Crucial Countdown

  

Time flies when you're having fun.

But time can drag when you're not.

We're in the final countdown. It is one year until what will probably be the most consequential election in the history of this country. We're there, at our good vs evil, democracy vs autocracy decision. 

The lead up has been a time drag. Little by little autocracy has taken foothold. Not only were there seditionists who attacked our capitol, but there are traitors throughout our system. Some have taken over election offices, some have used their power to remove duly elected officials, others have redistricted the other party out of districts in which they had been the majority. Others have purged voters from the rolls, closed polling places in areas where residents of a specific party reside. 

And, of course, even the supreme court is compromised. 

This next year is crucial. It will both fly by and drag. And when it ends, we will either be able to maintain some semblance of the way of life we'd come to appreciate, or we will be totally and completely inconsequential. 

And if autocracy wins, everything will affect us, nothing will include us, and very little will benefit us.

We may be headed into an environment where enemies are incarcerated, voting is no longer protected, peaceful protest is met with violence, guns are available and affordable, and social welfare programs are decimated. Forcing gas, housing, medicine, higher education, and nutrition beyond the grasp of many of our friends and neighbors.

Chicken Rotini Casserole

 

Chaos, domination, lawlessness, and bigotry would reign. 

Think this is an excessively dark and ugly prediction? 

Underestimating the scope of what's at stake here 

could have dire consequences.

After all, consider what the administration of one con man and the resulting fallout has already been taken from us. Even after he was voted out, enough of his sycophants remain ensconced, continuing to do his bidding. And you can see the signs right out in the open, the writing is all over the social media wall. Through the invasion of subterfuge and manipulation now prominent in all branches of our government, the guardrails put in place to preserve our way of life are already deeply eroding. Rights, privacy, protection, already, maybe mortally, compromised.

We are in danger. Because our government is rotting from within.

We are down to just one year. Will the onslaught towards a dictatorship continue unchecked? Will those who still believe in our constitution finally coalesce on a strategy of defense?

Squandering this next year is to light the ticking time bomb.

365 days, 364, 363 . . .

And then it will be November 5th, 2024, our collective day of reckoning. 

Chicken Rotini Casserole         

                                                                                      ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

NOTE: this recipe can be made ahead, refrigerated in the baking dish, and cooked the next day. You will need to cook it about 15 minutes longer if you choose this option.

Ingredients:
10 oz vegetable rotini

3 cups clean, uncooked spinach

2 small boneless, skinless chicken breasts, chopped OR 1 - 1 1/2 cups cooked chicken, chopped

1 TBSP olive oil

3 cloves minced garlic

1/4 orange (or red) pepper, chopped

1/2 onion, chopped

2 cups chicken broth

1/4 cup white wine

1/2 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp Italian seasoning blend

1/8 tsp red pepper flakes

2 TBSP grated parmesan/romano cheese

Directions:
*Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (if not preparing ahead to cook the next day). Grease an 8 X 11 baking dish.

*Cook the rotini per package directions to el dente. Drain, add the spinach, mix, and set aside.

*While the pasta is cooking, Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Once it's hot, add the uncooked chicken (if you're using cooked chicken, it will be added later), garlic, chopped pepper, and chopped onion. Cook and stir until the chicken is completely cooked. 
*Add the chicken broth, white wine, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, and red pepper to the pan. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

*Add the chicken (if using precooked chicken, if not, it's already in the sauce) and the sauce to the pot with the pasta and spinach. Mix well. Pour into the prepared baking dish and sprinkle with the parmesan/romano cheese. Cover with tin foil.

*Either refrigerate for cooking the next day, or bake in the oven for 40 minutes. Mix before serving.

Souls Sold: 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 share what we all came up with.

This month's number is 44. 
It was chosen by Diane of On the Border.

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 writing about an addiction, of sorts, about sold souls.

 

~ I have, many times over the years, been in awe of the all encompassing foresight of the founders of this country. How much effort and thought they put into plans for every contingency, even circumstances unfathomable in their time. Well, in awe until now.

~ I'm going to talk about addiction today, or what I consider a form of addiction. I mean no disrespect to those who suffer with and fight off personal addictions of all sorts. I don't claim that my views are medically sound, just personal observation.

~ Narcissism. It's an addiction to self. It most likely has its roots in insecurity, but how it manifests is dangerous. Unlike many addictions, it's not only dangerous to the narcissist, but to everyone around them, through self aggrandizement, manipulation, arrogance, and lack of empathy.

~ Narcissists feed mostly on power. They don't have the emotional tools to deal with disappointment. If they don't like dinner, they could throw their plate against a wall. If they do like dinner but are angry about something else, they could throw their plate. 

