Blossoms, or are They Blooms: Blossoms Poetry

We get together every month,
choose a theme and write.
Everybody does so well,
but I end up contrite.

Tenacious is a fitting word,
about me you can say.
Back again and willing to
jump into the fray. 

Here we are, middle of May,
so Blossoms is what we chose.
Read on as I mangle beauty,
with my sad sad prose.

Having quite a problem
with rhyming words you see,
When it comes to blossoms,
even Googled it, there's three. 

Hardly evoking flowers,
"colostrums" popped up first. 
Mammals do but flowers don't,
grow by being nursed.

Next rhyme is "opossums"
with their scary looking mugs.
At least they don't eat my flowers,
feasting on berries, slugs and bugs. 

 Blackberry French Vanilla Loaf

  
Finally is "rostrum,"
a platform from which to speak.
I suppose if the topic is flowers,
correlation's a bit less weak.

Change it to the singular,
adds awesome to the three.
Since blossoms really fit that bill,
I think this works for me.

Now had we just thought longer,
and instead have chosen blooms.
I'd have a rhyming field day,
legumes, rooms, tombs, grooms, and fumes.

So . . . sorry I have hardly done,
justice to nature's beauty.
Reread the intro, my dear friends,
forewarned you, as was my duty.

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

Dawn of Spatulas on Parade shares Blossoms and Blooming. 
Diane of On the Border shares A Floral Pun-ishment.

Blackerry French Vanilla Loaf        

                                                       ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1/2 cup French vanilla creamer
1/3 cup sugar free blackberry jam
1/2 cup canola oil
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
6 TBSP maple syrup
2 eggs
2 3/4 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup fresh blackberries, quartered


Directions:
*Grease a 9 X 5 loaf pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
*In a bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup of creamer, the blackberry jam, canola oil, vanilla, maple syrup and eggs.
*In a separate large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt.
*Mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients just until incorporated, then gently fold in the blackberries. Pour evenly into prepared pan.
*Bake for 60 - 65 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Leave in the pan for 10 minutes, then run a knife along the edges and remove to cool completely. 

Sweet and Salty Bars: Eat What You Want Day 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 Eat What You Want Day.

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 Sweet and Salty Bars.

Sweet and Salty Bars

I was wrong. Let me just admit, before we even get started on my recipe today that I was wrong. Last month our theme was carrots and I was so excited. "My time has come!" was what I said. Following month after month of trying beyond belief to stretch a correlation between whatever the theme was and the recipe I was sharing, we had, as a group, chosen Carrots. No having to explain myself required.

But I was wrong. I may have had an easy month with a food as the theme, but this month, oh this month is when my time has come. Eat What You Want Day? Not only is it food related, but there is no required ingredient. I am free to do whatever I want. The world is my oyster (sorry, I couldn't control myself).

Of course I had to turn this gift theme into an issue. It's the same conundrum any time I indulge (which was happening more and more the longer I was stuck at home), should I go sweet? Or salty? Well, the best way to eat what I want would be to combine both, hence the genesis of my Sweet and Salty Bars.

These bars are easy to make. I went with three layers, all of which would incorporate both sweet and salty. I started by assembling a few ingredients for the base:

Pressed them into my pan:

Gathered the ingredients for the middle layer:

Easily mixed up by hand in one bowl and spread over the top of the base:

These bake quickly. Leave the oven on and, for the last layer, spread chocolate chips over the top and return to the oven briefly to melt them.

Spread gently, then immediately top with more chips:

Cool, cut and serve. Both cravings successfully met.

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:

 



Dawn of Spatulas on Parade shares Bacon for the Win. 




 


Tamara of Part-time Working Hockey Mom shares Eat Around the World. 







Lydia of Cluttered Genius shares Lessons From a Ruined Cake. 



 





P. J. of A 'lil HooHaa shares Youthful Comfort. 


 






Melissa of My Heartfelt Sentiments shares The Ingredients for a Perfect Handmade Greeting Card.

