The Absence Theory

  

I started off writing today's post as a fairy tale. Partly because I wanted to offer some fun light reading this first day of the ultra busy month of December, and partly because fairy tales have morals. And one of the many things we, in this country, seem to have a dwindling supply of, it's morals.

I wrote my first fairy tale on this blog 9 years ago. I called it, Fairy Tale. Original, I know, but it was well recieved with thousands of page views. I've written a few since, including my recent Patience and the Tooth Fairy.  

Now the thing about today's little piece of fiction, as it evolved, is that it doesn't actually have a moral per se, but a lesson learned nonetheless. So, maybe fairy tale adjacent? Well, you decide . . .

Sue had broken up with her boyfriend of six months. It was a difficult break up, mostly because, although she was the one who ended the relationship, she really hadn't seen it coming.

They'd gotten along well, she and Carl, and although it had been too early to be thinking anything permanent, she did have hope at least for the near future. In their mid twenties they were both college educated, starting their careers, and finding a comfortable balance between work, friendships, and dating.

They'd met through a mutual acquaintance, Sue's co- worker knew Carl through her previous job. When she and her co-worker, Eve, met for coffee, Carl happened to walk in and later asked Eve about Sue. Although you can't be too careful these days, Sue liked that someone she knew could sort of vouch for him. She met him for a date.

And they really got along.

But now it was over. He'd lied to her and she ended it with him.

It was a stupid lie, inconsequential really, but for Sue, who always felt that dishonesty was a relationship deal breaker, that made it even worse. If you'll lie about the little things . . .

It had been almost two weeks. Carl wanted to talk about it, explain, but Sue knew that no discussion would make that big red flag disappear. Lies erode trust and she'd lost hers in him. His calls and texts were slowing down, but the hurt was still front and center. 

She been doing the obligatory break-up activities like watching chick flicks in her PJs and eating copious amounts of chocolate. 

Brownie Bundt with Cream Cheese Frosting  

Of course she poured her heart out to her two besties, Kara and Di. They felt that given this specific lie, canceling a date because he was exhausted after a tough week at work and then going out with friends, that Sue should reconsider, at least talk to him. But they also understood how she felt, fiercely supported her.

Although Sue had not joined her friends for drinks, this particular Friday night they'd finally talked her into it. "Come on Sue, there's a new cocktail we've discovered and you need to try it. It's made with Absinthe and champagne. You know you love champagne," Di had said. "And I have a theory I need you to help me prove," Kara added. "I even bet Di $50, we need you to settle it for us."

Sitting at the bar with her closest friends sipping drinks and chatting really was exactly what Sue needed. That drink though, called Death in the Afternoon, was a bit strong. To say the least. With each sip Sue grew more relaxed. And tipsy. It was at this point that her friends brought up Carl, how good he and Sue had been together, how it might be worth it just to hear him out.

And in her current state, Sue started to let her guard down a bit, acknowledging she'd missed him, admitted that maybe it wouldn't hurt to hear what he had to say.

"Hand it over," Kara said to Di, holding out her hand. Di plunked $50 in Kara's hand.

"Oh, the bet," Sue said, "what was that bet anyway, and how did I help you prove it?"

"You proved it by what you just said," Di reluctantly admitted.

"About missing Carl," Sue asked, confused.

"The bet wasn't so much about the result as it was about the vehicle," Kara boasted.

"Huh?" Sue was still confused. "Maybe I've had a bit much to drink, but I'm just not getting it."

"The bet was that," Kara began, with a smirk on her face, "Absinthe makes the heart grow fonder."

P.S. to my readers: Sorry, not sorry.

Brownie Bundt with Cream Cheese Frosting         

                                                                                      ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 stick butter

1/2 stick margarine

4 oz unsweetened chocolate

1 - 2 TBSP baking cocoa powder

1 1/2 cups sugar

3/4 tsp vanilla

3 eggs

1 cup flour 

1/ tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp baking powder

2 oz cream cheese, softened

1 TBSP butter, softened

1/4 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1/2 tsp milk

OPT: sanding sugar and/or sugar pearls for decorating

Directions:
*Melt together the butter, margarine, and the chocolate in the microwave at 30 second intervals, until completely smooth when stirred. Set aside.

*Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a bundt pan and "flour" it with the baking cocoa.

