Thank You Note. Or Not.

Thank You Notes. The bane of every child's existence. In my day, anyway. I was raised to write them and, pretty much like all other kids, hated it. It's not that I wasn't appreciative of gifts, I just didn't see why I had to take the time to sit down and construct an actual letter. Especially if it was after a birthday party where the gift was handed to me and I said "thank you". That's enough, right? Wrong.

Then I grew up. And guess what? My kids were raised to write them. When they were little, I'd have to do the writing. The irony was not lost on me that I was now writing my own and someone else's (two someone else's) as well. In stages, the boys took over part of their own responsibility. They'd sign their name or draw a picture to the notes I'd written on their behalf. Later, they'd dictate a thank you for me to send. Eventually the time came when they'd write their own notes and stuff them into the envelope I'd addressed and stamped. And they'd "forget", put it off, complain, all the things I did at their age. I'd constantly be telling them that they spent longer avoiding and complaining than they would just writing them.

The art of the "proper thank you" has gone the way of hieroglyphics. That's not all bad. Even though I'd hit both ends of the pendulum, from thinking they are the most evil thing you could make poor young me do to understanding how important thanking people is and asking (OK, insisting) my kids write them, I'm now heading in the direction of my original thought. For the most part (maybe other than wedding gifts), I don't see the point. To me, most people these days, formality does not a proper thank you make . . .

Thank You Notes have been replaced many times over, by cards you can just sign to pre-printed generic fill in the blanks to phone calls, to emails, and now texts. And other than the fill in the blank ones, I'm fine with all of the above. Because to me, it's more the message and less the medium. Saying thank you is more about reaching out to express gratitude. 

Words, in whatever form, are enough. Although it's very different from receiving a gift, I've done it all from sending emails to teachers, texting a friend who dropped off dinner, verbally thanked the waitress for delivering our meals.

Grilled Cedar Planked Salmon

on the grill

on the plate

We have relatives who send very minimal checks as gifts. I know it sounds disrespectful, but through the years the boys and I have joked about it as they wrote out their obligatory notes. We'd say things like "the gift doesn't even pay for the stamp on the thank you note." And the one time my son just somehow forgot? The relative actually went to his grandmother (my mom), who was flying out here for his high school graduation, that while she was here she should admonish him for not sending a "thank you". Truth is, no matter what the gift is or isn't, even at it's least grateful the note is about acknowledging receipt. At it's core, a gift is about the thought, the time and the effort. Some level of reciprocating effort is expected, and it should be.
 
In the spirit of gratitude, I have a few acknowledgements to make myself, and now seems like as good a time as any.

*Thank you to my family, near and far, blood and step and chosen. No explanation necessary, just thank you.

*Thank you to Purdue, for helping my boy achieve his goals. Through loss and emotional trauma and even his first broken bone, he is growing and changing and becoming everything I knew he could be.

*Thank you to this political season. College Boy and I haven't talked and laughed this much since he was little. Through discussing all the shenanigans we read about every day, I learn just how intelligent and thoughtful my oldest is.


*Thank you to Intersession and to Spring Break and to Summer Break.

*Thank you to the readers who raise my spirits with their page views and comments. Sometimes, when I'm really down, that's all it takes to eek out a smile.

*Thank you to my recipe muse. Collaboration is way more fun than alone.

*Thank you to those who written for me, to all who collaborate with me, the people who challenge and encourage me. 

*Thank you to Spring. I sit on the deck with my face towards the sky, listen to recess at the school through the woods and I know I've made it through another winter.

And although a call, an email or a text is just fine by me, like Mom taught me, I did actually just put that in writing.

Grilled Cedar Planked Salmon

                                                                          ©www.BakingInATornado.com


Printable Recipe

NOTE: For this recipe you will need a cedar plank meant for grilling food. They're available in many places, including on Amazon. 
 
