Escaping Troubled Waters

 

Maybe I'm easily amused.

Or maybe I'm in desperate need of being amused. Especially given the train wreck that is our current political climate. A wreck we cannot look away from despite the calming lull of apathy, for fear that apathy could kill any hope of survival. So it isn't too tall a leap to think I just might like something bright and shiny (and nontoxic) to divert my thoughts.

An escape, so to speak. From troubled waters.

One that came, the other day, in the form of planes, trains, and automobiles. Oh, and a row boat added in for good measure.

It started with a social media post, made on a Boston based page that had somehow made it into my newsfeed. And the post showed up right when I was trying to decide whether to shut off the news, or throw the remote through the screen. Serendipity.

You all know I'm originally from Boston, so I'm very familiar with Boston University, the Charles River, Cambridge, and the BU bridge. So I was intrigued that the first of the facts listed was that the BU bridge is the only place in the world where you could fly in a plane, over cars, over a train, over a row boat. That'll capture your attention.

 

That and maybe the irony of the momentary diversion from a train wreck involving an actual train.

But is it true? Or have you got a bridge you'd like to sell me?

Yeah, it's the bridge for sale thing. Sort of.

Turns out (thanks again, google) that the BU bridge is actually one of three where you can row under planes, trains, and automobiles, if you're inclined to do that sort of thing. For me, I think it's probably safer to exercising my imagination in the kitchen below a ceiling rather than exercising my arm muscles below tons and tons of steel.  

Caramel Apple Gingerbread

Oh, in case you're wondering, the other two bridges are in Oregon and Portugal. Most likely not for sale though, if anyone offers.

 

Now yes, I know that fascinating facts . . . well, even if they don't turn out to be wholly true . . . don't do anything to change our political climate. But it can be a fun escape. 

Handcuffs and police plane optional.

Caramel Apple Gingerbread         

                                                                                      ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 apple

1 cup apple juice

1 stick butter, softened

1/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup brown sugar

2/3 cup molasses

1/4 cup caramel syrup

2 eggs

2 3/4 cups flour

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 1/4 tsp ginger

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1/2 tsp salt

1/ cup caramel baking bits

OPT: sprinkle with powdered sugar and/or top with whipped cream and/or caramel syrup for serving

Directions:
*Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease and flour an 8 X 11 baking dish.

*Core, peel, and chop the apple into small pieces.

*In the microwave, heat the apple juice until hot, about 1 1/2 minutes.

*Beat the butter, sugar, brown sugar, molasses, and caramel syrup. Beat in the eggs.

*Add the flour, cinnamon, ginger, baking soda, cloves, and salt, and mix well. 

Next, mix in the hot juice, and keep mixing until completely incorporated then the chopped apple and caramel baking bits.

*Spread evenly into the baking dish and bake for 30 - 35 minutes, until the center springs back to the touch.

*Allow to cool before topping and/or slicing.

Pizza Party, 14 Unique Recipes

 

Labor Day is right around the corner. If you're not sure how that happened so quickly, join the party.

Actually, it's a party I wanted to talk about. Specifically, a pizza party.

Pizza is versatile in so many ways. It's a party food, yet an everyday food as well. Lunch, dinner, even cold leftovers for breakfast (yes, I went to college too). In fact, one brilliant pizza shop hired students to drag a huge box full of pizzas through the dorms at about 11:00 at night, when everyone would be hungry from a night of studying {{wink, wink}}. As the pizza shop employee dragged his box through the halls yelling "hot pizza, 2 dollars," students would pick a friend, count their pennies (sometimes literally) and split a pizza.

These days you'd be lucky to get a slice of pizza for $2. Yeah, we still buy them now and then, but making them at home is a great option. And you can really get creative.

So, for any occasion: first day of school, last day of school, sports parties, family get-togethers, a lazy weekend watching sports, if you want to start a party, pizza's a great way to go.

