Summer Bash: July Poetry

Summer Bash is our theme today.

Shorts and flip flops, the sun's on display.

Beaches and pools are where to spend the day.

Summer Bash, come out and play.

Monthly Poetry Group, we're here to share.

and Summer Bash is this month's fare.

Each month I try harder, and this I swear,

with my poetry attempts, not trying to scare . . .

I didn't live with my mom and stepfather for long as they married after I graduated college. But I do have such fun memories of friends coming over to swim in the pool. My mom would always have enough burgers for all. We lived far enough out, surrounded by horses and woods that we could blast the music, float the day away and throw burgers on the grill for dinner. 

Summer Bash

Weekend morning

phone would ring,

"you've got the pool,

what should we bring?"

"Wanna play?"

those friends would say.

"It's hot outside,

we're headed your way".

Floats in the pool

so we all stay cool.

Enough for all

no need to duel.

Something simple I could make,

cut a watermelon, assemble a cake.

And drinks in the cooler,

no bottles, they break.

Watermelon Angel Cake

Ingredients for a splash,
need not take much cash.
Sun and water plus friends
equals a perfect Summer Bash.

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

Dawn of Spatulas on Parade shares Summer Bash Pizza Style. 
Lydia of Cluttered Genius shares Summer's a Bash. 
Diane of On the Border shares Some R Bashed.

Watermelon Angel Cake

                                                                          ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1/4 cup watermelon juice (see below)
1 angel food cake, store bought or home made
1 (about 3 oz) box of watermelon jello granules
2 cups heavy cream
1/4 cup powdered sugar
OPT: drop of red food coloring

OPT: green colored sugar, pink candy pearls and/or candy watermelon slices for decoration 

Directions:
*Cut up a few slices of watermelon and drain the juice through a strainer until you have 1/4 cup.
*Boil 1/2 cup water. Add 3 TBSP of watermelon jello granules from the box. Stir until the granules dissolve, then add the watermelon juice. Stir and set aside.
*Slice the angel food cake into 3 layers.
*Whip the heavy cream, powdered sugar, remaining watermelon jello granules and food coloring, if using, until stiff peaks hold.
*Place the bottom layer of the angel food cake onto a serving plate, spread 1/3 of the jello over the top and allow to soak in. Spread with about 1/4 of the whipped cream and repeat with the second layer. 
*Turn the top layer upside down (cut side up) and spread the rest of the jello over this side. Flip it over onto the second layer and frost the top and sides with the remaining whipped cream. Decorate as desired.

Orange Blueberry Cheesecake: Tell Your Story 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 Tell Your Story.

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:

I made an Orange Blueberry Cheesecake.

Orange Blueberry Cheesecake

"You do you". It's a catch phrase we hear often these days. It's a phrase of empowerment, a reminder that we don't all have to be the same, look the same, dress the same, think the same. When we are comfortable enough to be true to ourselves, to search out and be responsible for our own happiness, we actually do a favor to society in general. When we are more content, more comfortable in our own skin, we have more to offer those around us, and are more equipped to deal with stresses in a healthier way. 

Sadly, as happens with most sayings that catch on, it's overused, making it less relevant.

This month the Blog With Friends group chose Tell Your Story as our theme. And I like how this ties into the empowerment of "you do you". 

I have a lot of stories to tell and they all make up a piece of who I am. The one I'm representing here today is the story of my baking, my recipe development and how it has saved my (emotional) life.

Part of who I am is genetics, part is learned behavior and part is the paths I've chosen. As far a genetics go, there is a lot of anxiety in my family. I try not to dwell on it, but in a very big way it is destroying some of my dreams. In the realm of learned behavior, my mom is an amazing baker. Every holiday she is asked to bring baked goods and she never fails to impress. Bigly. Those two components marry in the path I've chosen. 

I started baking just as snacks for my boys. But the more I baked, the more kids came around to see what I'd made next. At some point I realized that they expected it and I enjoyed it. My posting food pics on my FB page is what initially motivated some of my friends to encourage me to start this blog.

As times got tough, and tougher, as happens in life, I found solace in baking. The recipe development kept my mind active, the concentration required to bake took my thoughts from stresses and the end results, the smiles on my family's faces served to boost my self esteem. So for today's Tell Your Story post, I've baked. I chose cheesecake because we all love it, and I chose fresh fruit to represent this spring/summertime, my favorite time of year.

 







I, of course, started with some ingredients. I was feeling playful so I chose Kool-Aid and crushed candy to add the orange flavor.

 












It mixes up quickly in the stand mixer, 

 







then I gently fold in the fresh blueberries.

 












Going in the oven.

 
















Coming out.

 












All dressed up for company.

 















Mmmmmm.

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 My Heartfelt Sentiments shares Tell Your Story! Nobody Else Can . . .



 

Jules of The Bergham Chronicles shares Me.

