Luddite Lesson: Luddites Poetry

 

 

Luddites poetry? I must admit,

don't know who picked the theme.
Wasn't sure I could commit,
just spelling it makes me scream. 

But quitter's not a name for me,

I'll try, no guarantee.

I mean, how hard can it really be?

Guess we're about to see.

Luddite Lesson 

 

Luddites are a dinosaur,

living in the past.

but progress makes things easier,

possibilities are vast.

How I love my TV shows,

keep me well amused.

Understanding of investigations grows,

love guessing who'll be accused.

Kindle lets me borrow books,

and never leave my home.
Choose from bedroom's cozy nook,
have my choice of any tome.

The information highway is,

right there at our fingertips.
Any subject, you can be a whiz,
even take virtual trips.

These days we get to see,
how childhood friends are now.
Social media is the key,
never again lose touch we vow.

Cell phones are the saving grace,
of every single mother.
Any time and any place, 
our kids we get to smother.

YouTube channels, they are shows!

Learn to fix, craft and cook.

Everyone shares what he knows,

all you have to do is look.

Peanut Butter Pepita Muffins

But:

Comprehension seems to have slumped,
in my golden years, Luddite.
Newfangled stuff has got me stumped,
second thought, you may be right.

Before you go, click on these links to more poetry from one of my friends:

Diane of On the Border shares Ludd and Me.

 Peanut Butter Pepita Muffins     

                                                       ©www.BakingInATornado.com 

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

3/4 cup brown sugar

3 TBSP honey

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/4 cups milk

2 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cup roasted, shelled, lightly salted pepitas, divided

Directions:

*Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place muffin cups in 12 cup tin or spray with non-stick spray.

*In a large bowl, whisk together the peanut butter, honey, brown sugar, egg, vanilla, and milk.

*In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

*Add the dry ingredients to the large bowl and stir, just until incorporated. Mix in 1/2 cup of the pepitas.

*Divide the dough into the 12 muffin cups. Sprinkle with the remaining pepitas.

*Bake for 20 - 25 minutes or until the center springs back to the touch. Cool in muffin tin for 10 minutes before removing to cool completely.

Caramel Apple Custard Bars: The Apple Doesn't Fall Far from the Tree Blog With Friends

 

Today’s post is the next in our series of Blog With Friends themed collaborations. Each month a group of bloggers get together and each publish a project based on a theme. What I love about his 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 a recipe, sewing tutorial, crocheting, crafts project, book review, and/or technology post all related to the theme of the month.

This month's theme is The Apple Doesn't Fall Far from the Tree.

I made Caramel Apple Custard Bars.

Caramel Apple Custard Bars

 

 

Although the saying "the apple doesn't fall far from the tree" doesn't really have anything to do with apples per se, I made an apple recipe. I mean, what was I going to do, use pears?

Besides, an apple a day . . . 

As far as the meaning of the saying goes, my little (OK, not so little any more) apples actually do fall pretty far from the tree, especially when it comes to cooking. Neither of the boys do any at all, even a grilled cheese sandwich is more work than they'll take on in the kitchen. When it comes to ordering take-out, though? Apples, meet tree.

But when it comes to eating, that's another story. We all have our individual tastes, of course, but we agree on many favorite foods. This time of year, a lot of them include apples. When the boys were little, I'd invite a bunch of families, we'd all go out to the farm and pick apples, come back to my house where we'd all make apple pies and applesauce, and then have a hearty dinner together before everyone headed home. 

These days the apples come from the store (Braeburn and Honey Crisp are our favorites), and besides the apple pies and applesauce, I make Caramel Topped Apple Spice Bread, Apple Pie Cheesecake, Apple Cinnamon Ring, and so much more.

Today, in honor of my boys and as a nod to those days at the apple orchard, I'm sharing a new apple recipe. If I'm lucky, really really lucky, maybe it'll entice those apples to come visit this old tree?

As always, grab those ingredients together to start:

 

 

Prepare the crust and press into the pan:

 

 

Layer on the apples and sprinkle with the caramel baking bits: 

Beat together the custard ingredients, pour over the apples and sprinkle with a bit of cinnamon.

 

Bake, cool to room temperature:

 

 

And slice:

 

 

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:

 

P. J. of A 'lil HooHaa shares Apples, apples, everywhere!. 

 

 

 

 

 

Tamara of Part-time Working Hockey Mom shares The 🍏 Apple 🍎 Doesn't Fall Far from the Tree 🌳.

Caramel Apple Custard Bars

                                                                          ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
 2 cups quick oats

3/4 cup powdered sugar

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 tsp apple pie spice

6 TBSP butter, melted

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

 

2 apples, cored, peeled, sliced

2/3 cup caramel baking bits

 

3 eggs

3/4 cup brown sugar

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

1/2 tsp lemon zest

1 TBSP flour

1/2 tsp apple pie spice

1/2 tsp cinnamon

 

Directions:

*Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8 X 11 baking pan. 

