Woes and Peace: Winter 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,

Winter is what they chose.

Now it's up to all of us,

to put our thoughts into prose.

 

 

Woes and Peace

Winter is a time when I

need too many clothes!

Freezing, I must cover up,

from head down to my toes.

Driving's not so easy now, 

it's quite the scary deal.

Has me asking myself twice, 

before I take the wheel.

Full on storms are just the worst,

snow with sleet and ice.

Those days I stay in the house,

indulge my baking vice.

Blackberry Ginger Cookies

And those storms that never end,

our muscles pay the price,

when we need the snowblower,

to go over the driveway twice.

 

But then . . . 

Freshly fallen snow can bring, 

a calming sense of peace,

sitting by a roaring fire,

and all wrapped up in fleece.

 

 

 

Wait!

Read more poetry, 

you're not through.

Some talented writers

are in this crew:

 

On the Border

Messymimi's Meanderings 

 

Blackberry Ginger Cookies         

                                                       ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 stick butter, softened

1/2 stick margarine, softened

1 egg, room temperature

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup plus 3 TBSP sugar, divided

2 TBSP molasses

1 TBSP black raspberry sparkling water

2 cups flour

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 1/2 tsp ginger

1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice blend

1/4 tsp salt 

1 tsp baking soda

1/3 cup blackberry preserves

18 blackberries, halved

Directions:
*Cover baking sheets with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

*Cream the butter, margarine, egg, brown sugar, 1/2 cup of the sugar, molasses, and black raspberry sparkling water, until smooth. Mix in the flour, cinnamon, ginger, pumpkin pie spice, salt, and baking soda.

*Drop the blackberry preserves into the dough and roughly cut in with a knife.

*Drop by heaping tsp onto the baking sheets. Leave lots of room, they spread. Sprinkle with the remaining sugar.

*Bake for 9 - 11 minutes. Remove from the oven and immediately press a blackberry half into the center of each cookie. Allow to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to cool completely.

Feast for the Senses: Secret Subject Swap

 

Welcome to a Secret Subject Swap. This month 3 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: Spring is in the air. What is your favorite spring time activity?

It was submitted by: Rena of The Diary of an Alzheimer's Caregiver.

 

 

 

Actually, that's a difficult question. Much more difficult than it would have been when I was living on the East Coast. Much more difficult even, than it would have been living away from the East Coast in the years before 2020. Much more difficult than it should be.

 

Growing up on the East Coast meant varying between two really fun activities, walking the beach, and spring skiing. Walking the beach required dressing a little warmer, but it was so worth it, feeling the sun on your skin for the first time in months, and smelling that salt air. Spring skiing, on the other hand, required less clothes than winter skiing, easier movement, and warmer trips up the lifts. Ahhh, spring.

 

Living here in the beachless {{sob}}, mountainless {{sigh}} Midwest, especially since 2020, has necessitated that my main spring activity be playing a robust game of "avoid the Covid spreaders." As activities go, not something that's going to make it onto my favorites list. Necessary? Yes. Fun? Not so much.

The downside of spring, rubbing my eyes and stocking up on tissues and allergy medicine isn't exactly a fun activity either.

But I do love spring, it's my favorite season. I get to move away from the heartier "warm you from the inside" meals I cook over the winter months to lighter meals. Like breakfast for dinner.

Key Lime Pancakes

(with my Blueberry Maple Syrup)

And although I know this is a lame answer to your question, since I'm really not sure what activities I'll be able to enjoy in the coming days, I can tell you what I love about spring. It's the waking up, the emergence from the long winter hibernation, the exercising of all of my senses.

Spring is a feast, and it's not just about taste. Spring is a for all of the senses. 

Sight: There is beauty in snowfall, a feel of peace as the first flakes cling, pristinely white, to the branches of the bare trees. But even then, it's brown and white.

In the spring, dark afternoons are banned and daylight replaces the dreariness of winter. Daylight in which to enjoy the colors with which Mother Nature paints the outdoors. Grass, leaves, flowers, beautiful color emerging everywhere. 

And the wildlife comes back.   

Sound: The chirping of the birds, even the sound of lawnmowers, car windows down and radios turned up, spring has its own unique sounds.

Smell: Flowers, especially the lilacs, and food cooking on grills throughout the neighborhood. Even the smell of freshly cut grass brings a smile.

Touch: It's not spring until I've got my hands deep in the dirt of my outdoor pots, and standing on the back deck, feeling the sun on my face.

Taste: Key Lime Pancakes with Blueberry Maple Syrup, anyone?

 

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:

Climaxed

The Diary of an Alzheimer’s Caregiver 

 

Key Lime Pancakes         
                                                       ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1/2 stick butter

3/4 cup milk

1/4 cup key lime juice

1 egg

1 cup flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 TBSP sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp lime zest

OPT: 1 - 2 tsp green food coloring

4 - 5 TBSP butter

Directions:

*Melt the 1/2 stick butter, set aside.

*Place the milk and key lime juice in a small bowl and allow to sit for 10 minutes. 

*In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, salt, and lime zest.

