Tuesday, November 30, 2021

I Can See Clearly Now

 

Apple Butter Turkey Grilled Cheese, apple butter, two kinds of cheeses and turkey in a buttery crunchy sandwich. | Recipe developed by www.BakingInATornado.com | #recipe #lunch

 

 I can see clearly now the screen is gone.
 
Are you singing while reading it like I'm singing while writing it? 
 
Screens.

There are pros, but there are also cons. They work as a filter, but they do it, of course, without bias. They can be efficient in blocking out what we don't want. We can get used to that, which can be a detriment, even in some instances dangerous, because we often give no thought to the fact that they also filter out what we might want, what we don't even realize that we need, to see.
 
I love having the window over my kitchen sink open off and on over 3 seasons: to feel the warmth of the air in the summer, the light breezes in the spring, the change in temperature through the day in the fall. But I hate having beetles, flies, spiders, and bees as house guests. Especially in my kitchen. The screen in that window has allowed me that balance. 

A balance I'd gotten so used to, I'd never questioned it.

 
I CanSee Clearly Now | picture taken by, feaured on, and property of www.BakingInATornado.com

 

But I also love my view of the woods, the lush green leaves in the summer, the fresh white snow on the brown arms of those same trees in the winter. The screen dulls that view, pixelates it, hiding its true identity and its full impact.
 
Last month Hubs took that screen down. I'm not saying it hasn't been taken down before, rinsed on the lawn with the hose and replaced, because it has. I'm not really sure whether I've been in other rooms when it's been cleaned, just not looked, or that it hasn't been done on such a beautiful fall day before, but on this day I noticed.

Noticed the sun streaming into my kitchen onto the counter, the unobstructed view of the woods, the peaceful tableau: my outdoor table, the deck railing, the wood line above. Even where the stain Hubs and I had meticulously painted onto the deck over a grueling 3 day period was peeling away. The good and the bad, I saw it all. Clearly.
 
I CanSee Clearly Now | picture taken by, feaured on, and property of www.BakingInATornado.com

 
Once I saw, unobstructed, all I'd been missing, I knew immediately that I wanted this view. 
 
I now feel a connection to the outdoors when I do the dishes, can feel the sun streaming in as I create in this kitchen.
 
And yes, the darkness as a storm comes through is more menacing, flashes of lightning more ominous. That power too is no longer pixelated, its true identity on full and unadulterated display. 

Apple Butter Turkey Grilled Cheese, apple butter, two kinds of cheeses and turkey in a buttery crunchy sandwich. | Recipe developed by www.BakingInATornado.com | #recipe #lunch

Apple Butter Turkey Grilled Cheese
 
 
You can make correlations between the clarity achieved when filters are removed from a window, and our recent (for me, anyway) unobstructed view of our politicians, the state of our country, and our future. You and I both know that I'm fully cognizant those parallels. But I will also say this, no matter the weather outside the window, or the future of our democracy, I prefer the clear view. 
 
Only in clarity can we properly assess, prepare, strategize, and even realistically maintain a level of hope: 
 
It's gonna be a bright, bright, bright, bright sunshiny day.


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Apple Butter Turkey Grilled Cheese        

                                                       ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients (per sandwich): 
2 slices bread
2 TBSP apple butter
1 slice provolone cheese
1 slice pepper jack cheese
4 slices deli turkey 
1/2 TBSP butter

Directions:
*Spread 1 TBSP apple butter on one slice of bread. Top with a slice of provolone cheese, the turkey, then the pepper jack cheese. 
*Spread the other 1 TBSP apple butter onto the other slice of bread and place, apple butter side down, onto the pepper jack cheese to form a sandwich.
*Heat the butter over medium heat in a small skillet. Once hot, add the sandwich. Cook, pressing down lightly now and then, until the bottom has completely browned.
*Lower the temperature a notch, flip the sandwich over and cook, pressing down lightly now and then, until the other side has browned. Serve warm.

Friday, November 26, 2021

The Zoo Chew: Animals Poetry

 
Holiday Fruits and Nuts Cookies, packed with toasted nuts and dried fruits, topped with a colored drizzle, these cookies are a fun holiday treat. | recipe developed by www.BakingInATornado.com | #recipe #cookies

 
Last Friday of the month is for
Monthly Poetry Group to rhyme.
Diane and I take turns to pick,
"Animals," the theme this time.
 