It doesn't have to be complicated, that's the thing about pizza, anything goes. Use a frozen bread dough, a premade crust, a homemade no yeast crust (like my rosemary infused crust), or a completely unique crust (you have to try my spaghetti crust). Use my homemade marinara, or your favorite store bought. And the toppings? There's where you can really have fun, the options are endless.

And don't just think of pizza in its traditional configuration. There's pizza inspired casseroles, and even soup.

Today I want to share with you, 14 of my most fun, interesting, and unique pizza recipe creations. Check them out, click on the name of the recipe below and you will magically jump to the post featuring the recipe at the end.

Classic pizza reinterpreted, dessert pizza, pizza imposters, and pizza inspired, something for everyone:

Top row, left to right:

~ Rosemary Infused Shrimp Scampi Pizza

The rosemary infused crust adds even more flavor to this classic dinner inspired pizza. 

~ Spaghetti Crusted Pizza

Can't decide between spaghetti and pizza? Have them both. This is one of my most popular pizza recipes.

~ Pizza Party Boat

Take a large Italian loaf, season the "crust," and fill it with pizza favorites.

~ Skillet Buffalo Chicken Naan Pizza

This Buffalo Chicken inspired pizza is made in a skillet with a naan crust.

Middle row, left to right:

~ Peanut Butter and Jelly Dessert Pizza

Pizza as a dessert, as a snack? Yes, please.

~ Crockpot Pepperoni Pizza Soup

We just love this pepperoni pizza inspired soup on a cold fall day.

Bottom row, left to right:

~ Grilled Steak and Pepper Pizza

Grill your pizza. It adds so much flavor. This one is pepper steak inspired.

~ Pepperoni Pizza Casserole

Have your pizza in casserole form, a comfort food family favorite dinner.

~ Italian Sub Pizza

I used a purchased prepared pizza crust for this one, and added all of our Italian sub favorite ingredients on the top.

~ Garlic Bread Pizza Casserole

Garlic bread gives so much flavor to this pizza casserole.

And just for fun:

~ Celebration Dessert Pizza

Serving as a treat, an educational tool, and a project, I made this one for Earth day with my son. But it can easily be decorated for any occasion.

~ Chocolate Pizza with Spiced Cream Cheese Frosting

I guess I don't have to tell you that this recipe was created for the boys and their friends for a Halloween party.

~ April Fools Peanut Butter and Jelly Pizza Cookie

This peanut butter and jelly flavored giant cookie looks like a pizza, right? April Fools!

~ Down the Drain (April Fools) Pizza Cookie

OK, ewwww. But really, April Fools is a perfect day for ewww jokes, right?

Which ones will you try? And which one will you try first?

No Scream Lemon Blackberry Ice Cream

 

I scream, you scream . . .

Oh hell, it's August, in case you didn't notice, it's too damn hot out to scream. Or do pretty much anything else, and I'm a summer person. But being land locked has taken a whole lot of the fun out of summer. Days at the beach are not an option.

But cold dinners, frozen cocktails, and refreshing desserts, those are all great summer options.

Before I go on, I should tell you that I'm not a use every pan in the kitchen and take all day to cook or bake kind of person. Quick, easy, minimal clean up is usually the way to go.

Maybe I'm traumatized. I had a boy friend, just after college, whose mom was Italian. He didn't cook, but decided one day to make me some of her recipes, a big Italian dinner (yay). I offered to help, but he pushed me out of the kitchen, told me not to come back while he was cooking. He'd cook, if I wanted to help, I could do the dishes. OK.

Or not OK. I didn't see him for the rest of the entire day. And don't get me wrong, dinner was delicious, but the clean up? He used every pan in the kitchen and some I didn't even know I had. There was food dripping from the wall, hanging from the ceiling, covering the floor. 

I think it was about seventeen hours later (I may be exaggerating a tad), when I had my kitchen at least somewhat back to functional.  

Fine, so maybe not traumatized really, more inspired (yeah, let's go with that). 

It was at that time that there was a show on TV called Semi-Homemade Cooking. I loved the concept. I'm neither a foodie nor a snob, if there's an easier, less messy, reduced clean up way to cook, I'm in. It's not always about the process (although I admit that sometimes it is), it's about the taste.

