A Place for Everything...(everything in it's place).

apple cinnamon dump cake cobbler sort of thing

I need to find my writing mojo. Instead of spending energy here or on my research, I decided to bake again. I mean, what goes good with cinnamon raisin bread? Cinnamon apple cake – of course, silly! And this makes a ton of it. So cut back where you need to.

Ingredients:

(1) 16 oz. White or Yellow Cake mix
(1) Stick of butter
Brown sugar to your liking
Walnuts or other nuts if you please
(3) packages of 16 oz tubs of prepared Hormel cinnamon apples
(You can use pineapples, cherries, or other fruit. Just remember that you will need moisture for the cake to wick up. I have found the apples are just about right. Maybe 25% sauce, so maybe 4oz of a creamy sugary cinnamon mix.)

Dump the (3) containers of apples into a 13 X 9 pan with the sides buttered. I had a few apples that were still good – but the texture wasn’t appealing (uncooked). Looking back, I would have only added 1/2 of the third container considering I added (3) sliced apples. It cooked over a bit *oops.* Spread evenly. Dump the dry cake mix on top of the fruit. I then spread it as well. Cut the stick of butter into think slices and line the top of the cake with it. Place into the oven for 20 m. at 400 degrees. After that, I brought it out, applied brown sugar and nuts. I placed back in for 20 more minutes. I had to pull it and put tin foil over the nuts and back in for 10 more mins this time. Normally I do 415-425. Hello, experimentation. The nuts will burn if too hot for too long (hence the tin foil).

I hope that you get to try this cake. Canned cherries work well also, or a mix of pineapple and cherries. The cherries, by the way, have the right amount of sauce for the cake mix. I also leave a little of the pineapple juice in when dumping. I had to experiment to find “just the right amount.” ~Goldilocks. 😛

Today was sort of meh. Work was a slog – and the weekend, while peaceful, contained a lot of aimlessness. I did write a lot. I also got my social platforms set up. I may have mentioned that earlier. I wrote my last prison penpal today and mentally, I have check out. Well, that is how it feels. The constant alertness and negative news bombardment may have worn my down. I am sifting through the thoughts to figure that one out.

WW. joe

avoid the corona and make some cinnamon raisin bread

Avoiding the corona, and more than social just distancing. My brain capacity seems to be shrinking. So I decided to bake. I have cooked quite a bit recently – but a treat sounded much better. I have not written for awhile, since all that I have been reading or hearing about is COVID-19. It is exhausting – and I cannot imagine being in a place like NY. I spent the last few days working on my book with whatever time and energy that I had. I have started researching about a gamer’s life. Between lining up all of the platforms (website, social site, etc.) I have been occupied. Both in a busy way – but also distracting. So – maybe I can help distract you for a minute. It was nice to be doing something. (PS. Since the yeast is now a scarce commodity, I had to cut back on baking bread. The stores as well as Amazon are out. I had to order 1lb. of yeast in order to get it before May.)

So I went to Pinterest, and found a cinnamon raisin bread recipe. I ended up at this website and proceeded to make some bread. I did some tweaking as well – go figure. It turned out really fluffy and light. So if you want it more dense then you should probably tweak the recipe, or check this one out (which I made a couple weeks ago). It turned out a little more dense. They are very similar though.

1 c. Milk (room temp)
3.5 tbs. Softened Butter (I increased .5 tbs from the original 2 tbs.)
4 tbs. Honey (I imagine you could use Agave – or the like)
2 tbs. Brown Sugar (I increased vs. the original of 1 tbs.)
1 Egg (Warmed to room temperature)
1 tsp. Salt
1.5 tsp. Cinnamon (I increased from 1 tsp. from the original)
3 c. Bread Flour (I used traditional white)
2 1/4 tsp. Active Yeast
3/4 c. Raisins (The original called for 1 c. but I didn’t have that – so I put other sweeteners in – see above)

Settings: 1.5 Loaf Size, Sweet Bread Setting

I added the ingredients pretty much in order. Except that I made sure the yeast was in the corner and not touching anything but the flower until I was ready to start. The bread is about the consistency of “store bought” white bread. You may want to add more honey – or some sugar as well if you want it sweeter. Maybe cut back slightly on the yeast for a smaller rise or perhaps removing the egg – if you want it more dense. Just some thoughts.

WW. joe

easy cream cheese frosting, made from scratch.

Simple ingredients. And I did cheat, a bit…

My partner had a birthday today and I wanted to bake a cake. I am learning to bake, as noted in my prior post, so I cheated for the cake. (1) Yellow cake mix. Plus, honestly, I did not have a lot of time. Her parents were sneaking over and I am known for last minute things… this was one. Yes… we did social distance…

I also included the variation of the cake. It was a yellow cake mix from Aldi but I subbed ingredients. I tend to like coconut oil more. It makes a mean brownie as well. Just say’n.