As usual, today I'll try,
a poem to write . . . or fudge.
Whether I'm successful or not,
you get to be the judge.  





Animals, a monthly multi blogger poetry writing challenge based on a theme. | Graphic property of www.BakingInATornado.com | #poetry



The Zoo Chew
 
Our local zoo is well renowned,
known to be among the best.
Whenever we have visitors,
we'll always take our guest.
 
Aviary, lagoon island, desert dome,
a rain forest to walk through.
Orangutan forest, pachyderm hill,
an aquarium tunnel too.

Starting when they were babies,
many family days spent there.
The boys loved riding on the train,
it mattered not to where.

Of course, when they were babies,
I had to be prepared.
Diapers and folding plastic mat,
I could change them anywhere.
 
Until, of outdoor changes son,
let me know he was not fond.
I picked him up, he grabbed the mat,
threw it in the penguin pond.

But when the boys were bigger,
I could take them on my own.
We'd often meet our friends there too,
so we rarely were alone.

After one eventful day,
spent joyfully at the zoo,
At dinner, Hubs said to the boys,
"what was your favorite thing to do?"  

"This," I thought, "is why I go
spend a long exhausting day."
Which animals had most impressed?
Eager to hear what they would say. 
 
"Thirsty early on," they said,
"slushies fit the bill."
They'd sat in the shade to drink them,
until they'd had their fill.
 
They talked about the restaurant,
"lunch was burgers with french fries."
You eat high in the treetops there,
looking up at the big blue skies.
 
Holiday Fruits and Nuts Cookies, packed with toasted nuts and dried fruits, topped with a colored drizzle, these cookies are a fun holiday treat. | recipe developed by www.BakingInATornado.com | #recipe #cookies
 Holiday Fruits and Nuts Cookies
 
"Cookies and popcorn later on,"
my boys related with glee,
"and did you know the ice cream hut,
is right by where you go to pee?"

I felt the need to clarify,
we'd done more than just chew.
"Oh," I said, "just so you know,
they had animals over there too!" 





Before you go, more Animals poetry:
 


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Holiday Fruits and Nut Cookies
                                                                       ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Ingredients:
2/3 cup shelled nuts (pepitas, sunflower seeds, pistachios, almonds, pecans, and/or walnuts)
1/4 cup sweetened coconut flakes
1/2 stick butter, softened
1/2 stick margarine, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 egg
2 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/3 cup chopped dried fruits (raisins, cranraisins, apricots, and/or cherries)
 
1/2 cup green or red candy melts
1 TBSP colored sugar

Directions:
*Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread the nuts onto a small baking sheet. Toast for 4 minutes, stir, add the coconut and toast for 2 minutes longer. Remove immediately from the baking sheet and allow to cool. Chop any larger nuts.
*Cream butter, margarine, and brown sugar, then beat in the egg and vanilla.
*Mix in flour, salt, and baking soda, then the fruits and nuts. Wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least an hour. Can refrigerate overnight.
*Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cover baking sheets with parchment paper.
*Unwrap the dough and roll into 30 balls. Place on cookie sheet and flatten the dough balls with the heel of your hand.
*Bake for 10 - 12 minutes. Allow to cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes before removing to cool completely.
*Melt the candy melts in the microwave until completely smooth when stirred. Drizzle over the cooled cookies, sprinkle with colored sugar, and allow to set before moving.

 

Tuesday, November 23, 2021

My Sweet Dumpling

 

Cinnamon Yam Dumplings, an interpretation of a holiday recipe inspired by a family favorite side dish. | Recipe developed by www.BakingInATornado.com | #recipe #vegetables

 

 It started innocently. Yeah, they all say that. OK, it started with a blog post. Then a comment on that post. It spiraled from there. 
 
I'd published a Fly on the Wall post in October. It's a glimpse of the humorous conversations and situations at my house, told in little snippets. In the post, I was talking about having asked College Boy for some inspiration for a recipe. He was no help, all of his suggestions started with me baking all of my money into a dessert and giving it to him. Pass.

