Gold: Fly on the Wall

  

Welcome to our monthly Fly on the Wall, a blog post written in snippets. Marcia, Diane, and I invite you to catch a glimpse of what you’d see if you were a fly on the wall in our homes, at our writing desks, and in our worlds. Come on in, buzz around, see what we've been up to. Bet you laugh! 

Spent 2 really great family weeks while PurDude was here. Mostly, we watched sports, but every now and then I got a chance to watch one of the shows I enjoy.

I love mystery and true crime. At one point, when PurDude was in college in Indiana (Purdue, obviously), but was home for the summer, I noticed that an inordinate amount of the true crime shows took place in Indiana, or at least had an Indiana connection. Whenever he was here and one of those shows came on, I'd comment about the Indiana connection, teasing him about it not being safe for me to send him back to school.

This time, while he was home, one of those shows was coming on and I said something, jokingly, about where in Indiana this murder might have taken place.

Then the show started, and it took place in Massachusetts.

PurDude: Ha, mom, it's in your home state.

They start with the back story. A young woman is murdered in her parent's home. She's there for winter break from where she goes to college, Indiana University.

Me: Ha, indeed. 

Older Son caught a bad cold at work and, unfortunately, PurDude and Hubs all got sick. We had a box of severe cold medicine with 16 daytime medicine packets and 8 nighttime packets. PurDude was the last one to get sick, so he was the last one to feel better. He needed another night or two of the nighttime medicine, but we only had the daytime packets left.

Hubs (looking in the box): I think he needs ore of the nighttime medicine, but we only have the daytime tablets left. That's a problem.

Me: No problem.

Hubs: But the nighttime one really helps you sleep.

Me: That's OK, I'll just make the daytime meds into nighttime meds.

Hubs: Really? How can you do that?

He saw exactly how as I walked over to PurDude with 2 daytime capsules and a shot of apple bourbon.

Mission accomplished.

It was Thanksgiving afternoon, we had snacks set out on the kitchen counter and were all sprawled out on couches watching football. Exhausted, I was almost dozing when PurDude startled me awake.

PurDude (looking at me): HA!

Me: Ha?
PurDude: I caught you.

Me: You caught me.

PurDude: Yes. Where, exactly, have you been hiding these.

He shoves his phone in my face showing a picture I'd posted on my FB page with a Thanksgiving message. The picture was of my Gobble Gobble Turkey Treats.

Me: Those? Those are long gone.

PurDude: I didn't have a single one.

Me: Well, I'm sure you did. Back in 2018 when I made them . . .

The night before PurDude was leaving, I was making dinner. For one of the sides I was roasting some baby potatoes. I'd bought a bag of mixed baby whites, baby reds, and baby purples. I had halved them and were putting them in the baking dish to prepare. PurDude had moved up to the counter stools to talk to me.

PurDude: Oh, it looks like they went bad.

Me: What went bad?
PurDude: Those black potatoes.

Me: Those aren't black, they're purple, they're supposed to look like that.

PurDude (giving me that skeptical arched eyebrow look): You trying to poison me?
Me: No fooling you, you got me.

Later, we all sat down with our meals. Before we started eating, I went to fill my wine glass.

And when I came back, PurDude's plate had only the white and red potatoes on it. And my plate somehow had only the purples.

Things get pretty hectic about this time of year, I know I don't have to tell you that. We'd just finished round one: Thanksgiving cooking and baking, along with PurDude being here for 2 weeks and preparing all of his favorite meals and snacks and desserts, all with a family birthday thrown in.

While PurDude was here, we celebrated Hanukkah early with our traditional Prime Rib and latkes dinner. But now it's actually Hanukkah time, we had another family birthday just a few days ago, and then there are the parties, cookie swaps, Christmas, New Year's . . .

I, like most of us this time of year, was swamped. I was in my baking zone and had lost track of time. I Didn't even know it was dinner time until Hubs walked in the door. 

Hubs (putting down his briefcase): What's for dinner?
Me (looking around the kitchen guiltily): Ummm, Chocolate Peppermint Pie?

In retrospect, I probably shouldn't have made that a question if I wanted to sound convincing. Live and learn.

Chocolate Peppermint Pie

And now that PurDude is back in Boulder:

I was texting PurDude and I have no idea what happened. I wasn't looking at the keyboard as I texted, but clearly I wasn't hitting the letters I thought I was because I looked down and saw:

I dubakkt diybs a 

Frustrated, I started backspacing to delete the letters and start over. And, again, I don't know what happened, but part of the way through, it sent. So my text to PurDude was:

I dubakkt di

And as if that's not bad enough, it appears I had liked my own text.

