Answering Rena: Secret Subject Swap

 

 

Today's post would normally be our monthly Secret Subject Swap. The way it works is that bloggers pick a secret subject for that month, send them to me, I put them in my sorting hat, and send them out to another participant. We each get a unique subject to write about or question to answer.

Although still a Secret Subject Swap, for this post, we each have individual prompts, not sent in by each other, but submitted by just one person.

For the past 8 years, our friend Rena had participated in this and many of the other challenges I run. Rena died unexpectedly in the middle of March. I was finally able to write about it just a few days ago, I hope you'll check it out, here's the link to Rena: Mourning to Missing.

When Rena died, she'd signed up for this Secret Subject Swap challenge through the year. I had 9 of her prompts sitting in monthly documents waiting for assignment to different friends. I could not get myself to delete those prompts, it just felt callous, disrespectful. I thought I might address them, over time, in my own blog posts, but then realized that maybe some of her other friends would like to join me. Some did.

Rena took the time to ask some questions. Today her friends are taking the time to answer some of them.

So, each of us have a subject, prompt, or question, sent in by Rena. We're answering in memory of a friend, a collaborator, a valued and missed member of our blogging community.

I have Rena's August prompt, and my subject is: If you could go back to school to become anything you'd like, what would it be and why? 

I'm going to start with the two guesses I think Rena, well probably all of you, would have made.

Then I'm going to say WRONG! 

First, writing. Truth is, I thought a lot about it. I had a middle school teacher who, after I'd turned in a writing assignment, suggested it. I even took over running my dormitory area newspaper for a while in college. But, when it comes to writing, I do best when I feel the stories, when they almost pour out of me. I'm not sure how I'd handle a career of being assigned the story and having to make a deadline. Sometimes, yeah. As a side gig, yeah. But daily? I don't know.

Truth is, I wonder if all of that structure, of the subject matter being out of my hands, whether it might diminish my love of writing. Or maybe it would actually hone my skills, provide focus and growth. Hard to say. 

So how about being an author, writing fiction? I love a good mystery. In fact, I did start my own book. I wrote the first sentence. That was 10 years ago . . . Still got that sentence. Nothing else, though.

OK, so you're thinking along the culinary lines.

Perhaps I'd want to be a chef, or a baker, or both. Maybe work privately, or even open my own restaurant.

I could apply to Le Cordon Bleu in Paris. Or more locally, both MIT and Harvard have culinary arts majors.

But the food industry is grueling. Chefs are, for the most part overworked and underpaid and, unless they can afford to go out on their own, unable to nurture their own creativity.

Truth is, my recipe development often comes from a place of stress relief, a creative way to get out of my own head for a while. My recipes tend to be more pedestrian. My creations are always geared towards the specific tastes of my family. And I wouldn't have it any other way.

BBQ Pork Corn Chip Nachos

I'll tell you about one thing I have loved my whole life, as far back as I can remember, and still to this day. It's ballet.

If I could, I would love to be a ballerina. Yes, it's a difficult life, both physically and emotionally, but I'd make the sacrifice. Any and all of them.

NY would be the place to go. Although some colleges do offer dance programs, it's almost true that by the time you get your degree, you're almost too old for the industry. So Julliard, Joffrey, School of American Ballet are where I'd be battling to be accepted.

One problem, though. Well, there is the whole talent issue. But more than that is the constraint that's insurmountable by effort, and practice, and guidance, and even luck. 

Seems I've been unable to change the fact that I'm only five feet tall. 

I want to thank Rena for her years of support and friendship. And I want to thank everyone who wrote these posts today, for standing by my side as we honor a friend lost way too soon. 

 

Here are links to all the sites now featuring Secret Subject Swap posts in honor of Rena. 