My friend Rena, of Technology-Therapist, a longtime blogging friend of mine, technology guru, and wearer of many (metaphorical) blogging hats, left a message for me on that post:
 
"Speaking of recipes, I need you to figure out those sweet potato dumplings. That's your challenge!"
 
Turns out College Boy wasn't my muse. But Rena was stepping up.
 
One problem, though, and not so minor. I don't know what a Sweet Potato Dumpling is. I googled it but that didn't clear much up. So I emailed Rena:

"I've never had a Sweet Potato Dumpling. I don't even know if it's a side dish or a dessert. I googled it and there seem to be a lot of recipes out there, most seem to call for crescent rolls and Sweet Potato Patties, something else I've never heard of. But I'm intrigued. What is it. Tell me more."

I was starting to feel like I'd been living under a rock. Sweet Potato Dumplings? Sweet Potato Patties? Where have these things been all my life?

At least I know what crescent rolls are . . .

Rena told me that it was a side dish that was a relative's contribution to Thanksgiving, using canned biscuits, pieces of sweet potato, brown sugar, and maybe butter. A relative who she hasn't seen in quite some time, and who will not share her recipe. Then she left me with this:

"I'd love to figure it out and make them for my daughter at Thanksgiving, she adores them."

My Sweet Dumpling, Challenge Accepted | graphic designed by, property of, and featured on www.BakingInATornado.com | #MyGraphic #humor


Wait, there are people who won't share their recipes? What fresh hell is this? Recipes are meant to be shared with those who appreciate them enough to ask for them. Everyone knows that. Right?
 
OK, challenge accepted. Well, sort of.
 
Because if you know me, and you should by now, you know I don't do things exactly the way others do. Especially when it comes to recipes. I like to play with concepts and ingredients, make the end result my own.
 
Which actually is the catch-22 of this recipe. 
 
Because not only do I have no idea which of the many incarnations of Sweet Potato Dumplings her family so adores, but after reading about 20 of them, I'm going in a different direction from . . . well . . . all of them.
 
Putting in jeopardy, I'm sure, Rena's continued role as my muse. 
 
I tried to take my inspiration from that iconic sweet potato casserole with marshmallows that shows up on so many Thanksgiving tables. So in place of the unknown sweet potato patty, I went with mashed canned yams. I used cinnamon rolls instead of the crescent rolls, just because I thought they lent themselves to this dish. A lot of the recipes I saw included a sauce of butter, sugar, and cornstarch. I wanted to change that up, adding a touch of ginger to the sweet potatoes, and ginger ale to the sauce. And yes, I even added mini marshmallows. It's the holidays, after all.
 
My same question remains though, is this a side dish? A dessert? Spread the canned icing on it and call it a breakfast? Well, you can't say it isn't versatile.
 
 
Cinnamon Yam Dumplings, an interpretation of a holiday recipe inspired by a family favorite side dish. | Recipe developed by www.BakingInATornado.com | #recipe #vegetables
Cinnamon Yam Dumplings

 
Definitely not the recipe I was tasked with recreating, but I'm happy with what I came up with (if I do say so myself). But the real test remains, what will Rena (and her daughter) think? Keep your fingers crossed for me, I may need a muse again some day. 


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Cinnamon Yam Dumplings      

                                                       ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 can (15 oz) yams in syrup
2 TBSP brown sugar, divided
1/4 tsp ginger
1 1/4 tsp cinnamon, divided
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup mini marshmallows
1 tube (8 count) refrigerator cinnamon rolls 
 
4 TBSP butter
2 TBSP maple syrup
1/2 cup regular or diet ginger ale, room temperature
 
OPT: 1/4 cup chopped pecans
 
Directions:
*Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8 X 11 glass baking dish.
*Drain the yams well. Mash them lightly (they don't need to be smooth) with brown sugar, ginger, 1/2 tsp of the cinnamon, and salt. Mix in the mini marshmallows. Set aside.
*Open the tube of cinnamon rolls and separate them. On a piece of parchment paper, roll each out to about 5 inches in diameter.
*Scoop about a TBSP of the yam mixture into the center of each flattened roll. Fold in half, making sure the filling is completely encompassed. Pinch the edges closed and place in the baking dish.
*Melt the butter in the microwave. Whisk in the remaining 3/4 tsp cinnamon, maple syrup, and ginger ale. Pour over the dumplings. 
OPT: sprinkle with chopped pecans.
*Bake for 25 - 30 minutes until the dumplings are well browned.
OPT: you can drizzle with the canned icing, or freeze the icing for use in another application.
 

