Tuesday, August 30, 2022

Stop Dancing

 

Artichoke Rice, artichoke dip flavors incorporated into a rice side dish | recipe developed by www.BakingInATornado.com | #recipe #sidedish

Dancing pubic hair. 
 
Final answer.
 
OK, so dancing and singing too. And it turns out (I only know because I googled it), the singing is actually being done by a well known (although not by me) rapper, Princess Nokia. Actually, I'm not really sure if there is truly a Princess Nokia (isn't that a cell phone or something?), or google's just punking me. 

Let me start back at the beginning. 
 
I told you that PurDude bought me a full season subscription to all the Red Sox games to stream via the MLB app. And I love it. Despite the fact that the Red Sox kinda suck this year. And no matter how loud I yell at the TV, their manager does not listen to my sage advice.

But I the Red Sox. It's even the name of my 15th blog post, from way back in the day. So I watch the games, every one.

The downside of the MLB app is that, between innings it shows commercials. The same ones. Over and over and over again. For 4 hours. 
 

Stop Dancing | graphic designed by, featured on, and property of www.BakingInATornado.com | #MyGraphics #blogging



I've talked about commercials before on this blog, the good, the bad, and the ugly. Right now I'm a bit confused by the Wendy's ad. Apparently they've changed their fries to make them hot and crispy. I don't eat fast food too often, and the nearest Wendy's isn't close by, so someone's going to have to let me know, what were their fries before? Cold and mushy?

Then there's my current favorite commercial, the one that I laugh at. Every. Single. Time. It's a cryptocurrency commercial featuring Larry David taking on different roles at different times in history. In the end, he's with the founding fathers, discussing the constitution and giving the right to vote to all citizens. David's response: "even the stupid ones?"

I'm laughing just typing it. And I can't help wondering, given what's going on in our country today, if maybe the founding fathers should have rethought that whole "giving the right to vote to the stupid ones" thing.

But the commercial I can't escape right now, is one that MLB has been showing me over and over again (and it's being featured on social media too, I hear). I try to find something to do in the kitchen when it comes on but, honestly, how many times a night can you make dinner? 
 
Artichoke Rice, artichoke dip flavors incorporated into a rice side dish | recipe developed by www.BakingInATornado.com | #recipe #sidedish
Artichoke Rice
 
 
The commercial is for Venus pubic hair razors. It's a song about pubic hair, sung pubic hair, and danced to by . . . wait for it . . . pubic hair.
 
Full disclosure, I had a few different reactions to this commercial. First time? I thought I was hallucinating. Second time, it actually had a bit of an amusing quality, made me laugh. Once. Third time in 10 minutes, not so much. Two hundred and eighty fifth time, I'm over it. 
 
Stop dancing! Please.

But more than that, I have questions.

First of all, I don't mean to be sexist. I am, after all, a woman who watches a lot of sports, but I just have to ask . . . who is it that told Venus that MLB fans are their target audience? Or are they trying to send a subliminal message to men to put this item in their "gift for the significant other" file? 'Cause I gotta say, that probably won't go over well.

I also can't help being grateful that this commercial has come up at this time. Can you imagine if we were watching these games with friends or neighbors when our kids were young and this came on? I can just hear the questions now:

"Mom, what are pubes?"

"Do yours sing and dance?"

"Won't that razor thing hurt them?"

"Will they cry?"
 
"What happens if you want them back?"
 
Here's a question I can easily answer. And no, it's not if the pubes formed a baseball team, do I think they could beat the Red Sox. It's what is the one commercial I can live the rest of my Red Sox loving life never seeing again?

Dancing pubic hair.
 
Final answer.


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Artichoke Rice        
                                                                                      ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
2 cups instant rice
1 can (about 13 oz) artichoke hearts
3/4 cup seasoned croutons
1 can (10.5 oz) cream of celery soup
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup half and half
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/3 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup shredded pepper jack
1/2 cup shredded provolone
1/4 cup grated parmesan

Directions:
*Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 1 1/2 quart casserole dish.
*Cook the rice according to package directions. Set aside.
*Drain the artichoke hearts, pat dry, and coarsely chop. Set aside.
*Crush the croutons. Set aside.
*In a bowl, whisk together the soup, sour cream, half and half, salt, and pepper. Gently mix in the rice, artichoke, almonds, cheeses, and 1/4 cup of the crushed croutons. Pour evenly into the casserole dish. Sprinkle with the remaining crushed croutons. Cover.
*Bake for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake for another 10 minutes.

