Expand. Embrace. Empower.

  

Expand. Embrace. Empower.

If this country were to need a new watchword, and it does, this is it.

I know that we all feel that there is strength in shared experiences, outlooks, and core beliefs, in identifying with our tribe. But it is less strength, and more comfort. Comfort is necessary, of course, but it can also be limiting. Stagnating. The risk of missing out.

I wrote a post a couple of days ago called What the Immigrants Knew, if you didn't read it, I hope you will. It's a personal story about a lesson from my great grandparents. In many ways, I'm making the same point again today, but through my own, online and blogging experiences.

Shortly after I started blogging, I made my first real online, never met in person friend. We had a connection right from the start, she had a great sense of humor and was supportive of everything I wrote. 

I am skeptical by nature, and even more so online. I'm well aware that people can say they are whoever they want to online. And there are scammers everywhere, but this woman was the real deal.

So when my first friend was thinking of giving up blogging, I convinced her to continue by coming up with a writing challenge, the Secret Subject Swap, and talked a bunch of other bloggers to join in. Although it was meant to be a one time deal, it blew up. Bloggers asked to join in. At one point I had 30 bloggers participating and was running 8 different challenges.

The challenges were open to all, but when someone asked to join, I always checked them out, looked at their blog and social media.

At one point, Stephanie asked to join. Her social media was full of Christian proclamations. She was, of course, welcome to join, but clearly would never be a part of my personal inner circle.

But I got to know her, this woman who ended every sentence with two exclamation marks!! She is a kind, positive, fun, and funny friend, always up to join in on anything I came up with. I saw her strength when she finally got up the nerve to leave her abusive husband with nothing but a beat up car and her kids. 

Reyna is someone else who joined the challenges with whom I had nothing in common. It was difficult to read her posts, she was not a deep thinker, and clearly did not have a grasp of sentence structure or punctuation, something that makes me crazy.

But, I came to see, she was an empath, a warm and comfortable person, and a fiercely supportive friend. 

Some of these people, with whom I had little in common, supported me in ways and at times when I needed it the most.

I could have comfortably lived in my own "tribal" bubble but oh, how I would have missed out. Expanding my little writing world, embracing what others had to offer, taking the time to look beneath the surface, has been empowering.

There is black, there is white, and then there is all of that vibrant color in between. We should be looking for it.

I acknowledge the nurturing strength of like-mindedness and shared purpose. The truth is though, that there is an added layer of power in diversity. Growth lies in the acceptance of, the embracing of, diversity.

Tribalism is comfortable, yes, but it can also be counterproductive. Inclusion based on exclusion is a recipe for societal atrophy.

Heterogeneity, all it can bring us, and all it can teach us, provides balance. Depth of flavor.

Cream Cheese Nutella Cinnamon Rolls 

I was talking recently with Sage, someone who I got to know through my Baking In A Tornado FB page. Her children are on the autism spectrum and are gender diverse. She and her husband are currently estranged from her in-laws who are not accepting of their own grandchildren. 

Sage has had difficult times, including a challenging childhood and the loss of her twin. She deals with physical challenges and has had multiple surgeries. People are often distant with her, uncomfortable with the burdens she carries, often see her as damaged, not even willing to get to know her past what they (think they) see.

Are we really that shallow?

Yes. Yes, we are.

Shallow, closed minded enough to embrace: listless over vibrancy, constrained over dynamic, stagnation over progress, blnded over enlightened, immobility over growth.

The divisiveness of tribalism has become dangerous.

An open mind is a healthy mind. And it is only an open society that is poised for a healthy future.

Cream Cheese Nutella Cinnamon Rolls        

                                                                                      ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1# loaf frozen bread dough

2 - 3 TBSP flour

4 oz cream cheese

2 TBSP Nutella chocolate hazelnut spread

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

6 TBSP powdered sugar

1/4 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 1/2 tsp milk

Directions:

*NOTE: to make these ahead, bake the day before, cover and refrigerate, then just warm up and frost the next day.

*Wrap the bread dough in greased plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. Spread the flour onto the counter, unwrap the defrosted dough and place on the flour. Allow to sit for 30 minutes.

*Grease a 9 X 13 baking pan.

*In a bowl, mash together the cream cheese, Nutella, brown sugar, and 1/2 tsp of the cinnamon using the back of a spoon.