Friday, November 19, 2021

Gotta Have Pancakes: Fly on the Wall


Pecan Oatmeal Pancakes, a favorite breakfast made with the addition of oatmeal in the batter, and crunchy pecans. | recipe developed by www.BakingInATornado.com | #recipe #breakfast


 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.





I told a few stories in last month's Fly on the Wall about me becoming a bit forgetful. It's not all the time, but it's here and there and I do get frustrated by it.
 
I had read something recently that said that if you brush your teeth with your non-dominant hand, it helps support connections in your brain. OK, maybe true, maybe not, but what have I got to lose?
 
So, I started brushing my teeth with my left hand. And, ah, the power of suggestion, but I could feel myself getting brighter, more alert.
 
One morning I was in a rush and just brushed my teeth with my dominant hand. Later that day:

Hubs: Did you go out into the garage?
Me: Yes, why?
Hubs: You forgot to turn the light off out there.
Me: That's because I didn't brush my teeth with my left hand.
Hubs: {{blink, blink}}.



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


 

I did eventually explain to Hubs that I had read that brushing my teeth with my left hand was supposed to help my memory. I don't think he quite got the point.

A few days later:

Me: Did you forget to stop and get the mail on the way home?
Hubs: I did. So, I guess that brain theory doesn't work, I've been brushing my teeth with my left hand.
Me: But you're left-handed.


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


 

I was standing at the kitchen slider watching the leaves dropping from the trees along the wood line behind my house when I started singing. I didn't realize that College Boy was in the house.

Me (singing Moondance): "And all the leaves on the trees are falling, to the sound of the breezes that blow."
College Boy: You know why so many of them are falling like that right?
Me: The breezes?
College Boy: No, they're trying to escape your singing.

Now that's just mean. Possibly true, but definitely mean.


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


 

College Boy had come in through the garage, put his shoes in his locker in the laundry room and was headed upstairs when I thought I caught a glimpse of something.

Me: Let me see the bottom of your foot. Are you wearing socks with holes in them?
College Boy (holding up his foot, with no shame, btw): Yeah.
 
More hole than sock | picture taken by, featured on, and property of www.BakingInATornado.com | #humor

 
Me: That's more hole than sock. Throw that out.
College Boy: Want to see the other sock? It doesn't have one single hole.
Me: Well, that's good.
College Boy (holding up the other foot): It has two!

More hole than sock | picture taken by, featured on, and property of www.BakingInATornado.com | #humor


As a mother I need to ask, why do we even bother trying?


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


College Boy (calling down from upstairs): Are you making pancakes?
Me: No. 
College Boy: What do I smell?
Me: I'm baking a cake.
College Boy: Why do I smell pancakes?
Me: I don't know, all I'm baking right now is a cake.
College Boy: Is it pancake flavored?
Me: No.
College Boy: Well, now I want pancakes.
Me: I've got cake . . .

But damn that power of suggestion. Now I, too, just had to have pancakes.


Pecan Oatmeal Pancakes, a favorite breakfast made with the addition of oatmeal in the batter, and crunchy pecans. | recipe developed by www.BakingInATornado.com | #recipe #breakfast

Pecan Oatmeal Pancakes


I wrote a few weeks ago about PurDude surprising me on my birthday. While he was here, I guess I inadvertently chipped away at his view of his mom. I was sitting in the den when a friend sent in some word prompts for the Use Your Words challenge I run. 
 
Me (to myself): Hmmm.
PurDude: What?
Me: Oh, I was looking at the words a friend sent me and I've never heard this one before.
PurDude: What do you mean?
Me: I have to Google this word, I don't know it.
PurDude: But you know all the words.
Me: What?
PurDude: You know all the words.
Me: I don't know this one.
PurDude: What else have I believed that's actually untrue?
Me: Huh?
PurDude: That's great, now I'm going to have to reevaluate my entire childhood.
 

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


The time came, all to fast, when he had to make the drive back to Boulder. We had a conversation that's become pretty standard for us.
 
