Gotcha Never Gets Old

 

 

 What do Halloween and April Fool's Day have in common? That's easy. They're so much fun when you have little kids around. You can still participate, on one level or another, but both holidays fall a little flat without the joy on those kids' faces. It warms the hearts of their parents.

 

When it comes to Halloween, there's so much involved. It's the fun (Mocha Mummy Cookies), scary (Billy the Puppet Cake), even gross (Bloody Fingers) (in a decidedly delicious way) foods. It's carving pumpkins and school parties and costumes and scary movies and haunted houses and hay rides, all culminating in a night of collecting a bag full of free candy. For a kid, that's hard to beat.

April Fool's Day is a day to unleash a bit of the devil we all carry inside. It's jokes and pranks, getting one over on your parents, your teachers, your friends. Whoopie cushions and fake notes from the teacher and "Mom, come quick, I'm bleeding," while unable to suppress the giggles. Letting them think they got you, or not having to fake it when they do, all lots of fun.

But wait, you get to punk them too! I'd wake them up to tell them it's a snow day, school is canceled. Yes, it's cruel, setting them up for the let down, but I am unashamed, a mom's gotta get her kicks and giggles where she can. As they got older, they were on to me (damn), so I'd just have to work harder. Like having a friend call me, answer the phone, hang up and tell them the principal called and I had to meet them in his office, they'd better tell me what this is about, then watching them squirm.

 

I even once baked them a toilet. When they stopped wincing, they actually had to admit it was delicious, best toilet they'd ever had, as a matter of fact.

Now, with grown kids, Halloween just isn't what it was. But April Fool's Day? I'm still trying.

 

 

 

College Boy texted the other day and I told him that I couldn't talk, I was right in the middle of working out an idea for a new recipe. "Hey," I mentioned, "you know I've been on a Cookie Butter kick, right"? Having had my Cookie Butter Loaf and my Cookie Butter Chocolate Chip Cheesecake, he was well aware. "That half empty cookie butter jar has been calling out to me," I told him. He said he'd let me get back to it and text me later.

 

And he did, later asking if I'd tried out my recipe, and what it was. I told him that I'd worked it out but wouldn't be making it until the next day. I challenged him to guess what I had in mind. For the entire rest of the day I got texted guesses, cookie butter this and cookie butter that (and some pretty good ideas I hadn't thought of myself, but let's keep that between you and I, OK?). 

 

The day ended with me inviting him to dinner the next day (tonight), an invitation he accepted almost before I sent it. 

Tonight he's coming to dinner. I know he's expecting cookie butter something. But just because I said that jar was calling to me, doesn't mean I've used it yet. No, it's still calling to me.

 

I didn't lie though, I did make a new recipe. Not the dessert he'd been anticipating, but actually a little sweet and quite delicious.

 

 

 Roasted Orange Maple Root Vegetables

 

 

April Fools, son. Gotcha!!

 

And you can't be too mad, no cookie butter dessert, but I'm feeding you a damn good meal!

 

PS: What's coming up on this blog next week? A cookie butter recipe. Maybe I'll even invite College Boy over. We'll see . . .

Roasted Orange Maple Root Vegetables        

                                                       ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

NOTE: This recipe calls for about 2 1/2 cups root vegetables, you can use whichever ones you choose. You can also use a 20 oz bag of frozen mixed root vegetables. Your cooking time will depend on the vegetables you use and the size of the pieces.

 

Ingredients:
2 large carrots

1 small parsnip

2 beets

1 sweet potato

 

2 TBSP olive oil

1 tsp salt, divided

1/4 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp cumin

 

3 TBSP maple syrup

1 TBSP orange juice

2 TBSP orange marmalade

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

 

Directions:
*Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

*Clean the vegetables. Peel the sweet potato, you can peel the others if you choose. Slice the carrots and parsnip in about 1/2 inch slices. Cut the beets into very small cubes. Cut the sweet potato into medium sized cubes.

