Sumtumn: 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 74. 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.

 The September number is 22. 
It was chosen by Me.

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 I've chosen the theme Sumtumn.

~ Today I'm talking about celebrating sumtumn season. Never heard of it? That's probably because you don't live in my head. Lucky you.

~Sumtumn is a hybrid of summer and autumn. I was always team summer, when I lived near the ocean. Now? Team sumtumn.

~ Yeah, I made it up, genius, right? Long overdue, someone had to. You know those days, daylight's shortening and weather's in limbo.

~ The not still broiling summer days but not yet crisp autumn days deserve a name. They're my favorite days of the year.

~ You know, three outfit days. Long sleeves with shorts in the morning, switch to short sleeves in the afternoon, sweatshirt for evening.

~ To recipe developers, it's the best of both worlds. Summer fruits are still out, but pears and apples are showing up too.

Lemon Pie Cake with Strawberries

~ We used to just call this "sleeping weather". Turn off the air, open the windows to that gentle breeze and sleep comfortably.

~ Sumtumn is a short season, friends, so be sure you're celebrating every glorious day from the last week in August through September.

~ Truth is, as much as I'm team sumtumn, I'm actually quite fickle. Build an ocean in my backyard I'm back, team summer.

~ A quick point of order. Does sumtumn count as a word, since it's not one officially, dictionarily? If not? Sorry (not sorry).

Here are links to the other Word Counters posts:

Messymimi’s Meanderings 
On the Border 

Lemon Pie Cake with Strawberries

                                                         ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 box yellow cake mix
1 cup lemon lime soda
1 can (21 oz) lemon pie filling, divided
1 cup fresh strawberries, hulled and chopped

2 TBSP lemon juice
2 cups powdered sugar

fresh strawberries for garnish

Directions:
*Grease and flour a 9 X 13 baking pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
*Mix the cake mix, soda, and 1 cup of the lemon pie filling until fully incorporated. Spread evenly into the prepared pan. Sprinkle with 1 cup fresh strawberries.
*Bake about 35 - 40 minutes, just until the center springs back to the touch. Cool completely.
*Whisk together the remaining lemon pie filling, lemon juice and powdered sugar. Spread over the cooled cake. Garnish with fresh strawberries.
*Store, covered, in the refrigerator. 

Feeling Our Oats: 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: oats ~ free ~ breakfast ~ chores ~ critical
They were submitted by Diane of On the Border.

                          
Funny story about oats. And I'll tell you that in a minute, but I just want to start with saying something about today.

It's September 11th. The 19th September 11th to mean more than just a day in the calendar. 2977 people were killed in the name of hatred on that day, including some who were doing a job I'd done, for the same company I'd done it for. We must never forget. That's a phrase you hear often, but we live in a time where White Supremacists are made to feel free to spout their hate with impunity. When those planes crashed on September 11th, al-Qaeda perpetrated their hate on our citizens without warning. But the hate that is being verbalized and carried out on our streets today? We see it. The "president" refuses to call it out. It's critical that all Americans vote, that we pay homage to those who died on September 11th, 2001 by batting back hatred and bigotry every chance we get.

Thank you for bearing with me while I got that out. Now on to the oats.

I've mentioned before (about 100 times by now) that Hubs has had to change his diet. It's been challenging, especially in the year of the Covid. I've been adjusting how I cook and bake. One of the things I've done is to add fruits and nuts and oats to a lot of my baked goods. 

A container of quick oats usually lasts me quite a while, but in using them more, I found about a month ago that I was running low. One of the chores I no longer do in person is grocery shop. I've had to give in and do pick up. I hate it. I'm really picky about fruits, vegetables and meats, always wanting to make my own choices. That's just my first problem. Second is that I like perusing the shelves, letting intriguing new ingredients inspire a recipe in me. Now there's a third issue. Size.

No, not mine, although I could often, when I was able to go into stores, be found balancing on shelves swinging with my purse at a coveted item only could reach. But this issue isn't about the size of me, but the size of containers. 

You can't tell on those grocery store websites, what's small and what's large. Those pictures are deceiving and, if you're in too much of a hurry to click on the item, then enlarge it to see what size it is, who knows what you might end up with. 