Yellow Cake

(1) Yellow Cake Mix
(3) Med/Lg Eggs
(1/3) c. of Coconut Oil for Vegetable Oil (melted)
(1) c. Milk in place of Water

I mixed all of it together until there were no clumps left.

I used a 13 X 9 greased pan and put in the oven while it was preheating to 350 degrees for 25 minutes. It had been preheating for maybe 5 mins already (while I mixed the batter together).

I got the frosting idea from a recipe called “Insanely Delicious Cream Cheese Frosting,” which I pulled from Pinterest. Great recipe. I needed to tweak it just a bit since I did not have all of the cream cheese – and frankly, I was not sure that I needed 3 c. of frosting. (By the way – the amount that I made generously covered this yellow cake, and still have a container left over.)

Joe’s revised “Insanely Delicious Cream Cheese Frosting”

(1 3/4) c. Powdered Sugar
(6) tbs. Softened Butter
(6) oz. Softened Cream Cheese (sat out of the fridge while I mixed the cake; not frozen)
(2) tbs. Milk
(1) tsp. Vanilla Extract
(?) Drops of food coloring (I chose green)

I mixed all the wet ingredients until there were no clumps and it was smooth. Then I dumped in the powdered sugar and repeated the process. Then voila – it was good.

After the cake came out of the oven I let it cool on the stove – and then put it in the fridge to speed up the chilling process. It also allowed me to put the frosting on quicker.

The finished work. Ignore the green streaks – while writing a message with icing the tube burped or something- and green dots went everywhere. I spooned it off and reapplied. I wanted it perfect, darn-it!

Enjoy.

ww. joe

Yummy and Easy Sweet Fluffy Hawaiian Bread-maker Recipe

Recipe’s are not my normal thing – but I thought that I would start sharing the ones that I like and make (and the tweaks that I try). Also, the random things that I pair together, that end up being nommie. Sometimes – it’s a fridge mashup. I really enjoy playing around in the kitchen. With my background (training), I know a lot about meat science, however, I am learning about baking and other food sciences.

I wanted bread. Homemade bread. So I decided to make some and I used an Admiral bread maker that I got at GoodWill and picked a recipe. (If you do not have a bread-maker and want one – there are usually several to chose from at your local thrift stores.)

The recipe:

Put the liquids in first. Flour on top. Salt in one corner, sugar in another and yeast in another. To make, I used the basic setting, which is (1) program on my maker.

1 c. pineapple juice (I squeezed some from actual pineapple and minced a few pieces that I squeezed into the cup.)
1 tablespoon of water (probably could add a little extra juice instead.)
2 large eggs
2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
2 1/2 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
4 1/2 cups bread flour
2 teaspoons active dry yeast

The bread turned out a little darker than I would like – so I would be aware of that inside of your maker. The recipe (as shown above) is super fluffy. It didn’t turn out as dense as some of the “homemade” bread recipes that I have made. I would also consider adding more chunks of the pineapple. It also did end up being a littler more dry than I like – so butter is my friend today. I am not an expert so you may want to tweak this to your liking. I added about about 1/2 c. more flour than the recipe called for (reflected in the recipe above). Removing that 1/2 c. may also be better considering the finished product. I also pulled it out (being impatient) so it did fall a part a bit. Oh well. Still tastes the same 🙂 Easy enough that a kitchen novice could do it.

Take my experiment, tweak it to your liking – and enjoy. It is really yummy.

ww. joe

darwinism.

Sh*t is going to get real people. If you are not taking this seriously, there are other ways to get your thrill of not caring. Get in a car, and drive near a cliff. I bet you can’t put one set of wheels over.

I say that out of both love and frustration. I went to the store – and observed people walking up to others – hugging them – and breaking the “rules” of everything that we are being told. It angers me, which leads me to the opening statement. I have the same feeling about meth labs. At the moment in which a person puts others in jeopardy, regardless of the situation, I develop some form of rage. I started to say road rage – but that doesn’t really cut it. I have no problem with a care-free life. I have no problem with people that want to indulge in things – for themselves. But, from both personal experience, large amounts of research, and other experiences, the impacts that move beyond self to others – never turns out well. Never may be too strong, but even if the results are not doom and gloom – the “other people” (defined as not yourself) don’t necessarily have a say…

While where I am is locked down, but no one is really listening. It has not impacted many directly. It is a friend of a friend – or someone that I knew. It is out “there” or “someone else” or “somewhere else.” And when we realize “it” we will be so far into the weeds that we will have to wade through the tangles. I care. About my kids. Your kids. Neighbor kids. About the elderly man that I do not know. About the grandma that makes amazing cookies that we get to hear about. And the disregard to that – pisses me off. I started typing this with a let’s be positive. I really didn’t plan on this episode nor did I stew about it all day. I read the headlines from the news. Took the punches where they fell… Then I see blatant disregard. Lividity ensued.

