Inconvenient Convenience: Word Counters

 

Counting my words again!

Today my fellow Word Counters and I are sharing our monthly group post. Each month, one group member picks a number between 12 and 50. All participating bloggers are then challenged to write something (or a few somethings, as the case may be) using that exact number of words. Today we share what we all came up with.

This month's number is 33. 

It was chosen by Me!

~ I've often used this post to air my complaints about the lack of customer service. Today it's about convenience, inconvenience, being denied the choice of shopping in store, being forced to shop online.

~ I like the convenience of shopping online, comparing prices, availability, ship time and fees, even having the convenience of being able to choose store pick up (if that's an option), or home delivery.

~ What I don't like is not being able to see and touch the merchandise. They can use all the descriptive words they can imagine, but it's just not the same as hands on.

~ Hubs needed a new laptop, knew what he wanted, but it was expensive. After daily checks, Hubs found it on sale. We checked our local store and success! Hubs and PurDude drove off. 

~ They were gone quite a while when PurDude called to ask what time I'd planned dinner. Dinner I knew immediately that had to be a bad omen since it was only one thirty.

Chicken and Snap Pea Dinner

~ So . . . they found the laptop, and took it up to the counter to pay. But it was ringing up at regular price. "That's because," the clerk explained, "you're looking for the online price."

~ Could he get the online price? No. Hubs had to stand in the check out line and order it online for store pick up. Once ordered, Hubs asked again for the sale price.

~ No, again. PurDude and Hubs were told that they now had to wait about an hour for order fulfillment. To fulfill the order, for the item Hubs was holding, in the checkout line.

~ Almost two hours later they returned empty handed. Update: the order is in the fulfillment queue and would be filled when his turn came, no exceptions for a customer standing there, they'd email.

~ Six hours later, after speaking to another store employee, Hubs was told the order was being expedited (LOL), he'd be emailed soon. Seven hours after ordering, the store closed. No email, no laptop.

~ Silence from Best Buy. The order wasn't ready in an hour, or another half hour, nor was it being expedited. All lies. Twenty seven hours after ordering, they agreed to turned it over.

~ Their claim of shopping convenience? Turning away a customer holding expensive electronics in one hand and a credit card in the other, telling him to pay online, then wait . . . a day? Decidedly inconvenient.

Here are links to the other Word Counters posts:

On the Border 

Messymimi’s Meanderings 

Chicken and Snap Pea Dinner         

                                                                                      ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups instant brown rice

2 cups cooked chicken, chopped

1/3 cup Canadian bacon, chopped

3 oz snap peas

1 can chicken and rice soup

1 1/4 cups chicken broth

1/3 cup chopped onion

1/2 tsp minced garlic

1/4 tsp pepper

Directions:
*Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease an 8 X 11 baking dish.

*Sprinkle the rice evenly onto the bottom of the baking dish. Top with the chicken, Canadian bacon, and snap peas.

*Mix together the chicken and rice soup, chicken broth, onion, garlic and pepper. Pour even into the baking dish. Cover with tin foil.

*Bake for 30 minutes. Carefully remove the tin foil, and bake for another 30 minutes, until the rice has absorbed the liquid.

*Stir before serving. 

 

 

Eclipsed: 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:  natural ~ nice ~ nothing ~ noodle ~ neoprene


                          

I have absolutely no idea how this group of words made me think of the first time I bought myself a new car, but that's what popped into my head, so I'm going with it.

Before this time, from literally the day I got my license, my dad had always bought my cars, ones he picked out (and I loved, btw). But now I was out of school, working, and looking to buy a brand new car, chosen (yay) and funded (boo) by me.

I had my handy dandy little notebook of facts, whatever facts you could get in what was just before a time when Google was at everyone's fingertips. But before I ventured out to the car lots, I wanted more, a little insight into the process. I mean, we've all heard the stories about car salesmen being sharks, as we, the consumers, wade into their territorial waters.