Climaxed 

What TF Sarah 

Part-time Working Hockey Mom 

On the Border

BBQ Pork Corn Chip Nachos         

                                                                                      ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
3 boneless pork loin chops

3/4 cup of my Blackberry BBQ sauce or the BBQ sauce of your choice, divided

2/3 cup canned black beans, drained

1 green onion, chopped

1 (8.75 oz) can corn kernels, drained

3/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar, divided

1/4 cup drained, sliced pepperoncini

1 bag (8 oz) scoop sized corn chips

NOTE: I often make barbecued grilled pork chops for dinner, making sure to have enough leftovers to use the next day for these nachos. If you're using leftover pork chops, you'll have to warm it before mixing with the other ingredients.

Directions:

*Marinate the pork chops in 1/2 cup of the BBQ sauce in a resealable bag for 24 hours, turning now and then. 

*Grill the pork chops until completely cooked through. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. 

*Heat the beans in the microwave for about 1 minute, just until warm. Chop the pork into very small pieces, mix with the beans, green onions, corn, and 1/4 cup of the cheese, then toss with 3 TBSP of the remaining BBQ sauce. 

*Place in the center of a round baking dish. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese, then the pepperoncini. Surround with the chips.

*Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the cheese melts. To serve, drizzle with the remaining TBSP of BBQ sauce.

An Accidental Sitcom: Secret Subject Swap

 

Welcome to a Secret Subject Swap. This month 2 brave bloggers picked a secret subject for someone else and were assigned a secret subject to interpret in their own style. Today we are all simultaneously divulging our topics and submitting our posts. Read through mine and at the bottom you’ll find links to all of today’s other Secret Subject participants.

My subject is: Do you think the dynamic of most sitcom families has had an affect on how we view families and gender roles? How so, or why not?

It was submitted by: Jenniy of Climaxed.

I'm finding this a little difficult to address, mainly because I really don't watch mainstream sitcoms. There just aren't any on right now that appeal to me. I watched quite a few of them growing up, enjoyed many, even found some of them humorous which, I thought, was supposed to be the point. Now, I'll watch Young Sheldon every now and then but, really, that's pretty much it. 

The current crop of sitcom offerings are neither relatable situations nor comedic. Yeah, they come up with a premise for the show, but for the most part they are so contrived, they're absurd. And comedic? I haven't laughed at a sitcom since the 80s.

I know, I'm not answering the question.

For me, it's kind of a chicken and egg kind of thing. Which came first, the pervasive perception of what a family is and the roles within that societal microcosm, which was then mirrored in sitcoms? Or televised perception of family dynamics put up as a model of perfection for us to watch, idolize, and hope to achieve? 

There was a time in both sitcoms and in our society, when men went to work and women spent their days in a dress and nylons, often in the kitchen cooking and baking and doing all things wholesome and domestic.

Triple Onion Roast (crockpot or not)

Slowly, our view of families broadened, and as we as a society became more open and aware, it was reflected in some shows, snuck in the back door where you had to look for it in others. But it did start to infiltrate.

Men had the overt power, but women had power too, they just had to be cunning about it, it was a more covert, at times passive/aggressive use of power. Men made decisions openly, women sort of had to play them, make it seem as though her decision was his idea. If you look for it, it was reflected in sitcoms. Edith Bunker comes to mind.

Now, I think that our society is so compartmentalized, we are all so entrenched in our tribes and staunch in our beliefs, that we no longer view shows as an idealized view of the family and gender roles.

Our forward movement into freedom of expression and acceptance of familial fluidity has been stopped cold by a trip in Mr. Peabody's WayBack Machine, seized by the republican party. Destination: 1960s. 

Maybe we'll start seeing Leave It to Beaver, Dick Van Dyke, and The Brady Bunch (unless a divorced couple with a blended family is just too avant-garde) revisited. Sorry, The Jeffersons, you're probably out.

Currently, I see a few types of sitcoms in the mainstream:

First: those that try (too hard) to reflect societal trends. These are the shows that try to be current, but by the time they identify the trend, write a script, get the episode made . . . it just comes off as lame, boring, yesterday's news. They are neither reflective nor progressive. They're kind of the white noise of sitcoms.