*Whisk the sugar and 3/4 tsp vanilla into the melted chocolate. Whisk in the eggs until completely incorporated, then whisk in the flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder.

*Pour into the prepared pan. Bake for 35 minutes. 

*Gently run a knife around the edges and the post of the bundt pan. Allow to sit for 5 minutes, then flip over onto a serving plate. Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate to cool completely.

*Beat the cream cheese butter, and remaining vanilla until smooth. Carefully beat in the powdered sugar. Finally, beat in the milk, frosting will be thick. Drizzle or pipe onto the brownie. Decorate with sanding sugar and/or sugar pearls. 

*Store, covered, in the refrigerator, bring to room temperature for serving.

End of the Line(age): Use Your Words

Today’s post is a monthly writing challenge. If you’re new here, this is how it works: participating bloggers picked 4 – 6 words or short phrases for someone else to craft into a post. All words must be used at least once. All of the posts will be unique as each writer has received their own set of words. That’s the challenge, here’s a fun twist; no one who’s participating knows who got their words and in what direction the recipient will take them. Until now.

At the end of this post you’ll find links to the other blogs featuring this challenge. Check them all out, see what words they got and how they used them.
I'm using: solidify ~ bridge ~ shadows ~ broom ~ coveted ~makeshift
They were submitted by Jenniy of Climaxed.
                          
When I first saw these words, and every time for a few days since, all I could think of was Hansel and Gretel. Yeah, I don't know why either, let me just say that what goes on in my head can often be inexplicable interesting.

But once you have an association in your head, whether it's logical or not, it pretty much takes up permanent residence, especially when you tell it not to. So every time I went to try to write this post, Hansel and Gretel paid me a visit. And telling myself I was going to look at those words and NOT think "Hansel and Gretel" just made those two kids dig in their heels and settle down for the duration. {{sigh}} 

Defeat not being an option, and pilfering the story of Hansel and Gretel not being an option either, I've come up with a little piece of fiction for you today. A compromise of sorts between and my brain.

The players may change . . .

They had a lot to talk about as they sat on their back patio. They had left their grandmother at the family real estate office and come right home. Not a word was said between them on the ride home. Shock can do that to you.

The grill was going and they each had a beer. It was unlike her to drink beer, afraid it would fatten her up, but when he handed it to her, his sister took it. He could have handed her a snake, he thought to himself, and she would have taken it. She was deep in thought, trying to process the story their sweet grandmother had told them about their names, their lineage, and their ties to that other family. More than that though, his sister was, just as he was, fighting to come to grips with what Gram had asked them to do. Murder.

He flipped the Sweet Chili Turkey Burgers that would be their dinner and looked around. This house, their family home, sat on a beautiful, lush piece of land. Not where either of them expected to be living when in their thirties, but his sister had never married, and he needed a peaceful place to recover from his recent divorce. The quaint wooden bridge over the slow-moving brook was the of epitome serenity. And although not in the woods exactly, he loved being surrounded by mature trees, which also provided the seclusion that allowed them to begin their conversation there in the open. Considering the significance of the task, it would have been shocking to anyone else just how effortlessly they accepted their familial responsibility, their Gram's bidding. Through the evening, still sitting in that same spot, their strategy began to solidify.

Sweet Chili Turkey Burgers

. . . but the game remains the same. 

Gram said that she recognized the woman immediately, when she walked into their family real estate office. Not a coincidence at all, they were the only realtors in this small village. She was looking for a house, Gram later told them, and that meant it was going to start again. Something they could not allow. 

The family home, Gram explained, met enough of the criteria of the woman's coveted house be an enticement. Quaint, secluded, with a state-of-the-art kitchen and lots of storage, those were the parameters. Of course they were.

Grandmother and grandchildren spoke of it just once again, to agree on a course of action. A "for sale" sign would go in the yard of the family home. Gram would show the woman pictures of the house and the property, but she would not be there for the showing, her grandchildren insisted on it. They all had their roles. Gram would entice her, the grandson would get her in, and the granddaughter would be the closer.

"There it is," the woman in question thought on the day of her appointment, eyeing the Victorian cottage with the gingerbread trim in front of her. This may not be exactly what she had been seeking but, though explicitly described in family lore, her great, great, great, great grandmother's house was long gone. Until she could make some adjustments, embellish the outside to sweeten the look, this could easily be her makeshift home. 