*Whisk together the maple syrup, orange juice, and orange marmalade. Set aside.

*Toss the vegetables with the olive oil. Spread out onto the baking sheet, then sprinkle with 1/2 tsp of the salt, pepper, and cumin.

*Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven, but leave the oven on. Mix the vegetables, drizzle with the maple orange mixture, and mix again to coat the vegetables. Sprinkle with the remaining salt, then finally the chopped walnuts.

*Return to the oven and bake for another 10 - 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are fork tender.

No Sandbox for Me: Funny Friday

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 Jules  of The Bergham Chronicles.

1. Little girl to herself: Darn, I can't reach that clutch thing. Oh well, I just won't use it. What could it hurt?

2. Little girl to herself: Mom doesn't want to drive me to my friend's house. No problem. I'll show her. I'll just borrow this thing and drive myself.

3. Little girl to herself: I don't mind driving myself to the mall, but I sure hope it doesn't rain before I get there.

4. Little girl to herself: Hmmm . . . I forgot, is this supposed to be like race cars where I go as fast as I can, or like bumper cars where I hit as many other vehicles as I can?

5. Little girl to herself: I'm sure dad just said no sandbox because it's too much work. No problem, I'll just borrow this big dirt scooper thing and dig my own in the front yard. Dad won't have to do anything. He'll be so proud of me.

And now for something yummy. Is it dinner? Is it dessert? You decide. Happy April Fools day, everyone!

April Fools Peanut Butter and Jelly Pizza Cookie

Click on the links below and let some other bloggers make you smile:

Southern Belle Charm 
Bookworm in the Kitchen
Spatulas on Parade 
The Bergham Chronicles
Cluttered Genius

  

April Fools Peanut Butter and Jelly Pizza Cookie         

                                             ©www.BakingInATornado.com

 

Printable Recipe

 

Ingredients:

1 tube (about 16 oz) Pillsbury Peanut Butter Cookie dough

1/2 cup white chocolate chips

1/3 cup chocolate chips

1/2 cup raspberry jam

3/4 cup vanilla or cream cheese frosting

red food coloring

2 ounces vanilla bark

about 4 red fruit roll ups

1 green pull and peel twizzler
5 Crows (black licorice gumdrops)

Directions:

*Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a pizza pan without holes in the bottom.

*Using your hands, pat the cookie dough out onto the pan.

*Bake for about 16 to 18 minutes until it browns. Remove from oven and cool completely.

*While the cookie is baking, melt the white chocolate chips and chocolate chips until smooth. Spread thinly onto a piece of parchment paper, you should have a rectangle approximated 12 X 10 inches. Allow to just start to set, about 5 minutes.

*Using the tip of a sharp knife, cut mushroom shapes into the chocolate. Refrigerate to set completely.

*Whisk the jam together with the frosting. Add red food coloring, a few drops at a time until the frosting is red. Spread over the cooled cookie to about 1 inch from the edges.

*Shred the vanilla bark with a vegetable shredder so it looks like shredded cheese. Sprinkle over the frosting.

*Cut circles from the fruit roll ups to look like pepperoni. Add on top of the vanilla bark.

*Peel the twizzler and cut into small pieces to look like green pepper. Sprinkle over the top.
*Cut the licorice gumdrops into thirds. Sprinkle over the top.

*Remove the "mushrooms" from the refrigerator. Cut away the excess chocolate and remove the chocolate mushrooms with a spatula. Place onto the "pizza."

*Slice and serve.

Down the Drain

I published a blog post a few days ago called The American Revolution, Circa 2016. It's a serious discussion of my assessment of this election year. It's never been more evident that our country is going in the wrong direction. Yes, to hell in a hand basket, up a creek, down the drain. All probably not exactly what the founding fathers had in mind. The will of a few has taken over the will of the people and I, for one, am sick of it. When did we become a country of blocking every single thing a president tries to do without giving it any thought just because it came from him? Why did we become so overtaxed and under represented? When has the process of choosing a presidential candidates become so blatantly about closed door scheming and manipulation?

