Consumables

 

It's the 4th of July, Independence Day, a day to celebrate our freedoms, show our patriotism, acknowledge our country's forefathers for the wisdom of the Constitution. And in the past I've not only enjoyed the cookouts and the firewrks and the celebrations (OK, and the cockails), feeling as though I have a place at the table (so to speak). This country was built on the idea of no taxation without representation (hello, Boston Tea Party). And the representation? Well, I have a vote.

So what's on my mind? 

Consumables.

No, not edibles. Although edibles are consumable, not all consumables are edible. It's the non-edible consumables that have me concerned.

Did you follow that?

Consumables have been on a lot of our minds lately, since the beginning of Covid, really. 

It started with the great toilet paper debacle of 2020, and went on from there. Food prices have, in many cases doubled. Some I can't even find any more. And the sizes of the bags and cans have decreased (wreaking havoc on recipes that call for a can of something, btw), as the prices increase.

Raspberry Lime Slice and Bake Cookies

And along with the loss of quantity has gone quality. Those items we'd not thought of as consumables, but durables, are no more. When our fairly new dishwasher died, the installers of the new one told us that they are now only made to last a few years. Same with our fridge. We have one in the basement that's from the 1970s, yet the newer one in our kitchen has been replaced twice. Include electronics in that category too, TVs, cell phones . . .

But what has me most concerned on this 4th of July is the latest to go into that consumable category, newly considered disposable.

Me.

All of us, really.

Face it, with gerrymandering there now is taxation without representation.

With both our judicial branch and our legislative branch going rogue, voting and mandating their own personal agenda without regard to the will of the overwhelming majority of the people, our humanity has been compromised. In the current climate in this country, I no longer feel valued, or even safe, as a Jew, as a woman, as a citizen.

Our voice, our vote, is not a seat at the table, but a means to an end. Election. And once that is achieved, we are discarded.

Consumables.

Raspberry Lime Slice and Bake Cookies       

                                                                                      ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 stick butter, room temperature

1/2 stick margarine, room temperature

3/4 cup sugar

1 tsp lime zest

1 egg, room temperature

2 1/4 cups flour

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

4 oz raspberries, chopped

Directions:
*Cream the butter, margarine, sugar, and lime zest, then beat in the egg.

*Starting on a low setting until incorporated, beat in the flour, salt, and baking soda. Mix in the raspberries.

*Flour your hands and roll the dough into a log, enclose in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour.

*Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cover baking sheets in parchment paper.

*Slice the dough into about 1/2 inch slices.

*Bake for 12 - 14 minutes, until they start to brown. Leave on the cookie sheet for 2 minutes before removing to cool completely.

 

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.

Skating in a Functional Society

 

College Boy got a new skateboard recently. That happened quite frequently when he was growing up, and although I fully supported his love of the sport, all those past skateboard purchases didn't make me smile quite as much as this one, Why? Now that he's in his 20s, he's rarely skated over the past almost 10 years. It used to bring him so much joy, the culture, the friendships, the daring, the drive to almost defy physics, the challenge, the freedom.

 

Now back in the day, many parents discouraged, even forbid their kids from skating. Not me, I encouraged it. He loved it, spent his time outdoors and active. I got involved too, buying him books, taking he and his friends to skate parks, even got us all tickets one year to Tony Hawk's Boom Boom Huckjam.

 

I'm not going to say there weren't a few issues. Like his response to me telling him I did not want him plastering skateboard stickers in the house: 

 

 

 

Or the time I was changing out the trucks on one of his boards and a bolt popped off and hit the living room wall. Left a divot, which I can see to this day. 

 

And then there was the last day of elementary school, when he tail dropped his desk. Yes, of course there's photographic evidence. {{sigh}}. 

 

 

 

I tell you all of this as background to a story, the actual point I want to make today. About skateboarding, about life, and about being a member of a functional society.

But first, one more bit of background information:

 

When the boys were growing up, we were that house. You know the one, where all the kids congregate after school and on weekends. They all knew there'd be a snack (of course), supervision, and at dinner time there would either be a ride home or a seat at the table. 

 

Raspberry Lime Refrigerator Bars (no bake)

 

 

It was on one of those afternoons, school was out and kids were playing all around in and out of the house. College Boy came in and he was pretty upset. He had been skating with friends out front, was doing an ollie when his skateboard went down the drain.

Down the drain? What does that mean? I went out front to see his friends standing around looking. At the sewer drain.

 

And to make matters worse . . . there was this:

 

 

 

Drains to waterways. That has to be bad. I knew he loved his skateboard, personally designed and broken in. Yes, they can be replaced, but only when you're ready, and even then, you hold onto the old ones. They represent newly learned tricks, newly explored parks.

But it was gone, and I couldn't do anything about it. Until someone realized that it wasn't quite gone, not completely. Looking through a hole in the manhole cover you could see it, sitting on a ledge.

That's when it all began. The retrieval mission. Kids from inside and behind the house came to see what was going on. A neighbor, in middle school at the time came out to see what the commotion was all about. He got his dad, who started looking for something use to pry the manhole cover up. But it was stuck. Someone suggested a sledge hammer might loosen the edges of the manhole cover.

People started gathering, coming from up and down the street. Parents were coming outside, cars were even stopping. Kids whose parents came to pick them up were refusing to leave. There were suggestions, new things to try, encouragement and support.

I had actually gone into the house and was coming back out when I heard clapping, and a cheer. The young neighbor had laid down on the ground by the thin opening to the drain, had someone holding his feet as he slithered halfway into the drain and eventually stretched far enough to get his hands on the skateboard.

 

 

Everyone there that day knew that as inconsequential as a skateboard may be, it was not inconsequential to the skateboarder.

