My Cup of Tea: Monthly Poetry Group

 

 

Last Friday of the month is for

Monthly Poetry Group to rhyme.

Diane, Mimi, and I take turns,

"Royalty" 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.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My Cup of Tea

 

Imagine being royal, 

in charge of all you see.

When you're out in public,

all people take a knee. 

Money's not an issue,

you'll not give it a thought,

And standing in line? Never

Your desires, to you, are brought.

Clothing, all couture, of course,

and jewels adorn your crown.

Rubies, sapphires, garnets,

in riches you could drown.

Chefs are at your beck and call,

your whims prepared for you.

Best part, there are others,

to clean up when you're all through. 

 

Hash Brown Waffles 

 

 

 

But . . .

The royal life is strictly ruled,

pinky out when at high tea.

And you're required to be there,

(although tea is blech to me).

Eyes are always on you,

and pictures taken too.

No going out in sweatpants

or hair stuck together like glue.

And . . .

I have so many memories

times when I was young,

skinny dipping at the pool, 

catching snowflakes on my tongue.

Skipping school with besties,

to the mountains or the lake.

And maybe getting grounded?
It's a risk you know you take.

Royals can't sneak out windows 

to a party, (well, without a boat).

Arriving's not an option,

if you've landed in the moat.

No cottage on Cape Cod for them, 

friends wandering in and out,

paying for it spending nights

serving ale and stout.

So . . .

Though maybe fun for just a day,

the royal life might be.

The other 364 days?

Just not my cup of (blech) tea.

 

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

 

On the Border

Messymimi's Meanderings

 

 

Hash Brown Waffles        

                                                                                      ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 bag (20 oz) shredded potatoes

2 green onions, sliced

1/2 red pepper, chopped

2 eggs

3/4 cup flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

3/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar

OPT: serve with my Devil's Applesauce or sour cream

Directions:

*Pat the shredded potatoes until they are as dry as you can get them. Place them in a bowl and mix in the green onion and red pepper, then the eggs. Once the eggs are fully incorporated, mix in the flour, salt, and pepper, and last, the cheese.

*Grease your waffle iron and heat according to manufacturer's directions.

*Once the waffle iron is ready, scoop about 3/4 cup of the potato mixture out of the bowl and onto the bottom plate. Spread around quickly and close. When the waffle iron indicates it's done, check to be sure the hash brown is crisp and the center fully cooked. Remove and keep warm.

*Grease the waffle iron again, reheat and repeat until all the hash browns are cooked. Makes 5 large (8 inch) waffles.

*OPT: serve topped with my Devil's Applesauce or sour cream.

A Culinary Evolution: Be My Guest

I must be a bad hostess. Let's make that a really bad hostess. It's been, after all, 2 years since my friend Rena has been my guest. Literally 2 years. Almost to the day. 

But I must have done something right, because last month, this veteran traveler informed me of her travel plans, and it was too my front door. Well, my blog's front door, anyway.

 

Blogging connects people who are worlds apart, and not just literally. You'd think Rena and I would have nothing in common (the woman likes sleeping in tents, for g-d's sake. Deliberately), she's been known to half cook a turkey, and once almost burned her kitchen down.

 

Bottom line, though, Rena has a heart of gold. We've worked together and supported each other through some really difficult times. She was her mother's caregiver for 10 years. We've both lost a parent to Alzheimer's. 

 

Covid has forced Rena to back off of her love of travel, but she's maintained her Alzheimer's support website and her Technology Therapist business. What's given me great pleasure, however, is watching her evolution into the world of culinary arts. Rarely-cooks-Rena started growing her own vegetables. This year she's germinating seeds indoors. She'll be growing vegetables and herbs, is planning a greenhouse and I think I even heard her mention raising chickens!

 

And now she's tried a recipe of her own, based on one from her mom. These are the best recipes in my opinion, ones that honor the past while adding touches of the present. But I'll let Rena tell you about it:

 Worst Cook in America . . . Did I Win?

 

Some people are awesome cooks (I'm looking at you, Karen). Some people are terrific at organization {{side-eye look at Karen}}. I'm neither, often those two things collide head on with many, many MANY unsuccessful attempts.

I get my superb cooking skills from my momma. She was the Queen of boxed food, and she never met a can she didn't like. Do you think I'm joking? Take a look at a general week of dinners in my house growing up:

 

1. Sun - out to eat

2. Mon - cheeseburger & ff

3. Tues cheeseburger & ff (once in a while this turned into chli)

4. Wed - fried fish & ff

5. Thurs - cheeseburger & ff

6. Fri - cheeseburger & ff (sometimes this was turned into a meatloaf)

7. Sat - eat out

 

Everything she cooked was deep fried in an old industrial deep fryer. She NEVER changed the grease! She'd also keep a bowl of flour in the drawer for breading that she used over and over again. Everything that was fried on the stove came with a spoon of grease from the deep fryer!