I honestly don't know which is worse, the status quo of blindly accepting the will of the party elite, or the specific way in which so many of us are pushing back. We, my friends, are screwed. Make that super screwed.

Down the drain. Without a paddle.

Down the Drain (April Fools) Cookie 

So I call for political reform. Although I'd love to start with the electoral college, have each person's vote carry the same weight as the next, I may not be up to the task of amending the constitution. So lets start small. Like letting the people really know what you stand for. Not just promises and grandiose statements with no backing, lets see who you really are. How's that for a novel idea? So I propose this. Anyone who wants to run for president, in order to be put on the ballot, needs to answer a survey. Ten questions. Answered hooked up to a lie detector, of course:

1) My neighbor's dog poops on my lawn. I want a wall built. How do I get him to pay for it?

2) Should we task our border patrol with keeping out anyone with curly hair? If so, what if someone's hair is naturally curly and I . . . oops, I mean they . . . straighten it.

3) Boxers or briefs. Because clearly this is a campaign season of discussing all of the salient issues. Or is that salacious?

4) Should adult women have to relinquish control of their reproductive choices? And if so, shouldn't adult men too? Any out there not had a vasectomy? Never been circumcised? Line up . . .

5) Who do you hate? And I want names.

6) In the spirit of "he who smelt it, dealt it", if the politicians are the only ones raising taxes, shouldn't they be the only ones paying them?

7) Does size matter?

8) If we, in this country, are ensured certain unalienable rights, like life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, should love and marriage be for everyone, or just some of us? And if it's just some of us, can I be the person to decide who?

9) Update Herbert Hoover's (you know who he was, right?) "a chicken in every pot". What should every American home have these days? And please do not say "a teenager". Been there, done that, barely survived.

10) How much wood would a wood chuck chuck if a wood chuck could chuck wood? No, I'm not kidding. If you can't respond to long winded pointless statements apropos of nothing, you're not cut out for Washington politics.

Answer those and I'll be ready to cast my vote. Which will count for nothing in the long run anyway. Pass the Draino.

Hope you're having a fun April Fools' Day. And that you're giving as good as you get!

 

 

Down The Drain (April Fools) Cookie

                                                                          ©www.BakingInATornado.com


Printable Recipe

 
Ingredients:
1 stick butter, softened
1 stick margarine, softened
1/2 cup sugar 
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

1/2 stick butter, softened
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 tsp vanilla
1 TBSP milk
3 cups powdered sugar

blue food coloring
1 TBSP unsweetened cocoa

2 small candies of your choice

Directions:
*Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a pizza pan without holes in the bottom.
*Cream butter, margarine and sugars. Beat in eggs and vanilla.
*Mix in flour, baking soda and salt.
*Pat out onto the pizza pan until the consistency is fairly even. I just put onto the pan and move it around and flatten it out with a spatula.
*Bake approximately 16 - 18 minutes, till it's puffed and lightly browned.
*Remove from oven and cool completely. Using a knife, gently score the cookie to outline a toilet seat, first a large oval, then a second about 2 inches inside the first.
*Score outside the oval in a cross pattern, first one way, then the opposite.
*Beat the cream cheese, 1/2 stick butter and vanilla until smooth. Carefully, starting off at your lowest speed, beat in the powdered sugar. If it's too stiff, add the milk 1 tsp at a time. If it's too loose, add a little more powdered sugar. You want it at a consistency that will spread gently and easily.
*Remove 1/2 cup of the frosting to a clean bowl. Color with blue food coloring
*Remove another 1/4 cup of frosting to another clean bowl. Mix in the baking cocoa and place into the corner of a plastic baggie.
*Frost between the two ovals with the white frosting. Gently drag a knife along the edges to define them.
*Frost the center with the light blue frosting.
*Cut the corner of the plastic bag and pipe a tall swirl of chocolate frosting into the center of the blue frosting. Garnish with the candy pieces.
*Store in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before serving.