Winter Poetry: Here to Stay

I'm great acceptable getting better at poetry. Bet you didn't see that coming. But with these monthly poetry challenges, I've really been working on it. I try different types of poems each month and really, I'm bound to get one right now and then. Right?

I've done silly and serious, haiku and rhyming. Each month has had a theme and that's not only provided inspiration and direction but allowed me to continue to challenge myself to progress. Lucky you. 

Today's theme is "winter". In my neck of the woods winter seems to be here to stay. You can accept it or be unhappy about it, doesn't seem to make any difference to Mother Nature. So today's poem is about, well, resignation.

Whether the weather
Is a joy or a tether
Never, don't ever
Tell me so.
Engage or rage, whether a
Reward or cage

Have a fun snow date
A time to ski or skate 
Sit by the fire, meditate

Coffee, cocoa or tea
Oh, and spiked for me
My throw at the ready
Enjoying warmth: heady

Take time for a book
Or watch movies or cook

Shrimp Chowder

Soups and stews, a
Time for road crews
And a countdown each day,
Yes! Spring's 2 months away.

Oh, crap, we're back to "I suck at poetry". I'll do better next month, I promise hope.

Before you go, click on these links to more poetry by some of my friends:

From the Dark Days of Winter by Dawn of Spatulas on Parade. 
Winter Poems by Candice of Measurements of Merriment. 
The Warmth of Winter by Robin of Someone Else's Genius. 
Wicked Winter's Wonderless by Steena of The Angrivated Mom.
Winter Storm by Jules of The Bergham Chronicles.

 

 

 

 

Shrimp Chowder

                                                                          ©www.BakingInATornado.com
 
Printable Recipe
 
Ingredients:
3 TBSP butter
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
3 TBSP flour
1/8 tsp cayenne
1/4 tsp pepper
1 cup chicken broth
1 1/2 cups warm milk, divided
1/2 cup white wine (can substitute chicken broth)
1 large potato, peeled and cut into small cubes
2# medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 can (4 oz) baby shrimp, drained
1/2# asparagus, lightly steamed and cut into 1 inch pieces
1 can (15 oz) corn niblets, drained
1 can (12 oz) can evaporated milk

Directions:
*In a large pot, on medium heat, melt the butter. Add the onion and garlic. Cook and stir until the onion is soft.
*Whisk in the flour, cayenne and pepper. Heat and continue to whisk for 2 minutes.
*Add the chicken broth, the wine or chicken broth and the potatoes. Raise the heat and bring to a boil, lower the heat, add 1/2 cup of milk and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 25 minutes or until the potatoes start to soften.
*Add the medium shrimp and the other 1 cup of milk. Simmer until the shrimp are pink, stirring now and then.
*Mix in the baby shrimp, asparagus, corn niblets and evaporated milk. Heat just until the soup is hot.

Blog With Friends: Baby, It's Cold Outside

Today’s post is the next in our series of Blog With Friends theme collaborations. Each month a group of bloggers get together and each publish a project based on a theme. What I love about this partnership is that it’s not bloggers with similar interests or strengths but a diverse group coming up with a variety of posts. In any given month we may have a recipe, sewing tutorial, crafts projects, book review and/or a technology post all related to the theme of the month.

There will be individual project pictures and links to what everyone else has to offer at the end of my post, but here’s a peek at what we all came up with:

This month our theme is Baby, It's Cold Outside. For my project I made Crockpot Italian Soup.

I have a confession to make. Two, actually. First, I never in my life had a crock pot until just a few years ago. I only have one now because it was a gift from a friend. I had no idea what I'd been missing out on.

But there was also a pretty long learning curve, something I'm still going through. Which leads us to the second confession: I don't like a lot of foods made in the crockpot. For the most part I find that many meats take on a shredded consistency I just don't like. Now soups, stews, sauces and roasts basically anything intended to cook long and slow work out really well. Oh, and a few desserts (when done right) because chocolate + warmth . . . that's a no-brainer.

So for my "Baby, It's Cold Outside" post, I've chosen to share a winter favorite, a crockpot soup. There are a few things I love about crockpot cooking in general and this soup in particular is that with little effort in the beginning and at the end, it cooks itself through the day. You have the luxury of smelling it cook or the option to be out while dinner pretty much makes itself.

I start by adding most of the ingredients to the crockpot. I make a white sauce that's then mixed in and let that thing take care of itself for most of the day.

Then add the last few ingredients and let it cook one more hour until the tortellini softens and the spinach starts to wilt.

And serve a big hearty bowl of deliciousness. Add some garlic bread and this soup is truly a filling meal.

As always, any time you make one of my recipes, feel free to post a picture of it to my Baking In A Tornado Facebook Page. I'd love to see it!

Be sure to visit all of this month's other Blog With Friends projects:


Melissa of Home on Deranged shares a way to warm your imagination. Cold Outside? Warm up with romantic movies and books. 

Rabia of The Lieber Family Blog shares a fun DIY, how to make a Snowflake Wreath. 

Lydia of Cluttered Genius shares the Best At Home Date Nights.

Robin of Someone Else's Genius shares her first attempt at crocheting, an easy beginners Head Warmer with Flower.