Just as this was not exactly her ancestors' home, she wasn't exactly the witch her predecessors had been either, no broom for her, but the blood ran through her veins, the hunger inherited, the practices carefully passed on through the generations, albeit in the shadows. 

When the bell rang, brother and sister looked at each other with resolve. This was it.

He kept up a narrative as they toured the house together, deliberately saving the kitchen for last.

"I think this is just what you were looking for," he said as the woman's eyes lit up. "It's a chef's kitchen, pot filler over the stove, and just look at the size of this oven," he smiled as he opened the door, "so big you could fit inside," he encouraged, as she bent to get a good look.

His job was to get her in, which he accomplished by giving that witch an aggressive push. And, as Hansel turned on the heat, Gretel did her part. She closed it.

And if this witch was the last in her line(age)? 

Game over.

Here are links to all the other Use Your Words posts:

Wandering Web Designer
On the Border
The Crazy Mama Llama
Climaxed  
Part-time Working Hockey Mom 

Sweet Chili Turkey Burgers

                                               ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

1 1/4# lean ground turkey (I use 97% lean)
2/3 cup bread crumbs
1 egg
1/4 cup sweet chili sauce
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 green onion, chopped
2 TBSP yellow pepper, chopped 
5 slices smoked provolone cheese
5 toasted rolls or English muffins
OPT: mayonnaise or mustard, lettuce and/or tomato

Directions:
*In a large bowl, mix together the turkey, bread crumbs, egg, sweet chili sauce, salt, pepper, green onion and yellow pepper. Form into 5 burgers, wrap individually in plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour.
*Preheat grill to medium heat. Place the burgers on the grill, close the lid and allow to cook for 14 - 18 minutes, carefully turning halfway through. 
*NOTE: turkey must be cooked completely. Internal temperature must be 165 degrees and juices should run clear. My burgers were about an inch thick, I kept the heat on the grill at a pretty even 400 degrees and they took 9 minutes per side.
*Once the burgers are cooked, place a slice of cheese on each, shut off the grill, close the lid again and leave on the grill for one minute.
*Place each burger in a toasted bun with your choice of condiments. 
*OPT: These can be cooked indoors in a hot pan with a little olive oil.

Use Your Words: Sometimes a Gyro

Today’s post is a monthly writing challenge. If you’re new here, this is how it works: participating bloggers picked 4 – 6 words or short phrases for someone else to craft into a post. All words must be used at least once. All of the posts will be unique as each writer has received their own set of words. That’s the challenge, here’s a fun twist; no one who’s participating knows who got their words and in what direction the recipient will take them. Until now.

At the end of this post you’ll find links to the other blogs featuring this challenge. Check them all out, see what words they got and how they used them.
I’m using: gyro ~ thieves ~ scrubs ~ funnel ~ gorgeous
They were submitted by Karen of Dinosaur Superhero Mommy.

                          
Two years ago, for a blog post, I wrote a Fairy Tale. I called it Fairy Tale (creative, aren't I?). I'm not sure what possessed me to write one, but I did and I have to admit it was a lot of fun. Not only did I enjoy writing it, but it was a hit. Tons of page views and people were flooding my FB page telling me I should write a book. Wow. And you know what? I liked the idea. It's different from the types of books so many were writing. No mommy war stories, just fun humorous fiction with a moral. YES. I could do this.

Or not. Seems I'm a ruthless editor. I'd write a story, edit, edit, edit and end up with about 3 words. Eventually I decided I was trying too hard and gave up. There's probably some neutral ground between trying too hard and giving up but I never looked for it. I wrote one more as a blog post and that was it. No book, of course, but today's word prompts have inspired me to write another fairy tale . . . 

She entered the little store, seemingly no different from all the other little stores at the gas stations where she'd stopped over the past 10 hours. Overpriced bags of food and chips, probably been sitting there a year. Walls of refrigerated cases filled with every kind of cold drink on the planet. A scuffed path in the floor to the bathrooms in the back. 

Bethryn followed the path to the public facilities feeling as hungry as she was exhausted. Knowing she'd have to force herself to eat despite the fact that the bathroom would pretty much destroy her appetite. Wishing she had another option, even a funnel and a glass jar to pee in would be a better option to entering one more of these filthy bathrooms. 

