Working and Class

And just like that, it's Labor Day. For us, most of us anyway, it's a celebration of the unofficial end to the summer, the beginning of a new school year, and a nod to the coming cooler weather.

But, of course, Labor Day was not created for any of those reasons. It's not just about acknowledging societal achievements brought about by our work force, but more than that, it was created to address a serious issue, their rights in the workplace.

I'm not going to debate the issue of unions. There are pros and cons, but I'll leave that issue alone.

Mostly.

I do want to tell you a story, though.

My grandfather and some of his brothers owned a company. They started a factory and made a product. They were hands on bosses. My grandfather could and did do many of the tasks, work the machines, from the ground up. He was well liked, and I know this not only because of stories passed down in our family, but from, many years after his retirement, when he died at the age of 99 years and 9 months, how many people who knew him through that company crowded his funeral.

Grandpa was a little naive at the start. Remind me some time, to tell you the story about him building credit. But that's a story for another day. Today's story is about character, it doesn't take much more than character to make a man do the right thing. Not the least of which is appreciation of the worker who keep their company running.

Some of the specifics of what happened are either not retained in my memory, or maybe I never knew them to begin with. Some of what I do remember may be a little fuzzy as well. I'm not sure whether the entire work force: front office, sales, manufacturing, shipping . . . but I do know that union representatives began approaching at least some level of the workers.

I believe that initially Grandpa was unhappy, maybe a little insulted by the union interference, didn't want outsiders dictating the personnel policies of their heart and soul, this company they built. 

Whether you like unions or you don't, they are designed to function as protection of the rights of workers. And in the end, the union did, of course, address the employees. They promised a minimum number of sick days, vacation days, holidays, breaks during the work day, pay levels.  

Unionization was voted down, all they offered was resoundingly declined.

Why?

Because the benefits Grandpa's company provided their employees exceeded what was promised by the union.

The man had class.

Whether it comes from the intrinsic benevolence of management, is mandated by law, or acquired via the strength of unity, this is what I know: safety matters, health matters, the ability to afford shelter, nourishment, it all matters.

No one should worry about their safety, a place to sleep, where their next meal will come from.

Quick Ramen Chicken

 

So, what you do, how and where you do it, unions, labor laws, workplace rules and regulations, all of that aside, it is humanity that should be guiding us.

Humanity dictates that every worker earn, at the very least, a living wage.

Quick Ramen Chicken         

                                                                                      ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
2 packages Ramen Soup, soy or chicken flavor

1 tsp dried ginger

1/8 tsp dried chili flakes

2 tsp cooking sherry

2 green onions, sliced, divided

1 1/2 cups cooked chicken, shredded, room temperature

1/2 cup snap peas

1/2 cup broccoli florets

1 carrot, shaved

2 radishes, sliced thin

Directions:
*Break up the noodles from both soup packages in a large bowl with 3 cups of water. Microwave 5 minutes, until the noodles are soft.

*Mix the flavor packets, ginger, chili flakes, sherry, and one of the sliced green onions into the bowl with the noodles.

*Once incorporated, add the chicken, snap peas, and broccoli florets.

*Cover with plastic wrap and allow to sit for 5 minutes, until most of the broth is absorbed.

*Serve topped with the remaining sliced green onion, the shaved carrot, and the sliced radish.

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.

 

Holiday Amnesia: Secret Subject Swap

 

 

Welcome to a Secret Subject Swap. This month 4 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: What is your motto to stay calm as we approach the holidays?
It was submitted by: Tamara of Part-time Working Hockey Mom.

 

My motto? People have mottos? And those mottos have a magical calming effect?

Is "oh, shit" a motto? Because a few short weeks ago, that's what I'd been saying most. Well, that and a few other choice words I won't mention, you can use your imagination. End result, didn't calm me at all. None. But then I'd had a horrendous time just before Thanksgiving. Which, for all intents and purposes was my entire holiday season.

 

And "tomorrow's another day," wasn't going to do anything but bring more dread. What next?

You see, with PurDude only able to come home for a few weeks this year, we would pack College Boy's birthday, Thanksgiving, and an early Hanukkah into those 2 weeks.

