Cravings: 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 August number is 60. 
It was chosen by Diane of On the Border.

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 Cravings (ie: when you can't be with the one you love . . .).

~ You'd think my cravings result from the pandemic ever changing food availability. You'd be wrong. I've talked about having to change Hubs' diet due to gallbladder issues, so my cravings aren't about availability, but kindness. Yes, kindness. I've not only changed how I cook, but I'm (mostly) not eating anything at home that Hubs can't have. Call it couples suffering.

~ I made adjustments so there'd still be meals and accomplished the task of actually providing them . . . you know . . . daily. But with Hubs home so much more, there were also snacks and desserts needed. They're made differently, taste different, and required aggressive diligence in masking the artificial taste of fat free cream cheese or whipped cream substitute (yuck, by the way). 

~ I've had my successes {{pats self on back}}. I make pizza using lower fat cheeses and vegetables for toppings, satisfies the craving. We have burgers too, mine beef but I've developed a recipe for Sweet Chili Turkey Burgers that Hubs loves. And I've tried new ideas, like my Grilled Eggplant Sandwiches served with Sweet Potato fries. Sweet (pun intended) successes. 

Grilled Eggplant Sandwiches

~ But still . .  cravings. Yes, I know there are drive throughs. Unfortunately, this state never instituted precautions, bought into the"see no evil, less testing, less cases". Without closings there weren't safe stages of reopening. The amount of time we spent indoors was longer than in states that took intelligent precautions both in closing and reopening. We've been on our own.

~ Picturing myself collecting coveted goodies then sitting alone in my car shoveling it in? Not pretty. And logistics: sneak out (with cover story), use cash (no bills), get rid of the trash (evidence) before coming home, air out the car, oh, and where to brush my teeth? A gas station bathroom? Has it come to this? Not yet (maybe later).


~ Yet there are foods I can't duplicate, nor live without (there, I said it). Funny, the cravings are for foods I rarely eat when I can, yet now haunt me continuously: Popeye's Chicken Sandwich, McDonald's french fries, Dairy Queen Blizzard, Egg McMuffin, General Tso's Chicken (with Crab Rangoon, of course), Dunkin' munchkins. {{sigh}} May their memories be for a blessing.

Here are links to the other Word Counters posts:

Messymimi’s Meanderings 
On the Border 

Grilled Eggplant Sandwiches        
                                                       ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 eggplant
6 Ciabatta rolls (can use any roll) 
6 slices of beefsteak tomato
6 TBSP parmesan cheese
3/4 cup reduced fat shredded mozzarella cheese 
Jar (7 oz) roasted red pepper slices
6 TBSP Miracle Whip or other reduced fat mayonnaise 
1/2 cup cleaned, dry spinach leaves

Directions:
*Remove the ends from the eggplant and slice the thickest section into six, about 3/4 inch slices. Place individually on paper towels and sprinkle with salt. Allow to sit for 10 minutes.
*Pat the top of the eggplant slices. Turn over onto clean paper towels, sprinkle with salt and allow to sit for 10 minutes.
*Heat grill to medium high. Slice the Ciabatta rolls. Drain the red pepper slices and pat dry.
*Place the eggplant slices, tomato slices, and halved rolls (open side down) on the grill. Lower the heat to medium. Watch the rolls and remove as soon as they're brown.
*Cook the eggplant slices for 5 minutes. Turn them over and top each slice with 1 TBSP grated parmesan cheese, a slice of tomato, then 2 TBSP shredded mozzarella cheese and a few roasted red pepper slices. Cover the grill and cook for another 5 minutes. 
*Spread 1 TBSP mayonnaise onto the bottom of each roll, top with some spinach leaves, an eggplant round and cover with the top of the roll.

Working on the Railroad: 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: railway ~ breaks ~ saws ~ bird ~ variety ~ platform 
They were submitted by Jenniy of Climaxed.

I bet you know where these words took me. Yup, to trains.

The boys loved trains when they were little. Firetrucks would catch their interest too while we were out doing our errands, but on the occasions when we happen to see a train? That was the best. If there was a safe place to pull off the road, I'd whip over to the side and stop, sometimes resulting in an angry driver flipping me the bird (sorry, had to use that word and it's not so easy to work into a post about trains). On those occasions, the big locomotives would speed past us with a whoosh, rocking my car. We'd sit there listening to the click clack, click clack of all the cars until the caboose passed. "I'm going to work for the railroad," my youngest would always say, inevitably resulting in my loudly singing "I've been working on the railroad," to those poor kids' dismay.  

We don't have any local commuter trains here, at least not anywhere near us, the railways all through this area are populated only by Union Pacific trains carrying freight. Sometimes we'd pass by a train going in the opposite direction always wave to the conductor. More often we'd be driving to the mall on a street that passed under the tracks. Every now and then, if we got really lucky, we'd be driving down the road where their preschool was, the road parallel to a section of tracks, when a train would come up beside us. I'm going to work for the railroad," my youngest would always say, inevitably resulting in my loudly singing "I've been working on the railroad," to those poor kids' dismay.  

In the summers we'd take breaks from the steaming heat of the Midwest and head to the beaches of the East Coast. I'm from the Boston area, where there's a local transit system called the T, with a variety of options for little train lovers. There are streetcars, which are more like a bus on rails. No platforms, just jump on from one of the stops on the road. We'd ride them with my sister and her kids, such a fun adventure for the kids (maybe not so much my sister's two kids, but definitely mine). You can also, though, take an actual commuter train that would make local stops, and every now and then we'd make a day of it. In fact, one of my favorite pictures of the 4 cousins is of them sitting together on a seat on one of those train rides. 