*Mix together the oats, powdered sugar, salt, 3/4 tsp apple pie spice and vanilla. Mix in the melted butter. Press into the bottom and partially up the sides of the prepared pan.

*Arrange the apples so they cover the crust. Sprinkle with the caramel baking bits.

*Beat the eggs, brown sugar, evaporated milk, lemon zest, flour and 1/2 tsp apple pie spice. Carefully pour over the apples, then sprinkle with the cinnamon.

*Bake for about 50 minutes, until the edges brown and the center is set. Run a knife gently around the edges. Allow to cool at room temperature for at least 1/2 hour before slicing.

*Serve warm or refrigerate and serve cold. Store, covered, in the refrigerator.

Scary is in the Eye of the Beholder: Secret Subject Swap

Welcome a Secret Subject Swap. This month 6 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: What is the scariest costume you can think of?

It was submitted by: Sarah of The Crazy Mama Llama.   

 

Ironic how words come back to haunt (pun sort of intended) you. When Sarah sent this prompt in, I laughed and told her it was an easy one, I had a one word (well, name) answer. 

Then this prompt ended up being mine and, it turns out, it's not easy, far from it. Because, as they say, one name does not a whole blog post make. Or as I say, anyway.

 

Truth is, this Halloween has me so torn. I love seeing the kids, their fun and funny and scary costumes, I smile all night (no, that smile isn't just from the candy I sneak from our goodie bowl). I really don't want to turn off our outdoor light and keep our door shut, yet I really feel like I should. In a state that never locked down and a city that had no mask mandate until September (then did nothing to ensure compliance), schools that opened normally in August (and now have multiple covid cases associated with them), it's still not safe. I'm still not sure what I'm going to do.

 

What I'll do right now though, is answer Sarah's question, but I'll expand on it a little. It may turn out that I'll only be seeing costumes in my mind this year, so I'm listing some costumes, both real and imagined. Since costumes aren't only scary, some of the best being sweet or inspirational or or funny just plain innovative, I'll start with some costumes I'd like to see (or wish I were wearing to a party) that aren't scary:

10) Ina Garten. Bearing gifts, of course.

Ginger, Pear and Pumpkin Cake

   

 

9) Bobby Flay, no need to bring me anything.

8) A time machine, set to infinity and beyond, or at the very least, set to 2021.

OR  

A transporter, "beam me up, Scotty" (and start up the impulse drive, warp 9).

7) Barack Obama's birth certificate.

6) Mrs. Peacock with a knife in the kitchen.

5) Bill DisBarr.

4) Jimmy Hoffa (with a goal post) OR Don Lewis (sans tiger).

3) The Prize Patrol.

2) The "baby Huey" orange diapered trump balloon. 

1) Ruth Bader Ginsberg, עליה השלום (A"H), someone we should all strive to resemble more.

 

And now, to (finally) answer Sarah's question, whether I end up seeing them or not, here is a list of what I'd imagine the scariest costumes would be. In descending order. But be forewarned, scary is in the eye of the beholder:

 

10) "The Real Housewives." Of pretty much anywhere.

 

9) Dr. Phil.

 

8) Billy the Puppet. Although I did once make him into a pretty cool looking cake.

 

7) Mark Zuckerberg.

 

6) President Ivanka.

 

5) Bare chested Putin on a horse.

 

4) Pennywise.

 

3) A coronavirus molecule.

 

2) Moscow Mitch.

 

1) trump. Without a mask (either kind).

The scariest thing of all, always, but this Halloween and in the next few months to come, is the threat of the loss of that which we hold most dear: equal rights, democracy, humanity, integrity, compassion. Our only weapon is a free and fair election and I'm afraid, very afraid, that may no longer be possible.

 

"Fight for the things you care about." 

"Real change, enduring change, happens one step at a time."

~~ RBG ~~

 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:

Wandering Web Designer 
A 'lil HooHaa 

The Crazy Mama Llama 

Climaxed 

Part-time Working Hockey Mom 

Ginger, Pear and Pumpkin Cake

                                                              ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe


Ingredients:

2 ripe Bartlett pears
1 box yellow cake mix
1 can (15 oz) pumpkin puree
3 eggs
1/2 cup ginger ale, flat
1/4 cup canola oil
1 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp ground ginger

1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1 TBSP ginger ale, flat

Directions:
*Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a bundt pan.
*Core, remove the skin, and chop the pears, set aside.
*Beat cake mix, pumpkin puree, eggs, 1/2 cup ginger ale, oil, cinnamon and 1/2 tsp ginger for 2 minutes. Mix in the chopped pears.
*Spread evenly into the prepared pan.
*Bake for about 45 minutes or until the center of the top springs back to the touch.
*Cool for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool completely.
*Mix the powdered sugar, remaining ginger and remaining ginger ale. Drizzle over the cooled cake.