I didn't even know you even COULD like your own text. 

Perfect, the kid's gonna have me committed.

 

One thing that doing stupid things does, is it makes you more vigilant. So the next day, when I was texting PurDude, I was paying more attention to what I was doing.

PurDude: How are you, mom?

Me: I'm good, how are you doing?

Well, that was what I was trying to say.

Autocorrect had other ideas. Fortunately, I caught it before I responded:

I'm good, how are you, donkey?

Seems autocorrect is trying to make an ass of me.

Ugh, and one I missed. So much for being vigilant. But PurDude had sent me his daily check in text, and I was in the middle of about 5 things and I was in a rush.

I'd been complaining to him for the last few days that it was just cold and dark and dreary out. Depressing.

So, rather than a longer text with family news, as is my usual, I was short and to the point.

PurDude: Hi ma, how are you, ma?

Me: I'm great, we have sun!

PurDude: OK, love you, ma.

OK? That's weird. Like he doesn't quite know how to respond. So I looked at my text again.

And yes, I can see why he didn't know what to say. Because what I'd actually texted? It was:

Me: I'm great, we have sin!

Yeah, not even close to what I wanted to say. I rarely boast about sin. Especially to my son.

Whoever isn't on social media is really missing out. And I don't mean the posts. No, the social media gold is in the comments on the posts.

I saw a posted story, a video of a woman showing how she makes breakfast for her 5 year old son. As she put rice into a steamer, she explained that in her husband's culture, they have rice with every meal.

Then she chops potatoes and puts them into an air fryer. She gets a cast iron pan screaming hot and puts a steak about the size of the pan in with butter and garlic. When the steak is done, she moves the rice, potatoes and steak on the plate, then fries an egg in the pan and adds that on top of the rice.

First comment on her post: Is your son a long haul trucker?

Gold!

Another one that had me laughing out loud:

There's a "God" FB page. The description the administrator of the page gives is "comedian." There's often a lot to laugh at on that page, not just the posts, but the comments on the post.

So God posted:

 

Something that would really shock Jesus if he came back today.

And one of the comments on that post:

You used to be able to buy a double cheeseburger at McDonald's for a dollar.

Yeah, I'm thinking this guy didn't really understand the assignment.

 

Now click on the links below and see what my friends have to share:

Menopausal Mother 

On the Border

Chocolate Peppermint Pie

                                                                       ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

1 cup mint chocolate chip ice cream

7 chocolate graham crackers

3 TBSP sugar

4 TBSP butter, melted

2/3 cup heavy cream

1 tsp cornstarch

2 tsp powdered sugar

1/2 tsp peppermint extract

2 drops red food coloring

1/4 cup milk

1 box (3.95 oz) York instant pudding mix

Directions:

*Place the ice crem in a bowl on the counter to thaw.

*NOTE: crust can be made a day ahead. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a 10 inch pie plate.

*Crush the graham crackers and sugar in a food processor until you have crumbs. Add the melted butter and process until incorporated.

*Press the crumbs into the bottom and partway up the sides of the pie plate. Bake for 6 minutes. Cool completely.

*Beat the heavy cream until soft peaks form. Add the cornstarch and powdered sugar and beat until stiff peaks hold. Set aside.

*Once the ice cream is liquid, whisk in the milk, then the pudding mix. Whisk for about a minute. Fold in 1/2 cup of the whipped cream, spread evenly into the pie crust and refrigerate.

*To the remaining whipped cream, add the peppermint extract and red food coloring. Mix until incorporate, place into a piping bag and pipe onto pie. Refrigerate for an hour. Store leftovers, covered, in the refrigerator.

The Holiday Marathon: 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: drool ~ doodle ~ dodge ~ deem ~ dramatic




                          
Holiday time is bittersweet. While most of you reading this are still up to your eyeballs in holiday cooking and baking and buying and decorating and preparations, I'm mostly done. I will make a turkey on Christmas for Hubs and College Boy and I, but the sides will mostly be leftovers from Thanksgiving. 

But only because I had everything else crammed into two hectic weeks. I ran that holiday marathon in record time. 

And I ran it sick. Although family is a time of sharing and caring, we could have done a lot less of the sharing part. Since what we were passing around was sicknesses of various sorts and kinds.

PurDude arrived late on the Saturday night before Thanksgiving and for me, it was on. The two weeks he was here I made all of his favorite meals, along with desserts and snacks. I made College Boy's birthday dinner, Thanksgiving. And, although Hanukkah started a few days after he went back to Boulder, we celebrated that too. I mean he couldn't be deprived of Crusted Prime Rib and Air Fryer Latkes.