We'd ride for a while and then get off in another town where we could walk to a local park. The kids would play for a few hours, ride the swings, go down the slides and make each other dizzy on the seesaws. After juice boxes and cookies that we'd packed for the day out, they had the train ride home to look forward to.   

Raspberry Lemon Crunch Cookies

Back on the train, kids happy and tired and full of snacks, we'd ride, swaying in our seats, back to the station where my sister had left her car. "I'm going to work for the railroad," my youngest would always say, inevitably resulting in my loudly singing "I've been working on the railroad," to all four kids' dismay.  

These are all such fun memories, but time passes, kids get older, and dreams change. We don't pull over to watch trains go by any more, although I do often smile when I see one, remembering when we did. These days I have no little ones to embarrass with my loud refrains of "I've been working on the railroad."  

And that little boy, convinced he'd someday work for the railroad? He grew up and went off to college, majored in Computer Science and is currently working in Boulder Colorado as a Senior Applications Developer. 

Oh, and who does he work for? 

Union Pacific.

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

Wandering Web Designer
On the Border 
Climaxed 
Part-time Working Hockey Mom 

Raspberry Lemon Crunch Cookies

                                                                       ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
12 lemon sandwich cookies 
1/3 cup yellow, pink and/or red colored sugar
1 package sugar cookie mix
1/2 - 1 cup butter or butter substitute (amount recommended on package), room temperature
1 egg
1 tsp raspberry extract
1/4 cup freeze dried raspberries

Directions:
*Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cover baking sheets with parchment paper.
*Crush the lemon sandwich cookies to small pieces (not crumbs).
*Place the colored onto a plate.
*Mix together the cookie mix, butter or substitute, egg, raspberry extract, freeze dried raspberries, and crushed cookies until it forms a dough.
*Roll the dough into approximately 3/4 inch balls. Flatten slightly, press one side into the colored sugar and place them onto the baking sheets, sugar side up.
*Bake for 10 - 12 minutes or until the cookies just start to brown around the edges. Allow to sit on the baking sheets for 2 minutes before removing to cool completely.

A Dog's Day: Dog Days Poetry

The Monthly Poetry Group,
we chose,
Dog Days as the target for
our prose.

So here I go again,
I'm tryin'.
To write a poem doesn't
leave you cryin'.

If it happens I 
don't succeed.
Just read. 
With speed. 
And then recede.

 A Dog's Day

"Dog days" is a term we all use,
when it's hotter than hot,
You know the ones I'm talking about,
when Hades would be a cool spot.

Drink lots of fluid and eat fresh fruit,
anything to stay cool.
Lucky are those who get to spend
the day submerged in a pool.

Air conditioning runs on high,
fans all blowing too.
Dog days spent trying not to melt.
(I'd not look good as goo).

Dinner's whatever goes on the grill,
once the day is done.
Have to cook it after dark.
You know, to avoid the sun.

And {{sigh}} no baking taking place,
heating the house is foolish. 
Dessert's in the freezer where it belongs,
So I can serve it . . . cool-ish.

Layered Chocolate Pie (make ahead, no bake)

But . . .

A true dog's day, now what is that?
They eat and play and run.
Snooze whenever the feeling strikes,
not just when day is done.

Unconditional love for one and all,
dictates their every move.
I guess we need more true dog days,
our lives would surely improve.

Before you go, click on these links to more poetry from some of my friends:
Diane of On the Border shares DogGONE Dog Days.

Layered Chocolate Pie (make ahead, no bake)
                                               ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup chocolate graham cracker crumbs
2 TBSP sugar
5 TBSP melted butter
1 box (about 3.5 oz) white chocolate pudding
1 box (about 3.5 oz) chocolate pudding
3 cups milk
2 cups heavy cream
3 TBSP powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla

1 TBSP baking cocoa

OPT: shaved semisweet chocolate for garnish

Directions:
*Lightly grease a 10 inch pie plate.
*Mix together the graham cracker crumbs, chocolate graham cracker crumbs, sugar and melted butter. Press into the bottom and partially up the sides of the pie plate.
*Whisk 1 1/2 cups of milk with the white chocolate pudding mix. Spread about 3/4 cup of the pudding onto the crust and refrigerate. Set remaining pudding aside.
*Whip the cream until soft peaks form. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla and whip until stiff peaks hold. Whisk about 1 1/3 cups of the whipped cream into the remaining white chocolate pudding and carefully spread on top of the pudding in the pie plate. Freeze for 1/2 hour.
*While pie is setting, cover and refrigerate the remaining whipped cream and, in another bowl, whisk 1 1/2 cups milk with the chocolate pudding. Cover and refrigerate.
*Remove pie from freezer. Spread about 3/4 cup of the chocolate pudding onto the pie. Whisk another 1 1/3 cups of the whipped cream into the remaining chocolate pudding, spread onto the pie and freeze for 1/2 hour. Cover and refrigerate the last 1 1/3 cups of whipped cream.
*Remove the pie from the freezer. Spread 1 cup of the remaining whipped cream onto the pie. Mix 1 TBSP baking cocoa into the final 1/3 cup and pipe onto the pie. Top with shaved semisweet chocolate if desired. Cover and freeze for at least 2 hours. 
*To serve: move to refrigerator for about an hour for easier slicing. Store leftovers, covered, in the freezer.