Honestly, I'm not sure how we survived, but no wonder I left home at 15 and the only thing I could make was . . . you guessed it . . . a cheeseburger! I managed to fumble my way through the kitchen while the kids were growing up, but nothing was exciting. Bland. To me, cooking was another chore that had to be done, and it was often speed that made the choice of the menu.

Today, I've been happily married for 31 years, and over the years we spent a lot of time and money in restaurants, but since Covid I no longer want to sit in a crowded restaurant (especially here in the South).

I had a few recipes that I learned from mom and one of them was potato salad. Her version was potato, egg, celery, miracle whip, relish, and mustard. Eatable, but again, bland. So earlier this year I was looking for some new shows to watch, found Guy's Grocery Games, and was hooked. Not by what they were cooking, but by teaching me about all of those mysterious ingredients that I was always curious about.

After I binged that show, I wanted to find something similar that would inspire me in the kitchen, found Worst Cooks in America, and that light bulb went off. See, I've been watching cooking show by pros like Pioneer Woman, but the problem is they are pros, so for someone like me, it's often overwhelming and confusing.

 

WCIA (Worst Cooks in America is an ego boost first and foremost, because I've never been as bad as a lot of the participants. They ask the questions I've always wanted to know but was too embarrassed to ask. They teach the basics first, and I love that part.

As a matter of fact, since WCIA, I have been making some amazing new recipes that I never thought I'd try, and loved them. Not all have worked out, but the good outweighs the bad. It's given me confidence in the kitchen that I never knew I could have.

I needed a test. I decided to make over momma's potato salad, and this is what I did:

 

Kick Ass Potato Salad
 

1. Boil eggs (depends on the amount of people you're feeding, 8 - 10 for a large batch, or 4 - 6 for a smaller batch).

2. Cut & cube 4 - 6 potatoes, put them in salted water, and bring to a boil. This can be tricky because you don't want them hard, but you don't want them too soft either because then you'd have mashed potato salad . . . hmmmmmm.

3. Slice half of a Vidalia onion and dice up (more or less to taste).

4. In a bowl, add sliced celery (1 - 2 cups for a large batch, 1 for a smaller batch.

5. Add in 2 cups Miracle Whip (may need a little more or less).

6. Add in 3 TBSP mustard for a large batch, or 1 1/2 TBSP for a smaller batch.

7. Dice 4 - 6 Sweet Gherkin pickles. Add them along with 1 TBSP juice from the pickles.

8. Add 1 tsp salt (to taste).

9. Add 1/2 tsp pepper (to taste).

10. Add 1 TBSP celery seed.

11. Add 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper.

12. Add 1/2 tsp of onion powder.

13. Add 1/2 tsp paprika.

14. Mix together. Sprinkle with additional cayenne pepper and paprika. 

15. Store any leftovers, covered, in the refrigerator.

My husband was never a great fan of the old potato salad, but LOVES this version. He said it was the best he'd ever eaten, but then again, he sleeps with me so he may not be impartial.

Let me know what you think!

Rena

~ Me again:
I told you a little about Rena at the beginning of this post, but I wanted to give you a few specifics:

You can visit The Diary of an Alzheimer's Caregiver for information and support (and the blog section features her creative writing).

Whether you have a blog or website, or are interested in building one, she offers website maintenance, management, hosting, and more at Technology-Therapist.

And you can follow her of Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Reach out to her, she's easily approachable.

 

Thank you so much for being here, Rena. Now don't be a stranger!

Kick Ass Potato Salad       

                                                                                      ©Rena, The Diary of an Alzheimer's Caregiver

Printable Recipe

 

NOTE: the amount of each ingredients depends on whether you are making a large or small batch, and are easily adjusted according to taste

Ingredients:
8 - 10 eggs for a large batch, 4 - 6 for a smaller batch

4 - 6 potatoes

1/2 Vidalia onion

1 - 2 cups sliced celery for large batch, 1 cup for smaller batch

about 2 cups Miracle Whip (more or less to taste)

3 TBSP mustard for large batch, 1 1/2 TBSP for smaller batch

4 - 6 Sweet Gherkin pickles

1 TBSP Sweet Gherkin pickle juice

about 1 tsp salt (to taste)

about 1/2 tsp pepper (to taste)

1 TBSP celery seed

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp onion powder 

1/2 tsp paprika

 

additional cayenne pepper and paprika for top

 

Directions:
*Boil the eggs to hard boiled. Cool and chop. 

