Dec 14, 2011 |
Yesterday, I was so excited. I was anticipating the Storm of the Year. Every news broadcast warned to stock up, stay inside, and be safe. Two days of rain and snow and wind were headed our way.
And so we prepared.
We bought groceries and firelogs.
We wore flannel pajamas and made sure flashlights were nearby.
And we waited.
And waited.
And… waited…
And woke up angry.
The storm never happened. We saw a few thick wet snowflakes that teased us for a few minutes, but after half an hour even the rain was milder.
The storm never happened.
And I’m still angry.
I was looking forward to a Snow Day. A day of not driving my daughter to school or needing to run errands. A day when the world would stop and be quiet except for laughter and the sounds of fun.
And I got gypped.
This is just one example of why I don’t listen to the news that often, and when I do, I don’t believe them. The media is so intent on making stories bigger and scarier than they need to be. Of causing a change in our daily habits. For nothing. Nothing.
I don’t want to get riled up any more, so I’m not going to vent about how mainstream media is a circus that doesn’t have any real leaders; but only power pushers. I won’t say a word about manipulation and drama. I choose to stay away from such things.
Instead, tonight I’ll go to sleep and dream of a White Christmas.
It’s bound to happen sooner or later.
Dec 13, 2011 |
I’m writing this a day early. I usually schedule my posts a day or two ahead of time, so this is not so noteworthy. Except the reasons I’m doing this, is we’re expecting a snowfall tonight and tomorrow and I want to be able to enjoy it. I’m sure if we get that much snow, I’ll photograph it and blog about it and squeal with girlish delight…
I”m sitting on my loveseat in front of my big picture window, watching the Scrub Jays fight the Cactus Wren for the trove of peanuts I put out for them; while the sparrows, finches and even a phoebe are fluttering all around the seed feeder and kicking up the ground to search for more.
A storm is most definitely coming in.
And I intend to enjoy it.
These are my favorite moments. Sitting in the warmth of the house with my cats, watching the birds try their best to beat the clouds. Checking the weather report every ten minutes to find its changed yet again (for the better, or worse, depending on your desire for snow). Drinking my Keurig peppermint tea and eating some Doo-Dads while listening to the Waltons on the dvd player and enjoying the lights of the Christmas Star and the Tree.
These are definitely some of my favorite moments.
When it snows tonight or tomorrow, we’ll stand out in it, listening to the quiet. Enjoying the darkened sky as it falls on our tongues and down our necks. Then we’ll come inside and drink hot cocoa, eat snacks and watch a Christmas movie.
I’m glad for moments like this.
Living in the high desert of SoCal, we don’t get snow, or even rain, like most of the country. While it’s not always sunny and warm, it’s not always winter. And there’s something about being less than two weeks away from Christmas with a forecast of “65 and sunny” that doesn’t sit right with me. It’s the gray skies, the chill wind, and the foraging birds that make winter seem more real, make Christmas seem more enjoyable.
We’ve been getting more snow each year, but it’s still only a few inches now and then. I’m fairly certain that within a few years we will be reclassified as “the place formerly known as High Desert” but until then, until this becomes the norm, it’s a cozy experience.
And I intend to enjoy every minute of it. So forgive me if this post is fluff and flakes. But I like my winters that way. I’ll take it as a Christmas gift from Mother Nature.
This storm is for the Birds. And each and every one of them.
Dec 12, 2011 |
One of my favorite channels is, of course, the Food Network. And my favorite shows are “Food Network Challenge” and “Cupcake Wars”. I love seeing how other chefs create tastes and presentations.
I never intended this Blog to have a focus on recipes. I always thought it would be just me. Getting through life. And sharing my ridiculous stories with whoever cared to read them. But when some of those stories began in my kitchen, I noticed something. You paid attention.
I love cooking. I love baking. Creating. Decorating. And you like hearing about me setting off the fire alarm with my blackened salmon or spilling the chili all over my foot … okay, I haven’t shared those stories with you yet, but I will…
My point is, my writing and cooking don’t have to be mutually exclusive. And You figured that out before I did. So thank you.