Second are shows that do try to push the envelope, are written with at least a passing nod to a social conscience. For the most part, if you look into the financing, the producers are successful, independent, and due to their previous successes, have a built in audience. But although these shows make a statement, I don't think they have the power to mold how we view families or roles within them. Just like in politics, those who have an open mind already get it, and those who don't will reject it.

On the flip side are the shows that pander to the opposite audience. Last Man Standing comes to mind. It specifically has a conservative viewpoint, conservative actor portraying the main character, and ended up on a conservative channel. Again, they attract those who concur with the views portrayed, and don't change the minds of those with a more inclusive view of families and gender roles.

But in the end, it's not about reflecting society, molding familial structure, making a statement, or reinforcing audience beliefs. Make no mistake, it's all about the money. 

Ask Fox (supposedly but not really) News, which, if you think about it, could be reclassified as a sitcom. They create their own absurd situations and, if so many people didn't think they're an actual newscast (or maybe televangelism), they have the capacity to be pretty damn funny. 

With their skewed family values and archaic gender roles, the Fox propaganda station could be considered an accidental sitcom, if you will. Or even if you won't. They don't really care. 

I know, I know, tell you what I really think . . .

 

 

Here are links to all the sites now featuring Secret Subject Swap posts. Sit back, grab a cup, and check them all out. See you there:

Climaxed 

Triple Onion Roast (crockpot or not)

                                                                       ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

1 packet dry onion soup mix

1 can (10.5 oz) French onion condensed soup

1 can (14.5 oz) beef broth

1 cup canned beef gravy

1 cup red wine

2 cups frozen chopped onion

8 oz fresh mushrooms, cleaned and sliced

2 1/2# beef chuck roast

salt, pepper, garlic powder

3 medium sized red potatoes

1/2# baby carrots

Directions (crockpot):

*Lightly grease the crockpot bowl. Whisk together the dry onion soup mix, condensed soup, broth, gravy, red wine, onion, and mushrooms. Turn the crockpot on to low.

*Season the roast on all sides with the salt, pepper, and garlic powder. In a very hot skillet, sear all sides of the roast and add to the crockpot. 

*Cook for 5 hours, turning the meat now and then.

*Cut each potato into about 6 chunks. Add to the crockpot with the baby carrots. Cook for another hour. Remove the meat, slice, and return to the crockpot for 1/2 hour.

Directions (Dutch oven):
*Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

*Heat the Dutch oven on the stove top until very hot. Season all sides of the roast with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Sear all sides of the roast. Remove. 

*Whisk the dry onion soup mix, condensed soup, broth, gravy, 1 cup of water, and red wine into the Dutch oven, scraping the bottom to get up the caramelized bits. Add the onions, mushrooms, and meat.

*Bake for 1 1/2 hours. Turn the roast over, add water if the sauce has started to dry out. Add the potatoes, each cut into about 6 chunks, and the carrots. Cook for another hour.

*Remove and slice the roast. Return to the pan, cook for another 30 minutes.

Feast for the Senses: Secret Subject Swap

 

Welcome to a Secret Subject Swap. This month 3 brave bloggers picked a secret subject for someone else and were assigned a secret subject to interpret in their own style. Today we are all simultaneously divulging our topics and submitting our posts. Read through mine and at the bottom you’ll find links to all of today’s other Secret Subject participants.

My subject is: Spring is in the air. What is your favorite spring time activity?

It was submitted by: Rena of The Diary of an Alzheimer's Caregiver.

 

 

 

Actually, that's a difficult question. Much more difficult than it would have been when I was living on the East Coast. Much more difficult even, than it would have been living away from the East Coast in the years before 2020. Much more difficult than it should be.

 

Growing up on the East Coast meant varying between two really fun activities, walking the beach, and spring skiing. Walking the beach required dressing a little warmer, but it was so worth it, feeling the sun on your skin for the first time in months, and smelling that salt air. Spring skiing, on the other hand, required less clothes than winter skiing, easier movement, and warmer trips up the lifts. Ahhh, spring.