*Cube the potatoes, place in salted water, bring to a boil just until they start to soften. Rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process.
*In a large bowl, mix together the potatoes, eggs, onion, celery, Miracle Whip, mustard, pickles, pickle juice, salt, pepper, celery seed, 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, onion powder, and 1/2 tsp paprika.

*Sprinkle additional cayenne pepper and paprika over the top. 

*Store any leftovers, covered, in the refrigerator.

 

Young Dog, Old Tricks

 

 

Here we are, the first few days of a new year, and what better time to bust a myth (what? you thought I was going to say move?)? Like "you can't teach an old dog new tricks." Old dog? Let me tell you, this old dog has learned quite a few new tricks.

Looking back on my childhood, had you ever told me that the phone with a cord stuck up on the wall would be replaced with one that cost about $1000, fits in my pocket, and can answer any question I may have, I'd think you had gone mad. Had you told me that I could hold a little tablet in my hand and see thoughts and stories and snippets of the lives of people all over the world, I would have wondered what drugs you were on. Had you told me I'd be in that world sharing stories and musings and recipes twice a week . . . well . . . I don't know what I'd have thought. But this old dog is doing all of those things. And more.

What I'm learning is that it's the young dogs who are far more set in their ways. Comfortable and confident, living in the world of technology that I have barely scratched the surface of, but lacking in some of the more basic skills. Lacking, or maybe just not interested?

For my kids, that's cooking. 

 

Of course, it is. 

I tried, I really did, when they were growing up. I'd have them help me here and there with recipes. What I realize now is that the assistance was mostly based on hope, the hope that there'd be a beater to lick. It was clear they had no interest in actual cooking or baking. But that's OK, I'd bide my time, because we all know that they'd get older, move into apartments, and . . . here's the next myth . . . necessity is the mother of invention. They'd have to learn some level of cooking.

Not.

College Boy has always lived nearby, could always stop in, so to this day they extent of his meal prep remains the smooshing of jalapeno chips onto a turkey sandwich. {{sigh}}. 

PurDude, though. Before he went off to college I tried to teach him just a few of the basics. You know, grilled cheese, fried eggs. Nope. He calls cooking sorcery, witchcraft, claims you have to be born with the ability and he was not. {{double sigh}}.

 

 

 

After graduation I outfitted his first apartment, he has all the cooking and baking necessities, even took my Pottery Barn dishes. And like I did every year that he was in college, I again offered to teach him the basics. Still not interested. Necessity? Not at all. That cell phone connects him to a company that puts together microwave dinners and once he makes his choices, delivers them to his front door. Every week.

 

Now that is wizardry. 

Let me just tell you a story here, it will all come together, I promise:

I don't jump on every fad. Never did get an instapot. But this whole air fryer thing, now that's intriguing. We have some favorite foods that I actually rarely make because I just hate deep frying. So, in November, I did decide I wanted one. I even asked people about their experiences on my Baking In A Tornado facebook page. I decided I wanted a bigger one, at least 8 qts, and I wanted the kind that looked like an oven, I need to be able to see what the food is doing when it's cooking.

I'd talked to Hubs about wanting one and was watching for sales. When I did tell him I found one I wanted to order, he panicked, ran out to his car and brought in my Hanukkah present. An air fryer.

Now I just had to tell him it wasn't the kind I wanted.

He returned it, and the one I wanted arrived a few days before Thanksgiving, the day after PurDude had come home for 2 weeks. 

Unpacked it, set it up, and it sat there. I was intimidated by the thing. The directions were scant, and that's an understatement. The supplied cookbook didn't help, most recipes said to preheat, but nowhere did it tell me how to do that. The internet, you know that thing that can answer all questions, did not help. Some articles said to preheat (but not how or for how long), others said there's no need to preheat. 

Well, it did look impressive sitting on my counter, so there's that.

 

 

 

Somehow, I'm not really sure how it happened, but somehow (I'm guessing that the lure of crispy, lower fat latkes had something to do with it) it was decided, since Hanukkah was just a few days away, that I would try making latkes in it. And PurDude would help.

What? And we all thought that the oil lasting 8 days was the miracle of Hanukkah.

I pulled out the ingredients. PurDude got every ounce of liquid out of those potatoes and onions. We mixed them up, formed the patties, and, once I figured out how to program it, turned that air fryer on (OK, and and maybe even uttered a little spell under my breath).