My life-long friend Lisa sent me a great Christmas gift: two boxes of food for my pantry. How amazing is she?! And as I opened the boxes I started singing to myself. Loudly. Lisa lives in Florida. It’s been 30 years since we’ve seen each other. But we’re still friends. And she knew what she was doing when she sent this to me. Because this gift is more than just food. It’s the chance for me to create a menu and play with my food. And then write about it.
With the ingredients she sent me, I’m going to plan out some great meals for January. And I’ll post them here. Some will be old recipes. Some will be trial and error. I’ll share them all with you here: the good, the bad, the tasteless.
[Except the homemade cookies. We’re gonna eat those like yesterday!]
IN THE FOOD BOX:
Canned Mandarin Oranges
Canned Pineapple Chunks
Boxed Peanut Butter Cookie Mix
Boxed Sugar Cookie Mix
Packaged Peanut Butter Cookie Mix
Packaged Sugar Cookie Mix
Packaged Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix
1 Jar – Peanut Butter
Boxed Mashed Sweet Potatoes
Bag Stuffing Mix
2 Cans – Pot Roast Soup
1 Can – Diced Tomatoes
3 Cans – Tomato Paste
2 Cans – Meatless Chili
2 Boxes – Onion Soup Mix
Dried Beans – Pinto
Dried Beans – Great Northern
Dried Beans – Navy
Dried Beans – Green Split Pea
I’m looking forward to my own little Food Challenge. I have no idea what I’ll create. But I’m pretty sure I’ll have fun creating it!
Merry Christmas to all, and to all a Good Eat!
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
Dec 11, 2011 |
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas.
And this is what it looks like in my house:
See that salty good mix? This is my version of the original Chex Party Mix. I’ve always known it as “Doo Dads”. A little this, a little that. How could you not want some Doo Dads?
You can deck the halls all you want, but in my house it’s not The Season until the Doo Dads are made.
We pretty much live on a diet of this mix and hot cocoa the week before Christmas. We have to parcel it out and make sure nobody comes in to steal all the Cheez-Its out of the container. Hence, the Security Patrol, otherwise known as Nutcracker. And believe me, there’s a lot of Doo Dads to guard. At least, at first.
It may not look like a lot from this shot, but that tin is 14 inches tall and 10 inches wide. And this is just one batch! I usually make two batches in one day, but this year I did the first one just before Thanksgiving and the second one earlier this week.
Wanna guess how long before we ran out of the first batch? Let’s just say I made the second batch when nobody else would be home for hours. Easier to guard with less snack attackers around.
Here’s a few helpful hints when making this recipe:
*20 cups of cereal and snacks can be a lot for one bowl to contain, so I usually put all the dry ingredients into a large trash bag for easier mixing. If you do this, make sure to use a regular plastic trash bag and not a “scented” or “clean fragrance” one. You don’t want your Doo Dads to taste lemony fresh. That’s so not part of the recipe.
*After mixing all the dry ingredients, pour the butter sauce into the bag. Make sure you have a tight grip on the bag and shake it, shift it, however you want to mix it. Just make sure you don’t crush the Doo Dads. You’ll know when it’s all coated once the bag itself has been coated on the inside.
*Use large roasting pans. To make clean up easier, I buy the cheap disposable ones. No matter how many batches I make, all I have to do when I’m done, is toss them out. No dishpan hands for me!
*If you’ve mixed the Doo Dads in a large bag, make sure you have a good grip on the bag, taking in all the excess and holding it like a pour spout. The mix will tumble out quickly so be careful not to overfill the pans.
*When stirring every 15 minutes, I take one pan out, stir it and set it aside. I take the next pan, stir, and put it where the first pan was; rotating each pan clockwise, and putting the first pan into the last empty spot. Of course, they’ll roast no matter where they’re placed in the oven, but this ensures that the roasting is nice and even.
And now, from my house to yours… The Recipe.
Merry Christmas. Eat, Drink, and Be Merry!
Ingredients
- 5 Cups Corn Chex
- 5 Cups Rice Chex
- 5 Cups Wheat Chex
- 4 Cups Cheerios
- 1 Bag (12 oz.) Pretzel Sticks
- 1 Box (13.5 oz ea.) Cheez-It Crackers
- 2 Cans (14.5 oz ea.) Salted Peanuts
- 1 Cup + 2 TBS Butter
- 1/3 Cup Worcestershire Sauce
- 2 1/2 tsp Garlic Salt
- 1 1/2 tsp Seasoned Salt
Instructions
- Mix together cereals, pretzels, cheese crackers and peanuts. Set aside.