*After 10 minutes, whisk the melted butter, egg, and food coloring (if using) into the milk and key lime juice mixture, then mix into the dry ingredients, just until incorporated.

*Over medium heat in a small skillet, melt 1/2 TBSP of the remaining butter until hot. Add about 1/3 cup pancake mix and swirl around to form approximately a 5 inch pancake.

*Once the center starts to bubble and the edges are browning, flip the pancake over, reduce the heat slightly, and cook the other side until browned.

*Remove, keep warm, and repeat with the remaining butter and pancake batter.

Hurricane Hope

 

Hurricane Ian slammed into Florida a month ago. For most of us, it's difficult to watch the path of the storm as it sets its eye on land. Those of us with a heart and the capability to feel compassion, that is. For me, the dread was mixed with deja vu.

 

I think you all know by now that my mom's winter home is on Marco Island. Hurricane Irma put Marco in the bullseye back in 2017, which was the last time I'd seen a CNN news story focused on the tiny Island.

In the end of September, it happened once again. Ian's bullseye was confirmed to be Naples. And Marco is just off of Naples.

That night was the second time I'd seen a CNN news story focused on Marco.

After the initial devastation, as the storm worked its way up the coast, weakening along the way, and we were able to assess the damage in general (my cousin was on the island and kept us informed), we waited to hear about the condition of mom's home. And I got to thinking.

Relief that it was over mixed with heartbreak at the loss of life. And there was empathy for all of those who had to deal with the aftermath, the clean up, the loss, the trauma. Millions were without electricity, their streets were flooded hampering even local travel, and something as simple and life sustaining as food was an issue. Where would their next meal come from?

 

 

 

Wild Mushroom & Smoked Salmon Rotini

 

I remembered the devastation Puerto Rico suffered in 2017 and how the trump administration did not provide the humanitarian support those citizens needed. Not a hurricane, but I remembered Texas's winter storm last year, when Ted Cruz called his friends, gathered his family, and went off on vacation.

And I thought about DeSantis, and what he had just done to target and harm people taking refuge in his state.

All of which, believe it or not, brought me to hope.

Because despite DeSantis's cruelty, my home state of Massachusetts rose honorably to the challenge.

 

 

 

And it made me realize that the tide has started to turn, no matter the level of cruelty by the local administration of the exact state that was now in such a desperate situation, we no longer, at the federal level, reward or punish states based on their local politics. 

We have far to go as a country, just to get back to square one when it comes to how we treat each other. It was a relief to know that under this administration, desperation would once again be met with support, compassion, and collaborative assistance. 

 

Whichever way the wind blows.

And that gives me hope.

Wild Mushroom & Smoked Salmon Rotini

                                                                       ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients: 

2 cups vegetable broth, divided

1 package (.5 oz) dried wild mushrooms

1 box (16 oz) vegetable rotini 

4 - 5 oz smoked salmon, sliced

1 TBSP butter

1 TBSP olive oil

1/2 small onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced 

6 oz portobello mushroom caps, cleaned, stem stub removed, sliced

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1 tsp dried dill

1 TBSP cooking sherry

1 TBSP lemon juice

1 green onion, sliced

Directions:

*Boil 1 cup of the vegetable broth. Add the mushrooms and set aside for 15 minutes.
*Cook the pasta to al dente. Place the salmon in the pot with the pasta and cover to keep warm.

*In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter with the olive oil. Add the onion, garlic, and portobellos. Cook and stir for 3 minutes. Add the wild mushrooms with the broth, the additional broth, salt, pepper, dill, and sherry.

*Bring to a boil, reduce heat, add the lemon juice, and simmer 3 minutes. Mix in the pasta with the salmon. Top with the green onions.

 

Summer Snow: Monthly Poetry Group

 

 

 

Last Friday of the month is for

Monthly Poetry Group to rhyme.

Diane, Mimi, and I take turns,

"Weather" 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.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Summer Snow

 

We can all debate it,

what weather's worst or best.

I know which most bothers me,

is worse than all the rest.

 

You may think it's snow or sleet,

that I'll say makes me sad,

but no, I'm here to tell you,

rain's the baddest of the bad.

 

Rain can often come with

whipping winds that bend the trees.

And hail crashing into windows,

can bring you to your knees.

Sump pump running overtime

and when I go inspect,

water's ruined our landscape,

rivers form and mud collects.

 

I'll admit just one good thing,

stuck in on a rainy day,

it sends me to the kitchen and

with food, I get to play.

 

Quick Steak Kew

 

Only thing that's just as bad

as thunderstorms, to me,

is the summer snow that we have here,

(my eyes and nose agree).

It's cottonwood of which I speak,

it rains down like the snow,

it piles up on the deck and grass,

has nowhere else to go.

 

 

 

cottonwood bud stuck to my window
 

 

Miserable to be outdoors,

and even use the grill.

nasal sprays and eye drops and

twice a day, must take a pill.

But here's where things get crazy,

what washes it all away?
My old nemesis rain comes in,

and actually saves the day!