I'm not saying their reputation is fact, definitely not. Truth is, one of my closest friends, Mark, bought, worked on, and sold used cars. And I had all the trust and respect in him that I did any other friend. He was genuinely a really nice guy.

At the time, Mark had many cars, but mostly drove a Javelin, a car he loved. It had a standard transmission, something I didn't know how to drive. Mark decided that he'd not only teach me, but on the Javelin.

I did fine until he had me stop going up a steep hill. When he told me to start again, I couldn't get the clutch/gas ratio right and the car kept rolling back while I both gave it too much gas and dragged the clutch. Deciding that nothing said I needed to know how to drive a standard anyway, I, without a word put the emergency brake on, got out of the car and walked up the hill.

Stunned, Mark drove up the hill and picked me up. We laughed all the way home (but were done with lessons, for now).

So, before I went to check out the two cars I had pared my list down to, I had Mark over to dinner. We talked about what I needed to know, what I wanted to look for, and what I should consider. And then he offered to go with me. 

Cheesy Spinach Pinwheels

We walked onto the first car lot the following Saturday, me doing exactly what I'd been told, act natural (meaning try to look less like a target and more like I'd done this before).

As the salesman walked towards us, Mark whispered in my ear. He knew who this guy was, he could sell a neoprene suit to a jailed politician. OK, that's not how Mark put it, but you get the idea. I needed to not get carried away by a smooth talker.

He needn't worry.

First, Gary did not even acknowledge me, he addressed Mark. Even when told why we were there, he continued to talk to Mark, asking what car he was interested in, if he'd like to take a test drive. 

Backbone now firmly in place, infuriated by the misogyny, I piped up and said that I was choosing between two cars, one at that dealership and the second we would be looking at elsewhere. Gary let me know that I could not compare those two cars, they were completely different, then proceeded to tell me what other makes were comparable to the one I was interested in on his lot.

I think Mark smirked when I told Gary that I could choose between any two cars I wanted.

In the end, Gary was actually helpful in making my decision, I wasn't buying anything from him. 

And hopefully, when I left, Gary's reputation for being able to sell a neoprene suit to a jailed politician went to that of a guy who couldn't sell a pool noodle, to a woman who spends the weekend at her family's pool.

PS: loved my new red Mitsubishi Eclipse. Thanks, Gary.

 

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

On the Border

Cheesy Spinach Pinwheels

                                               ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

1 tube (8 oz) refrigerated crescent sheet

3 TBSP butter

2 tsp grated parmesan

1/2 tsp garlic powder

3/4 cup fresh, cleaned spinach

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella

Directions:
*Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a 9 X 13 baking sheet.

*Unroll the crescent sheet onto a piece of parchment paper. Cover with a piece of plastic wrap and roll out to a 9 inch X 15 inch rectangle. Remove plastic wrap.

*Melt the butter and mix with the parmesan and garlic powder. With a pastry brush, brush most of the butter (leave a little for the top) onto the crescent sheet, leaving about a half inch border at the two long sides.

*Chop the spinach and sprinkle onto the crescent sheet, last add the mozzarella.

*Starting with one long side, roll the dough up to create a tube shape. Brush the top with the remaining butter, and cut into about 3/4 inch slices. Place on the baking sheet, open side down. Bake for about 15 minutes, until the dough starts to brown.  

Swag Bag Sister Wife

 

Hubs went off at about 9:45 on a Saturday morning. By the time he got back, two things had occurred. First, I spent a very quiet day alone (yay). And second? Well, it's possible I gained a sister wife (ummm . . . boo?).

So, here's the deal: Hubs had recently decided to change our cell phone carrier. Big whoop, you're thinking, lots of people change their cell phone carriers. Well, we're old, so let's just say we tend to make things a lot more difficult than they need to be. Or one of us does, anyway.

First, Hubs spent 2 days researching carriers, prices, and coverage. Yes, with a pen and a notebook. Then he went into the store, met with a salesperson, and came home with 4 more pages of that notebook covered. Notebook in hand, he gave me a doctorate level dissertation on his findings. 

