Operation Yellow Ribbon: Remembering Poetry Monday

 

Poetry Monday's once a week.

I bet you know which day.

I don't participate every time,

But today I've come out to play.

My friends assign each week a theme,

Remembering is what they chose.

Now it's up to all of us,

to put our thoughts into prose.

 

 

Operation Yellow Ribbon

Twenty-two years ago, our country, 

suffered a devastating loss.

Hate was on our doorstep,

bigotry showing us who was boss.

Almost 3000 friends and family,

died the day of that attack.

Although we'll always remember them, 

nothing can bring them back.

Seven from a company,

doing a job I used to do,

flying out on a business trip,

as I'd done when I worked there too.

Our airspace was shut down that day, 

diverted to Canada and ensconced.

People shocked, scared, and uncertain, 

Operation Yellow Ribbon, the response.

For days our neighbors to the north,

their humanity publicly viewed,

cared for our stranded citizens,

providing shelter and food.

 

Sauteed Ranch Spinach

 

The threat to our democracy,

right now, comes from within.

To honor those who died that day,

democracy must resoundingly win. 

 

 

 

Wait!

Read more poetry, 

you're not through.

Some talented writers

are in this crew:

 

On the Border

Messymimi's Meanderings 

 

Sauteed Ranch Spinach        
                                                       ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 TBSP butter

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 onion, sliced

1/4 cup ranch dressing

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

dash of dried red pepper flakes 

10 oz spinach, cleaned

1 TBSP grated parmesan

6 grape tomatoes, halved

Directions:

*In a large sautee pan, over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the garlic and onion, and cook, stirring, until the onion softens.

*Mix in the ranch dressing, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring, for one minute.

*Add the spinach to the pan and cook, stirring so all of the spinach is coated with the sauce, until the spinach has wilted.

*Add the tomatoes to the pan, stir, and sprinkle with the parmesan to serve. 

Gratitude With a Side of Perspective

 

 

Thanksgiving.

Yeah, yeah, I know, get with the program, that was 6 weeks ago. In fact, not only is Thanksgiving over, so is Hanukkah, Christmas, and New Year’s. 

I had a really tough time this past holiday season. I alluded to it in my December Secret Subject Swap, but wasn’t ready to talk about it yet. Today, I’m putting the story out there, releasing myself from its grip. 

 

It's a story about stars that did not align. In fact, they were so far out of alignment, they'd need a chiropractor.

Before I tell the story, let me say that I'm a planner. I think way ahead, break tasks down into smaller pieces, schedule them on my calendar (in pencil, so I can work ahead and delete, or if I fall behind, reschedule). It’s not written in stone, but I have everything accounted for, broken down into manageable pieces, and organized. That’s especially important this time of year when, for 2 weeks, everyone’s home. I have a big Thanksgiving dinner to make, as well as College Boy’s birthday dinner, Hanukkah, all of PurDude’s favorite dinners, sides, snacks, and desserts (with plenty left over to send home with him). 

Organization is my key to stress relief. Not only that, but it ensures I get to spend as much time engaged with my family as possible.

So the week before PurDude was to come home, all the shopping was done, some of the Thanksgiving prep was done, the house cleaners would come on Friday, and PurDude would make the drive home on Saturday. Minimal stress.

Oops, spoke too soon.

 

 

 

 

On Wednesday it was freezing cold and windy out, but I was indoors doing my thing, didn’t even notice.

Until Wednesday night, when I very much noticed that it was freezing in the house. That observation was followed by another, that the heat was not coming on. At all.

On Thursday, the company that had installed our furnace 5 years ago spent some time downstairs and, on the way out, told us that we needed a chip in a motherboard (on warranty, phew), that was back ordered for about 3 months. Delete that “phew.”

After me blocking the door (figuratively, not literally), telling them they could not just leave like this, they offered to sell me a motor I would only need until the part came in, to bypass the motherboard, for $1000. Umm, no. But I didn’t let them leave until they literally scoured the country for the part, then got the president of their company involved.

Friday, they tried to install the motor (at no charge). It didn’t work. They had found a furnace in Tennessee, the part would be removed, sent here next day air to arrive Saturday. But I also had to push the house cleaning off until Monday. It was 49 degrees in the house.

Even with the gas fireplace heating the man cave level (didn’t use the wood fireplace on the main level because we’d be tending to it constantly), two space heaters the HVAC company brought us, and 2 we bought, it was very cold in the house, about 55 degrees. An improvement, but still cold.