Maybe, like me, you're someone who's taken a cake mix and enhanced it to make it your own, more moist and flavorful. You can substitute butter or milk, or add extra eggs, sour cream, yogurt, pudding, fruits, nuts, baking chips . . .

Anyway, all of this came full circle for me on one recent hot summer day. Everyone wanted ice cream after dinner, but I couldn't find exactly what I wanted. Actually, I couldn't find anything close to what I wanted.

No need to scream. 

I, like so many others, have made a number of flavors of no churn ice cream. When Little Debbie and Hudsonville collaborated to make ice cream but did not initially use my favorite snack as one of their flavors, I did it myself. My Fudge Rounds Ice Cream is still a popular recipe and family favorite.

But on this day, I was hot and tired. I didn't want to do a lot of work, create a lot of clean up, or take a whole lot of time. That's when I realized I could take inspiration from that cake mix. I didn't need to start from scratch. 

I'd enhance.

Lemon Blackberry Ice Cream

 

And that's exactly what I did. I grabbed some vanilla ice cream, that's my cake mix here. Just two other ingredients would make that base ice cream a whole new treat. Fifteen minutes to prepare, one bowl used, an hour in the freezer, and that's it. 

Delicious, if I do say so myself (and I do).

Let them eat cake? Hell, yeah, I'm all for it. But don't forget the Lemon Blackberry Ice Cream.

Lemon Blackberry Ice Cream         

                                                                                      ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 (48 oz) carton vanilla ice cream

12 lemon cream sandwich cookies

3/4 cup seedless, sugar free, blackberry jam

Directions:

*Place the ice cream in a large bowl on the counter for about 10 minutes to soften.

*Chop the cookies. Once the ice cream has started to soften, mix the cookies into the ice cream.

*Pour the jam over the ice cream and using a knife, cut the jam into the ice cream.

*Place the ice cream into the freezer for at least an hour. Store, covered, in the freezer.

Five Js, Four Ways: Use Your Words

 

Today’s post is a monthly writing challenge. If you’re new here, this is how it works: my friend Diane and I picked 4 – 6 words or short phrases to submit to each other to craft into a post. All words must be used at least once. Both posts will be unique as we each have our own set of words we're working with.

At the end of this post, you'll find the link to Diane's post, be sure to check it out, see what words I sent her and how she used them.

I'm using: jeopardy ~ jump ~ jeer ~ jeep ~ julienne

                          
I could hear yelling, jeering from the open rear door of the restaurant as I pulled up to pick up my best friend after her first day at work. "Quick," she said as she jumped in my jeep," get me out of here, if that crazy head chef tells me to julienne one more zucchini, it'll be more than just my fingers that will be in jeopardy.

With the angry crowd jeering behind him, a jeep filled with armed soldiers heading for him, and a cliff in front of him, the scene clearly showed he was in jeopardy. Time to jump. And if he did it right, he thought, he wouldn't end up in as many pieces as a julienned carrot. "Be a stunt man they said," he muttered under his breath, "it'll be fun, they said . . ."

"Julianne! Julien!" mom called to the twins, "come help with these sandwiches." Nothing. "You know your jeep privileges are in jeopardy if you continue to ignore me," she added. "Sorry we didn't jump when you called, mother dear," Julien called out, admittedly in a more jeering and less loving teenaged tone. Knowing they needed the jeep to get to the party that night, Julianne was more conciliatory: "we'll do anything." "One condition," Julien clarified, "Julianne and Julien do not julienne."

Ham & Chicken Biscuit Sandwiches

She was exhausted as she took her place in the mini kitchen assigned to her. It was the last day of the amateur cooks competition, knife skills, and she'd been up all night hearing in her head the snooty judges jeer her as they scrutinized her skills. It didn't help her nerves that the damn jeep wouldn't start again and she had to jump in an Uber. Beginning with the carrot at her station, she cut, knowing she had to get this, only that one knife skill, the julienne, put her in jeopardy. She needed that prize money or no new car. It wasn't until the timer went off that she looked around at the other contestants and realized that they had started the competition today with the dice . . .