Even in what we may personally consider the least significant of circumstances, in a functional society, even in this microcosm of one, there are others to consider, and there roles to play. And in order to be successful, the role we might normally take on, specific to the situation, may need to change.

I know that I have been the good samaritan, I have been the suggester, the supporter, and I've been that skateboarder. And there have even been times when I've been the skateboard, feeling like I was down the drain and headed for the waterway.

Not only am I glad to see my son once again gliding down the road, but I'm grateful to have been reminded of that afternoon so long ago, when a whole bunch of people came together, took on a role, and played a part, all just to help a kid who'd lost his skateboard.

 

 

Raspberry Limeade Refrigerator Bars        

                                                                                      ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 box cinnamon graham crackers

8 oz frozen raspberries

1 (8 oz) block cream cheese, softened

6 oz raspberry yogurt

1 TBSP sweetened lime juice

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 packet (.1 oz) limeade drink mix powder

1 tsp lime zest

Directions:
*Lightly grease a 9 X 13 baking dish. Arrange 9 of the cinnamon graham crackers in a single layer into the bottom of the dish, break the crackers as needed to cover the bottom.

*Cut 8 of the raspberries in half and store in the freezer for garnish. Coarsely chop the remaining raspberries so you have pieces of all different sizes.

*Beat together the cream cheese, yogurt, and lime juice. Set aside.

*In a separate bowl, beat the heavy cream until soft peaks form. Add the powdered sugar, limeade powder, and lime zest. Beat until stiff peaks hold. Fold the whipped cream mixture into the cream cheese mixture, then fold in the raspberry pieces.

*Spread about 1/3 of the filling mixture evenly onto the graham crackers in the dish. Top with another layer of 9 cinnamon graham crackers, another 1/3 of the filling mixture, the last 9 graham crackers, and the last of the filling mix.

*Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

*To serve, slice and top each slice with a frozen raspberry half.

Speculation: 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: clandestine ~ showcase ~ prices ~ pride ~ solvent ~ language 

They were submitted by Jenniy of Climaxed.

 

 

 

The meeting was clandestine, as these things tend to be. We all have talents, many people flaunt theirs with pride, and she supposed she'd get more business that way, but the nature of her chosen profession was such that it was best if she just not showcase her skills publicly, build her business by word of mouth.

 

We each do what we have to do to stay solvent, and without a doubt there were parts of her job that she found distasteful, but she's honed her skills over time, she was more than solvent. Not rich but comfortable, making it from one assignment to the next without financial concern. There were times when she'd have to tighten her belt a bit, but there was a need for her services and there were those who knew she performed to satisfaction, so the next inquiry always seemed to come.

 

A downside, of course, was the concern for her safety. She had learned to be careful, only meet with people who she'd assessed could "speak her language," that of secrecy and discretion. Well, that and her practice of ensuring full agreement up front, no last minute negotiations or misunderstandings. After all, there were things that she would do, and things that she would not. Period. Prices, parameters, time constraints, all were spelled out in full ahead of time. Before that first clandestine meeting.

 

Any guesses?

 

Have a piece of cake (sorry, wasn't able to work the recipe seamlessly into this post), decide what you think her profession is, let me know in the comments. 

                   

Strawberry Lime Marble Cake

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

On the Border 

Wandering Web Designer 

Climaxed 

Part-time Working Hockey Mom

What TF Sarah 

 

 

7 –19-2021 UPDATE

Thank you for playing along and making this post even more fun than I'd imagined.

A synopsis of the guesses at this point:
4 votes for escort and, although this is not the profession I chose, I admit to writing the post skewed towards sending you in that direction.

1 vote for: hit man, spy, abortion doctor, bookie, bounty hunter, and repossessor. Not what I had in mind but I was impressed with the thought that went into these guesses.

 

1 vote for seamstress, simple nanny, personal shopper, and baker (love this one). Although fun guesses, I don't think these choices fit with all of the clues (like the safety aspect, for example) but then I can see how, with a little more back story, maybe they could.

 

What I had in mind:
Many of you know I'm a mystery lover, in TV shows, books, and movies, it's my genre of choice.

There were 2 votes for Private Investigator (one as the 5th guess, but it counts).

Congratulations, you both got it.

Too bad I didn't offer a prize. Maybe next time . . .
❤

 

Strawberry Lime Marble Cake

                                                               ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients: 

6 strawberries

1 box (15.25 oz) white cake mix

1/2 cup milk, divided

1/2 cup oil, divided

4 eggs

1/4 cup strawberry yogurt

OPT: 1 drop red food coloring 

1/4 cup key lime yogurt

1/4 cup lime juice

1 tsp lime zest

OPT: 2 drops green food coloring

 

OPT: powdered sugar and/or sliced strawberries to serve

 

Directions:
*Puree the strawberries and set aside. 

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

*Divide the cake mix into 2 bowls, you'll have about 1 1/2 cups mix per bowl.

*To the first bowl, add 1/4 cup milk, 1/4 cup oil, pureed strawberries, strawberry yogurt, and 1 drop of red food coloring, if adding. Beat for 2 minutes.

*To the second bowl, add 1/4 cup milk, 1/4 cup oil, the key lime yogurt, lime juice, lime zest, and the green food coloring, if adding. Beat for 2 minutes.

*Dollop the batters, alternating between them, into the prepared pan. Swirl them together in spots using a knife. Be sure not to completely incorporate them into each other.

*Bake for about 35 to 40 minutes, until the cake is set and the center springs back to the touch. Cool completely. Serve sprinkled with powdered sugar, dolloped with whipped cream, and/or topped with sliced strawberries.