While I think I ‘d rather enjoy a really cozy cabin, aboard Amtrak, I couldn’t help but think of that Steve Martin and John Candy movie Planes, Trains, and Automobiles. It’s one of my favorite holiday movies to watch, and most everyone loved both of those comedic actors?
My favorite part of the whole movie was the airport scene with Edie McClurg, where they were trying to get their rental car, and she was busy making turkey sounds on the phone.
Then again, the snuggly hotel scene…
Specifically, the Chatty Cathy doll reference had me nearly pulling a stomach muscle from too much laughing.
While I love all of that movie, I would prefer that I stay on a train… with room service!
I sat for a good bit this morning, trying to find the words to enter back into the stream of literary traffic that is WordPress… and it’s been hard, to say the least.
If I could sum up the last several months in only a few words, it’d be something like, “alrighty then, wasn’t that a ride!”
I could tell you the details about my health journey, and perhaps in time I may, but now is not the time… maybe later.
On the upside, we’ve a new granddaughter that has to be the most beautiful thing I’ve ever lain eyes upon…
From the tip of her tiny toes, all the way to her silky soft hair…
… our Sugarplum was the most wonderful of Christmas package one could ever imagine! While I would love to show you a cascade of new baby pictures, I wish to respect my daughter’s privacy, so for the most part I’ll be using the Avatar created for Maisie unless Mamma gives me approved pic’s for public viewing…
Please forgive any future crazy writing angles, as I’m still trying to right my health situation. When you are physically compromised, it bleeds over into your emotions, as well.
In a tiny nutshell, doctors have failed to offer anything other than more drugs, so we’ve been forced to step back from modern medicine and seek a different route. Basically, we’re DIYing it. I don’t know what’s to come, but God does, so I’m leaving it in His mighty hands.
While God watches over me, I’ve been tasked to continue my writing. I want to publish my works, and I want to be here, with you… my family.
So, with that being said, let’s just get back to it, the writing that is…
Let’s all celebrate and have a party… cause the Punctuation Fairy has returned!!!
For starters I could stop answering these repeats of repeats on the prompt feed! Talk about beating a dead horse, right?!
With Christmas just around the corner, can’t we just start answering fun questions already?
I want to hear what folks want for Christmas, what their family celebration plans are, or what traditions they keep, ya know?
I know that my Christmas already arrived four days ago… and my newest grandbaby is absolutely perfect! She was born via c-section weighing 8 lbs 14 oz., and she came with a full head of dark brown hair… just beautiful!
Back to the prompt though, as I don’t want to miss the chance to NOT do a lot less of things, I will be answering in a contrary manner…
I will NOT talk less, nor dream less, nor laugh less
I vow NOT to love less, give less, nor care for others less
Under no circumstances shall I NOT pray less, praise God less, or ever share less than All of what God has done for me!
How was that? Not too bad, eh?
Oh, yeah! I’ll never, ever, ever, stop baking you calorie free cookies from my virtual kitchen…
This should be so easy for us to organize and promote, OA’s (Overthinkers Anonymous members… you know who you are)!
Seeings as how we’re frequently up at all hours of the night, I feel confident that we could really make a go of this, don’t you? Come on guys, how about just this once, we agree about a thing, without taking all night to do it, please?
I know I don’t ask for things often, but this could be our moment to stand… to stand up and celebrate all those over-tired, over-worked, underpaid, unrecognized and/or simply stressed out members of society!
Hoping to save time in the decision making process, I’ve come up with a pretty fair quality title, along with a helpful slogan;
Owl Day!
We don’t care WHOOO you are
We’re just glad you DOOOO your part!
I’ve taken the liberty of selecting a few posters to choose from, and might I suggest we select a day in early January?
This would give us plenty of time to argue about the photos, and also gets us safely past all the New Years Resolutions we’ve no intention of keeping.
I suppose if I’m to think of the biggest dish I’d like to bake, it would be Baked Pterodactyl… you know, like a Turkey but bigger!
If a Turkey dinner could feed a family of 5 for several days, then why not use a bigger bird? And, as I’ve no desire to eat any of the pretty birds like Ostriches, or Big Bird, for that matter… we’re left with the Pterodactyl.
The down side is, I’ve heard that Pterodactyl meat shrinks in the oven due to being rather dry.
Maybe I should just stick with Turkey…
Yes, I understood what the prompt was actually asking, but as I’ve no risks that need taking, I went with the birds.
Before I answered this mornings prompt, I wanted to be sure that I had a proper understanding of what was being asked. So, I looked up the definition of principle, just to be sure!
1. a fundamental truth or proposition that serves as the foundation for a system of belief or behavior or for a chain of reasoning.”the basic principles of Christianity” h Similar:truthpropositionconceptideatheorypostulateassumptionbasisfundamentalessenceessentialphilosophy
a rule or belief governing one’s personal behavior.”struggling to be true to their own principles” . Similar: morals morality moral standards moral values ethics code of ethics beliefs credo ideals standards integrity uprightness high-mindedness righteousness virtue probity rectitude sense of honor honor decency conscience sense of duty scruples
a general scientific theorem or law that has numerous special applications across a wide field.