The company he'd chosen, if we were to come to the party, offered quite an impressive swag bag: they'd pay off all of our phones, we could get one line free, 20% off, free AAA, free Apple TV, free Netflix. It would save us thousands of dollars. 

In retrospect, I specifically remember that there was no offer of a sister wife in that swag bag. Just sayin'.

So, we ran it by College Boy, who was concerned. He uses his phone to purchase items that sometimes have a sale window of literally seconds. If it's at a time when he's on wifi, that's not a problem, but if the new hot spot is slower than our current service, he could lose out on drops.

Then we talked to PurDude, who didn't really care. But PurDude lives in another state so once we changed carriers, his sim card wouldn't work and he'd have to go to a local store to get his sim card switched. So, we'd have to coordinate the day and time with him, as he works part time at home and needs to be accessible to his team by phone throughout the day. This whole production was starting to feel very Mission Impossible-ish.

But we're not done making it more difficult than it needs to be yet. 

My phone is about 28 years old. Well, in dog years, anyway. Apparently there have been so many subsequent generations since I got it, that it could fill up a tree on ancestry(.)com. Hubs was hunting around online and found that with a new account, they were offering a new Razr flip phone. For free. Might make sense to replace mine.

So, off Hubs went on a Saturday morning. Since, on weekends, PurDude doesn't get up until the sun goes down, he'd just leave to get his new sim card whenever he woke. That works.

What didn't really work is that, with replacing my phone, Hubs had to take it with him. Leaving me in a silent house. 

And although I admit, I enjoyed the lack of ringing and dinging, even finished a book, I also have to admit that without any phone at my fingertips, I felt like I'd washed up on a deserted island. If I wanted to talk to anyone, I'd need to brush up on smoke signals.

Overly dramatic, you think? Not so much. 

One hour plus and he wasn't home. Over two hours and he wasn't home. At the three hour mark, I was starting to wonder if he'd make it home for dinner.

Skillet Chicken & Rice Dinner

 

After about 3 1/2 hours he finally walked in. With my old phone, not a new one (it had to be ordered). 

Me: Where have you been?

Hubs: You know where I've been, getting our cell service switched.

Me: For how long? I think I had 2 birthdays while you were gone.

Hubs (putting down his handy dandy notebook): There was a lot to go over.

Me: You just spent more than 3 hours with a salesperson?

Hubs: Yes.

Me: You know, in some countries that would be considered a common law marriage.

So, to recap: new provider, same old phone, researching my new responsibilities as a sister wife.

Guess I should set another place at the dinner table.

Skillet Chicken & Rice Dinner         

                                                                                      ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
2 lg boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

1 egg

1/2 cup flour

1 tsp salt, divided

1/2 tsp pepper, divided

3 TBSP canola oil

4 TBSP butter

1/2 onion, sliced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 cups chicken broth

2 TBSP cooking sherry

6 oz frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and patted as dry as possible

4 oz mushrooms, sliced

1 1/4 cups cooked rice

Directions:
*Cut the chicken into bite sized chunks. Whisk the egg. Place the chicken and the egg into a gallon sized plastic bag. Manipulate so all the chicken is covered. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

*Whisk together the flour, 1/2 tsp of salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Remove the chicken from the bag and coat with the flour mixture.

*Add the canola oil to a skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the chicken with as little overlap as possible. Cook until the bottoms brown, about 4 minutes. Using tongs, flip the chicken pieces over. If the pan is getting too hot, lower the heat a little. 

*Cook the chicken, stirring now and then, for about another 3 minutes. Move the chicken to a plate and keep warm.

*Add the butter, onion, and garlic to the pan. Cook, scraping the flour bits up from the bottom of the pan until the onion starts to soften. Add the chicken broth, sherry, remaining salt and pepper, spinach, and mushrooms to the pan. Bring to a boil.