Friday, August 26, 2022

Favorite Chair: Monthly Poetry Group

 

Chicken Prosciutto Grilled Cheese, a pan grilled sourdough sandwich, perfect for lunch, hearty enough for dinner | recipe developed by www.BakingInATornado.com | #recipe #lunch

 

 

 

Last Friday of the month is for
Monthly Poetry Group to rhyme.
Diane, Mimi, and I take turns,
"Furniture" is 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.  





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




 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Favorite Chair
 
Today I have a story,
and it's completely true.
It's mostly about furniture,
and a house that was brand new.

When the boys were little,
found a new home for us four,
bigger, and backing up to woods,
everything I could ever want (and more).
 
At a restaurant on the Cape,
when the word came through,
our house had sold at asking price,
but he wanted the furniture too?

Packing, moving, right when the
boys had to start school.
But furniture, where would we sit?
An empty house is just not cool.

Shopping! That's the answer,
just leave it up to me,
beds and chairs, rugs and decor,
and a super large TV.

More bedrooms and yes, more baths,
office, man cave and den,
shop, arrange delivery,
and then . . . begin again.

Barstools for the kitchen, 
they could chat with me and eat,
some of them would swivel,
which they thought was really neat.  


 
Chicken Prosciutto Grilled Cheese, a pan grilled sourdough sandwich, perfect for lunch, hearty enough for dinner | recipe developed by www.BakingInATornado.com | #recipe #lunch
Chicken Prosciutto Grilled Cheese
 
 
Chairs! Need one for every room,
reading, homework, a nap too.
All had one they loved the most,
Even banana and Scooby Doo. 
 

Favorite Chair | picture taken by, featured on, and property of www.BakingInATornado.com

Favorite Chair | picture taken by, featured on, and property of www.BakingInATornado.com
 

Which chair was the boys choice?
Well, sticky fingers and all,
they'd climb up onto Mama's lap,
(and I'd not complained at all).




Monthly Poetry Group, a monthly group writing challenge, poetry based on a theme | graphic designed by and property of www.BakingInATornado.com | #MyGraphics #poetry

 
Before you go, stop by these blogs for more Collections poetry:
 
 




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Chicken Prosciutto Grilled Cheese        
                                                                                      ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Ingredients (makes 3 sandwiches): 
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts 
1/3 cup Italian salad dressing
1 TBSP stone ground mustard
1 clove garlic, minced
3 TBSP butter
6 slices sourdough bread
3 slices smoked provolone
5 oz thin sliced prosciutto
3/4 cup shredded mozzarella

Directions:
*
NOTE: You can double (or triple) the chicken and marinade, make the day before for dinner, reserving 2 breasts in the refrigerator to warm the next day for these sandwiches.
*Mix together the salad dressing, mustard, and garlic. Seal into a plastic bag with the chicken. Manipulate to ensure all the chicken has marinade on both sides. Refrigerate for 2 hours. Cook, either in an oven at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes, or on a grill, heated to medium for about 25 minutes. Be sure the chicken is completely cooked through.
*Slice the warm chicken breasts.
*In a saute pan, over medium heat, melt 1/2 TBSP butter. Place one slice of sourdough in the pan, top with a slice of provolone, about 1/3 of the chicken slices, about 1/3 of the prosciutto, 1/4 cup of mozzarella, and another slice of bread.
*Cook, pressing down gently now and then, for about 3 minutes, until the bottom browns. Remove from pan and immediately melt another 1/2 TBSP butter in the pan.
*Return the sandwich to the pan, uncooked side down. Cook, pressing down gently now and then, until the bottom has browned.
*Keep the sandwich warm and repeat twice more with the remaining ingredients.


 

Tuesday, August 23, 2022

Politicized Education and the Fate of Knowledge

 

Raspberry Prosecco Pie, perfect for the holiday season, or any occasion | recipe developed by www.BakingInATornado.com | #recipe #dessert

 

How important is the narrowing of school curriculum?
 
Why do we even send our children to school, anyway?
 