- In small saucepan, melt butter over low heat.
- Add worcestershire sauce to butter, stir.
- Add garlic salt and seasoned salt to butter sauce. Stir constantly until blended.
- Pour sauce over dry mix. Mix thoroughly.
- Spread into shallow baking or roasting pans.
- Roast at 250 degrees for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes.
3.1
https://franklymydearmojo.com/2011/12/11/holiday-recipe-doo-dads/ (c) 2012 Frankly, My Dear... New Inklings Press
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
Dec 10, 2011 |
I absolutely love this phrase. I can’t, however, say or even think it without thinking of the Twilight Zone episode of the same name: a great episode, one of its most famous ones. You know how the Twilight Zone is. So even if you haven’t seen the episode, you pretty much already know how it turns out.
[Spoiler Alert!!!… don’t read this post if you don’t want to know how this 51 year old show turned out…]
So this woman undergoes drastic, I mean, drastic, cosmetic surgery. Her entire face needs to be transformed in order for her to fit into society. Otherwise, she’s going to be sent off to a place I can only relate to as a Leper’s Island: that locale where everyone is self sufficient, individual… and kept away from the world because they are so ugly they will never survive. If this episode was about the animal kingdom, it would prob’ly be titled “Eat or Be Eaten”. In the end, the woman’s bandages are removed and we see her face. Her face that won’t conform to the standards of the world. Her hideously beautiful face. Because its all the other faces that we consider ugly; but that’s what her society is: ugly. At least, to us. Their contorted faces and pushed-up noses and skin folds and… well, like I said: ugly.
Anyway. I digress. I do that a lot lately. Can you blame me? I have a lot on my mind… but anyway…
It got me thinking. And you got me thinking. You, my readers. My mom. My friends. For me being a Doll who likes stability, I also like to change things up now and then. So a few days ago when I asked how I should make the Blog more readable, I was overwhelmed with the collective “NNOOOO!!!”‘ ‘s that I received. Apparently, I’ve found a formula that works better than I knew it did, better than I thought it would.
Although Dani requests more recipes and Mary wants to be my taste-tester. Easily worked out, ladies. Easily. (*insert winky face icon [and passport] here*)
And in my discussions with several readers and fellow bloggers, I’ve come to realize that I need to leave well enough alone. That I’m doing well, headed for better things. That I needn’t change everything all the time. That it’s okay to just be still.
Hear that?
It’s okay to just be still.
It really is.
It’s totally okay for me to just sit back and enjoy it as it is. Whatever it is. A quiet morning doesn’t have to be interrupted by internet. And working on the Blog doesn’t have to mean changing it. A cup of coffee doesn’t have to energize me. It just has to taste good.
As a society, we’re so brainwashed into more-more-more, faster-better-stronger… it takes my breath away just thinking it. You can’t even say those words without feeling a rush. Always striving for better. But what if “better” isn’t striving? What if “better” is slowing down and seeing and saying “It’s good. Just the way it is.”
I don’t always have to fix things, change things, create things. I get so busy doing that I forget to stop doing. I get so focused on the end result that I don’t see the present.
Present. That’s an interesting word. In this current holiday season, it means more than just the time at hand. It means, Gift. Token. It also means a special talent.
The present I’ve already received from You is your gift of readership, of support, comments, forwards, likes, and discussions. The gift of being accepted just for doing what I’m supposed to do: write it out. No matter what. So I won’t be changing my blog any time soon. I’ll concentrate more on the recipes and creative writings, but won’t be making any major changes.
And in return, I give you this Present: Today. Always plan for tomorrow, but don’t forget to see Today. The good, the bad, the ugly. What stresses you today makes you stronger for tomorrow. The big losses are opportunities to feel anything. And when some people keep themselves so bottled up, feeling anything is really quite something. The little triumphs has the Universe cheering in your corner. Today. It’s exceptionally beautiful… you need only to behold it.
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