 

Here's the link to Diane's Use Your Words post:

On the Border

Ham & Chicken Biscuit Sandwiches

                                               ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

1 can (8 count) refrigerated biscuit dough

4 slices Swiss cheese

3 TBSP stoneground mustard

4 TBSP mayonnaise

2 tsp maple syrup

1 package (12 oz) cooked boneless ham steak (I use leftovers of my Marinated Grilled Ham Steak)

3 cooked boneless chicken breasts (I use leftovers of my White Wine Mustard Chicken)

Directions:
*Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook the for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and turn the oven off.

*Separate the biscuits, removing the top 1/3 of the layers and set these tops aside. Place each biscuit bottom on a piece of lightly greased tin foil, large enough to encase the biscuit once the sandwich is made.

*Cut each slice of cheese into quarters. Place one quarter on each biscuit bottom.

*Whisk together the mustard, mayonnaise, and maple syrup. Spread about 1 TBSP onto each sandwich.

*Cut the ham steak in half, then cut each half in quarters. Place one piece onto each of the sandwiches. Slice the chicken and divide onto the sandwiches, top with the remaining cheese slices, then the biscuit tops. Wrap each sandwich completely with the tin foil.

*Turn the oven back on to 325 degrees. Place the sandwiches onto a baking sheet and heat for 20 minutes.

Pork Cutting and Mole Feeding: Fly on the Wall

Welcome to a monthly Fly on the Wall group post. Today 2 bloggers are inviting you to catch a glimpse of what you’d see if you were a fly on the wall in our homes. Come on in and buzz around my house. At the end of my post you’ll find links to this month’s other participants’ posts.

I was on a grocery store website, trying to make some decisions for dinner next week. College Boy had asked for fish, so I typed in cod, just as I heard the door open.

Me: Here, what do you think about me doing something with this for dinner on Monday?

College Boy (looking over my shoulder at what I'd brought up on the website): I don't know, Mom, you're good but . . . how were you thinking of cooking that?

Not sure why he didn't think I could cook cod, I turned to see that the page that had come up wasn't for cod, the fish, but Call of Duty, an Xbox game.

Yeah, I'm not so sure I'm up to that challenge either. 

 

 

I usually shut down the TV and the laptop sometime between 9:00pm and 10:00pm and read for a few hours. I'd gotten to a good part of the book so I just kept reading, didn't get to sleep until about 2:30am.

The next day, as you can imagine, by about 3:00 in the afternoon I was pretty tired. Hubs wanted to know if I wanted to go out back and do some work in the garden.

Me: Why don't we split up the chores?

Hubs: OK.

Me: You go pull the weeds.

Hubs: Alright, what do you want to do?
Me: I'll stay here and get a head start on the obligatory after gardening nap.

I have a 2 shelf cabinet in the kitchen where I keep all of my food storage containers. I put them in there with their covers, but they never stay together. I think gremlins come in at night and move everything around.

After dinner one night I was looking in the cabinet for a container of the size that I needed. First I couldn't find one, then I couldn't find the cover. I had containers all over the floor and was swearing under my breath.

I finally found what I needed, but then had to put all the others away. I shoved them all in, slammed the door and held it. Gently letting go and stepping away, everything stayed in and the door stayed shut. Phew.

About an hour later, I was walking by the cabinet and the door was open just a crack.

Which is how Hubs came into the kitchen to see me wagging my finger at the cabinet and saying "don't you threaten me."

Hubs must have assessed the situation and correctly decided that it was in his best interest to not say a word and just keep walking.

I was writing up a recipe that included an apple. It needed to be cored and chopped. Although I'd decided not to peel it, I wanted to leave that up to individual tastes. 

As I was writing it up, I'd said "Core (and peel if desired)." Proofreading, I decided to add a comma after "peel," which I did.

Once done, I was proofreading one final time. Apparently when I added the comma, I put it in place of instead of after the "l" in "peel."

So my recipe read "Core (and pee, if desired)."