I'm a planner, down to the last detail. OK, you may say anal, but I'm going with planner. I buy for and prepare all of PurDude's favorite meals, sides, and desserts, along with College Boy's favorite birthday meal, our traditional family Thanksgiving meal, and our Hanukkah dinner. It takes a lot of planning, all worked out on my calendar, down to what needs to be done each day. Mostly I do it because if I can cut the whole couple of weeks worth of meals into bite sized (pun intended) work load pieces, the organization allows for me to spend as much time with my family as possible.

 

 

 

What is it they say about the best laid plans? Yeah, whatever. Because one week before Thanksgiving, it all went to shit. All of it. Day after day of one disaster after another. Compounding. And no amount of planning could fix it. Crying wasn't helping much either.

It's a story, a long story, and I'll tell it. Eventually. Right now I'm still too traumatized.

 

As far as mottos go, let me just say this: if you even think of bringing up "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger," you better do it from far away because you're sorely underestimating the proximity that had existed between me and my breaking point. 

 

My best chance at comfort this holiday season would be amnesia. 

 

Not even comfort food was providing comfort. Now that's dire.

 

Root Vegetable Soup

 

 

Although our major Hanukkah celebration is now in the record books, we'll still do something (less elaborate) to celebrate. And I'll do my normal Prosecco and appetizers New Year's Eve buffet. 

But now that I know there are mottos to help stay calm during the lead up to these celebrations, I'll have to try one out, see how it goes.

I'm thinking something along the lines of "when the going gets tough, the tough open the Prosecco early."

 

A self imposed amnesia of sorts.

Don't judge.

 

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:

The Diary of an Alzheimer’s Caregiver 

Climaxed

Part-time Working Hockey Mom

Root Vegetable Soup         

                                                                                 ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
2 TBSP olive oil

3/4 cup frozen chopped onion, thawed

1 tsp minced garlic

3 cups chicken broth

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

20 oz bag frozen root vegetables

2 cups half and half

OPT: seasoned croutons for garnish

Directions:
*Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat until hot. Add the onion and garlic. Cook and stir for about 3 minutes.

*Add the chicken broth, cumin, thyme, salt and pepper to the pot. Bring to a boil, stirring now and then. 

*Add the frozen root vegetables, bring back to a boil, lower heat and simmer for about 20 minutes, until the vegetables are fork tender. 

*Carefully pour the soup into a blender or food processor. If needed, work in batches.

*Blend or process until the soup is smooth. Add the soup back into the pot over medium low heat, stir in the half and half. Cook until hot.

*OPT: garnish with seasoned croutons for serving.

Spooky Month: 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 all share what we came up with. 

 This month's number is 28. 

It was chosen by Mimi of Messymimi'sMeanderings.

As I've been doing in these Word Counters posts, I've chosen a theme and am using my word count multiple times in keeping with the theme. This month's theme though? It might require a little explanation.

 

 

 

~ Today I wanted to acknowledge Halloween season. But somehow "limerick" got stuck in my mind. So, a triple challenge: word count, Halloween themed, and in rhyme? Why not?

~ Little witch Tab liked to zoom,

flying to play by the tomb.

"You must," mom said,

"clean your room instead."

Tab thought "what a waste of a broom."

~ Vampire says "how do you do?"

Running's no option, it's true.

You see, he can fly.

Kiss your blood goodbye.

Your neck's headed for a big boo boo!

~ Don't anger the cook at meal time,

the revenge she'd take? Sublime.

Big toe of frog,

hairy tongue of dog,

your soup's how you'll pay for your crime.

 

Leek & Bak Choy Soup

(crockpot or not)

 

~ Black cat, I don't want to see,

under a ladder . . . especially.

Then ladder fell flat,

splat went the cat,

seems the bad luck had all come from me.

 

~ There was a spider named Fred,

who'd frequently land on my head.

"Try stopping me,

and we'll have to see,

if you'd rather I hide in your bed."

 

  

 

Happy spooky month!