I care about you. Maybe too much. And want the best that we can have. So many choices are going to be made for us, if not already, very soon.

Warmest wishes… (that was a bit forced)… trying to move back to the positive… Ok, I am going to write my sci-fi novel now.

aimless. nameless. insane-ness.

Prepare for a brain-dump. Tenses and words smattered all over the place. My mental soup right now. #SorryNotSorry.

I was thinking of the movie Avatar this morning. Specifically, the vlogs that the main character does through the project that he is a part of. While I do not want to or have that in me, I was thinking about blogging. I think that is healthy to have some form of communication that we can count on. Also, how it will act as a time/date stamp for some of the highlights going on. This site is my platform for sharing points that I wanted to make – but it has also become a form of journaling for me. I have the Red Book, that I keep for some “adventures” that Q and I have, but some of the thoughts do not flow into the theme for that book. Right now, my thoughts are a hodge-podge of things. It feels like I am… well we… are constantly figuring things out. And wrapping up an entry in the Red Book, I realized there will be limited adventures for an undetermined about of time.

This week was intense. So many days seem to be like that now. Not quite at tally the days on the wall with chalk – but not that far off either. One of my daughters had a birthday this week. My oldest, one of my boys, turned 16 this week. Amazing positive highlights in life – and even more so in this time, we are in. Six years ago this week, grandma passed away. (I spent some time, and tears, watching her remembrance video.) I do have a separate post that I am working on, specifically, about those topics – but it is taking time to process all that I want to say. Heavy emotions, tears, and frustrations come out when I walk through those topics. So, I have to dip in and out of those right now. I want to capture all of the thoughts – and this post is more a collective set of thoughts for the week.

I find myself constantly refreshing my Google news feed. I also find myself trying to be hyper-alert to everything. Even in a form of isolation, I find it exhausting. I still feel like venturing out is a primitive hunting party. While I have only done that a couple of times (once before lockdown and once after), I imagine it as a warzone with enemy fire everywhere. It cannot be intense all of the time though. I have found comfort in small things right now. While I drive to and from work, I have continued listening to audio segments. I use Hoopla, Libby (Overdrive), and Apple Podcasts most of the time. While working, I have been streaming Amazon music. At the house, I have had some form of music or audio playing most of the time. To sleep, many nights, I have learned to appreciate the Calm app, that Q swears by.

This week, I went back to work on Tuesday. I took a few days off to filter through some thoughts in the prior week. The weather today was beautiful so a few moments outside have been nice. After work most nights this past week I sat and just stared at my Mac screen. I desperately want to write… I have about 90% of my science fiction story mapped. Friday night, I started character building. You know, names, specific attributes that define them and how that impacts the story. Their quirks. Saturday, I ran to Dillon’s and slogged through the isles trying to be hypervigilant to avoid any real contact. I was able to get most things on the list, aside from yeast. People are apparently baking more right now. We also watched a few shows on Netflix and broke out a DVD. Sunday morning we had a Zoom gathering and I am trying to think through things for the week. Are there preparations that I can do? Or that I need to do? I finished the week making breakfast for dinner and (inspired by a blogger that I read) I baked. Cinnamon raised bread. Nom-nom-nom. Well, I am predicting at this point – it is finishing the baking step now. I am imagining taking a slice and dunking it in melted butter. Just like a breadstick from Pizza-Hut.

Now to finish the night. The home stretch. My goal, still, is to start writing the first pages of my book. We…shall…see…

WW. -joe

america and pretending social distance

I was thinking about the world a bit. How China has people that have re-tested positive for COVID-19. Or perhaps, they were never cured? We don’t know what we don’t know and that, friends, is scary to me. My mind continues to wander all over the place and like a complicated game of lights out, I cannot get them all. Wrapping up this week – and wondering what the next will have in store for us. I do see glimmers of hope in basic humanity. The silver lining, if I can find one. I did not intend to go on a rant, but it looks like my sci-fi story will wait another day. Prepare…bleeeeghhh…

I mention us as spoiled, since I was thinking about what a lockdown is, or could be. I was thinking about how we have declared only essential functions still be performed, and just like the bureaucrats, have missed the mark. I mean, I need my Starbucks. My for-profit sandwich place is still open. I still get to interact with people making it. Handing it to me. And we are kidding ourselves if that is protecting us. While the lack of crowds is a great step, we neglect to think about the young man or young woman working today for that sandwich. They may have a grandma in their home. Or younger brother and sister. We have convinced ourselves that we are doing something, which is better than nothing, and by the way, we really didn’t lose a whole lot of convenience. The contact is still there – and while it may not be exploiting all of the risks – the curve is not going to flatten. A lockdown should be painful. Truly isolating. We have done the equivalent of sending the misbehaving child to his or her room with a video game awaiting. But they are in their room… Checkbox.