PurDude: I'm going to go back home tomorrow.
Me: No.
PurDude: Yeah, I have to.
Me: No.
PurDude: You knew I wasn't staying forever, right?
Me: No.
PurDude: I have my weekly food service package coming Sunday morning and I have to work on Monday.
Me: No.
PurDude: Based on this conversation, I think I need to apologize for every conversation we had when I was a toddler.



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


 

College Boy was in the kitchen early, and loudly banging around getting out a bowl, spoon, and glass for his breakfast.

Me: You're making an awful lot of noise.
College Boy: I'm just getting my breakfast.
Me: Stop being obstreperous.
College Boy: What's that?
Me: Google it, I had to. And I ended up ruining your brother's whole childhood.
College Boy: Ruined his childhood?
Me: Yeah, he thought I was perfect, now he knows I'm not.
College Boy: Well you won't ruin my childhood, I already know you're not perfect.
Me: Thanks. Or not.


Fly on the Wall, a multi-blogger writing challenge | developed and run by www.BakingInATornado.com | #MyGraphics
 
 
I was working on a recipe for my Triple Chocolate Dome Cake and wasn't sure what size the bowl was that I planned to use. I Googled "pyrex bowl sizes," knowing I could figure it out from there. The first thing that came up was "bong joint sizes."

Me: Hmm, that's weird.
College Boy: What?
Me: I was googling bowl sizes and the first thing that came up was something about there being 3 bong joint sizes. I thought you either smoked a bong or a joint, but I've never heard of a bong joint.
College Boy: There are bongs that can accommodate joints.
Me: Well, I guess I learned something new today.
College Boy: There are actually joint menorahs, you light all the joint candles at once.
Me: OK. More information that I needed. But I guess I'm now well prepared if the subject ever comes up on Jeopardy.


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


College Boy went to college nearby, just an hour away. In his locker in the laundry room I'd keep a bag and fill it with supplies for him that he'd take back to school after a visit.
 
PurDude, as you know, went to school 9 hours away. He couldn't stop by for visits, we'd have to fly him home. I'd always tell him not to pack toiletries, I'd have them here for him and he could take them back with him. I'm not sure why I felt bad about not supplementing his basics on a more regular basis since his budget while away was that I had access to his bank account and whenever it started to get depleted, I transferred money in and built it back up.
 
He's been out of college for years, but after that first year he moved 8 hours away in the other direction. Whenever he comes home I tell him the same thing, don't bring toiletries, I'll have a fresh supply here and he can take them with him.
 
While PurDude was home for my birthday, I gathered up supplies for him, but 10 days later when he was packing to leave, I notice he'd not packed the deodorant.  

Me: Don't forget to take the deodorant.
PurDude: I don't need it.
Me: Just put it in your cabinet at home and you'll have an extra there.
PurDude: Not necessary.
Me: Why not?
PurDude: I'm still working on the supply of deodorant from you during my college days!

 

 

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

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






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Pecan Oatmeal Pancakes
                                                                       ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Ingredients (makes 6 - 8 pancakes):
2/3 cup flour
1/3 cup quick oats
2 TBSP brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup chopped pecans
5.3 oz container of Greek yogurt, plain or the flavor of your choice, I used toasted coconut flavor 
1/3 cup milk
1/4 tsp almond extract
1 egg
6 TBSP butter, divided
 
Directions:
*Melt 2 TBSP butter and set aside.
*Place the quick oats in a food processor and process until fine.
*Whisk together the flour, crushed oats, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and pecans in a large bowl.
*Add the melted butter to the dry ingredients, along with the yogurt, milk, almond extract, and egg. Mix just until incorporated, do not over mix.
*Heat 1/2 TBSP butter in a saute pan over medium heat. When hot, add a little less than 1/4 cup pancake batter and spread from the center to a circle about 4 inches in diameter.
*Once the batter starts to bubble, flip the pancake over and lower the temperature a little. Cook until browned, about 2 minutes. Remove from pan, keep warm, and repeat with the remaining butter and batter.

Tuesday, November 16, 2021

Gas Station Blues: Word Counters

 

 

Italian Chicken Stuffed Shells, jumbo pasta shells stuffed, baked in marinara sauce, and topped with crushed garlic baguettes. | recipe developed by www.BakingInATornado.com | #recipe #dinner



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 50. 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. 






