QOTD
In Which I Explain That I’m Not A Cornflake
I like Janet. She knows things. She is encouraging. She is her own style muse. And her name? So easy to remember. { image source }
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Having reached Level 1000 in Candy Crush Soda Saga, I decided to give it up and download a new game onto my smart phone. To play the new game I had to create a user name, a nickname as the game called it.
Anyone who knows me knows that wordsmith-ery and problem-solving are my strengths in life. Thus, you’d think that I’d be a wiz at creating nicknames, wouldn’t you?
But in this case I became frustrated, almost flaked out, because I couldn’t find one that was not already in use. I mean I tried basic ones, then I tried what I thought were unique names for moi and to a one, these names were all were taken.
Teal Flower? GONE.
BeeBeeBee? GONE.
One Fine Gamegirl? GONE.
So eventually, being a woman with a large vocabulary who prides herself on perseverance & perspicacity, I decided to turn this problem on its head and do the opposite of what I thought made sense. Hence, instead of describing myself as I am, I chose to describe myself as I am not.
And guess what? Using this shrewd reverse-thinking approach I found a nickname that wasn’t taken.
Yes, my gentle readers, please share in my amazement that NOT A CORNFLAKE was an available nickname, that is now mine.
So on that rather absurd note, with joy in my heart about life’s funny moments, I’m back to blogging.
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How ‘ya been? What’s new with you? Got a nickname that you care to share?
Just say something in the comments below. Talk to me.
I missed all of you.
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In Which Ms. Bean Finds A Recipe & Makes It Her Way
Saw the recipe. Thought it sounded good.
Made the recipe using ingredients I had on hand. Ingredients that were close enough to those listed in the recipe.
Similar.
Didn’t have apple cider, so used pomegranate juice instead. Most of a small bottle.
Didn’t have the specific aromatic spices required so substituted Penzey’s mulling spices. Put about a teaspoon of them in a tea ball, so I wouldn’t have to strain the mess through cheesecloth later.
Lazy, but thinking ahead.
Didn’t have a clementine in the house. Contemplated using a grapefruit, that was in the house, but decided that the tanginess of the pomegranate juice would not be improved with grapefruit zest in this recipe.
Also, I’m a messy zester, thus it came to be that no citrus was added.
Didn’t have any fresh ginger, so used crystallized ginger. Two pieces.
Didn’t have the requisite amount of castor sugar, so used the end of the cane sugar in the bottom of the sugar bowl. About three tablespoons.
Probably.
Put tea ball with spices into juice in a saucepan. Brought the mess to a boil, allowing it to simmer on the stove top for a while. Took out tea ball, added sugar. Mixed mess around until sugar dissolved, then let sweetened mess simmer on very low heat until it thickened into a syrup.
The result?
Delicious, drizzled on fresh fruit salad. Or added, a splash at time, to a glass of red wine.
The recipe?
Vaguely adhered to.
The friend’s response?
Shock + dismay that I didn’t follow the recipe as written, but a request for the recipe exactly as I made it.
As if I have any idea… 🙄
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QUESTION OF THE DAY
Do you follow recipes precisely as written OR do you wing it as you go along?
And how does that work out for you?
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The Making Of A Turkey Day Outlier
I’m not a big fan of the traditional turkey Thanksgiving dinner.
It might be that because as a child we usually had steaks for Thanksgiving dinner.
My father hated poultry.
My mother happily agreed to this break from tradition, knowing that roasting a turkey + making all the trimmings was WORK– while grilling steaks, making a salad, and mashing potatoes was about as EZPZ as a holiday meal could get.
Also, we never, ever had pumpkin pie.
My mother despised it so she usually made a lemon meringue pie.
That was her favorite pie.
And me, little Ally Bean? I liked whatever the grown-ups decided to give me, so whatever Thanksgiving meal showed up was [and is] cool by me.
In fact, if you’re all about a traditional turkey-centric, carbohydrate-ful Thanksgiving dinner every year, then enjoy.
But if you’re a little more loosey-goosey [so to speak] about what you have for Thanksgiving dinner, then you might be, like me, a Turkey Day Outlier.
Care to ‘fess up about your preferred Thanksgiving Day dinner in the comments below?
HAPPY THANKSGIVING, EVERYONE!
THE SPECTACLED BEAN 