Seeing Red: Monthly Poetry Group

 

 

Last Friday of the month is for

Monthly Poetry Group to rhyme.

Diane, Mimi, and I take turns,

Flags is the theme this time.

 

As usual, today I'll try,

a poem to write . . . or fudge.

Whether I'm successful or not,

you get to be the judge.  

 

Seeing Red

Flags are flying everywhere,

they're loyalty on display,

Country, college, favorite teams,

solidarity with loved ones, gay.

Rev your engines, hit the gas,

when it's speed that we embrace.

Faster, faster, 'til we see,

checkered flags that end the race. 

And when I'm at a cookout,

trying everything's a feat.

But I throw in the white flag when 

there's no more I can eat. 

 

Pineapple Jalapeno Cole Slaw

Morals and values at issue,

our politics are a disgrace.

Our freedom is in jeopardy,

unless we win this race.

'Cause though they aren't physical, 

I see red flags everywhere.

They signify grave danger, 

unless we vote with care.

 

Before you go, stop by these blogs for more poetry:

 

 

Unhelpful by Diane of  On the Border and Messymimi's Meanderings

 

  

Pineapple Jalapeno Cole Slaw

                                                                       ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 bag (16 oz) tricolor cole slaw mix

1\4 of a red onion, finely chopped

1 jalapeno pepper

1 can (8 oz) pineapple tidbits

1/3 cup apple cider vinegar

3 TBSP honey

3 tsp pepper jelly

Directions:

*Place the cole slaw mix in a large bowl with the red onion. Set aside.

*Cut the top off of the jalapeno, then cut in half, remove the seeds and chop into small pieces. Add them to the bowl with the cole slaw mix.

*Drain the pineapple tidbits, reserving the juice. Slice the tidbits in half and place on paper towels to continue to drain.

*Whisk together the apple cider vinegar, the reserved pineapple juice, the honey, and the pepper jelly. Pour into the bowl with the cole slaw and mix well.

*Gently mix in the pineapple tidbits. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour, gently stirring once or twice. 

*Keep leftovers covered in the refrigerator.

 

Liver Cake and Lies

Lies don’t matter. They did when I was growing up. Or maybe that’s just a lie my mother told me?

But one thing's for sure, they certainly don’t matter now. In fact, they’d become so prevalent, especially in our politics, that just as many believe them as those of us who seek out the truth, use logic, see them for the blatant manipulation that they are.

There seems to be some kind of contest going on, who can get away with the most absurd lie. And although there are a lot of front runners (it’s been neck and neck for years now) with trump barely leading the way, seems he’s being pushed aside. George Santos is currently in the lead. Which is impressive considering that the rest of the party cult seems to live by the watchword “no lie is too small, no lie is too large.” 

My only hope is that prize for winning is a room with bars on the door.

But listen, I’ve tried to be an honest person, and mostly succeeded, I think. But if our current culture is a no-hold-barred, throw out that filter and let ‘em rip lie fest, I may just try out a few. You know, in the name of science (well, if you’re one of the few people who still believe in science).

So, in keeping with what is apparently the new Golden Rule "lie unto others as you have seen others lie unto you," here goes:

 

To the family:

~ I just got home but sure, I'll do the laundry, you’ll have plenty of clean underwear in the morning.

Followed the next day by:

~ No, those shorts aren’t see-through, I can’t at all tell you had to go commando today.

 

~ That isn't Cheetos dust around my mouth, it's a new makeup I'm trying. Yes, on my fingers too.

~ I'm not still upset about our argument, and no, I haven't seen the remote to the TV down in your man cave.

~ I was just about to take pictures for the blog, but sure, go ahead and try the cake, I made it for an April Fools blog post, there's a little bit of chopped liver and barely a hint of onion, let me know what you think.

 

Pineapple Cake with Dark Cherries

 

 

To no one and every one:

 

~ I have no problem with people giving away the ending of a book in their book reviews. 