 

Living here in the beachless {{sob}}, mountainless {{sigh}} Midwest, especially since 2020, has necessitated that my main spring activity be playing a robust game of "avoid the Covid spreaders." As activities go, not something that's going to make it onto my favorites list. Necessary? Yes. Fun? Not so much.

The downside of spring, rubbing my eyes and stocking up on tissues and allergy medicine isn't exactly a fun activity either.

But I do love spring, it's my favorite season. I get to move away from the heartier "warm you from the inside" meals I cook over the winter months to lighter meals. Like breakfast for dinner.

Key Lime Pancakes

(with my Blueberry Maple Syrup)

And although I know this is a lame answer to your question, since I'm really not sure what activities I'll be able to enjoy in the coming days, I can tell you what I love about spring. It's the waking up, the emergence from the long winter hibernation, the exercising of all of my senses.

Spring is a feast, and it's not just about taste. Spring is a for all of the senses. 

Sight: There is beauty in snowfall, a feel of peace as the first flakes cling, pristinely white, to the branches of the bare trees. But even then, it's brown and white.

In the spring, dark afternoons are banned and daylight replaces the dreariness of winter. Daylight in which to enjoy the colors with which Mother Nature paints the outdoors. Grass, leaves, flowers, beautiful color emerging everywhere. 

And the wildlife comes back.   

Sound: The chirping of the birds, even the sound of lawnmowers, car windows down and radios turned up, spring has its own unique sounds.

Smell: Flowers, especially the lilacs, and food cooking on grills throughout the neighborhood. Even the smell of freshly cut grass brings a smile.

Touch: It's not spring until I've got my hands deep in the dirt of my outdoor pots, and standing on the back deck, feeling the sun on my face.

Taste: Key Lime Pancakes with Blueberry Maple Syrup, anyone?

 

Here are links to all the sites now featuring Secret Subject Swap posts. Sit back, grab a cup, and check them all out. See you there:

Climaxed

The Diary of an Alzheimer’s Caregiver 

 

Key Lime Pancakes         
                                                       ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1/2 stick butter

3/4 cup milk

1/4 cup key lime juice

1 egg

1 cup flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 TBSP sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp lime zest

OPT: 1 - 2 tsp green food coloring

4 - 5 TBSP butter

Directions:

*Melt the 1/2 stick butter, set aside.

*Place the milk and key lime juice in a small bowl and allow to sit for 10 minutes. 

*In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, salt, and lime zest.

*After 10 minutes, whisk the melted butter, egg, and food coloring (if using) into the milk and key lime juice mixture, then mix into the dry ingredients, just until incorporated.

*Over medium heat in a small skillet, melt 1/2 TBSP of the remaining butter until hot. Add about 1/3 cup pancake mix and swirl around to form approximately a 5 inch pancake.

*Once the center starts to bubble and the edges are browning, flip the pancake over, reduce the heat slightly, and cook the other side until browned.

*Remove, keep warm, and repeat with the remaining butter and pancake batter.

AntiSocial Media: Secret Subject Swap

Welcome to a Secret Subject Swap. This month 3 brave bloggers picked a secret subject for someone else and were assigned a secret subject to interpret in their own style. Today we are all simultaneously divulging our topics and submitting our posts. Read through mine and at the bottom you’ll find links to all of today’s other Secret Subject participants.

 

My subject is: What is one of the biggest problems the internet has created socially?

It was submitted by: Jenniy of Climaxed.

 

 

I want to start with positives. I guess I just like balance.

 

There are a lot of people, especially through blogging, who I never would have met otherwise. And although these social relationships are limited, being online only, they are valuable.

 

I also want to talk a little about all of the negativity I hear about social media posts. They are often criticized, characterizing them as being misleading, as we mostly highlight only the parts of our life we choose to brag about, pretending, is the perception, that we are more perfect than we are, and less real. 

 

First, many people are very real. In fact, the flip side of this coin is that I sometimes get bombarded with TMI posts about body parts or body functions or relationship matters that are none of my business, and I'd like them to stay that way.