Crockpot Italian Soup

                                            ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
2 cups water 1/2 cup white wine
1 (14 oz) can vegetable broth
1/2# mushrooms, sliced
1/2 onion, chopped
2 green onions, sliced
1/2 carrot, chopped
1/2 red pepper, chopped
3 cloves minced garlic
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp basil
1/8 tsp pepper
3 TBSP butter
3 TBSP flour
1/4 tsp cayenne
1 1/2 cups warm milk
1 (8 oz) package cleaned fresh spinach, stems removed
1 (8 - 12 oz) package dried cheese tortellini
1 (12 oz) can evaporated milk
1 cup cooked ham or sausage, chopped
1/4 cup grated parmesan  (OPT: more for serving)

Directions:
*Place  water, wine, vegetable broth, mushrooms, both onions, carrot, red pepper, garlic, Italian seasoning, basil and pepper into crockpot. Turn on to low.
*In a small saucepan, on medium low, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour and cayenne. Heat and continue to whisk for 2 minutes. 1/2 cup at a time, whisk in the warm milk. Add this mixture to the crockpot, mix well.
*Allow soup to cook for 6 hours on low, then add the spinach, tortellini, evaporated milk, meat and parmesan. Cook one more hour or until the tortellini is no longer hard.
*OPT: serve topped with more parmesan.

Secret Subject Swap: Quiet Celebrations

Welcome to the January Secret Subject Swap. This month 13 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: You get to celebrate New Year's Eve wherever you like. Tell us about it!
It was submitted by: Confessions of a part time working mom.

I hate when I start a post with an apology. Yet that's how I'm starting this one. If I had gotten this prompt any other month, I'd be writing a completely different post. I can see myself indulging my imagination, coming up with lavish plans in exotic places. Or I could write a funny take on a New Year's Eve gone awry. 

Many of you who read this blog know that I'm really in the mood for neither of those scenarios right now. I'm feeling down and a little lost. So I'm coming at this one a bit differently than my norm. Life for me right now is a struggle for comfort. 

Pork Chop Dinner Casserole

Comfort is a relative thing. When I was in high school, in college, and starting out in my career, New Year's Eve was a big deal. I was comfortable in big parties, large celebrations, loud music, fancy clothes, screaming countdowns, cocktails, cocktails and more cocktails, standing room only, party hats and noisemakers, kisses right at the exact moment.

After Hubs and I got married, we were new to the Midwest and struggling to have children.  Most of the time I was at a point where I wasn't able to drink so New Year's Eve celebrations were more subdued. Dressing up, reservations, dinner out, casual conversation and great food, later a fire in the fireplace, watching the ball drop, kisses right at the exact moment.

When we had kids our celebrations changed once again. We were very fortunate to have friends with children about the same age as ours. We'd get Chinese take out at our house or theirs, eat a casual dinner, watch the kids play, talk, laugh, have a few cocktails. Depending on how the kids held up, sometimes we'd still be together to welcome the new year, other times we'd be home a little earlier, a fire in the fireplace, watching the ball drop, kisses right at the exact moment.

Although these quiet celebrations were the perfect way to welcome the new year with little kids, I also wanted to party with friends. I came up with a great way to do that. Every New Year's Day, I'd host a brunch. It was casual, family oriented, open house so people could come and go whenever they wanted. I served cocktails and champagne for the adults and punch for the kids. I'd set up big long tables in the living room so people could sit. The entire dining room became the buffet table. I cooked and baked and prepared for weeks. Friends would often bring a favorite dish or whip up a favorite cocktail or just pitch in with the heating and serving. The house was full, often I'd have over 40 guests. And late that afternoon my closest friends would stay and we'd critique the dishes, picking which ones were a definite for the next year.

Looking back through the years I can say that each of the forms of celebration, although not extravagant, was just the right fit for that particular time in our lives.

When our kids were about junior high school age we developed a new family tradition. At this point I not only didn't really want to be out on the roads on New Year's Eve, but I didn't want my kids to be either. They were young boys so obviously they wanted to party with friends, and I could accommodate that. The boys and their friends already had a well established hang-out space in our home. The walk-out basement has a 57 inch tv with game systems, a pool table, eating area with microwave, room with a spare fridge that I kept full of soda, water bottles and gatorade, and it's own bathroom. On New Year's Eve I'd line the entire kitchen counter with appetizers, hot and cold. A separate counter area was full of desserts. Kids would come and go from the basement, filling plates all night long and then disappearing back downstairs. There's couches in the basement and a bedroom too, anyone who wanted to stay over could. Hubs and I would stay on the main level, noshing on appetizers, drinking champagne, a fire in the fireplace, watching the ball drop, kisses right at the exact moment.

Honestly, especially this year, I cannot think of anything better.

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:

Dinosaur Superhero Mommy 

The Bergham Chronicles 

The Lieber Family Blog 
Spatulas on Parade 
Rena's World 
Not That Sarah Michelle 
Confessions of a part time working mom 
Southern Belle Charm 
Someone Else's Genius 
My Brain on Kids 
Climaxed 
The Angrivated Mom 

Pork Chop Dinner Casserole

                                                                          ©www.BakingInATornado.com
 
Printable Recipe
 
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups long grain rice
4 pork chops
garlic powder
1 head broccoli, cleaned and cut to florets
2 oz slivered almonds
4 oz mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 red pepper, chopped
1 packet dry onion soup mix
1 can beef broth
1 can vegetable broth
paprika

Directions:
*Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 X 13 baking dish.
*Sprinkle the rice over the bottom of the dish.
*Cut the pork chops in half and season both sides with garlic powder.
*In a large bowl, mix the broccoli florets, almonds, mushrooms, onion, pepper, onion soup mix, beef broth and vegetable broth. Careful pour over the rice in the baking dish.
*Place the pork chops on top and gently press down, just slightly into the soup mix. Cover tightly and bake for 45 minutes.
*Remove from oven and raise oven temperature to 375 degrees. Uncover the casserole, turn the pork chops over, sprinkle with paprika and return to the oven for 15 minutes or until the pork is cooked through and the rice has absorbed the liquid.