 

PurDude brushed them with oil as I turned them. And, of course, he was in charge of taste testing (first batch needed more salt). I took pictures, of course, this was a milestone after all. I even accidentally, (yes, I said I could use technology, not that I was efficient) took a one second video of him brushing the latkes. When it plays in a loop it's hysterical. I wish I could show you but if I did he'd kill me, and I have so much to live for, like I'm just now learning how to use my air fryer.

The latkes took much longer than I'd thought. And were mistakes made? Yes. Next time I would preheat (yes, I finally found out how), and I've also learned that cooking foods at a lower temperature for a longer time helps them brown better. But this old dog is learning a new trick. Again. 

 

I do know this, latkes will forever more (in my house, anyway) be made in the air fryer. And not just once a year any more, either.

 

 

 

Was it sorcery? Witchcraft?

 

No, just cooking. And, it seems, I may have just succeeded in teaching a very young dog a very old trick.

Air Fryer Latkes

                                                                       ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

  

*NOTE: Air fryer sizes and configurations are different, the same is true of the sizes and thickness of the latkes you form, so you may need to make minor adjustments to your cooking times. Check them regularly as they cook.

 

*ALSO NOTE: Be very careful when working with a hot air fryer. Follow your manufacturer's directions for safety to avoid burning yourself.

 

Ingredients:
1 bag (20 oz) Simply Potato Shredded Hash Brown

1/2 (10 oz) bag frozen chopped onions, defrosted

1/2 cup flour

2 eggs

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

3 TBSP olive oil

Directions:

*Place the shredded potatoes and chopped onion in a bowl, mix well. 

*Move them into the center of a cotton towel, twist the towel closed tightly with your hands. Over the sink, twist and squeeze the towel to remove as much liquid as possible. Put the ingredients back into the bowl.

*Add the flour, eggs, salt, and pepper to the bowl and mix well. Using your hands, form the mixture into 18 - 20 balls and place onto wax paper.

*Preheat your air fryer to 350 degrees for 5 minutes. Brush a little olive oil onto the air fryer shelves (or into the basket). Flatten each of your latke balls between your hands and place as many as will fit (leaving plenty of room between them) onto your shelves or into your basket. I cooked 4 per shelf.
*Brush a little olive oil onto the tops of the latkes and cook at 350 degrees for 8 minutes. Flip them over, brush the tops with olive oil again (change the position of the shelves if you have them, moving the top one to the bottom, etc.)

*Cook them for another approximately 8 minutes (check once during that time to be sure they're not getting too well done). If, after 8 minutes they are not cooked and crispy, flip again, brush the top with olive oil again, and cook at 2 minute increments until they are well browned. 

*Keep each batch warm as you continue to cook the next batch.

Conquering the Divide

We'd suffered a rift. Not a disagreement or a falling out so much as a split, a clear division. It wasn't intended, but then these things rarely are. They happen. Sometimes you don't even see it coming, not even on the radar and then BAM, one thing leads to another and there is a separation. A significant one.

I had decided . . . well, to be fair I knew all along, that I needed to make it right. It was, if I had to admit it, my fault. Not choice, never a conscious decision, but the betrayal was mine, it would be up to me to conquer the divide. After all, for as long as I can remember I'd wake up pretty much every single morning to the same image. But not for the past 10 days.

Fault aside, it's hard though, when you've been hurt, really hurt, betrayed in a sense by your love. Not intentional, but that doesn't mean the pain isn't there, the fear of going back isn't paralyzing, the thought that it would never be the same pushing its way in no matter how many times you push it aside.

You know, when you're sick, really sick, you give up a lot. At first you don't even notice because the fever, the chills, the aches, even the inability to stand keeps functioning brain cells at bay. When all your strength is required just to get to the bathroom when necessary, there's little else that permeates the thought process (or lack thereof). By day 3 or 4 you're so relieved have had your eyes open for more than 10 minutes in a day or, and this is a big one, to have accomplished keeping down a sip or two of room temperature water, that you still haven't taken stock of how much you've lost.

I mean like food? What's food? Who even cares about food (did I say that? Yes, delirium is a scary thing). 

French Onion Spinach Potato Casserole

It's not food we're talking about here, although, spoiler alert, the appetite returns as well.

It's that relationship you thought you could not live without . . . yet for the past 10 flu days (albeit spent in a stupor) you have.

Yes, it's a slow and tentative journey back to the one you love. Taken in small steps for fear of rejection, the kind of rejection that you've become all too familiar with over the last 10 days, the kind of rebuff that has you brushing your teeth for the 700 time in a day while wondering what could possibly be coming up when absolutely nothing is going down. 