In honesty, all that’s needed to fully answer the question now is a bible verse that you may be familiar with…
30 And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 xThe second is this: y‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment zgreater than these.” Mark 12:30-31
After reading this verse, all you need to do is then re-read that list of similar words for principle. The ones from the dictionary do a fair job of describing the many ways to act, and live out all those principles that should define our lives! Just sayin…
I’ve had sort of a rough week when it comes to food, so I want to give a disclaimer, here. **All testing and results may vary, as I’m not certain if my skills, my stomach, or my taster were behaving properly!**
My baking adventures started out seemingly normal. I gathered up all my ingredients, recipes, and cooking tools…
And, yes, you heard me correctly when I said recipes, plural, meaning more than one…
You see, I found this recipe for a delicious looking Pumpkin bread, but then also saw a recipe for Cream Cheese Frosting. Unfortunately, I can’t have dairy. So, I had this notion that maybe Tofu might work as a comparable substitute for the cream cheese.
There’s a huge number of frosting recipes available using Tofu as a substitute for the cheese, so the assumption was made that it should be a success… right!?
Wrong!!!! I’ve never smelled something this vile in all my days, aside from Salmon, Slime, or that Vietnamese fish sauce stuff. Now, I don’t know if it’s just me, what with my health issues, or if it was truly that rank! I didn’t have the heart, nor the stomach to ask my husband to sacrifice his taste buds… so I tossed it! It smelled like a combination of playdough and that Paper Mache glue we used in elementary school.
I went ahead with the Pumpkin bread idea, opting for a simple maple glaze of my own creation. I’ve shared the bread recipe I chose, below…
Classic Pumpkin Bread
Homemade Pumpkin Bread is a favorite Fall recipe that’s loaded with warming spices and packed with tons of pumpkin flavor. It will make your house smell so good that you’ll forget you just bought a pumpkin spice candle! This delicious pumpkin bread recipe is super moist and both gluten-free & dairy-free.
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt, and spices.
Beat eggs and sugar in a large bowl or stand mixer on medium speed.
Add the pumpkin, then slowly add oil and water. Beating well after each addition.
Add the flour mixture and beat on low until well combined.
Pour the batter into prepared pans, dividing evenly.
Bake for 1 hour or until the center comes out clean with a toothpick.
Let the loaves cool in the pan for at least 10 minutes and then turn onto a rack to cool completely.
Did you know that those plastic Ice-cream tubs work great for mixing bowls? Use it if you got it… that’s what I say!
Anyway, I followed the recipe verbatim (exactly as was written), except that I used Olive Oil. Well, I did also switch out the two bread pans for a single 12 inch spring form. (Some of the best places to find specialty cookware is Goodwill, believe it or not!)
It did have to be baked for 80 minutes, in contrast to the 60 minutes for two bread tins that the recipe reflects…
Voila!
Now, I must confess that I used my husband as my taste tester this week… don’t blame me, blame the Tofu! You guys, I couldn’t get that smell out of my head, or out of the apartment for the entire day. It was awful!
To be fair to vegans around the globe, I think that I may have an aversion to Tofu, along with the Salmon that I mentioned earlier. Memory has a funny way of messing with you, sometimes. And, many people use Tofu in a number of ways, swearing by it! So, if you would, kindly go easy on the Tofu community. Let’s just call this one Operator Error, and move on.
All that I did here as a substitute for the frosting, was to make a simple drizzle with 1/8 cup Maple Syrup (any brand will do), 1 cup powdered sugar, and 2 tsp of lemon juice.
My husband gave it 2 thumbs up, and if he likes it gluten-free, you will too!
As for me, maybe it was the Tofu, or quite possibly the Barium sludge I had to swallow the day before, but I don’t know if pumpkin and I can ever be friends again, seriously!
Next week should be far better, as I’m going to tackle a gluten-free, dairy-free, cinnamon roll, or sweet buns, if you like. I’ve never worked with yeast in gluten-free baking, so it’ll be a bit of a learning curve.
Hey, if you’re game, I am! Why, a young King David slew Goliath, with not but a stone and sling, so I am confident that I can challenge a loaf of bread, with not but Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 flour!
Gluten-free bread baking, here I come. Wish me luck…
When it comes to favorite hobbies or pastimes, I’ve led a very full life. Fortunately for me, having children to use as my excuse, I was able to shamelessly buy myself all manner of games, books, craft supplies, and the like… all under the guise of “it’s for my kids!”
As time marched on, however, my kids grew and moved away, so I became a closet crafter, for a good while.
Then, as age crept onto my hobby scene, my fading eyesight and arthritis stole much of my hobbies and pastimes, which included things like photography, gardening, painting, horse wrangling, camping, hiking, and the like. The list really does go on and on.
But, the one hobby that began when I was small… you know… my Easy Bake adventures in baking… some things never change!
Journey With Me! 