Ingredients:
1# fresh salmon filet
3 cups apple cider
1/3 cup olive oil
1 TBSP dijon mustard
1 tsp lemon juice
2 tsp dried dill
1/2 tsp minced garlic

Directions:
*At least 2 hours before cooking, submerge the plank in the apple cider and place in the refrigerator.
*At the same time, rinse and pat the fish dry. Whisk the olive oil, mustard, lemon juice, dill and garlic, and place in a pan. Add the fish and flip over a few times to be sure it's all covered in the marinade. Refrigerate until 1 hour before cooking.
*When ready to cook, heat the grill to medium high. Lower the temperature to medium. Remove the plank from the cider and place on the grill. 
*Remove the fish from the marinade and place, skin side down on the plank. Brush the top of the fish with marinade from the pan and immediately close the grill.
*Allow to cook for 15 to 20 minutes, or just until the fish flakes with a fork. Remove to serving plate. Discard the plank.

Use Your Words: Change is a Chocolate Cake

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: monthly ~ conditional ~ abuse ~ law ~ abolish ~ stamina

They were submitted by: Never Ever Give Up Hope.

I love these monthly challenges. I sometimes am stumped by the prompts, but I always come up with a post and, more importantly, pushes me to write differently than I normally would.

Sometimes the words form the post. Sometimes I have something I want to say and work to incorporate the words. Either way it's keeping me thinking on another level than when I just write without the addition of the challenge.

Today I'm letting the words take the lead. They're leading me in the direction of an issue that's been on everyone's mind lately, the election. It's funny because I read these words to College Boy, who's very involved in the process and climate surrounding the current political cycle. I told him that I bet he could use these words in an article in a hot minute. He smiled and said he could probably do it in a sentence.

Yeah, I may need a little more than a sentence, but then I tend to be wordy in general.

I've written a few general pieces about politics. Back in March I wrote The American Revolution, Circa 2016 about the message voters are trying to express. My April Fools post was a more humorous piece, Down the Drain.

Although I try to keep the political commentary to a minimum, I didn't start this blog to keep quiet. I've taken some abuse on FB, which isn't why I started that either. When one candidate made comments that led to rally participants physically attacking verbal protesters, I stated that I was embarrassed that other countries were seeing this kind of aggressive rhetoric from a political frontrunner. I was told I was unpatriotic. My pride in our country, my gratitude in being able to live this way is not conditional upon my agreeing with the words or actions of those running for office.

What we need is change. I do believe that both Trump and Sanders are the embodiment of the electorate's determination to see that happen. But I also think change can be scary to some. In this case, to those in power in both parties. That doesn't make it wrong.

Change is like a thick. rich, dense chocolate cake. You can eat vanilla cake forever. But you'll never know what you're missing out by not trying chocolate. And don't forget the Mocha frosting and fresh berries.

Flourless Chocolate Cake with Mocha Frosting

There are some practices we need to abolish. All easier said than done, but all necessary to make the electorate feel as though we are part of the process and that our vote counts. Because I believe that change is better than apathy. And that's what I see coming if there isn't change.

We need to do away with Super Delegates and Undeclared Delegates. This will be difficult to do because they are practices of the parties themselves and not subject to any law. The parties and the party establishment are free to do as they please. Which seems, at this point, to be whatever it takes to be sure that they sway elections in any way they choose.

We need to change the broken infrastructure of the voting process. Hundreds of thousands of people were registered but turned away in more than one state due to errors. College Boy feels that elections should not be day long but week long. This makes a lot of sense to me and allows time for errors to be corrected.

And we need to abolish the Electoral College. This system was set up in the Constitution and I understand why. But times have changed and a system set up to ensure fair representation is now antiquated. One vote per person. That's what will work in today's society. And the consequences of not making changes that we all see as fair is apathy. Especially from our youngest citizens. As the mom of two young voters, this is what I fear the most.

I truly hope that our youth are able to effect change, that they have not just the stamina and the determination to bring about change, but the maturity to do it in a civilized manor. 