*Roll out the dough to about 20 inches in length by about 12 inches in width. Spread with the cream cheese mixture to about 1/4 of an inch of each edge. Fold the short sides in, just 1/4 of an inch.

*Using the long end, roll up to about a 20 inch long tube. Cut into 16 slices and place them, open side down, into the prepared pan. Cover with a plastic wrap and allow to rise for about 4 hours.
*Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Bake the rolls for 25 minutes. 

*Whisk together the powdered sugar, vanilla, remaining cinnamon, and the milk until smooth. Drizzle over warm rolls.

What the Immigrants Knew

I've been thinking a lot about what's missing in our society today. Well, there's a whole lot missing, like honesty, political representation, a shared vision for this country, integrity, basic morals and values, to name a few. You probably know how I feel about these issues if you read this blog regularly.

But those are more national issues, visible on a macro level. Today I'm thinking more on a micro level, looking at the core of who we were and what we've lost.

And what we've lost is a sense of community. 

We became segregated first by Covid and now the byproduct of the virus, the convenience and options provided by online shopping, the ability many have to work from home, take out delivered to our front door, the lack of any human customer service, now to a great degree provided by online bots. We have become much more isolated, in many ways disconnected from our shared humanity, by the decline in day to day, face to face human interpersonal interaction.

Political, religious, and racial tribalism is fast becoming another nail in our collective societal coffin. 

I was really lucky. I had my great grandmother, Bubbe (Yiddish for grandmother) until I was in my mid-twenties. In one way, I had her longer than that. My mother's cousin, back when Bubbe was in (I think) her 80s, sat her in front of a tape recorder and told her to talk. She told stories from all the way back to her childhoood in Russia, of the pogroms, how her cousins came to be her half siblings, how they came to this country when her half-brother was (falsely) accused of murder. After she was gone, I still had her voice, telling so many fascinating stories that could have been lost.

But, of course, she couldn't possibly imagine that the one story I've been trying to piece together lately was worth mentioning. This one took place after she came to this country, and married Zayde (Yiddish for grandfather), another Russian immigrant, who I never met.

I grew up knowing that for some amount time, they had taken someone into their home. I can't figure out whether or not at that point they'd had all of their 5 children. I do know that at least some of them were there, so they were a family of up to 7, living in a small house in Roxbury, MA in the early 1900s. I also know that even my great uncle, the youngest of them, knew him well (at some point) and spoke of him in later years. I wish I'd asked my uncle then the questions I have now.

Because now it's kind of muddled, the memories of those of us who are two and three generations removed don't completely gel. My mother seems to remember that the man they took in had a drinking problem, my uncle is pretty sure he didn't. What they agree on is that he needed help of some kind and my great grandparents stepped up. My uncle remembers that he was characterized as a friend of the Goldman (the last name assigned to Zayde and some but not all of the family, at Ellis Island) family. Bubbe and Zayde owned a very small corner store/grocery, and apparently he hung out there, even helped out both at the store and at home when he was needed.

 

I don't know what circumstances led to him living with my great grandparents, how long he was there, or even what ultimately happened to him, other than he was part of their lives for longer than he lived in the home.

Bubbe and Zayde were immigrants living in a small house, running a little community store, and trying to get by. They didn't have much. But their friend both gave what he could and accepted what he needed. He was welcome in their home and shared meals at their dinner table. He became family.

Cranberry Pistachio Cake

 

Now, you may be thinking that Jewish Russian immigrants helping each other out in a new country isn't really much of a surprise. But here's where I make my point.

The man who became like family? His name was John Donovan.

Bubbe's and Zayde's inclusion, their camaraderie, their compassion, reached further than their tribe. It encompassed their entire and yes, diverse, community.

Cranberry Pistachio Cake

                                               ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

1 box white cake mix

1 box (3.4 oz) pistachio pudding mix

1/2 cup oil

1 cup milk

3 eggs

OPT: green food coloring

1/2 cup pistachios, shelled and chopped

18 fresh or frozen cranberries

1/4 cup cranberry juice

1 can (16 oz) cream cheese frosting

6 oz cream cheese, room temperature

1/2 cup powdered sugar

2 TBSP cranberry juice

OPT: red food coloring

Directions:

*Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour three 9-inch cake pans.