Seared Scallops with Canadian Bacon

~ To achieve the insatiable need for power and adulation, they will use any conceivable (and inconceivable) strategy. Lying, cheating, exploitation, stealing, alliances made with anyone who will stroke their ego, and broken when those people no longer serve their purpose. There are few boundaries.

~ Like most addictions, the current high won't last. Addiction is hungry. The high isn't just needed again, it has to be bigger. And if they're surrounded by other narcissists, feeding off of them, stakes get even higher, the behavior even more erratic and unthinkable.

~ As I said, I am in awe of the foresight of those who envisioned this constitutional republic, based firmly in the tenets of a democracy. But now they have met their match, never imagined a political party run by narcissists who've sold their soul. 

~ There is a step we need to take to buttress their vision, fight off authoritarianism, fill in an unforeseen hole in our politics. We need to amend the constitution to disallow any convicted felon from running for office. Hasn't happened yet, but it could . . .

Here are links to the other Word Counters posts:

On the Border 

Messymimi’s Meanderings 

Seared Scallops with Canadian Bacon         
                                                       ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1# sea scallops

salt and pepper to taste

3 TBSP canola oil

2 TBSP butter

2 oz Canadian bacon slices, chopped

Directions:
*Place the scallops on a plate covered with paper towels. Top with a few more paper towels and refrigerate for an hour.

*Gently press down on the paper towels, then discard them.

*Sprinkle both sides of the scallops with salt and pepper.

*Heat the canola oil in a large skillet over medium high heat until very hot. Add the scallops to the pan carefully, the hot oil may spit, if it does, turn down the heat just a little bit. Cook for 2 minutes without touching the scallops at all.

*Remove the pan from the stove, quickly move the scallops to a plate, add the butter and Canadian bacon to the pan, swirl around then return the pan to the heat and add the scallops, cooked side up.

*Cook for about 1 1/2 minutes, until the scallops are cooked through, flake apart and are opaque in the center. Move the scallops to a serving dish, drizzle the butter and Canadian bacon over the cooked scallops and serve immediately.

Functional Democracy

I am aware that we have not yet entered the Summer season, but believe me when I tell you that Fall is not all that far away. In case you've been living under a rock, let me be the first to inform you that here in the USA, we have midterm elections in the Fall. And maybe more than they have been in a very long time, these upcoming midterms are slated to be ugly, divisive . . . and critical.

I know that you will see this piece as being biased, and I suppose you'd be right to say so. But please do not judge until you've read the ending. Because although I have my own opinion, pretty clearly expressed here, it's not my point. The point is about all of us, our rights and responsibilities. Most importantly, it's about the fact that maintaining a democracy means that whether you agree with me or not, I value your right to vote according to your own conscience. In fact, I implore you.

In this country, in this moment in history:

we are normalizing lying.

we are normalizing bullying.

we are normalizing blurring the lines between church and state.

we are normalizing putting capitalism over protecting the environment.

we are normalizing allowing others to usurp women's right to drive decisions in matters of our own bodies.

and yet, once citizens are born and living, we are normalizing limiting our obligation to provide food to the elderly and those in desperate circumstances.

Glazed Mango Tart with Pistachios

we are normalizing the idea that the ability to access health care is an option not a right.

and yet we are normalizing being constantly forced to pay for golfing trips.

we are normalizing forcing our military to put on a show because one man wants to honor himself with a parade.

we are normalizing the idea that discrimination is acceptable, pretty much towards every minority in this country, be it religious, sexual orientation, gender or race.

we are normalizing manipulating the tax code to benefit the rich.

we are normalizing (and in some cases even denying) the shooting of our children.

we are normalizing the falsehood that gun safety law protection means doing away with the second amendment.

and yet when it comes to the first amendment, we are normalizing publicly targeting not only certain media outlets, but specific reporters by name.

we are normalizing alienating our global allies.

we are normalizing going from the most influential country in the world to being a laughing stock.

we are normalizing public attacks on our intelligence community.

If this is okay with you, register to vote.

If this is not okay with you, register to vote.

Glazed Mango Tart with Pistachios       
                                    ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 Pillsbury Crescent Roll Sheet
2 ripe mangoes
3 TBSP butter
1 TBSP brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 TBSP apricot jam
1/4 cup unsalted pistachios

Directions:
*Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper. Unroll the crescent roll sheet onto the parchment paper and flatten to about a 14 X 8 rectangle.
*Melt the butter and mix in the brown sugar and cinnamon.
*Skin the mangoes, remove the pits and slice. 
*Using a pastry brush, brush about 1/2 of the butter mixture onto the crescent sheet. Whisk the apricot jam into the remaining butter mixture and set aside.
*Arrange on the mango slices onto the crescent sheet, leaving about 3/4 inch edge. Brush the remaining butter and jam mixture onto the mango. Fold in the edges of the crescent sheet and pinch the corners.
*Bake for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with the pistachios. Serve warm.