Here are links to the other Word Counters posts:

On the Border 

Messymimi’s Meanderings 

Leek & Bak Choy Soup 

(crockpot or not)       

                                                       ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

2 leeks

4 cups vegetable broth

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 TBSP sesame oil

2 tsp gochujang

1 clove minced garlic

2 TBSP brown sugar

2 TBSP sweetened lime juice

1 head Bak Choy

4 oz mushrooms, sliced

1 can baby corn, drained

6 oz fresh snow peas

 

Directions:

*Trim the leeks by removing just the roots from the bottom and about 3 - 4 inches of the darkest green from the top. Wash well, rinse, and thinly slice.

*SLOW COOKER: Turn the crockpot on to high, add the leek slices, broth, soy sauce, sesame oil, gochujang, garlic, and brown sugar. Stir. Cook on high for 1 hour, then lower the temperature to medium and cook for 2 hours. 

*Cut off the end of the Bak Choy. Separate the leaves and rinse well, making sure to remove any dirt. Pat dry and coarsely chop.

*Mix in the lime juice, add the Bak Choy, mushrooms, baby corn, and snow peas to the broth. Cook for another 90 minutes.

*STOVE TOP: In a large saucepan over medium high heat, bring the leek slices, broth, soy sauce, sesame oil, gochujang, garlic, and brown sugar to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 1 hour.

*Add the lime juice, Bak Choy, mushrooms, baby corn, and snow peas to the pan. Cook for 45 minutes, uncovered, over medium low heat.

Ho Bread and Me

 

 

Spoiler alert: Although today's post is about a recipe, the recipe included is not the one I'm talking about. That probably only makes sense to me, but here's my reasoning (and you should probably have a psychiatrist on call in case you are actually able to follow what I loosely like to call reasoning). The thing is, I'm writing about the experience, because it certainly was one. I'm not sharing the recipe mostly because it's not mine to give (and there are other reasons too, which will become apparent as I tell my story). But the recipes I post on this blog are my own. Whether it's an interpretation of an existing recipe or not, it's either mine, developed from the dark recesses of my brain (or maybe my stomach), or my own spin on something I've seen or made. 

 

This was someone else's recipe, their family recipe.

 

I was reading my friend Mimi's blog, Messymimi's Meanderings, and she mentioned Hojaldras. In my comment on her post, I mentioned that I was off to google Hojaldras. The next thing I knew, she had emailed me a recipe. And oh my, did that sound good!

 

I know that since I write a semi-recipe blog, there's a lot that Mimi took for granted when sending me the recipe. One was that I know how to work with bread, you know, kneading, resting . . . but the truth is that I don't. Yeast and I do not get along. There have been battles, and I've lost all but one or two, so I avoid it like the plague. Kneading and resting (other than the personal kind) were not something I was familiar with (successfully, anyway). 

 

I read through the recipe and did a lot of googling and worked it all out in my mind. I was going to make one ingredient substitution, and if it didn't come out, well, my fault.

 

There were 2 problems in terms of making it. First, it had to be when at least one of my boys were here (so Hubs and I don't eat it all ourselves). And second, I wasn't sure I could do it. There's no yeast, but you have to knead this dough for at least 45 minutes (not a typo), then let it rest, then knead another 45 minutes. And that's before you roll it out. Yikes. I may have to go to the gym for a year to have the strength and stamina for this one.

But that recipe was calling to me. And one snowy morning, when College Boy was here, I decided to try it.

I mixed up the simple ingredients, moved the dough to a floured counter, and set the timer for 45 minutes. Let the kneading commence!

At first I was concerned. The dough was not sticking together, chunks were falling off as I tried to knead. I kept at it but at what felt like about halfway through my time, my arms were tired and the chunks were still falling off. I looked at the clock. It had been 5 minutes.

At the 10 minute mark, fewer clumps were falling off. That's progress, right?

 

At the 15 minute mark (yes, I was looking at the clock that often), my shoulders started to burn. 

At the 20 minute mark, Hubs came down for coffee. Maybe he'll offer to help. He grabbed his coffee and left.

At the 25 minute mark I was sweating. No dough clumps were falling off, but it wasn't really holding together either.

At the 30 minute mark I considered going outside and standing in the snow to cool off.

At the 35 minute mark, Hubs came back in. I started groaning ("I'm suffering" cues).

Hubs: What are you doing.

Me: Honestly? I think I'm being punked.

No offer to help, he left the kitchen.

 

At the 40 minute mark, I wondered if people would laugh when they read my obituary "had a heart attack while kneading."