 

Second, I have a hard time seeing someone looking to, highlighting, sharing the good in their lives as either negative or not real. I think we all need to spend more time concentrating on those actions or people we're proud of. It's healthy not only for our state of mind, but for our self esteem. 

Now to answer the question. There are many negatives, one of which being that the internet can be a black hole, you can get lost in there, spending time best spent elsewhere. It can, and does, isolate us socially, emboldening many among us to cater to their darker side.

 

 

 

 

The less we look each other in the eye, the more we take a step away from seeing each other not only wholly, but really at all. It is, in many ways, an erosion of humanity. 

 

And adding Covid to the mix just made the whole situation worse. Not only did we need to curtail social functions, but many of the day to day things we did that at the least provided face to face interpersonal interaction, we were all now doing online. Never did I think that I would be able to deal with someone else picking my groceries for me. But I did.

Listen, all I want to do is share a laugh, a love of word games, yes, often express my opinion, and, of course, some recipes. I'm shocked by what some of these anonymous people are willing to say.

 

Butterscotch Crunch Bars

You all know what I'm referring to, either you've seen something similar or you've been the victim yourself. And I do mean victim. Not being face to face makes bullying easier. Fact. 

In a recipe share group, there was a person who went up and down the page leaving insults in the threads of every post. On one, "looks like what I vomit after sex." And although I couldn't help but think how disgusting they were, that one actually made me laugh. I mean, that sex thing? I think she's doing it wrong.

 

Someone with a Google account left a hate filled rant for me. Their name? "Liberals Deserve To Die." Think about that for a minute. A person went to the trouble of opening an account in that name. Some of the words used in the comment: "retard," "bitch," "shut the f*ck up," "fagget" (their spelling). And then "PS: nice recipes."

 

Would they say all that to my face? Maybe. But them hiding behind a "name" not their own makes me think that the anonymity of the internet brought this particular hater (and so many like him/her) out from under their rock.

  

But . . .

Besides the internet itself, the social and the social media aspects, the introduction of Covid into the mix, there's one other important component and that's our own free will. We have the power to shape and define our own online experience.

With that in mind, I'll end where I started, pointing out the importance of balance. 

 

 

Here are links to all the sites now featuring Secret Subject Swap posts. Sit back, grab a cup, and check them all out. See you there:

Climaxed

The Diary of an Alzheimer’s Caregiver 

 

Butterscotch Crunch Bars         

                                                       ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 stick butter, melted

2 cups graham cracker crumbs

1 cup white baking chips

3/4 cup toffee baking chips

1 cup butterscotch baking chips

1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk

1 cup Cinnamon Life, Cinnamon Chex, or Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal

Directions:

*Grease a 9 X 13 baking dish. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

*Mix the graham cracker crumbs with the butter, then press into the bottom of the prepared pan.
*Distribute the white baking chips over the crust, followed by the toffee chips, then the butterscotch chips.

*Drizzle the sweetened condensed milk over the top, then end with the cereal.

*Bake for 30 minutes, until the top is browned and bubbly.

*Cool for 20 minutes. Run a knife around the edges, then cool completely before slicing.

Party Matters: Secret Subject Swap

 

Welcome to a Secret Subject Swap. This month 3 brave bloggers picked a secret subject for someone else and were assigned a secret subject to interpret in their own style. Today we are all simultaneously divulging our topics and submitting our posts. Read through mine and at the bottom you’ll find links to all of today’s other Secret Subject participants.

 

My subject is: This country has been through a lot in the last few years. What is one thing that you think is the worst that has happened and why, and one thing that gives you hope for the future? 
It was submitted by: Rena of The Diary of an Alzheimer's Caregiver.

 

 

Under normal circumstances, this question would be overwhelming. I mean, to say this country has been through a lot doesn't do justice to the level of damage done here. Number one has to be the deaths, many senseless, from Covid. Beyond that is the complete chaos, the loss of any moral compass, the manipulation of our court system, the lying, cheating, stealing. . . And as each day finds us hitting a new low, yes, trying to choose just one instance would be overwhelming. 