 

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

 

On the Border

Messymimi's Meanderings

 

 

Quick Steak Kew

                                                                       ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 # stir fry steak

1/2 onion, sliced

1/2 red pepper, sliced

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 tsp sesame oil

1 TBSP brown sugar

2 TBSP hoisin sauce

1 TBSP balsamic vinegar

1 TBSP cooking sherry

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp ginger paste

1 TBSP cornstarch

1 green onion, sliced

Directions:
*Place the steak, onion, and red pepper in a plastic bag.

*Whisk together the soy sauce, sesame oil, brown sugar, hoisin sauce, balsamic vinegar, cooking sherry, minced garlic, and ginger paste. Add to the bag, seal, and manipulate the bag so all the meat and vegetables are coated with the marinade.

*Place the bag in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, up to a day. Turn the bag over now and then.

*Lightly spray a large saute pan with non-stick spray. Heat to medium. Pour all of the ingredients in the bag into the pan and cook, stirring now and then, until the beef is cooked and the vegetables have started to soften, about 10 minutes. Bring to a boil.

*Mix the cornstarch with 1 TBSP water and pour into the pan. Reduce the heat slightly and cook, stirring constantly until the sauce has thickened completely.

*To serve, sprinkle with chopped green onion.

Red Hot on the Inside: Use Your Words

Today’s post is a monthly writing challenge. If you’re new here, this is how it works: participating bloggers picked 4 – 6 words or short phrases for someone else to craft into a post. All words must be used at least once. All of the posts will be unique as each writer has received their own set of words. That’s the challenge, here’s a fun twist; no one who’s participating knows who got their words and in what direction the recipient will take them. Until now.

At the end of this post you’ll find links to the other blogs featuring this challenge. Check them all out, see what words they got and how they used them.
I'm using: red ~ hardwood ~ dog ~ heel ~ destroyed
They were submitted by Minette of Southern Belle Charm.

                          
It's been cold. How cold was it? So cold the news felt less like information and more like dire warnings and climbing mortality numbers. Whipping winds that had me out front at 5am chasing my trash cans down the street in the frigid cold. My recycle bin, which had been full when I put it at the curb the night before was now flying through the air, empty. It was so windy I wouldn't have been surprised if it had fallen on a wicked witch wearing ruby slippers. I could use a bejeweled pair of red heels (who couldn't?) But I digress). No, no new shoes for me, that sucker bounced off the house and nearly took me out.
 
Each day I thought it would get better and each day it got worse. Zero degrees, ten below, 20 below and more.

I was actually worried because they were saying not to be outside more than a few minutes at a time. I mean, if I had a dog, I swear I'd let him pee in the house. Some things, man or beast, should just not be frozen off. And PurDude had a 15 minute walk to work from where he lives. Poor kid, I texted him daily. First telling him to wear a scarf over his mouth to breathe into because they were reporting that it was so cold that breathing too much of the frigid air can actually freeze your lungs. Then I wanted him to wear his ski goggles because the next day they were reporting that your eyeballs could be frozen, destroyed. Your eyeballs? Really? Maybe not. Apparently the consensus on Google is that it actually cannot happen. I must have been watching fake news.

I refused to leave the house (yeah, I can do that, groceries are overrated) and spent a lot of time curled up on the couch wrapped in a throw. Like a mummy. I had the fireplace going 24/7 and knew if I ran out of wood there was a chance I'd be ripping up our hardwood floors. Even with the heat on and the fireplace going and the warm throw, I swear I could still feel the whipping winds. 

A hot meal made it to the table each night, not only because I took pity on Hubs, who had to venture out to work each day, but because warming us up on the inside seemed like as good a plan as staying warm on the outside. On the coldest night, I pulled out some red hot sausages and put together my Hot Sausage Mostacchioli Casserole.  

The conversation after dinner went something like this:

Hubs: My stomach's on fire.
Me: You're welcome.

Hot Sausage Mostaccioli Casserole

Here are links to all the other Use Your Words posts:

Wandering Web Designer 
Cognitive Script
Southern Belle Charm
The Bergham Chronicles  
On the Border 
Climaxed 
Part-time Working Hockey Mom 
Follow me home 

Hot Sausage Mostaccioli Casserole

                                               ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

12 oz mostaccioli pasta
1 small onion, sliced
1 green pepper, sliced
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 1/2 cups marinara (my homemade recipe is HERE)
1 # hot italian sausages (about 4 sausages)
8 oz mascarpone cheese
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:
*Heat the marinara in a pot over medium heat until hot. Turn the heat down so it doesn't boil.
*Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 X 13 baking pan. Spread 1/2 cup marinara into the bottom of the prepared baking pan. 
*Cook the mostaccioli to al dente. Drain and set aside.
*Spray a large skillet with non-stick spray. Cook and stir the onion, pepper, mushrooms and garlic over medium heat until soft. Remove from the skillet and place in the pot with the marinara.
*Pierce the sausages and cook in the same skillet over medium heat, turning now and then, until the sausages are cooked. Remove to a plate and slice. 
*In a large bowl, gently mix the mostaccioli, marinara, sausages, mascarpone and parmesan. Pour into the baking pan and sprinkle with the mozzarella. Cover.
*Bake for 30 minutes. Carefully remove the cover and bake for another 10 minutes.