I tried to keep on schedule with many of the tasks for the 2 weeks of celebrations, while also spending as little time as possible in the kitchen on the main floor.

 

 

Creamy Peas & Pearl Onions

 

On Saturday the part did not arrive. And PurDude texted. He was sick, did not feel up to making the drive. Maybe tomorrow . . .

 

Sunday night, PurDude arrived. He was sick, but he was here. 

Monday, still no part. I was starting to doubt its existence. But it had warmed both outside and inside, so I didn't cancel the house cleaning. Just before they were to arrive, though, I got a text, she didn't have anyone to watch her 5 year old. Then a while later, another text, they were on their way.

After the man cave had been cleaned, the cleaners were heading upstairs when I told them that my son was in his room working, to just skip his room. G responded that her sons were in the car. Now she barely speaks English, so I wasn't sure of what she was saying, but I looked out front and in her car I could see 2 of her kids.

Nope, I couldn't have that. Bring them in.

Which was how I ended up spending my afternoon babysitting a 5 year old. 

 

Oy.

 

After the cleaners left, I texted them.

 

Me: Deberias estar orgullose, tus hijos son felices, se portan bien, y son muy educados.

(You should be proud, your sons are happy, well behaved, and very polite).

 

And the answer I got was the gift of perspective.

 

G: Muchas gracias Karen, seguire trabajando con ellos, y para ellos.

(Thank you very much, Karen. I will continue to work with them, and for them).

 

Such a simple but powerful statement of parental love, I will probably remember it forever.

On Tuesday, I insisted PurDude see a doctor. He was walking back in the house with a dx of acute sinus infection and middle ear infection, and a big bottle of antibiotics, just as the wizard working down in the basement got the heat going.

Slowly, very slowly, the stars had realigned.

As usual, on turkey day, as we went around the table, I had a lot about which to express my heartfelt thanks. Mostly the usual, but this year (and forever more) I have a few more things to happily add to my thankful list.

I’m always thankful for my family, for our home, for the precious time we get to spend together.

But this year I'm more appreciative of a clean house . . . although maybe in the future without the babysitting duties part (hope that sounds more exhausted and less ungrateful). 

I'm thankful for schedules broken apart coming back together again. And for perspective, wherever it may come from.

 

And for heat.  

 

And antibiotics.

Amen.

Creamy Peas & Pearl Onions        

                                                                                      ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1/2 cup vegetable broth

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

2 slices bacon, cooked and chopped

1 bag (12 oz) frozen peas

1 cup frozen pearl onions (about 12), halved

2 oz mushrooms, sliced

1 TBSP cooking sherry 

1/2 cup mascarpone

 

1 tsp dried chives

Directions:
*Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease an 8 X 8 or 7 inch round baking dish

*In a saute pan over just above medium heat, bring the vegetable broth, salt, and pepper to a boil. Add the bacon, frozen peas, frozen pearl onions, and mushrooms. Cook, stirring now and then for 5 minutes. 

*Add the sherry and mascarpone. Stir until the mascarpone has melted, then allow to boil for 3 minutes.

*Pour into the prepared baking dish, sprinkle with the dried chives, and bake, uncovered, for 25 minutes.

Games Without Words

 

 I cheated. Well, not so much cheated really, but screwed up.

 

The difference? Intent. And although there was no intent, there was a screw up.

 

And the screw up? Inevitable. How far it went, though, now that's a story!

Listen. I'm human on my best day, so making mistakes isn't really noteworthy. But I am also two other things: an extremely organized over thinker, and I'm aging. Resulting in a bit of a mental tug of war. Previously, the extremely organized over thinker went for the most part unchallenged. That progressed to there mostly being a precarious balance maintained. But more and more the fuzzy aging brain is becoming a bit more . . . assertive. Tipping the scales in my favor isn't that hard, Googling words, and proofreading posts and recipes the day after I write them.

 

So, on to that story I promised you. It's about a personal Wordle game I host on my Baking In A Tornado facebook page. I've talked about it in a few different blog posts (Wordle, Nerdle, Curdle) so I won't go into it again, I will say that it's gone on SO much longer than I could have expected.

Each week, Monday through Friday, I post the link to a Wordle game, the results of which are a word I've chosen for that day. All of the words are food, cooking, and baking based, of course.

 Gingered Squash & Apples

 

I thought it might last a week or two, maybe a month, and people would lose interest. That's not what happened. Today I posted the link to our 212th game, and people are still playing.