We had Saturday night. After that, medical chaos. And although we were desperately trying to dodge each others' symptoms, we still managed to get all of our celebrations in. We Blessings take our holidays and family time seriously. We will not be denied.

As hectic as those 2 weeks are, I still try to extend it, dodge the lightening quick passage of the limited amount of time when I have PurDude home, when we're all here. Sick or well. 

But in the blink of an eye, his final full day here comes {{sob}}.

And on that last day, just in case I can bribe tempt him to stay just a little longer, I make another drool-worthy dessert.

Peppermint Toffee Bars

But, of course, he has obligations, work, and those ski mountains are open and calling his name. {{sigh}}

Not to sound overly dramatic, but when that travel day came, I kinda felt like an online meal service as I packed up 10 frozen dinners (leftovers of all of his favorites), 3 loaves of quick breads, snacks, and desserts for him to take back to Boulder.

Now, as I sit here, absentmindedly drawing in (and doodlling not nice words in the margins of) the trump coloring book College Boy bought me to make me laugh, I'm grateful that College Boy is local, that I can see him every day. And when my mind goes to Boulder, I deem that his eating those homemade meals is a virtual dinner together. 

Because that's all I get . . . for now. 

Well, that and some much needed rest.

 

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

On the Border

Peppermint Toffee Bars         
                                                       ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 stick margarine, softened

1/2 stick butter, softened

3/4 cup sugar

1 egg yolk

1 1/4 cup flour

3 TBSP baking cocoa

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup corn syrup

1/2 stick butter

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup heavy cream

1/2 tsp peppermint extract

1/4 cup mini chocolate chips

1 (9 oz) package Hershey's Candy Cane Kisses

Directions:

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

*Cream margarine, 1/2 stick butter, sugar, and egg yolk until smooth. Mix in the flour, baking cocoa, and salt until it forms a dough.

*Press into the bottom of the baking dish. Bake for 15 minutes, remove from the oven and set aside. Leave the oven on.

*Microwave corn syrup, remaining butter, brown sugar, and cream for 1 1/2 minutes. Stir and microwave for 1 minute more until hot and bubbly. Stir in the peppermint extract, then barely swirl in the mini chocolate chips. Pour into the crust and bake for 20 minutes.

*While the toffee layer is baking, unwrap the candies and and coarsely chop.

*Remove the baking dish from oven, but leave oven on. Sprinkle the chopped candy over the toffee layer and immediately return to the oven for 1 to 2 minutes, until the kisses are melty.

*Gently swirl the melted kisses around the top of the bars, then allow to cool completely before slicing.

The Not So Ready Whip: 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.

There was a bee in the house, on the window in the kitchen eating area by the slider to the deck. I was freaking out and, of course, no one was home.

I grabbed the fly swatter and smacked the window. I could swear I got it, but it didn't move. That's when Hubs comes in and walks up behind me.

Hubs: What are you doing?

Me: I saw a bee. Where were you? You can't be gone when I see a bee.

Hubs (carefully removing the fly swatter from my hand): It's OK, why don't you go sit down, maybe put your glasses on, he can't get you.

Yeah, the bee was on the window. The outside of the window.

 

 

Anyone who follows my Baking In A Tornado FB page had a little glimpse into what I'm dealing with here:

I'm telling you, the struggle is real.

It was the middle of a broiling hot afternoon, and all I could think of was cooling off.

College Boy called, he was at the Taco Bell around the corner from the house getting a volcano something or other and wanted to know if I wanted anything. I don't like Taco Bell to begin with, but hot spicy food is the opposite of what I was thinking. I told him that since they don't serve milkshakes, I'd pass.

Later that night, he called again. He was driving by another fast food restaurant and thought he'd stop and get milkshakes for himself, Hubs and I.

Hubs (walking into the room): Oh, who were you talking to?

Me: College Boy, he's bringing us all milkshakes. You're welcome.

Hubs: Umm, thank you. But why am I thanking you?

Me: Because subliminal messaging. It's a thing. And I am the master.

Hubs was just hanging around the house so it didn't matter but, of course, I had to say something:

Me: I think your shirt is on inside out.

Hubs (looking down): I don't think so, looks fine to me.

Me (rolling my eyes): Well, unless you're James Bond, I'm pretty sure the pocket goes on the outside.

I had tried a new recipe, a Mint Cookie Ice Cream Cake. When I went to take a picture it, I wanted just a little dollop of whipped cream in the center of the top. I decided, rather than making a whole batch of whipped cream just for the 1 TBSP I'd need for the pic, to just use Redi Whip.

We were all out. I checked a few grocery store websites to see who had it in stock nearby, and at what price.