Sweet and Salty Bars

                                                                          ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
2 cups chocolate graham cracker crumbs (about 11 chocolate graham crackers)
1/3 cup potato chip crumbs
4 TBSP butter, melted

1 1/2 sticks butter or margarine
3/4 cup white chocolate chips
3/4 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 cup flour
1/3 cup potato chip crumbs

1 1/4 cups chocolate chips
3/4 cup potato chips broken into pieces but not crumbs

Directions:
*Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 X 13 pan.
*Mix together the chocolate graham cracker crumbs, 1/3 cup potato chip crumbs and 4 TBSP melted butter. Press into the bottom of the prepared pan.
*Melt the 1 1/4 sticks of butter or margarine in the microwave.  Add the white chocolate chips and stir until completely smooth.
*Whisk in the sugar and vanilla, then the eggs and finally the flour and 1/3 cup potato chip crumbs. 
*Spread over the crust and bake for 25 minutes. Remove the pan but leave the oven on.
*Sprinkle the chocolate chips over the top, then return to the oven for 1 minute. Remove from oven and gently spread the melted chocolate chips over the top with a knife. Immediately sprinkle with the potato chip pieces.
*Cool on the counter for 1/2 hour, then chill in the refrigerator until completely cooled before cutting.

It Takes A She: 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: You've been asked to run for City Council. What would your slogan be?
It was submitted by: Rena of Wandering Web Designer.

I wrote a post, years ago, in which I mentioned that College Boy's close friend's father was our local Congressman. Election time was an issue for me because, unlike my impression of most politicians, this man seems to be an honorable person. But I completely disagree with all of his politics. In that post, I talked about my running for his seat, what my platform would be and what my slogan would be. The post is called Represent and, reading it again before writing this one, I have to say that I think you should read it, I'm proud of what I had to say. My slogan may be silly but my stance has met the test of time.

At that time I was addressing politics on a national level, today Rena's asking me to take a more local view in my focus. If you know me at all, you know that's a difficult one. I grew up in Boston but now live in the Midwest. I am a Jewish, liberal, coast lover living in a Christian, conservative, land locked state. I don't believe in putting people to death, yet I live in a state where the governor is so determined to do so that he was accused of illegally purchasing the needed drugs. They couldn't be legally imported, so essentially we paid for . . . nothing. I'm glad we didn't get the drugs, but am furious about paying for them and ashamed to be living in a state that supports this man.

But that's state, and I've been asked to choose a slogan for a campaign even more local than that, a City Council position. I don't need a whole platform at this time, just a slogan. Which is actually harder because I need to represent myself and my vision in just a few words. 

 One issue I'm passionate about is the outdoor recreation . . . or the lack thereof, how I'd love to address that. It would certainly generate capital as well. Although, I suppose, fulfilling that campaign promise may be a bit above my pay grade:

I actually live in a state where ditch weed grows wild. You should have seen the first time I caught a glimpse of it. Poor Hubs was driving down a dirt road not far from our house when I caught a glimpse. Scared the crap out of him when I screamed "STOOOOPPPP". 

Years later, I actually found a plant growing in our yard. I had nothing to do with it. I swear. But if I were to overreach, legalizing would definitely be one of my issues.

Yeah, I know it doesn't technically rhyme, but no worries, mon.

But if that one was actually within the power of local government, imagine the economic boom to local bakeries as well.

Butterscotch Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

I know! I could represent my commitment to the economy in a way that I could actually make an impact as a city councilperson. I'm all for supporting local small businesses, but how does it make sense to charge people to park in order to do so? Parking meters need to go.
 

 

Oh, wait. I've got it. My pet peeve. We've had to replace more than one tire in our family. Making this issue a focus is bound to be a winner with everyone I know:

Or maybe I should just go for something general. Honest, to the point, and no promises:

 

 

Now who do I have to bribe to get a super PAC started?

PS: Although I wrote a light post, mostly in jest, I do believe we can and will be in a better place in this country when we do put a "she" in the White House.


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:

Spatulas on Parade 
Wandering Web Designer 
A 'lil HooHaa 
Climaxed 
Southern Belle Charm 
Part-time Working Hockey Mom 

Butterscotch Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies        

                                                       ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients (makes 4 dozen):
1 stick butter, room temperature
1 stick margarine, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg, room temperature
1 3/4 cups flour
1/3 cup baking cocoa
 1/2 tsp instant coffee powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup quick oats
1 cup butterscotch baking chips

Directions:
*Cream butter, margarine, sugar and brown sugar, then beat in the egg.
*Carefully at first, beat in the flour, cocoa, instant coffee powder, baking soda, salt and oats. Once fully incorporated, mix in the butterscotch baking chips.
*Refrigerate for at least an hour wrapped in plastic wrap.
*Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cover baking sheets with parchment paper.
*Roll the dough into approximately 3/4 inch balls. Place on the baking sheets and flatten slightly.
*Bake for 12 minutes. Allow to cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes before removing to cool completely.