*Add the rice to the pan, mix, then add the chicken to the top. Cover, turn the heat down to low, and allow to simmer for 10 minutes. Take off the cover and mix. Make sure the chicken is completely cooked. If not, turn the stove off, return the cover to the pan and cook until the chicken is done.

 

Recipe Remix

Repurpose is not just for furniture any more. With increased frequency, and out of economic necessity, we are being forced to be more mindful of using every bit of whatever it is we can afford. 

Yes, I'm talking food.

I grew up in a time where you might often hear the words "eat your vegetables, there are children starving in Africa." 

Truth is, there are children starving everywhere. And although eating our vegetables would have done nothing to change that, the sentiment, both to appreciate, and to not waste what we have, is a salient one. 

These days we call it "food insecure," which not only widens the umbrella to include those who are actively hungry but those who live in a constant state of not knowing where the next meal may come from. And then the one after that.

Moving from the macro to the micro, and from catastrophic global issues to the situations we're all facing in our grocery stores and our homes, my current focus on repurposing foods is not based in humanitarianism, but on scarcity and economy.

A FB friend, when recently viewing my recipe for Grilled Skirt Steak, told me she can't find skirt steak anywhere (you can use flank steak or flat iron steak, btw). I can't find bone in chicken breasts. And I think at this point sriracha is being considered for the EPA's endangered list.

When we do find some of the foods we want, the prices are astronomical. Many essentials have doubled in price, and then doubled again (eggs, I'm looking at you). Which moves more and more people towards becoming food insecure.

Those of us fortunate enough to be able to afford the ingredients we want or need, are now giving more thought to "waste not want not."

I'm not wasteful in general, but I do admit to forgetting about ingredients specifically, but even leftovers sometimes, until they reach the point where they're eligible for use in penicillin production. 

Not any more. I've become much more vigilant in my quest to be cognizant of what I have, and to use it all. I stay on top of freezing unused vegetables, and miscellaneous leftovers may end up as a buffet dinner, or in sandwiches. I've also focused on repurposing leftover foods in a more diverse and creative way. A recipe remix. When I add ingredients I already have in my pantry to make something completely different, it feels less like we're having the same dinner we'd just had.

Like, I made Greek Chicken Pot Pie from leftover Crockpot Chicken Soup. And even for dessert, I made Blueberry Maple Glazed Strawberry Cake from the Blueberry Maple Syrup I'd used on our Key Lime Pancakes.

I'd recently made a few new appetizers to try while Hubs and I had drinks on the deck. The recipes, of course, created way more food than we could eat. I later turned the leftover meat from one, Barbecued Pork Corn Chip Nachos into Barbecued Pork Enchiladas. 

I had also made Sweet Hot Mango Dip, and was trying to work through what to do with the 3/4 cup of dip I had left. I thought about using it as a sauce for Cod. Or maybe over vegetables, like snap peas.

The chicken sitting in the fridge made my decision for me. 

Sweet Hot Mango Chicken

 

I liked the idea of cooking the chicken in the dip (adding a few more ingredients) as opposed to just using the dip as a sauce. 

And, although we enjoy leftover buffets and leftover sandwiches, there's something really satisfying about the creativity, the accomplishment, of turning one (yummy) food into another, completely different but just as yummy, recipe.  

P.S.: There are charities, global and national, that could use financial assistance in any amount. On a more local level, food pantries in all communities are grateful for all nonperishable donations. Help, if you can.

Sweet Hot Mango Chicken         

                                                                                      ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

salt, pepper, garlic powder

3/4 cup Sweet Hot Mango Dip (recipe HERE)

1 tsp lime juice

1/2 tsp minced garlic

5 oz grape or cherry tomatoes

Directions:

*Grease a 8 X 11 baking dish. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

*Sprinkle both sides of the chicken with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Place in the baking dish.

*Whisk together the Sweet Hot Mango Dip, lime juice, and garlic. Pour evenly over the chicken.

*Slice the tomatoes in half, and sprinkle over the top.

*Bake for about 40 - 45 minutes, until the chicken is completely cooked.

