Tuesday, July 5, 2022

Not So Mysterious

 

Raspberry Speculoos Cookies, fresh raspberries and white chocolate chips in a cookie butter batter. | recipe developed by www.BakingInATornado.com | #reicpe #bake

 

I've written the beginning of my first mystery novel. 
 
Before you get too excited for me though, perhaps I should explain that it's only the first 16 words. And I wrote them years ago.
 
I even made a graphic to go along with the it. Not that, of course, novels have graphics in them {{sigh}}. 

Two things come into play here, both of which I've talked about many times on this blog before. One of them, I greatly enjoy. The other? Not so much.

I love mysteries. I always have. From TV shows to movies to books, mystery is my thing. Suspense, thrillers, intrigue, whodunits, especially those with a twist ending. I love trying to figure it all out, and am equally happy when I do (unless it's too overly obvious), and when they take me totally by surprise.

I've mentioned, many times on here, both my love of mysteries, and my favorite writers. I even wrote a blog post called From A to Y, A Tribute, about how much I'd miss Kinsey Milhone after Sue Grafton died. I wrote a very (very) short mystery, not a whodunit but a who-is-she blog post called Speculation, which became interactive. So much fun to see all the guesses in the comments of that post. 
 
I even, on one rare occasion, wrote a book review, despite the fact that we all knew the whodunit of that story: Book Review, The Mueller Report.

The spoiler that comes into play here, and the reason I may have to abandon my masterpiece permanently (good thing I've only got 16 words . . . well, and a useless graphic . . . invested), is something else I've written about here on the blog, aging. There was a birthday post called Bah Humbug, and a seniors comparison when my son was a senior in high school and I was getting AARP solicitations. And that was years ago. 
 
Maybe you can see some of what I'm talking about in this FB decade challenge I participated in a few years ago.
 
 
Not So Mysterious | graphic designed by, featured on, and property of www.BakingInATornado.com | #humor #blogging #MyGraphics

 
Or maybe not . . .  

Truth is, aging has added a lot to my life. I now have some new color in my hair (and it's free), music (OK, creaks) coming from my knees, contacts, glasses, AND readers (in multiple rooms . . . and my purse, no less), you know, all that good stuff. 

It's taken a lot too. Not my love of reading, or the joy I get from baking (phew). But it has kinda taken the fun out of the whole who-done-it mystery thing.
 

 Raspberry Speculoos Cookies, fresh raspberries and white chocolate chips in a cookie butter batter. | recipe developed by www.BakingInATornado.com | #reicpe #bake

Raspberry Speculoos Cookies

 

The collision of these two formerly unrelated pieces of my life now has me, instead of writing mysteries, living them. Figuring out who done it in my everyday life? Not so much fun.

For instance (and SPOILER ALERT: since they're certainly not going to be the topic of any book I may write, I'm giving away the endings). You've been warned . . .
 
Who kept the envelope and shredded the bill?
     It was me.
 
Who didn't save the post before leaving the site?
     It was me.
 
Who put the pick-up pizza order in the cart but never placed the order?
     It was me.
 
Who's almost sure she put all of the cake ingredients in the mixer?
     It was me.

Who started preparing a family celebration meal and realized she bought everything but the lasagna noodles?
     It was me.

Who put the sponge in the refrigerator?
     It was me.
 
Who charged her laptop when it was her cell phone that was dying?
     It was me.

Who baked the Summer Citrus Cake, then went to the cook out without it?
     It was me.

Who drove to the gynecologist's office for an appointment with the opthamologist?
     You know who.

As I said, I'm still an avid reader, I'll never stop (contacts, glasses and/or readers notwithstanding). But there's a pretty good chance I'm going to need to find a new genre to delve into. 
 
And I'm thinking, just in case what I'm reading continues to spill over in my life, I'd best not go with horror.


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



Raspberry Speculoos Cookies       

                                                                              ©www.BakingInATornado.com


Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 stick butter, room temperature
1/2 stick margarine, room temperature
1/3 cup speculoos (cookie butter)
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup raspberries, quartered
1/2 cup white chocolate chips

Directions (makes about 32 cookies):
*Preheat oven to 357 degrees. Cover baking sheets with parchment paper.
*Beat the butter, margarine, cookie butter, and brown sugar until smooth. Beat in the egg. Slowly and carefully beat in the flour, baking soda, and salt.
*Mix in the raspberries and white chocolate chips.
*Roll the dough into balls, about 3/4 in round. With wet hands, fatten the cookies slightly. Bake for 14 minutes, until they are set and the bottoms are brown.
*Cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes before removing to cool completely.

16 comments:

  1. This was so funny! I think we're all at that point. I looked for my glasses for an hour before I realized I was wearing them! I put laundry soap in the dishwasher. Luckily, I caught that one before a major disaster! We're a hot mess!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh, I haven't done that one yet, but don't give me any ideas . . .

      Delete
  2. I blame the dog. I think Husby has figured out that twist...

    ReplyDelete
  3. So many of us are living this. Not all of us are admitting it, even though it's not a mystery to anyone around us.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's hard to face head on, that's why I started with humor.

      Delete
  4. I love reading or as it is now days being read to via audio books

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I've never tried audio books, I'm always afraid I'll fall asleep and won't be able to get back to the last thing I remember.

      Delete
  5. Sounds something like my life. I've almost made motel reservations for the wrong day. I've gone to festivals a week after they ended. I put a library magazine in the recycling once, which, fortunately, my husband managed to fish out of the bag before the recycling pickup came. At least I'll never lose my glasses because I have to wear them all the time.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sounds like you could have written this post with me.

      Delete
  6. I love Speculoos cookies so this sounds so good to me.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Add in "what did i come in here for?" and way too much of life is now a mystery.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, and it's cousin, "what did I just open the refrigerator for."

      Delete
  8. (Blogger isn't letting me comment through my Google account, so I will try this and see if it works.)

    If you saw the number of notes I have to make to help me remember to do things you'd either laugh at me...or completely agree.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Blogger won't even allow me to reply to comments on my own blog using my Google account, unless I use Google browser, then I can.
      If I saw your notes I would laugh, and totally agree.

      Delete

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