Which is kinda shocking, considering what happened last month.

Now, as I said, I knew I'd screw up at some point. And I did. In a moment of . . . I don't know what . . . in October, I posted a link to that day's game, AND the answer. Ooops, sort of takes away the challenge of playing.

Fortunately, I caught it immediately, deleted the post, moved that word to another day in the future and chose a different word for that day.

Inevitable screw up under my belt, I went happily along posting daily links to games. And those who play went happily along posting their daily results. Fun for them to play, fun for me to see how they all did.

Until one month ago. I announced the day's game and went along my merry way.

When I had a chance, I went back to my page to see the results being posted, and whether I'd stumped anyone (insert evil laugh here). Yes, lots of people played, each one showed their results, but they all also made the same comment: this word is spelled wrong.

Huh?

I went to play the game myself, putting in the correct answer as my first guess.

Umm, stupid game, trying to tell me the last 2 letters needed to be switched. Which I did, and which won me the game.

OK, that's embarrassing, I SO wish this was April 1st, I could have tried to sell it as a (deliberate) joke. No such luck. But when I went back to my FB page to fess up and delete the game, I noticed something. More and more people were playing, and enjoying it, finding the whole thing funny.

 

I learned two things from that screw up. 

 

First, my friends all have a good sense of humor (phew).

 

Second, that word games are fun. Even when you're playing a word game . . . with a word . . . that isn't a word.

        Gingered Squash & Apples               

            ©www.BakingInATornado.com 

 

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

1 acorn squash

1 large Honeycrisp apple (can substitute apple of your choice)

1/2 cup ginger ale, warm

1/2 tsp minced ginger

1/4 tsp cinnamon

2 TBSP brown sugar

1 tsp orange zest

Directions:
*Grease an 8 X 11 baking dish. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

*Slice the squash in half, clean out the seeds, and slice each half into 8ths.

*Peel and core the apple. Cut into 16 slices.

*Place the squash slices into the prepared pan. Top with the apples.

*Whisk together the ginger ale, ginger, cinnamon, brown sugar, and orange zest. Slowly pour into the pan.

*Bake for 50 minutes. Spoon the squash and apple slices into a bowl, top with the sauce from the baking dish, stir gently.

My Sweet Dumpling

 

 

 It started innocently. Yeah, they all say that. OK, it started with a blog post. Then a comment on that post. It spiraled from there. 

 

I'd published a Fly on the Wall post in October. It's a glimpse of the humorous conversations and situations at my house, told in little snippets. In the post, I was talking about having asked College Boy for some inspiration for a recipe. He was no help, all of his suggestions started with me baking all of my money into a dessert and giving it to him. Pass.

My friend Rena, of Technology-Therapist, a longtime blogging friend of mine, technology guru, and wearer of many (metaphorical) blogging hats, left a message for me on that post:

 

"Speaking of recipes, I need you to figure out those sweet potato dumplings. That's your challenge!"

 

Turns out College Boy wasn't my muse. But Rena was stepping up.

 

One problem, though, and not so minor. I don't know what a Sweet Potato Dumpling is. I googled it but that didn't clear much up. So I emailed Rena:

"I've never had a Sweet Potato Dumpling. I don't even know if it's a side dish or a dessert. I googled it and there seem to be a lot of recipes out there, most seem to call for crescent rolls and Sweet Potato Patties, something else I've never heard of. But I'm intrigued. What is it. Tell me more."

I was starting to feel like I'd been living under a rock. Sweet Potato Dumplings? Sweet Potato Patties? Where have these things been all my life?

At least I know what crescent rolls are . . .

Rena told me that it was a side dish that was a relative's contribution to Thanksgiving, using canned biscuits, pieces of sweet potato, brown sugar, and maybe butter. A relative who she hasn't seen in quite some time, and who will not share her recipe. Then she left me with this:

"I'd love to figure it out and make them for my daughter at Thanksgiving, she adores them."

Wait, there are people who won't share their recipes? What fresh hell is this? Recipes are meant to be shared with those who appreciate them enough to ask for them. Everyone knows that. Right?

 

OK, challenge accepted. Well, sort of.

 

Because if you know me, and you should by now, you know I don't do things exactly the way others do. Especially when it comes to recipes. I like to play with concepts and ingredients, make the end result my own.

 

Which actually is the catch-22 of this recipe. 

 

Because not only do I have no idea which of the many incarnations of Sweet Potato Dumplings her family so adores, but after reading about 20 of them, I'm going in a different direction from . . . well . . . all of them.