~ Go ahead and pretend you didn't see your dog using my lawn as a toilet. You're actually doing me a favor. After all, it's free fertilizer.

~ Politicians should not be held accountable when their lies threaten the life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness of Americans. After all, it's in the job description.

 

~ What was in the minds of our forefathers, when writing the constitution, was that the right to bear arms not be intended as a means to defend our country, but to ensure the freedom of future citizens to carry assault weapons into schools, grocery stores, and movie theaters. 

~ Lies in particular, and dishonesty in general, help build a cohesive, healthy, productive society. 

I may have choked on that last one. 

 

OK, I may not quite be up to the task of being the new front runner.

That's alright, I didn't want to spend the next few years in a room with an exposed toilet, anyway.

And as much as lying may have provided momentary amusement, none of my lies had any real, life altering impact. No one's grandma died while I was vehemently, publicly denying the existence of a deadly virus.

But they were still lies, still meant, not so much to manipulate, but to deceive. And in the end, they are harmful, even if only to my own self-esteem.

Truth.

Pineapple Cake with Dark Cherries         

                                                       ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
7 frozen pitted dark cherries

1 can (8 oz) pineapple chunks

1 box yellow cake mix

3 eggs

1/2 cup oil

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup pineapple juice

1 can (16 oz) cream cheese frosting

2 TBSP yellow sanding sugar, 

1 TBSP powdered sugar, 

1/2 tsp pineapple extract

2 TBSP pineapple juice

Directions:

*Chop the cherries and thaw on paper towels.

*Drain the pineapple well, chop (don't shred), and place on paper towels.

*Grease and flour a 9 X 13 baking pan.

*Beat the cake mix, eggs, oil, milk, and 1/2 cup of the pineapple juice for 2 minutes. Spread evenly into the prepared pan.

*Pat the chopped pineapple and cherries as dry as possile and sprinkle over the batter.

*Bake for 25 - 30 minutes, until the center springs back to the touch. Cool completely. Cut into 24 squares.

*Mix the cream cheese frosting with the sanding sugar, powdered sugar, pineapple extract, and remaining 2 TBSP pineapple juice. Place into a piping bag and pipe onto the squares. 

Question Everything: 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: holistic ~ detective ~ respect ~ asinine ~ loser ~ foil
They were submitted by Jenniy of Climaxed.

                          
As I've thought through this post, what I want to say, how I want to use my assigned words, I have to admit it's taken a strange turn. I've decided to share an open apology. It's to my son, College Boy.

I've spoken, a few times before, about how College Boy and I agree quite a bit when it comes to politics. I've also said, in general, in terms of not only politics, but the totality of how our society functions, that he's a conspiracy theorist, and I'm much more a realist.

 

When I say conspiracy theorist, I'm not talking about those of the wearing tin foil hats to protect from mind reading ilk. But then these days we're less having our minds read, and more being monitored. Privacy is a thing of the past. Tin foil or foil-less.

 

You don't have to be a detective to see it. In many cases we're not given a choice, held hostage. Want that app? Maybe even need it for something? You have to give them access to your camera, your contact list. But worse, if we so much as mention a blue shirt in a private phone call, we know we're going to gets ads for matching pants and shoes on every website or social media platform we visit. It's asinine, the amount of our personal information that's just out there for everyone and anyone to see, to use, and to sell. Our privacy is a commodity. And it's for sale on the open market.

When it comes to the branches of government, all of them, College Boy's conspiracy theories are all encompassing. We are all pawns, being manipulated, used, and many of us marginalized, even discarded by executive, legislative, and judicial systems run by those making nefarious decisions on their own and together, with only further personal power and financial gain in mind. 

 

I understand focusing on one thing to the exclusion of all others. I do that when I'm trying to work out a new recipe. A tornado could come through the kitchen and I'm singularly focused.