*Sift 3 TBSP pudding mix (you want the powder only) and set aside for the frosting. Set aside 9 of the cranberries for decoration. Cut the rest of the cranberries into quarters.

*Beat cake mix, remaining pudding mix, oil, milk, eggs, (and, if desired, a few drops of green food coloring) for 2 minutes. Fold in half of the chopped pistachios. Spread evenly into the prepared pans. Sprinkle 1/3 of the quartered cranberries onto each cake batter. Gently press just barely into the batter.

*Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the center of the tops spring back to the touch. Cool for 10 minutes, remove from the pans and cool completely. Place the bottom layer onto a serving plate.

*Using a pastry brush, brush 1/4 cup of the cranberry juice onto each cake layer.

*Beat together the cream cheese frosting, cream cheese, reserved pudding mix, powdered sugar, remaining 2 TBSP cranberry juice, (and, if desired, a few drops of red food coloring). Reserve 1/3 cup of the frosting to a piping bag and refrigerate for decoration.

*Use about 1/4 of the remaining frosting to frost the bottom layer, place the middle layer on top and use about the same amount to frost this layer. Add the top layer, then frost the top and sides with the other half of the frosting. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.

*Decorate the top of the cake with the reserved frosting, remaining cranberries, and remaining chopped pistachios.

Solitary Games and Community Benefits: Word Counters

 

 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 37. 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 Solitary Games and Community Benefits. 

~ I play word and number games. You know this if you're a frequent visitor to this blog. And my Baking In A Tornado Facebook page. I even share one I've made up myself. They serve multiple purposes.

~ They exercise the brain, especially {{ahem}} as you age. There is the satisfaction of completing a challenge, and the temporary mental respite from politics, daily mass shootings. They can also provide insight into how we approach life.

~ Strategy matters, developed over time, based on experience, specific to the game. And discipline to stick to it, when lulled into looking for an easier way when, in fact the whole picture is not yet in view.

~ But rigidity can be your enemy. If the whole picture just isn't coming into focus it's not that sticking to a strategy is always right, but acquiring the understanding of when to abandon it can be key.

~ You knew I was going to work recipes in here somewhere, right? Rigidity is required when baking. Don't follow the rules, your cake won't rise. But cooking? Go ahead and change ingredients, cooking methods, as you go.

Turkey Tenderloin Bake

~ It's exciting, especially in a math game, to uncover all the pieces. Don't be deceived, having all of the information can be limiting. These are the pieces, you can add nothing else, to make it work. 

~ Conversely (hello, parenting), getting none, or very few of the pieces can initially be discouraging. But if you look closely, not just at what you have, but what you've eliminated, there's actually a wealth of information there.

~ I share game results twice a day on my Facebook page, morning games and evening games. Other players add the results of whatever games they play to the thread, and suddenly solitary games are a shared experience.

~ The last thing I want to mention is the most important. Build (or join) communities, share strategies, applaud successes, commiserate with failures. Build others up, look to them for support. No, I'm not talking games any more. 

Here are links to the other Word Counters posts:

On the Border 

Messymimi’s Meanderings 

Turkey Tenderloin Bake       

                                                                                      ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

about 1 1/2# turkey breast tenderloin

salt and pepper

1 bag (20 oz) frozen mixed stir fry vegetables, partially thawed

1/3 cup ranch salad dressing

1/3 cup sweet chili sauce

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 tsp ginger paste

Directions:

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

*Slice the turkey into 1 inch slices. Season both sides with salt and pepper, and arrange in the center of the pan, leaving a border all around for the vegetables.

*Arrange the vegetables all around the turkey. Sprinkle the vegetables with salt and pepper.

*Whisk together the ranch dressing, sweet chili sauce, garlic, and ginger. Set aside 1/3 cup of this sauce. Pour the remaining sauce over the turkey.

*Bake for 50 to 60 minutes. Turkey must be completely cooked.

*Heat the reserved 1/3 cup of the sauce in a sauce pan or the microwave until hot (do not boil), pour over or serve beside the turkey.

 

She Didn't Speak English

She didn't speak English. By the end of the conversation, neither was I.