 

 

Strategize, Optimize, Prioritize

 

I think that we, as a society, had lost track of the “ize”s over the past number of years. Like a muscle that hadn’t been exercised, it had been fading. A whole generation really hadn’t understood the concepts.

Covid has been taking care of that, necessitating the strengthening of those muscles, introducing the routines back into our lives. In no place more prominently than the grocery store.

And as difficult as food shopping has become, how stressful it’s been to negotiate, I’m thinking this really isn’t a bad thing at all.

Because the “ize”s are, I think, necessary skills not just when it comes to shopping, but to successfully navigating many facets of life.

 

I don't blame those who are unfamiliar with the concept. Many of us had grown up in (or for many years just lived in) an easier time. Not necessarily easy, a broad brush I can't use, but easier. Something, I might note, we were neither necessarily aware of, nor appreciative of, until everything changed. Covid, the great equalizer saw to that.

 

It was a time when we just ran out and grabbed what we wanted or needed. Stores, malls, they were everywhere, and in stock. Prices were, for the most part, something we could deal with, especially when it came to food and smaller items. Larger needs we may need to budget for. Until Covid became a universal budget buster. 

And brought back the "ize"s.

 

 

 

 

 

And one place where it's easy to see both the need and the results is the grocery store, where we're all learning (or relearning) to exercise our "ize" muscles.

Strategize: more than ever it's a time to make a list (and check it twice), look at the circulars for sales, check coupons, be open to trying a store brand alternative to one or two of your items.

But strategy isn't only about price, it can be about convenience or time saving too. There are instances when your schedule, time constraints, stress level, or desire not to be inconvenienced, makes paying a little more worth not having to wait in line to check out your 45 items yourself.

 

Optimize: when a needed item is not on the shelves, can you optimize whatever may be available? Think on the fly, conceptualize, compromise, come up with a workable alternative?

Truth is, not only is this an opportunity to use your imagination, show that you can adapt, but many times the results can be better than the original idea.

Sweet Potato & Chicken Soup
 

 

Prioritize: this is where you have to make some final decisions, especially when it comes to price. Whether you've hit your budget limit, exceeded it and don't want to take out a second mortgage in order to check out, or have just had enough for one day, it's time to weigh the options. Of the items you still have on your list, which ones do you need now, and which can possibly be pushed off to the next visit? Which items already in your cart are impulse purchases, not necessities.

I just want to say here that impulse purchases and small treats are two different things. I'm actually an advocate of self indulgence now and then. We all have days when sitting back, shutting our eyes, and letting one little piece of chocolate melt in our mouths makes all the difference. My advice, find a way to embrace that.

And, although not an "ize," this is also a time to practice self discipline. Whatever decisions you made, can you live with them, commit to not running out for one more . . . something before it's time for your next shopping trip?

 

Beneficial precepts, all of them, and although they may be brought together prominently in one place, it's a missed opportunity not to realize their broader value.

 

Because, when it comes not just to grocery shopping but most situations in life, it helps to remember this valuable lesson: 

wait for it . . .

wait for it . . .

the ayes ize have it. 

 

Sorry, not sorry.

Sweet Potato & Chicken Soup         

                                                                                      ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
2 TBSP butter

1/2 cup frozen chopped onion

1 1/4 tsp salt

3/4 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp cinnamon

3 cups chicken broth

2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup heavy cream

2 TBSP maple syrup

1 cup cooked skinless chicken, chopped or shredded

Directions:
*In a large pot over medium heat, melt the butter. Mix in the onion, salt, pepper and cinnamon. Cook and stir for 2 minutes.

*Whisk in the chicken broth, then add the sweet potatoes. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer for about 15 - 20 minutes, until the sweet potatoes are soft.

*Remove from heat and allow to cool for 20 minutes. Working in batches, carefully pour into a food processor or blender and blend until smooth.
*Return the blended soup to the pot and return the pot to the stove on medium/low heat. Whisk in the sour cream, then mix in the heavy cream, maple syrup, and chicken. Cook and stir until hot, about 5 minutes.