 

Putting in jeopardy, I'm sure, Rena's continued role as my muse. 

 

I tried to take my inspiration from that iconic sweet potato casserole with marshmallows that shows up on so many Thanksgiving tables. So in place of the unknown sweet potato patty, I went with mashed canned yams. I used cinnamon rolls instead of the crescent rolls, just because I thought they lent themselves to this dish. A lot of the recipes I saw included a sauce of butter, sugar, and cornstarch. I wanted to change that up, adding a touch of ginger to the sweet potatoes, and ginger ale to the sauce. And yes, I even added mini marshmallows. It's the holidays, after all.

 

My same question remains though, is this a side dish? A dessert? Spread the canned icing on it and call it a breakfast? Well, you can't say it isn't versatile.

 

 

Cinnamon Yam Dumplings

 

Definitely not the recipe I was tasked with recreating, but I'm happy with what I came up with (if I do say so myself). But the real test remains, what will Rena (and her daughter) think? Keep your fingers crossed for me, I may need a muse again some day. 

 

Cinnamon Yam Dumplings      

                                                       ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

1 can (15 oz) yams in syrup

2 TBSP brown sugar, divided

1/4 tsp ginger

1 1/4 tsp cinnamon, divided

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 cup mini marshmallows

1 tube (8 count) refrigerator cinnamon rolls 

 

4 TBSP butter

2 TBSP maple syrup

1/2 cup regular or diet ginger ale, room temperature

 

OPT: 1/4 cup chopped pecans

 

Directions:
*Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8 X 11 glass baking dish.

*Drain the yams well. Mash them lightly (they don't need to be smooth) with brown sugar, ginger, 1/2 tsp of the cinnamon, and salt. Mix in the mini marshmallows. Set aside.

*Open the tube of cinnamon rolls and separate them. On a piece of parchment paper, roll each out to about 5 inches in diameter.

*Scoop about a TBSP of the yam mixture into the center of each flattened roll. Fold in half, making sure the filling is completely encompassed. Pinch the edges closed and place in the baking dish.

*Melt the butter in the microwave. Whisk in the remaining 3/4 tsp cinnamon, maple syrup, and ginger ale. Pour over the dumplings. 

OPT: sprinkle with chopped pecans.

*Bake for 25 - 30 minutes until the dumplings are well browned.

OPT: you can drizzle with the canned icing, or freeze the icing for use in another application.

 

Out Like a Lamb: Lambs Poetry

Monthly Poetry Group in our infinite wisdom,
for April, a theme we chose.
Mine's not to reason why, just to do or die,
Meaning talk about lambs in prose.

Out Like a Lamb

"In like a lion, out like a lamb,"
a phrase that we all know.
Evokes gentleness of that lamb,
when we've all had it with snow. 

"Innocent as a lamb," is
something else we tend to say.
When honesty is the personal trait
we're choosing to convey. 

And two shakes of that lamb's tail,
means something done real fast.
Willing to stop and do a thing,
when, the first time, we're asked.

"Gentle as a lamb," conveys
the ability to be tender.
A complement to any and all, 
no matter what your gender.

"As quiet as a lamb" is something
all we mamas pray for.
That our kids show discontent,
somewhat under the decibel of a roar.

Yet another saying of lambs,
is that they're mild and meek.
A lesson we often need to learn,
including in the way we speak.

On the subject of lambs, I admit,
these traits aren't my first thought.
Guess I'm the black sheep of the family,
my tastes are more . . . store bought.

I may be forced to go on the lam,
when I tell my truth to ye.
Mention lamb and what comes to mind?  
Seasoned chops on the grill for me. 

Don't forget the side dish:

Smoky Slaw 

Before you go, click on these links to more poetry from some of my friends:
Dawn of Spatulas on Parade shares Wooly Bully.

Smoky Slaw

                                               ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups green cabbage, shredded
1/4 cup carrots, shredded
1/2 cup red cabbage, shredded
1/4 cup chopped carrots
2 sliced green onions
1/2 red pepper, chopped
1/4 cup smoked bacon bits
1/2 cup Thousand Island dressing
3 TBSP red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp pepper

Directions:
*Put the green cabbage, shredded carrots, red cabbage, chopped carrots, green onions, red pepper and bacon bits in a bowl.
*Whisk together the Thousand Island dressing, red wine vinegar, cumin and pepper, then pour over the vegetables.
*Mix well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight, stirring now and then.