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

Southern Belle Charm 
 Not That Sarah Michelle
Spatulas on Parade 
The Diary of an Alzheimer's Caregiver 
Dinosaur Superhero Mommy 
My Brain on Kids 
The Bergham Chronicles
Never Ever Give Up Hope  
Climaxed 
Confessions of a part time working mom  

The Angrivated Mom 

Flourless Chocolate Cake with Mocha Frosting

                                                                          ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe
 
Ingredients:
6 oz dark chocolate chips
1 1/2 sticks butter
3/4 cup sugar 
2 TBSP brown sugar 
3/4 cup baking cocoa (more for dusting pan)

1 1/2 tsp vanilla
5 eggs

1/2 cup heavy cream
1  TBSP sugar
2 TBSP coffee 
2 TBSP chocolate syrup

6 oz fresh berries of your choice, rinsed and dried

Directions:
*In a microwave safe bowl, melt the dark chocolate chips with the butter until completely smooth when stirred. Set aside and allow to cool for about 10 minutes.
*Grease a 9 inch round cake pan and dust with baking cocoa. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
*Beat the sugar, brown sugar, baking cocoa and vanilla into the melted chocolate. Last, beat in the eggs.
*Pour evenly into the prepared cake pan. Bake for 38 - 42 minutes or until the center is set.
*Remove from oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes in the cake pan. Carefully run a knife around the edges and a spatula underneath before removing. Cool completely before frosting.
*Beat the heavy cream and sugar until soft peaks form. Beat in the  coffee and chocolate syrup until stiff peaks hold.
*Spread the frosting over the cooled cake. Top with the berries. 

Propagate, Cultivate, Nourish and Flourish

Each month, for the past 7 months, some blogging friends and I have gotten together to create a poetry post. I've taken the opportunity to try many types of poetry, including Haikus (which are more difficult than they look, due to the strict syllable count) and Limericks (which are every bit as fun as they look). We've added to the challenge of the monthly post by choosing different themes for each month.

This month, we've chosen the theme Flowers. What I found most difficult, as I began to work on my contribution, was staying away from all of the flower cliches. I started a number of different poems, but they all felt just too expected. So I went in a totally different direction.

Dark 
and unknown, you find the fertile soil
of your new home.

Attach
and nestle, you must germinate
in your first home.

Nourish
and thrive, gain strength from your surroundings
in this temporary home.

Evolve
develop roots, sprout leaves and buds
outgrow this home.

Prepare
for transplantation, it's time to relocate
to your permanent home.
 
Emerge
into the light, where you will thrive,
in the rich soil of your new home.

Flourish
become the flower you were meant to be.
In your home in my arms.

My darling child.

I hope you enjoyed today's attempt at poetry. Good news: whether you did or not, I'm sharing an easy and delicious recipe. I know you'll enjoy my Spicy Peanut Grilled Chicken.

Spicy Peanut Grilled Chicken

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

Dawn of Spatulas on Parade shares Flowers or Flour, Power or Powder. 

Jules of The Bergham Chronicles shares May Flowers.

Spicy Peanut Grilled Chicken

                                                                          ©www.BakingInATornado.com
 
Printable Recipe
 
Ingredients:
3 large boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup honey
1/3 cup chunky peanut butter
1 green onion, finely chopped
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp dried (hot) red pepper flakes
1 TBSP curry powder
1 tsp minced fresh garlic

Directions:
*Cut each chicken breast into 3 similarly sized pieces. Place into a resealable gallon sized freezer bag.
*Whisk together the rest of the ingredients well. Pour into the bag with the chicken and seal the bag.
*Massage the chicken and marinade so all the chicken is coated. Place the bag in the fridge and allow to marinate for at least 4 hours and up to all day. Flip the bag over now and then.
*One hour before cooking, place the bag on the counter. Spray the cold grill with non stick spray.
*Heat grill. Remove the chicken from the bag and place on hot grill. Discard the remaining marinade. Cook approximately 10 minutes per side or until the chicken is fully cooked.