 

Better Held than Boiled

 

My mom served tongue for dinner once. It actually served more as a traumatic event than a meal.

 

Not just tongue, but when it comes to organ meats, I don't eat them at all. There was a time when holidays included Nana's chicken liver, which I did like in small amounts. But Nana's been gone a long time ליה השלום and at this point I eat none: livers, hearts, brains, intestines . . . even the thought of haggis makes me gag. 

 

To me, all offal, is awful. 

 

I still cringe at the memory of that tongue. I mean, that thing looked like a tongue. Little taste bud bumps and all.

 

Now I know tongue is a good source of zinc, iron, and vitamin B12. I know that when preparing, many chefs remove the section where the tongue attaches to the bottom of the mouth, and I'm also aware that, possibly to make it more palatable, once cooked, some will peel back the skin before slicing. 

 

None of which helps.

 

 

 

 

It can be boiled, braised, pickled, roasted, smoked, salted, brined, sauteed, prepared (and disguised in a myriad of ways.

 

I've heard that tongue, or Lengua, is a popular taco filling. 

Still no.

 

And I've seen it ordered in the deli: sliced, on marble rye, with Swiss cheese, hot mustard, and slaw. I'll take that please, just replace the tongue with corned beef.

So . . .

I was in the grocery store the other day, happily making my selections, planning out my meals (and treats) for both the rest of the year, and New Year's Eve and Day.

Apple Walnut Creme au Pain

 

I went to check out and one of my items didn't ring up at the sale price. As the cashier was trying to figure out why, there was a guy putting his groceries up to check out after me. 

Unfortunately, the cashier couldn't get the correct price to come up and had to call for a manager. Just as she was finishing adjusting the price, the man who had been behind me walked up, I guess he'd gone to get something else.

"Are you finally done?" he asked. I could tell he was joking, and I turned to him, smiled and said "sorry, that's on me, I had to pick the one item that didn't ring up right." He laughed, the cashier laughed, the manager laughed, a pleasant meaningless supermarket interaction.

As I was leaving, the man turned to the cashier:

Customer: You have no dark brown sugar.

Cashier: Oh?
Customer (loudly): Yes, only light brown. THANKS, BIDEN.

 

Which is how I found myself walking out of a grocery store . . . holding my tongue.

Apple Walnut Creme au Pain       

                                                                                      ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 box (16 oz) frozen French toast sticks, defrosted

1 loaf (16 oz) cinnamon bread

2/3 cup chopped walnuts

3 medium Cosmic Crisp apples (or apples of your choice)

4 TBSP butter

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon 

1/4 tsp apple pie spice

8 eggs

1/4 cup Mascarpone 

2/3 cup milk

 

OPT: serve sprinkled with powdered sugar, drizzled with caramel sauce, topped with whipped cream or topped with ice cream

 

Directions:

*Grease a 9 X 13 baking pan.

*Cut the French toast sticks into thirds and place in a large bowl. Chop the cinnamon bread and mix with the French toast sticks. Mix in the walnuts.

*Core, peel, and chop the apples. Melt the butter in a saute pan over medium heat. Add the apples, brown sugar, cinnamon, and apple pie spice. Cook, stirring now and then, until the apples start to soften, about 15 minutes.

*Add the apple mixture to the large bowl with the bread and walnuts and mix well. 

*Pour into the prepared pan and arrange so it's evenly dispersed.

*Whisk together the eggs, Mascarpone, eggnog (or half and half), and the milk. Pour evenly over the bread mixture in the pan. Cover tightly with tin foil and refrigerate for at least 6 hours.

*One hour before cooking, move the pan to the counter.

*Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake, covered, for 50 minutes. Uncover and bake another 10 minutes. Allow to sit for 5 minutes before serving.

*OPT: serve sprinkled with powdered sugar, drizzled with caramel sauce, topped with whipped cream or topped with ice cream.