Relieved, she decided to check out the drinks before trying to find something edible in this little truck stop. Fresca. Haven't seen that in years. Wasn't till she opened the top to take a sip when she realized she'd been holding her breath since leaving the bathroom. 

Wondering what fast food hell this place might have, over-done hot dogs, microwave pizza, same as all the other places she was sure. 

Smiling at her from behind the counter was the attendant. And to his left was something she never expected to see. Meat. On a rotisserie. Gorgeous beef. Or could that actually be lamb? And she could smell it. Oh, my. This can't be. No matter what it is, she told herself, I'm no newbie. I know better than to order sushi in a gas station and gas station beef comes under the same rule.

"Beef?" she asked the attendant, looking towards the rotisserie. "Lamb," he answered in a thick  Greek accent. "Slow cooked. Delicious. I will own a restaurant some day. Until then I own this station. I work hard. I save my money. And I make my lamb. Many people come for my sandwiches. You must try."

She could hear his pride. And feel her own caution. Hunger won out. "OK, gyro a please." She thought his smile got bigger because she was trusting him but when he responded she understood "Gyro. Good for you. You say as heeero. So many call it jiiro. I know how is spelled, but is not jiiro, is heeero."

As he went to add meat, vegetables (and is that real tzatziki sauce?) to a piece of flatbread, she walked over to the chips. It was then that, just out of the corner of her eye, she saw a man walk in wearing scrubs. "I wouldn't think there'd be a hospital anywhere near this dinky town." she thought, "but that guy's a bit rough around the edges. Either he's no doctor or he's been working a double shift."

Bethryn must have been intensely studying the chips because it took her a minute to realize that the "doctor" was holding up the attendant. Terrified, she froze in place. This would hardly be a spot where she'd expect to find thieves. But that's definitely a gun in his hand. And the attendant was handing him the cash from the drawer while stammering "please, take the money and leave, please, don't hurt me."

Clutching the money in one hand and the gun in the other, the thief turned towards Bethryn. As she started to walk towards her, tears involuntarily streamed silently down Bethryn's face. She'd give him what he wants, her jewelry, her money, but will she live?

Almost before she could finish her thought, she was startled by something flying through the air. A deli paper wrapped sandwich missile hit the thief in the head. He lost his balance, smacked his head on the chip shelf and fell unconscious to the floor.

Maybe she was in shock, but by the time she was able to process what had happened, the attendant was standing beside her and the local sheriff responding to the 911 call was asking her if she was OK.

She was. And 3 hours later when she finally arrived at her son's house. She had quite a story to tell.

And the moral of the story? Wait for it . . . wait for it . . . 

Here it is: Sometimes a hero is just a gyro.

Now for something delicious that is neither a gyro nor bought at a rest area quick shop but perfect for sharing with your Valentine:

Red Velvet Kiss Cupcakes

Here are links to all the other Use Your Words posts:

Spatulas on Parade
The Diary of an Alzheimer's Caregiver  
On the Border 
Dinosaur Superhero Mommy 
 The Bergham Chronicles
Confessions of a part time working mom 
Not That Sarah Michelle 
Climaxed

Red Velvet Kiss Cupcakes

©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

 

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt 
1 TBSP baking cocoa
1 1/2 cups oil 
2 eggs, room temperature
1 oz red food coloring
1 tsp vinegar
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
24 Hershey's Kiss candies, your choice of flavor (I used Candy Cane Flavor), unwrapped

1 stick butter, room temperature
1 cup white chocolate chips
3 cups powdered sugar
about 1/4 cup milk

red baking sugar

Directions:
*Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place 24 liners into cupcake tins.
*Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt and baking cocoa.
*In a mixer, beat the oil, eggs, food coloring, vinegar and vanilla.
*Beat in half of the dry ingredients, then half of the buttermilk, the other half of the dry ingredients and finally the rest of the buttermilk.
*Divide the batter into the cupcake liners,
*Bake for 17 to 19 minutes or until the center springs back to the touch. Remove from oven and press one Hershey's Kiss, tip facing down, into the center of each. Cool completely.
*Melt butter and white chocolate chips in the microwave until smooth.
*Mix in the powdered sugar just enough so it won't fly out, then beat the mixture.
*Lastly, beat in the milk. Start with 2 TBSP and continue adding until your frosting reaches piping consistency. Pipe onto the cupcakes. Sprinkle with red baking sugar.