I was in the grocery store last week and the check-out line was rather long. It's unusual, really, they're generally pretty quick there but I suspect that between colds and the flu they may have been short a few employees. I'm an impatient person by nature but I really wasn't in any rush so I settled into my spot for the long run. There was one person checking out, two others, then me. I could go take a look at the only other check-out line open but even if it were shorter I knew damn well that if I moved to it, that line would somehow take longer. 

Not much to look at standing there. I was not, by a long shot, new to this grocery shopping thing I was immune to the diversions in the form of candy, nail clippers and other cutely packaged but unnecessary items surrounding me. Just as I'd finished snooping into the cart of the woman ahead of me, I noticed movement behind me. I turned and saw that someone had joined the line. I smiled. She smiled. A social convention, nothing more. But as I was turning back, I noticed a few items in her cart that I'd never seen before. I faced forward for a while, checked my cell phone for messages, noted the progress of the checker, took my coat off. A bit of boredom tinged with a heaping dose of curiosity got the best of me. I like to try new recipes. Maybe you know that about me by now. FYI, you can rationalize nosiness by thinking of it as "new ingredient recipe development research". 

Noodle and Vegetable Strata

I turned to the woman behind me and asked about an item at the top of her cart that was unfamiliar. She said something in Spanish. I know a tiny bit of Spanish, enough to recognize the language and pick out a few words, hold my own in a superficial social situation but that's it.

About a year ago I'd gotten a private message on my blog Facebook page. It was in a language I didn't know. Puzzled, at first I ignored it. It bothered me though and it later dawned on me that in this day and age I have the world at my fingertips. I popped onto a translation website, copied and pasted her message and found out that she was asking me a question in (I think it was) Danish. I typed in my response, copied the Danish translation and pasted it into the private message.

Standing in the grocery store looking at this woman, both of us now a little uncomfortable, I remembered the Danish conversation and realized that I had a hand-held translator in, well, the palm of my hand. 

I got onto the translate site, typed in my question and read her the translation. She took out her cell phone and answered me. Yes, it was a little stilted, and we certainly butchered (grocery store pun intended) each others' languages a bit. A few times we had to look at each others' cell phones because verbalizing in other languages, (English especially) is hard. If you don't speak English, you can see the word "laugh" and try your hardest to sound it out phonetically, but I'd take the Vegas odds that there is no way you're going to say anything that resembles "laugh." 

But by the 3rd or 4th interaction I realized what was happening. I was, at this point, speaking solely in her language. And she was exclusively speaking mine.

Ultimately I did learn a bit about achiote paste and before I even realized it, I was at the head of the check-out line. As I was leaving, I turned to her one last time, said "adios y gracias", waved and left the store smiling.

I don't know what this woman's story is. I don't know if she's here visiting, has moved here or has always lived here. I don't know if she is learning English or not. None of it is my business.

What I do know is that it doesn't matter what you speak. Words, language, they're about communicating, connecting. And on that day, in a grocery store check-0ut line, with a little help from technology, that's exactly what we did.

Noodle and Vegetable Strata      
                                    ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 stick butter, divided
12 oz wide noodles
1/3 cup grated parmesan
1/2 tsp salt 
1/4 tsp pepper 
2 eggs 

2 cloves garlic, minced
6 oz bag uncooked spinach
3 slices provolone, cut in half

8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
1/2 red pepper, chopped
2 green onions, chopped
1 cup shredded mozarella

Directions:
*Grease a bundt pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
*Melt 6 TBSP butter. Cook the noodles until al dente. Drain. Mix in the parmesan, salt and pepper. Refrigerate to cool a bit.
*In a saute pan, over medium heat, melt 1 TBSP butter. Add the garlic. Cook and stir for 1 minute. Add the spinach and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Cook and stir until the spinach starts to wilt. Remove from heat.
*Mix the eggs into the noodles. Place about 1/3 of the noodles into the bundt pan. Top with the spinach, then a layer of the provolone cheese, followed by another 1/3 of the noodle mixture.
*Return the saute pan to the stove and melt the last 1 TBSP butter. Add the mushrooms, red pepper, green onion, salt and pepper to taste. Cook, stirring, until soft. Drain. Spread over the noodles in the bundt pan. Top with the mozarella, followed by the remaining noodles.
*Bake for 45 minutes.
*Remove from oven. Allow to sit for 10 minutes before running a knife around the sides and center of the pan to loosen. Place a plate over the top, flip over onto the plate and remove from the bundt pan.