 

I know, from google research, that I was going for shiny and elastic. At the 45 minute mark, I decided that shiny and elastic was in the eye of the beholder.

Now it needed to rest. It needed to rest? I needed to rest.

And get the soup started for dinner. Comfort food. I was going to need it.

 

 

Chicken and Orzo Vegetable Soup

 

 

I knew where I was going to rest, but the dough? Where? For how long?

I put it in a greased bowl, covered with plastic wrap, in the fridge for 2 hours. I'd seen that done with bread so it sounded good to me.

Nope. What came out of the refrigerator was hard as a rock. And I thought kneading was difficult the first time . . .

 

Not one to ever be a giver upper (note to self: rethink that), I pressed on. Or kneaded on. Or tried to.

 

At the 5 minute mark, clumps started falling off of the dough. Again.

 

At the 10 minute mark, my wrists started turning red.

 

At the 15 minute mark, I think my shoulders dislocated.

 

At the 20 minute mark, I could barely see the clock through my tears. Then wondered what that added moisture was going to do to the dough. Then decided it couldn't be any worse.

 

At the 25 minute mark, clumps stopped breaking off and I started to think maybe we should officially add tears to the recipe.

 

At the 30 minute mark, I was groaning, not for show but for real this time. College Boy came into the kitchen and suggested I use a mallet. Hubs left the house. Completely. Out into the snow.

 

At the 35 minute mark, I think I started to get delusional. I knew I had done something very wrong, but convinced myself that the all powerful Hojaldras g-ds would reward all my hard work by making them come out right anyway.

At the 40 minute mark, I started the next step, rolling the dough into balls. Rolling it in my hands and kneading are pretty much the same, right? No? I said I was delusional.

Next you let it rest. For how long? I was thinking maybe 3 days sounded about right.

While they were resting (on the counter this time), I'm coming up with a strategy for dedicating my life to the goal of never kneading again. In fact, I'm petitioning Mirriam Webster to have the word removed from the dictionary.

{{sigh}}

Next you roll them out very, very thin. Mine weren't as thin as I'm sure they would have been had my wrists and shoulders been functional. 

All that's left is to slit them and fry them.

 

 

 

I knew immediately they were not as light as they should be, but eternally hopeful, we tried them. Dry. Very dry.

 

How could I have screwed up this badly? A debacle of this magnitude is not the result of one ingredient substitution. Let me look at the recipe again:

 

flour? ✔

sugar? ✔

salt? ✔

eggs? ✔

water?  

water? Ummm . . . water? Did I add the water?

Ahh, so that's why the tears were helping. If only I'd added 1/2 cup of them . . . 

Of course, I couldn't let the whole day's work go to waste, so I slathered some garlic and oregano butter on them and served them as garlic rounds. 

 

Actually, they were good. Dry, but good. 

 

 

 

Nonetheless, I think we all know what the bottom line is here, I owe Mimi an apology for making such a mess of the family recipe she had so graciously shared with me (that'll teach ya). And while I'm apologizing, I may as well add one to the Colombian people, the Panamanians, all of their ancestors, and their future generations. 

 

And my wrists, and my shoulders.

Chicken and Orzo Vegetable Soup   

                                                       ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

NOTE: This recipe can be cooked in a slow cooker or on the stove.

Ingredients: 

6 cups vegetable broth

1 can stewed tomatoes 

1 tsp minced garlic

1 small onion, chopped 

1 large carrot, chopped

2 tsp Italian seasoning

1 tsp basil

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper 

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

about 1 1/4 cups cooked chicken, chopped or shredded

1 cup zucchini, quartered

1 cup broccoli florets

3/4 cup sliced mushrooms

1 cup fresh spinach

3/4 cup orzo

Directions:
*Coat the slow cooker with non-stick spray and turn it on to high. Add the broth and tomatoes to the slow cooker. Mix in the garlic, onion, carrot, Italian seasoning, basil, salt, pepper and cayenne. Cover and cook for 1 hour.

*Add the chicken, stir and cook for 2 hours.

*Add the zucchini, broccoli, and mushrooms. Stir and cook for 1 hour.

*Mix in the spinach and orzo. Cook for one more hour, stirring now and then.