This month's number is 28. 
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'm talking about a short term, part time job my son's taken. I call this post Gas Station Blues.

~ College Boy stopped working during covid. He worked retail and the store closed due to safety. When called back, covid was still on the upswing, so he declined.
 
~He also totalled his car. Finding a new (used) car is an almost impossible task. While looking for a car and permanent job, he took a temporary job. 

~There's a grocery store a half mile from us, walking distance. They have a gas station in their parking lot with a small convenience store. They pay well.

~Working in the little gas station convenience store is an income for now. The stories he comes home with are eye opening, and not in a good way.
 
~Someone bought chicken in the grocery store. Leaving the parking lot, she suddenly didn't want it, and argued with my son about returning it to the gas station.
 
 
Italian Chicken Stuffed Shells, jumbo pasta shells stuffed, baked in marinara sauce, and topped with crushed garlic baguettes. | recipe developed by www.BakingInATornado.com | #recipe #dinner
Italian Chicken Stuffed Shells

 
~A guy insisted he chose medium grade gasoline but the pump changed him to premium. He insisted that the premium be removed so he could re-pump cheaper gas.
 
~One guy was furious my son couldn't tell him how much it would cost to fill his car. Not the amount per gallon, but exactly what he'd owe.

~Someone came in just to impart wisdom: the current administration is turning us into a communist, socialist nation, and we'll never have free elections, because of gas prices.
 
~Another customer couldn't charge at the pump. He argued his options, chose to prepay $30, walked out without paying, walked back in furious that the pump didn't work.
 
~Not prepaying, a guy pumped $25.38 worth of gas, then went inside to argue that he only wanted $25 worth of gas, claiming he was owed 38 cents.
 
~Another guy insisted the pump card reader didn't work and wouldn't prepay. My son went with him to check it out, re-inserted the guy's card correctly. It worked.
 
~How are these people able to drive a car, yet be completely incapable of navigating a gas pump? Wonder what they do at the grocery self check out.
 


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

 
Here are links to the other Word Counters posts:



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Italian Chicken Stuffed Shells        
                                                       ©www.BakingInATornado.com


Printable Recipe

Ingredients (makes about 18 - 20):
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast
salt, pepper, garlic powder
1 small (8 oz) baguette
3 TBSP olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tsp Italian seasoning, divided
6 oz jumbo pasta shells
15 small pepperoni slices
6 oz frozen spinach, defrosted
8 oz ricotta cheese
1 egg, beaten
3/4 cup shredded mozzarella
1/3 cup grated parmesan
1 tsp sugar
1 TBSP dried parsley flakes 
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
3 cups my HOMEMADE MARINARA, or marinara of your choice 

Directions:
*Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease two baking sheets.
*Sprinkle the chicken breast with salt, pepper, and garlic powder on both sides. Place the chicken on a small baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes.
*Cut the baguette into about 3/4 inch thick slices. Mix the olive oil, minced garlic, and 1 tsp Italian seasoning and, using a pastry brush, lightly spread onto the bread slices. Place onto a second baking sheet.
*Once the chicken has been in the oven for 30 minutes, add the bread to the oven and bake for about another 15 minutes, until the chicken is completely cooked through and the bread starts to brown. Leave the oven on. Set the chicken and bread aside to cool.
*Boil the pasta shells to al dente (about 10 minutes). Drain and rinse a few times with cold water to stop the cooking process.
*Shred or chop the chicken. Chop the pepperoni. Drain the spinach well, pressing to get out as much of the moisture as you can. Mix the spinach, chicken, and pepperoni with the ricotta, egg, mozzarella, parmesan, sugar, parsley, remaining Italian seasoning, 1/4 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp pepper.
*Carefully stuff the shells with the chicken mixture.
*Grease a baking dish (I use a quiche dish). Spread the marinara into the baking dish. Place the shells, open side up, down into the sauce. Cover with tin foil and bake for 35 minutes.
*Crush 6 of the baguette slices. After 35 minutes, carefully remove the tin foil from the shells, sprinkle with the crushed baguettes, and return to the oven, uncovered, for 10 minutes.
*Serve with the remaining baguette slices.