Not exactly what I meant . . .

Hubs and I were watching the Red Sox. It was in between innings so I got up and headed to the kitchen.

Me: Let me know when it comes back on.

Hubs: Where will you be?

Me: Just over in the kitchen, cutting the pork.

Hubs: Cutting the pork? What's that a euphemism for?

Me: Nothing. I'm literally cutting the pork.

I had bought a pork tenderloin and was cutting it into pork chops to marinate for dinner. But now I'm not sure I'll ever look at a pork chop again without wondering about dirty double entendres.

Barbecued Pork Enchiladas

Same day, watching the same game:

Hubs: Some of these new players are barely out of their teens, watching them play makes me feel old.

Me: You feel old when you're watching baseball? I just have to try to stand up from the couch to feel old.

I bet you know that the MLB network shows baseball games, but did you know they solve word puzzles?

While watching the game, I was working on a word game called Phrazle, where you have to guess the phrase. Through your previous guesses, you know which letters are not in the puzzle, which are in the puzzle and in the right place, and which are in the puzzle in the wrong place. 

I'd taken 2 guesses. There were 3 words. The first word was "A," the second word had 7 letters with an "i," an "o," and ended with an "e." I was fairly confident the third word was most likely "mistake," but I was stuck on that second word, "a costly mistake" didn't fit. Nor did anything else I was trying, for almost 15 minutes. I was frustrated. Then, suddenly . . .

Me: OMG. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Hubs (looking at the TV): That run was the other team, you're supposed to be rooting for the Red Sox.

Me: Oh, I wasn't thanking the team, I was thanking the sportscasters.

Hubs: Why?

Me: They just solved my puzzle.

The run, according to the sportscasters, was made by a rookie.

Rookie.

A rookie (has an "i," an "o," and ends with an "e") mistake! Thank you, thank you, thank you.

We back up to woods, so we often have issues with moles. They're really destructive, creating tunnels all under our lawn and in our gardens. Hubs has put these sticks in the back yard to try to keep them away. They semi work, and now he's had to put them in the side yard too.

One day, though, I caught a glimpse of one in my outdoor reading nook, to the left of the front door. No way, not sharing my spot.

I did some research, then went back out front.

Hubs: What are you doing?

Me: I noticed a mole out here, I'm spreading around coffee grounds.

Hubs: Umm . . . just for clarification . . . are you deterring them? Or feeding them?

And now I’m wondering what “feeding the moles” might be a euphemism for . . .

Sometimes (OK, often) I wonder about how Hubs thinks.

I walk around the house barefoot, pretty much year round. I'll put on shoes and socks when it's cold out, if I'm going somewhere.

Hubs wears socks every day, even if he's not leaving the house. And, of course, shoes if he's going out.

But when he mows the lawn, he takes his socks off and puts on his sneakers to mow.

Just me? Or does that seem backwards to you too? 

Hubs: It's a jungle out there.

Me: Fine, I'll shave my legs. 

 

 

 

Now click on the links below for a peek into some other homes:

Menopausal Mother

Barbecued Pork Enchiladas

                                                                       ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

3 boneless pork loin chops, cooked

3/4 cup barbecue sauce of your choice

2/3 cup canned black beans, drained

1 (8.75 oz) can corn kernels, drained

1/4 cup sliced pepperoncini

1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

6 medium soft flour tortillas

4 slices sharp cheddar cheese

Directions:
*Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 X 13 baking pan, and pour 1/4 cup water into the pan.

*Finely chop the cooked pork chops and put into a bowl.

*Set aside 1 TBSP of the barbecue sauce for serving. Add the remaining sauce into the bowl with the pork, along with the beans, corn, pepperoncini, and shredded cheese. Mix well.

*Lay out the tortillas. Divide the pork filling into the center of each of the tortillas. Roll up, keeping the filling in the center, and place into the prepared pan, seam side down.

*Top with the slices of cheese, cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 10 minutes.

*Drizzle the reserved 1 TBSP barbecue sauce over the cooked enchiladas.