Vegetable Soup (Crockpot or Not)

                                               ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Ingredients:
1 cup brown rice
1 can (28 oz) diced tomatoes
2 cups beef broth
2 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
3 cloves minced garlic, divided
1 1/4# lean stew beef
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup frozen pearl onions
1 can (14 oz) garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
4 oz mushrooms, quartered
1 zucchini, trimmed, cut lengthwise, sliced
1/2 cup fresh green beans, trimmed, cut into bite sized pieces

Directions:
*Cook the rice and refrigerate.
FOR SLOW COOKER:
*Spray  the slow cooker with cooking spray. Add the diced tomatoes, beef broth, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and 1 clove of minced garlic. Stir and turn on to low.
*Spray a saute pan with cooking spray and heat over medium heat. Add the stew beef, onion, and remaining garlic. Sprinkle with the garlic powder, cook and stir until the meat is completely cooked. Drain well, add to the slow cooker, and cook for 5 hours on low (or 3 hours on high).
*Stir in the frozen peas, pearl onions, and garbanzo beans. Cook another 2 hours on low (or 1 hour on high).
*If cooking on high, reduce heat to low at this point. Add the mushrooms, zucchini,and green beans. Cook 1/2 hour. Stir in the rice and cook for another 1/2 hour.
FOR STOVE TOP
*Spray a large pot with cooking spray and heat over medium heat. Add the stew beef, onion, and 2 cloves of the garlic. Sprinkle with the garlic powder, cook and stir until the meat is completely cooked. Drain well.
*Add the diced tomatoes, beef broth, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and remaining clove of garlic to the pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 2 1/2 hours.
*Stir in the frozen peas, pearl onions, and garbanzo beans, cover and simmer for another half hour.
*Stir in the mushrooms, zucchini, and green beans. Cover an simmer another half hour. Stir in the brow rice and cook, uncovered, for 10 minutes.

 

24 comments:

  1. Thank you for this take on chores. I agree if you like it, it's not really a chore :)

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  2. Ooooo! That soup looks DIVINE!
    Great poem, Karen!
    I guess you're totally right. If you like to do it, it's not a chore!
    I really like doing dishes. (and laundry--go figure...)
    Cooking not so much.
    Genius! You cook, I'll wash!

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  3. Cosider that you do about as well with poetry as you do with recipes. I love these! Tweeted too!
    Carol Cassara

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  4. Yum that's perfect for a day like today! Dishes is my least favorite chore, but come to think of it, it's the only one I do besides cook. Hubby does the rest.

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  5. Hello, Karen!
    Wishing You A Great Year 2021! I know! Visiting you after a long time, and I've lot to catch up!
    I loved this poetry. It is definitely never fun doing the chores, but it is also true what you wrote, " But if you're wondering,
    here's the score,
    if you like to do it,
    it's not a chore."

    I somehow love doing the chores, keeping the house sparkly clean, and decorating my favorite spaces in the house.

    I wish you have a great week ahead!
    https://www.thepositivewindow.com/

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    Replies
    1. Nice to connect again (I actually visited your blog but can't find anywhere to leave a comment). Wishing you a happy new year too, Epsita.

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    2. Yes, Karen! So happy to connect back. I'm so sorry! I just fixed the issue. And I hope it works for you now. Please let me know!

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    3. Just tweeted you, still no place to comment.

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    4. I see that, Karen! And I'm so sorry for the inconvenience. I am trying to understand what's wrong with the first 2 posts? Rest of the posts on the blog works fine. Keep in touch, Karen <3

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    5. Nothing to apologize for. Hope you figure it out soon.

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  6. Oh, how I love a good soup. And I so enjoyed the part of the poem about cleaning. I like washing the dishes (especially in the winter, as I have Raynaud's Syndrome and it warms up my hands nicely) But the rest of housework, and coooking - not so much. Alana ramblinwitham.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I've come to hate washing the dishes even more during covid when everyone's home and I'm cooking and baking so much more often. My hands are dry and raw from all the dishes and although I'm constantly applying lotion, they're still dry. I think I'll be a lot happier when we're back to grilling season.

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  7. I do love soup and yours looks divine. It would be perfect for a day like today.

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  8. Dirty dishes can be the bane of existence without a dishwasher. Now that the children have moved out, though, i only wash my own and Sweetie does his, and Brother-in-Law does his, so it'a much easier.

    If Sweetie wants the soup, i'll make it but he has to wash the crock pot!

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    Replies
    1. Hope you make it. Tell your Sweetie it's worth doing the dishes.

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  9. My least favorite house cleaning chore is whatever one I'm doing at the time :-)

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