Like the oats. I ordered them. Thinking they were the 18 oz can I usually get.

On the right is the 18 oz can that usually lasts me about 6 months. On the left? The 42 oz can I guess I ordered.

So you shouldn't be surprised that the recipe I'm sharing today has oats. In fact, don't be surprised if the recipes I'll be continuing to share on this blog will feature oats. Pretty much in perpetuity.

Peach Pistachio Oat Muffins

There will be oats for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, desserts, and smoothies. We'll be using them as colonics, laxatives, shampoo, skin exfoliators . . .

In fact, December's right around the corner. Are you on my gift list? Hope you like oats.

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

Wandering Web Designer
On the Border 
Part-time Working Hockey Mom 
Climaxed 
The Crazy Mama Llama 

Peach Pistachio Oat Muffins

                                               ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

1 cup quick oats
1 1/4 cups milk
1 3/4 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup pistachios, shelled and chopped
1 jar (4 oz) peach baby food
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 peaches, pitted and chopped

1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 TBSP peach nectar
2 TBSP pistachios, shelled and chopped

Directions:
*Mix together the milk and oats. Set aside for 5 minutes.
*Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Insert muffin paper cups into muffin tin wells (either 15 regular sized or 12 regular sized and 12 mini). Lightly spray the inside of the paper cups with non-stick cooking spray.
*In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and 1/4 cup chopped pistachios. Add the oatmeal mixture, baby food, eggs,and vanilla, mix just until incorporated.
*Gently fold in the peaches. Divide the batter into the prepared muffin tins.
*Bake the minis for 10 minutes and the regular sized muffins for 20 minutes. Cool completely.
*Whisk the powdered sugar with the peach nectar. Spoon over the cooled muffins. Sprinkle with the remaining chopped pistachios.

Character Traits: Character Poetry

Character's our chosen theme,
agreed on by us as a team.
So read on and see,
how this topic spoke to me,
Just hoping I don't make you scream.

Character Traits

Such a difficult concept to teach,
explain character, but don't preach.
He's old enough to understand,
the first lesson she'd planned,
In this, her initial outreach.

Yes, she knows he's only four,
a good little boy to his core.
Begin with just right and wrong,
to start, the concept's multi-pronged.
Master this, then she'll move on to more. 

They talked and talked and talked,
while he ate and played and walked.
Play fair and don't cheat,
take your turn, share your sweet,
Her boy got it, and she wasn't shocked.

Peppermint Devil's Food Cupcakes

To be sure though, before she moved on,
gave him paper, glue stick, crayon.
"Your favorite character, show me.
Is it sharing? Maybe honesty?"
Then I'll check to see what you've drawn"

She could see his idea start to brew,
Proudly showed her when he was all through.
"Son what is this?"
she asked with a kiss,
"My favorite character, Mom, Pikachu."

Before you go, click on this link to my talented friend Diane's Character themed poem:
A Four-Footed Character

Peppermint Devil's Food Cupcakes

                                                                       ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 box Devil's Food cake mix
1 cup milk
1/3 cup oil
1/2 tsp peppermint extract
4 eggs
1 box instant York Dark Chocolate Peppermint pudding mix, divided
12 York Dark Chocolate Thins peppermint patties,halved

1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp peppermint extract
3 TBSP powdered sugar
12 York Dark Chocolate Thins peppermint patties, halved

Directions:
*Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place 24 cupcake liners into cupcake pans, or grease the wells.
*Beat the cake mix, 1 cup milk, oil, 1/2 tsp peppermint extract, eggs and 3 TBSP of the pudding mix for 2 minutes. 
*Fill each cupcake well to about 2/3 full. Place 1/2 of a peppermint patty onto each, then press down gently, just to submerge in the batter. 
*Bake for about 18 minutes, or until the center springs back to the touch. Allow to sit for 10 minutes, then remove from the pans and cool completely.
*Beat the heavy cream until soft peaks form. Add 1/2 cup milk, 1 tsp peppermint extract, powdered sugar, and the remaining pudding mix to the bowl. Beat until thick. Dollop or pipe about 1 - 2 TBSP of the frosting onto the center of each cupcake. Top each with a candy half.