 
 

Dawn of Spatulas on Parade shares The Story of Me. 

 

Lydia of Cluttered Genius shares how to make an Anniversary Memory Book. 



 



Tamara of Part-time Working Hockey Mom shares her Story Cubes.

Orange Blueberry Cheesecake

                                                                          ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
2 TBSP sugar
6 TBSP butter, melted

2 1/2 packages (20 oz total) cream cheese, roo temperature
3/4 cup sugar
10 small orange hard candies, finely crushed
1/2 tsp orange Kool-Aid powder
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup heavy cream
3 eggs, room temperature
1 heaping cup blueberries

2 TBSP blueberry preserves
1 TBSP orange liqueur or orange juice

OPT: addition blueberries and/or mandarin orange slices for garnish

Directions:
*Grease a 9 inch springform pan. On the outside of the pan, wrap a sheet of tin foil around the bottom and partially up the sides of the pan. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
*Mix together the graham cracker crumbs, 2 TBSP sugar and butter. Press into and partially up the sides of the springform pan.
*Beat the cream cheese, sugar, crushed candies and Kool-Aid powder until smooth. Beat in the sour cream and heavy cream, then the eggs, one at a time. Gently fold in the blueberries.
*Pour into prepared crust and bake for 60 - 75 minutes, until the center is just set. 
*Remove from oven and allow to cool. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
*Gently run a knife around the cheesecake before removing the side of the pan. Mix together the blueberry preserves and the orange liqueur or orange juice. Gently spread over the cheesecake. Garnish with blueberries and/or mandarin orange sliced.
*Store leftovers, covered, in refrigerator.

Sobriquetless: Secret Subject Swap

Welcome a Secret Subject Swap. This month 7 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: Do you have a nickname? If so, where did it come from? If not, what do you think it should be and why?
It was submitted by: Donna of Our Prime Years.

I've had a few, nothing that ever stuck for any length of time. Some worth mentioning, some I'd just as soon forget. But for the most part, I've been sobriquetless. I don't have one of those names that comes with a built in nickname. Like, you know, Bob for Robert or Cathy for Catherine. Karen just isn't one of those names. I guess it's short and to the point. I mean, what are you going to call me "Ka" or "Ren"? Nothing really works naturally.

When I was little, my dad put my initials together, they were "K" "B" and "L" and called me Kibble for a while. It was endearing but only, as I said, for a while. Then some dog food company came out with a product called Kibbles and Bits and the nickname sort of lost all of its magic. I mean, a dog food nickname. That's just great. Everyone wants to be called dog food, right?

Later, in high school, a close friend of mine raced stock cars. At one point he had "sweet cheeks" painted on the back quarter panel. He said it was for me. I guess you can have a nickname whether you know it or not. Fortunately that car is long gone. As is the size my cheeks had been, but I may be getting a little off topic . . .

I've been called a few things between then and adulthood. Not all worth mentioning. Like Roseanne Rosannadana when it's humid out (unfortunately the similarity still exists in that weather). And a high school teacher used to call me Mona Lisa because he said I had the same smile. Still not sure what to make of that.

As an adult, I've been called Martha Stewart of the Midwest (not really a compliment since she ended up in jail), and Neighborhood Pied Piper, I bake and all the kids come (better).

Creme de Menthe Cheesecake Brownies

My mom, my husband, my sister, my friends, most everyone just calls me Karen. My kids, now that's another story. We joke around a lot (at least I hope we're kidding), they like to called me "mean old lady". To which I respond "you better be nice to me or I'll have my mother beat up your mother".

But through all the years and all the names and all the jokes, by far the best thing I've ever been called (especially with all I went through to have children), though not technically a nickname, is Mom.

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 
Spatulas on Parade
The Bergham Chronicles   
Part-time Working Hockey Mom 
Our Prime Years 
Climaxed 

Creme de Menthe Cheesecake Brownies    

                                                       ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
12 TBSP butter
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
4 eggs
1 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup Andes baking chips

1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 TBSP sour cream
1 egg
1/2 cup Andes baking chips

Directions:
*Preheat oven to 350 degrees Grease a 9 X 13 baking pan.
*Melt the semisweet chocolate chips and butter in the microwave until completely smooth when stirred. 
*Whisk in 1 1/4 cups of sugar and the brown sugar, then the eggs. Mix in the flour and salt, then the 1/3 cup Andes baking chips. Pour into the prepared baking pan.
*Beat the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla and sour cream until smooth. Beat in the egg, then mix in the remaining Andes baking chips.
*Dollop the cream cheese mixture carefully onto the brownie mixture in the pan. Using a toothpick, gently swirl the cream cheese mixture just barely into the brownie mixture.
*Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the sides are brown and crusty and the center is just set.
*Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until cold before slicing. Store in the refrigerator, bring to room temperature for serving.