Guilty Favors

  

 

Last Friday of the month is for

Monthly Poetry Group to rhyme.

Guilt's the theme I chose today. 

Hope my poem's not the crime.

 

As usual, this time I'll try,

a poem to write . . . or fudge.

Whether I'm successful or not,

you get to be the judge.

Guilty Favors

The party will be spectacular,

so much to celebrate.

We're now all vaccinated so,

no longer have to wait.

 

It took her more than just one day,

to make these treats, it's true. 

Nothing but the best for all,

her family (and some friends too).

 

First day prepped, second constructed,

and today was the big bake. 

Lined up in her kitchen were,

cookies, tartlets, and cake.

 

 

Vanilla Blueberry Tartlets

 

Satisfied (and also proud),

of the work that she had done.

Time to quickly shower then,

she'd happily greet everyone. 

Freshly dressed, back down she came,

to a shock! This cannot be.

A hole in everything she made,

Son holding a fork, with glee.

 

"You're guilty," she sputtered, eyes ablaze, 

So mad she could barely see.

"You're not a child, I raised you well.

How could you do this to me?" 

"You've made a mess and more than that,

you've ruined three days of work.

If you'd like to know what's good for you,

get rid of that guilty smirk."

 

"I know that when you look," he said

you see treats with a hole.

What you call guilt's a favor, though,

called quality control."

Before you go, more Guilt poetry:

 

Diane of On the Border shares Guilty. 

 

Vanilla Blueberry Tartlets

                                                                       ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

 

NOTE: These tartlets set best if made ahead and refrigerated overnight

Ingredients: 

2 refrigerated pie crusts, unbaked

3 TBSP cornstarch

1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk (I used fat free)

3 egg yolks

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 cup powdered French vanilla creamer

2 tsp vanilla

1 cup frozen blueberries

 

OPT: whipped cream for serving

Directions:
*Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place 24 tartlet liners onto a baking sheet.

*Roll out each pie crust to about 14 inches round. Using a 3 inch round cookie cutter, cut out 12 circles. If you don't get 12, roll out the remaining dough to make the rest.

*Press each crust round into and up the sides of the liners. Prick the bottoms with a fork. Bake for 8 minutes, cool completely.

*While the crusts are cooling, whisk together the 3 TBSP cold water and the cornstarch. Set aside.
*Whisk the evaporated milk, egg yolks, brown sugar, and salt in a pot over medium heat until it comes to a boil. Whisk in the powdered creamer and the vanilla.

*Reduce heat to medium low, then whisk in the cornstarch mixture. Continue whisking until the filling is thick, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

*Spread approximately 1/2 cup blueberries onto the bottom of the cooled tartlet crusts. Fill the crusts about 2/3 of the way full with the filling. Top with the remaining blueberries and press them gently into the filling.

*Refrigerate for at least 3 hours but sets best if refrigerated overnight. 

*OPT: serve topped with whipped cream.

Jump Into the Fray: Secret Subject Swap

Welcome a Secret Subject Swap. This month 14 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: If you could spend a week as a character in a TV show/movie, who would you be and what would you do?
                        
It was submitted by: Rabia of The Lieber Family Blog.

This was a tough one for me. I don't watch a whole lot of TV shows that have characters I could take on. Mostly I watch shows about true crime stories either as they unfold or through reenactment. You know, like Dateline or pretty much anything on the ID channel. I definitely wouldn't want to be on one of those shows. After all, I've kinda gotten attached to the concept of breathing.

The other kinds of shows I like are the ancestry based ones. I love Who Do You Think You Are, and Long Lost Family. My family has an extensive ancestry documentation done years ago by my cousins so I wouldn't need to do the former and I'm not adopted (right, Mom?) so I'm not eligible for the latter. When it comes to these shows, I'll remain a fascinated observer.

I watch a lot of sports too. Well, team based. Meaning I love baseball, but only Red Sox games. Love football but only when the Patriots or Boilermakers are playing. I certainly couldn't play, wouldn't want to do commentary (although I could probably do better than a lot of the inane blabbering I often listen to). Cheerleader? No. Mascot? Nope.

Comedies. I so enjoy The Big Bang Theory. Think those brilliant young people would like an old(er) woman of average intelligence sitting on the couch with them? I promise not to sit in Sheldon's spot. Bazinga!

Wait! Food Network. Anyone want to watch me cook or bake? Don't mind the splatters in my hair and the food dripping from the ceiling. Second thought, any cooking show starring me might be confused for a comedy. I could single-handedly bring the whole network down.

Tropical Punch Tartlets

Movies. Hmmm. My favorite is Dirty Dancing. And as much as I may have loved to take dancing lessons (ahem) from Johnny Castle at Kellerman's for a summer, I think I may have to leave the lifts to someone else. No one wants to see me sprawled out on the floor with the hem of my skirt wrapped around my neck.

Or The Devil Wears Prada. Yes! Move me to NY, dress me in expensive clothes and take me on shopping sprees to Paris. Of course I would have punched Miranda right in the nose on day one and chances are I'd be blackballed from the fashion scene for life.

The truth is, I know exactly which show I'd like to insert myself into. I don't think my choice adheres to the intent of this prompt and for that I apologize to Rabia. I think as both television goes and our society too for that matter, I would want to join the press corps. I think this is where I could do something that would be meaningful. In our current political climate the press are under attack. They are undermined, verbally abused and their professionalism is constantly being questioned. It's imperative that we show them support, that we continue to fight for the dissemination of information in our democratic society. 

So the show I'd want to be on is the one that takes place daily in the White House press room. Look out Melissa McCarthy Sean Spicer, here I come. 

Maybe Meryl Streep could play me on Saturday Night Live? No offense on that whole "punch in the nose" thing, Meryl.

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:

Spatulas on Parade

The Diary of an Alzheimer's Caregiver  

The Lieber Family Blog 
 The Bergham Chronicles
Bookworm in the Kitchen
Never Ever Give Up Hope
Simply Shannon
Southern Belle Charm
 Not That Sarah Michelle
A Little Piece of Peace
The Angrivated Mom 
  Climaxed
 When I Grow Up

Tropical Punch Tartlets

                                                              ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe 


Ingredients (makes about 15):

4 oz cream cheese, softened
1 stick butter, softened
1 cup flour
1 TBSP powdered sugar

4 oz cream cheese, softened
.16 oz tropical punch Kool-Aid packet
7 oz fluff (marshmallow creme)
1 cup powdered sugar

jelly beans, marshmallow peeps and assorted candies for decoration

Directions:
NOTE: I use floret baking cups for this recipe because I like the look of the fluted top. If you don't have floret baking cups you can lightly grease muffin tins and use those.
*Beat 4 oz cream cheese and butter. Mix in flour and 1 TBSP powdered sugar and form into a dough ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill 1 hour.
*Using half of the dough at a time, roll out between sheets of wax or parchment paper to between 18 to 1/4 inch thick and cut into circles about the size of the floret cups or muffin tins.
*Press into the bottom and all the way up the baking cups or part way up the muffin tins.
*Bake at 325 degrees for about 25 - 27 minutes or until they start to brown.
*Remove from oven and cool completely. Remove from the paper cups or muffin tins.
*Beat the other 4 oz cream cheese, kool-aid powder, fluff and remaining cup of powdered sugar until smooth. Place into piping bag.
*Pipe filling into cooled crust. Top each with a candy of your choice.