At the second nearby store website, I typed in "Redi Whip," and besides the actual Redi Whip, some other options came up, like the store brand version, and Cool Whip, and . . .

Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas any more.

Mint Cookie Ice Cream Cake

Listen, everyone knows that you don't leave just a tiny bit of something. It's just rude. Finish it off and open a new one for the next person, that's what I believe.

I was making dinner, Fiery Shrimp. Hubs wasn't home yet, and College Boy was coming for dinner too. I got to the part where you add 2 TBSP white wine. I pulled the bottle out of the fridge, added the wine and the rest of the ingredients.

When I went to recork the wine and put it back in the fridge, I realized there wasn't much left, maybe 1/4 cup  1/2 cup  1 cup . . . I don't know, not much. I was obliged to finish it off and put another bottle in the fridge to cool.

Which was how Hubs and College ended up walking into the kitchen as I was guzzling wine straight from the bottle. 

I tried to explain that I was just being considerate but . . . let's just say that didn't go over so well.

It's amazing to me that someone always shows up in all of those moments that I'd prefer no one witness.

So, of course, Hubs walks into the kitchen just as I'm taking my shoes out of the fridge.

Hubs: Are those your shoes?

Me: Yup.

Hubs: Are you taking them out of the fridge?
Me: Maybe.

Hubs: Why would your shoes be in there?

Me: Think before you answer . . . do you really want to know?

Hubs (walking away): I think I'm good.

You better be good too, 'cause I'm not explaining it to you either. 

I was in the kitchen putting the groceries away when my fingernail bent all the way back. I yelled "ouch."

Hubs was down in his man cave and I must have screamed louder than I thought, because he came up to see if I was OK.

The next day, we were out front when I noticed that way low on that fingernail I bent back, just under the skin, it was black and blue.

"Look at this," I called out to Hubs, holding up my finger to show him.

Apparently, the neighbors were just coming out of their house. They took one look at me, on the front lawn giving my husband the finger, and abruptly turned around and hurried back in their front door.

For the past year or so, College Boy has been eating very little meat, he prefers fish and vegetables. Sometimes, in some ways, he may eat beef or chicken, but not often.

This can be a problem when he comes in at dinner time and I'm making something he doesn't necessarily want to eat. He wants to stay, and I want him to stay, but we need to figure something out. 

This day, I had grilled chicken. I suggested I chop up some of the chicken, mix it with mayo and green onions, roll it up in a tortilla with lettuce and cheese. 

College Boy thought that would be a good way to get dinner into him.

Get dinner into him? My grown son needs a way to get my cooking into him? Well, that's a stab to the heart.

PS: The chicken roll up was delish.

PPS: No one seemed to have any trouble getting the Mint Cookie Ice Cream Cake into them.

I was in the bathroom one afternoon when I saw that there was no toilet paper on the roll. I was so angry, this is a pet peeve of mine and everyone knows it. So inconsiderate.

After I was done in the bathroom, and had replaced the roll, I was ready to give someone a piece of my mind.

I went out into the front hall, so you could hear me on all 3 floors.

Me (yelling): OK, WHO DID NOT REPLACE THE TOILET PAPER?

Nothing.

Me (even angrier): DO NOT IGNORE ME. WHO DID NOT REPLACE THE TOILET PAPER?

I was trying to decide whether to start upstairs or downstairs, when I realized everyone was at work, I was alone in the house.

So, who didn't replace the toilet paper? Ummm . . . me?

 

 

 

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

Menopausal Mother

Mint Cookie Ice Cream Cake

                                                                       ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
7 - 8 mint chocolate chip ice cream sandwiches

1 carton (48 oz) cookies and cream ice cream

12 chocolate covered mint wafer cookies, divided

2 TBSP chocolate syrup

Directions:
*Take the bottom off of a 9 inch springform pan. Using a very long piece of plastic wrap, cover the sides of the pan so there is a little hangover at the bottom, the rest hanging over the top. Place the bottom back on the pan.

*Cut the ice cream sandwiches in half. Arrange them, cut side down, along the plastic wrap covered sides of the pan and place in the freezer.

*Crush 8 of the cookies to crumbs and set aside. Chop the other 4 cookies into pieces.

*Place the cookies and cream ice cream in a bowl on the counter for 10 minutes to start to soften. Cut in the 4 chopped cookies and spoon the ice cream into the springform pan, leaving the ice cream sandwich pieces along the edges. Press down gently and make sure the top is even. Freeze for one hour.

*Drizzle the chocolate syrup over the cake, then sprinkle the cookie crumbs along the sides. Freeze until hardened (works best to just freeze overnight).