There are a lot of benefits, including socialization, teamwork, skill development. But the most important, by far, is the access to knowledge. Presented by professionals trained in not just the information, but in how to cultivate interest, to inspire, to encourage, and to challenge.

Critical thinking, problem solving, discerning static vs fluid boundaries, all the ways in which our minds grow, are ultimately augmented or stagnate by the amount of information introduced.

What we need, actually need, our children to do is to go out into the world prepared to problem solve. Medical, environmental, societal, technical . . . And we owe it to them to arm them with everything they need to hit the ground running.
 
Every piece of material they are capable of comprehending, that we deliberately hold back from them is a detriment. Stilted knowledge. Constrained abilities.

How is this for irony? We're actively dumbing down education.
 
 
Politicized Education and the Fate of Knowledge | graphic designed by, featured on, and property of www.BakingInATornado.com | #MyGraphics #blogging

 
Florida's "don't say gay" law criminalizes the mention of diversity in sexual orientation or gender identity.

A Texas school district has banned Ann Frank's Diary.

Seven states have banned critical race theory (with pending bills in more than 15 states).

These states and districts are not about molding curriculum. It's far more insidious than that. It's about forced conformity. It's about limitation sprung from bigotry. It is the divorce of education from educators in favor of the politization of knowledge. A political agenda determined to fit the square peg of information into the round hole of White Christian Nationalism.

History matters.

So does trust. When we whitewash history, we tell our children that we don't trust them. We don't trust them to know, to understand, to process, to acknowledge, to learn, and to grow. 

Wait, isn't that why they're in school in the first place?

Listen, education is compulsory, by law, in all states. And don't get me wrong, if you have specific personal convictions or religious beliefs, there are options. There are private schools, church run schools, and home schooling. Public school is not the place for information limitation. It needs to be the place for expansion.

We cannot expect pie if we deny the existence of some of the ingredients.

But it's so much more than that. We effectively limit the breadth of flavors of any future pies, in the short term, anyway. Until these students can spend valuable time and effort finding out what we already know. And refused to tell them.


Raspberry Prosecco Pie, perfect for the holiday season, or any occasion | recipe developed by www.BakingInATornado.com | #recipe #dessert

Raspberry Prosecco Pie

 


If we deny world history, our history, the existence of diversity in our society, the chance to learn from the past, the tools to develop compassion, the truth . . . not before moving forward, but in order to effectively move forward, what are we doing? To our children, to our future? We are sending these kids out there with blindfolds on. With their hands tied behind their backs.

How important is the narrowing of school curriculum?

Ever heard that old saying "it's not the end of the world?"

What these bigoted politicians are doing?

Could actually be the end of the word.



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Raspberry Prosecco Pie         
                                                                                      ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 stick butter, softened
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 TBSP milk
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups prosecco, divided
1 box (3 oz) raspberry gelatin

6 oz cream cheese, softened
2 TBSP powdered sugar
2 TBSP prosecco
3 oz fresh raspberries, rinse, pat dry

1 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup powdered sugar


Directions:
*NOTE: the crust can be made a day in advance and refrigerated.
*Lightly grease a 10 inch pie plate. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
*Cream the butter, brown sugar, and milk. Mix in the flour and salt, then beat until it forms a dough. Press into the bottom and up the sides of the pie plate. Bake for 15 minutes. Cool completely, then refrigerate.
*Heat 3/4 cup prosecco to boiling. Add the raspberry gelatin and stir to dissolve. Mix in 3/4 cup cold prosecco.
*Beat the cream cheese with 2 TBSP powdered sugar and 2 TBSP prosecco until smooth. Beat in about 3/4 cup of the gelatin. Mix in the raspberries. Pour into the prepared pie crust and refrigerate for 1/2 hour. Set aside the remaining gelatin on the counter. 
*After a half hour, beat the heavy cream until soft peaks hold. Add the remaining 1/3 cup powdered sugar. Reserve 1/2 cup for garnish.
*Whisk the remaining gelatin into the whipped cream. Pour evenly over the cream cheese layer of the pie. Refrigerate for 1 hour. Enclose the reserved whipped cream into a plastic bag or pastry bag and refrigerate for an hour also.
*Garnish the pie with the reserved whipped cream.