 

But through the past few years, I've addressed a lot of what has been going on. I've talked about the deep depths to which the republican party has fallen (and continues to fall) and my frustration at the lack of definitive action by the democratic party. I've made the case for the democrats effectively being enablers through their hand wringing and pearl clutching instead of using the tools in their arsenal to staunch some of the blood flow. 

In order to refrain from making the same points over and over again, I'm going to tell you that honestly, what I think is one of the worst things that has happened is the loss of the republican party.

I'm not conservative in my beliefs in general, but I value a conservative voice in our politics. I think one of the healthiest things our democracy has benefited from is our two party system. It is a system of checks and balances, one that requires open minds, a platform for multiple views, an ability to negotiate, and the respect for opposing views and those who have them, productive discourse.

 

And friendships on both sides of the aisle. 

 

Politicians able to leave the debate on the floor and share a dinner or watching a game together, buddies with a mutual respect and in many instances, genuine friendships.

 

 

Apple Cinnamon Buddy Snacks

 

All of that is gone. And this is a profound loss. It was all necessary for a functioning democratic government. But there is no longer a viable republican party. There is only carnage, a battlefield of lies (even those that result in death are continuing to be disseminated), gerrymandering, changing of rules, bigotry, and hatred. The republican party no longer exists. And those true conservatives out there, the voices we desperately need to hear, are either leaving politics or being voted out.

We need, yes, need, a viable, rational conservative party in this country.

 

 

You probably think that the one thing that gives me hope is the midterms. You'd be wrong. Even though the results of the midterms do show that there are many people in this country who will not (or will no longer) align themselves with a party of lies, death, cheating, bigotry and deceit, too many of those elections were won by far right candidates with nothing to offer but robotic recitation of the party line. And of the rest, too many were far too close. 

 

What I once thought was a small, maybe 10% of the population, is now . . . still . . . despite everything that has happened, more like 45% of us. So no, sitting there with my heart in my throat through the midterms is not what gives me hope.

 

What gives me hope is our youth. Yes, there are young vehement Christian nationalists, Nazis, haters, but as opposed to the older generation, I see far more good, acceptance, rationality in our youth. I see they espouse less bigotry, accept their black and brown, LGBTQ+, Jewish and Muslim, disabled and mentally challenged societal brothers and sisters. Science matters, marijuana has healing properties, clean air and water take precedence over greed.

I grew up hearing, from my grandparents, my parents, and even have said it myself, that we hope to create a world, a country, a life, where our children have it better than we did.

We have failed. Dismally. Embarrassingly.

 

We now are in the position of looking to our children to save our planet, our society, our country.

And they have given me reason to hope that they will.

 

 

Here are links to all the sites now featuring Secret Subject Swap posts. Sit back, grab a cup, and check them all out. See you there:

Climaxed 

The Diary of an Alzheimer’s Caregiver 

 

Apple Cinnamon Buddy Snacks        

                                                                    ©www.BakingInATornado.com

 
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

6 cup Apple Chex cereal

4 cups Cinnamon Chex cereal

1/2 stick butter, softened

1/2 cup cookie butter (speculoos)

1/4 cup caramel baking bits

1 cup cream cheese baking chips

2 cups powdered sugar

3/4 tsp apple pie seasoning

Directions:
*Mix together the Apple Chex and the Cinnamon Chex. Set aside.

*Place the butter, cookie butter, caramel baking bits and cream cheese flavored baking chips into a large bowl. Microwave for 40 seconds. Stir. Continue to microwave and stir at 20 second intervals until the butter, cookie butter, and cream cheese baking bits are completely smooth (the caramel baking bits will be coated but not melted).

*Add the cereals to the bowl and gently stir to coat. Pour into a large sealable plastic storage bag.
*Mix together the powdered sugar and apple pie seasoning, add to the bag with the cereal, seal, and gently shake the beg to coat all of the cereal with the powdered sugar.
*Spread out onto a large piece of parchment paper for about 30 minutes. Store in a sealed container at room temperature.