And although it requires diligence, dedication, commitment and patience, I tell you today what was never even questioned at all: I have missed you, here and now I publicly renew my vow of commitment to you. 

Even if it's at a rate of one sip a day, I will find my way back to you, coffee. You are my true love.

French Onion Spinach Potato Casserole        

                                                       ©www.BakingInATornado.com


Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

3 large potatoes
4 oz frozen spinach, defrosted
3 TBSP butter
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 cup French Onion dip
2 TBSP grated parmesan
2 TBSP bacon bits
1/2 tsp paprika 

Directions:
*Clean, dry and prick the potatoes. Microwave for 5 minutes. Turn over and microwave another 5 minutes or until they are soft in the center when pierced with a fork. Cut in half and set aside for 5 minutes.
*Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a small baking dish.
*Firmly press the spinach between cloths or paper towels to remove as much of the moisture as possible. Place in a bowl with the onion dip, parmesan and bacon bits. Mix.
*Scoop the potato out of the skins and into the bowl. Discard the skins. Add the butter, salt and pepper to the bowl. Using a mixer, beat for one minute.
*Place the potato mixture into the prepared dish. Sprinkle with paprika. Bake for 35 minutes.

Apple Cider Chive Potato Salad: Blog With Friends

Today’s post is the next in our series of Blog With Friends theme collaborations. Each month a group of bloggers get together and each publish a project based on a theme. What I love about this partnership is that it’s not bloggers with similar interests or strengths but a diverse group coming up with a variety of posts. In any given month we may have a recipe, sewing tutorial, crafts projects, book review and/or a technology post all related to the theme of the month.

This month's theme is Outdoor Life.

There will be individual project pictures and links to what everyone else has to offer at the end of my post, but here’s a peek at what we all came up with:

I made Apple Cider Chive Potato Salad. Potato Salad is a cookout staple for many families, but I've added a little zing to mine.

Apple Cider Chive Potato Salad

I have to admit that when it comes to outdoor life, the first thing I think of is family picnics. Well, the first thing I actually think of is whether the lawn needs to be mowed again and whether it's stopped raining long enough to get that mower through the grass. Since I won't be developing a recipe with lawn clippings, we'll go with my second thought, cookouts. Light up that grill, throw on some Grilled Marinated Portobellos or Pepperoni Pizza Burgers and set the table on the deck. Cookout season is in full swing in May, especially with celebrations of Mother's Day, the end of the school year, and Memorial Day.

What I love most about cookouts is that many of my side dishes are made ahead, leaving the day free to spend outside with family. My Apple Cider Chive Potato Salad actually tastes best if given time in the fridge for the flavors to meld. And, bit bonus, it's pretty simple to make.

I start with New Potatoes and leave the skin on so I just chop and boil them.

I hard boil eggs, cool then peel and chop them.

The dressing gets mixed up in a small bowl.

Once all the ingredients are prepped, fold them together. I start with just some of the dressing and decide whether I need more once the potato salad starts to come together.

That's it. Pretty simple, right? Cover it well, put it in the fridge overnight and it's ready when you are. Enjoy that outdoor family time, and especially those easy dinners this time of year.

As always, any time you make one of my recipes, feel free to post a picture of it to my Baking In A Tornado Facebook Page. I'd love to see it!

Be sure to visit all of this month's other Blog With Friends projects:

Kia of Think In English shares Let's Take it Outside!

Dawn of Spatulas on Parade shares Quick and Easy Recipes for a Perfect Picnic.

 Lydia of Cluttered Genius shares Stretching my Green Thumb, simple ideas for sprucing things up.

Melissa of My Heartfelt Sentiments shares Prickly Pear Handmade Cards Kit. 

Apple Cider Chive Potato Salad

                                                                          ©www.BakingInATornado.com
 

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
2 eggs, hard boiled, cooled, peeled, chopped
6 medium New Potatoes, cut in quarters, each quarter cut in thirds
1 green onion, chopped
1 cup mayonnaise

4 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 TBSP apple cider
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 TBSP chives, chopped
2 tsp dill, chopped

OPT for garnish: 2 slices red pepper, chopped

Directions:
*Boil the New Potatoes until just fork tender. You don't want them mushy. Cool completely.
*Mix together the mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar, apple cider, salt, pepper, chives and dill. 
*Add the green onion, hard boiled eggs and about 3/4 of the sauce to the cooled potatoes. Gently fold together. Add more sauce if desired. 
*OPT: garnish with red pepper.
*Keep covered and refrigerated.