But a recipe isn't a conspiracy theory. Getting that entrenched when it comes to national conspiracies can be a dangerous rabbit hole to fall into.

 

 

Grilled Pineapple Bars

 

So I would scoff at him. Tell him he can't paint everyone and everything with one wide brush. Yes, there is definitely corruption, and continued need for change, but there are also politicians who believe in public service. College Boy is, in fact, a big proponent of Bernie Sanders, and Sanders is a politician, after all.

More than anything, I just want him to paint a little of that black he's focused on with the hope of some grey.

 

But then came the trump cult, the covid deniers, the loss of reproductive rights, the continued acceptance of the deaths of school children, people of color dying in police custody and being removed from voting rolls, lying and cheating, the degradation of all norms and any iota of morals or decency.

 

Separation of church and state is gone, reproductive rights are part going and part gone, history is being white washed (pun intended), books are being banned, marriage rights are on the line.

These days the losers are winning, and the rest of us? We're inconsequential, collateral damage.

 

Son:

It's true that in many ways, so much that you have always believed is coming to fruition. Right before our eyes, no denying it. But I need for you to see that there is still resistance, many people, both in public life and private, solidifying, taking those steps backward not as a signal to retreat, but to push forward with more strength and determination.

 

I always felt that you could not see the forest for the trees. But I suppose I need to admit that I could not see the trees for the forest. Perhaps we both need to take a more holistic approach to our conceptions. 

I hope I've encouraged you to look for the swath of grey. I know you've taught me an important lesson too: in order to move forward with purpose, we first have to question everything.

 

 

 

 

And a final message to my conspiracy theorist son who, it turns out, is actually the realist I had claimed to be: respect, son.

If that kid says the sky is falling, you can bet I'm gonna run.

 

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

On the Border 

The Diary of an Alzheimer’s Caregiver 

Climaxed 

Part-time Working Hockey Mom

 

Grilled Pineapple Bars       

                                                                                      ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

2 sticks butter, softened

1 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups flour

1 box (3 oz) pineapple jello mix

1/2 cup pineapple juice

1 ripe pineapple

1/2 stick butter, melted

2 TBSP pineapple juice

1 TBSP brown sugar

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 TBSP powdered sugar

NOTE: You can make and refrigerate both the crust and the grilled pineapple up to a day ahead of time.

Directions:
*Grease a 9 X 13 inch baking pan.

*Cream the 2 sticks of butter. Mix in 1 cup of powdered sugar, until just incorporated, add the vanilla and beat until smooth. Mix in the flour and form a dough.

*With wet hands, press into bottom of the prepared pan. Refrigerate for an hour. 

*Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake the crust for 30 minutes. Remove from oven, run a knife around the edges, cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until cold.

*Boil 3/4 cup of water. Mix in the jello. Add 1/2 cup of pineapple juice, mix, and refrigerate for 30 minutes so it just starts to thicken, then remove from the refrigerator.

*Beat the heavy cream until soft peaks form. Add the remaining 1 TBSP powdered sugar and beat until stiff peaks hold. Fold in the jello, pour into the crust, and refrigerate for an hour to set.

*Remove the peel from the pineapple, core, and slice into rounds about 1/2 to 3/4 inches thick.

*Preheat your grill to medium high. Mix together the melted butter, remaining 2 TBSP pineapple juice, and the brown sugar. Dip the pineapple slices into this mixture, both sides, and place on the grill. Reduce the heat to medium and grill both sides, flipping once, for about 3 minutes each side, don't let them burn.

*Remove the pineapple from the grill and refrigerate to cool.

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

*NOTE: When assembling, if the jello has thickened past a semi liquid state, whisk in a little warm water to loosen.

*To assemble: whisk together the heavy cream and the jello. Spread onto the crust. Refrigerate for at least an hour. Cut the grilled pineapple slices into half moons and arrange over the top.

*To serve, cut into bars. Refrigerate leftovers.