I don’t know right now. I have never felt so aimless in my life. Scratch that, I have. But never, like this, without some structure. In the prior case of aimlessness, I chose to avoid the structure. Rebelled maybe? Now, I read countless blogs, posts, tweets, feeds, texts… all experiencing some form of this. The news is bad. Many people are actually trying to quarantine. The news is still bad. Which of my friends or family is at greatest risk? How can I go one step further? What if… what if… what if… It probably did not help that I did my Last Will and Testament. I had not updated since my life circumstances changed. And considering the increased possibilities of things – I wanted to make sure things were taken care of.

Well, I did not intend to post today. Or go dark as I did. I heard the neighbors (a young group of guys) hanging out in their driveway… I remembered seeing another group… I saw the line at Starbucks as I drove from work. (My work is in food manufacturing – so I am still working.) Then I contemplated what would a true lockdown look like. And why do we try to do both? I don’t know. This post is rawer (less polished than some). Sorry about that. I just wanted the words out there; the thoughts worked through.

I am calling this post done today. Feedback always welcome.

I truly do wish you the best. Try to stay safe. WW. joe.

[EDIT: 03/28 09:40AM] ::::::::::::::

This friends, is why we cannot make exceptions… PRIMARY business should be the determination. This is how we miss the mark… Bass Pro can stay open because it sells some food.
https://www2.ljworld.com/news/state-region/2020/mar/27/kansas-missouri-counties-disagree-if-bass-pro-can-stay-open-amid-pandemic/

could the coronavirus be a work-related sickness

Soundtrack: Shift Work, Kenny Chesney (ft. George Strait)

Here is a question. Humor me. I have been witness to crazier things.

If, while at work, an employee gets injured while performing work the employer is responsible most of the time. I mean, there are variables to consider, but even if it was negligence by the employee, the employer is usually labeled at fault. The guarding on the equipment was not sufficient, poor training, improper tools, or something like that… The company could have done something better. Let us say that a team member, on their own time, gets hurt. The employee will likely be away from work and the employer is not in the picture other than for insurance-related questions. Just because Sammy McSliperton fell off the ladder at his house while thinking about working tomorrow the company is the cause. Now, if a team member has a personal injury but continues to work and it is worsened their work or aggravated by work that they do, or we cannot prove that it did not happen while on company time, it will likely be attributed to the employer. (Side note, people do often get injured away from work, do not realize it, and strain the injury while doing work tasks. And yes there are those that take advantage of the situation.) The key is being able to prove that with 100% certainty, the team member’s injury had nothing to do with work. And that can be hard to do.

So… that brings me to today’s perplection. If you are employed at a workplace that is still able to continue doing business, while many businesses are locked down for COVID19 prevention, and contract the virus… what then? If you are locked down outside of work, and continue to work in an “eligible and essential” industry, and contract the virus with some certainty while at work – does this fall into a work responsible litigation? If you die – could someone say it was a death attributed to or by the negligence of your employer? I mean… it’s not that far fetched. And should continuing to work qualify as hazard pay? Do businesses generate a risk for themselves by continuing to press on, despite the situation, due to infrastructure or essential responsibilities? Before you roll your eyes – remember the caution signs on coffee and the lawsuits for people being scalded because taking a drink of scalding hot coffee right from the pot is the thing to do… And there are stories of people getting ill from poor working conditions or placed in danger, somehow. I have also heard of a couple of companies temporarily increasing their wage during this time (for what I deduced as a way of helping). This is also the moment my brain appreciates the healthcare workers, police, firefighters, military, and other roles that we just could not do without right now.

Maybe it is the elephant in your room… I have overheard people jokingly discussing. I have also heard serious discussions… I would love to hear your thoughts on this. I am not saying I agree or support anything here. It is just a thought that I could not answer myself. I found myself thinking no! Then, well, what if? I have gone back and forth throughout the day. Did the company not make any efforts? Did the company force conditions without any regard to what is happening? I have heard stories, and I am sure you have too, about ridiculous situations and the court judged in favor of the plaintiff (not related to this though). Just some thoughts for today. I really cannot escape the news of COVID-19. So it is fresh in my mind…

therapy, groceries, work and writing

Soundtrack: Everybody Knows, Sigrid.

I was off today as I used PTO that I have accrued. Now seemed just as good of a time as any. Everything is going to be all right. The mantra of the day anyway.

I started the day off with an intake appointment for my new therapist. After trying, a lot, I found someone that seems to fit. And they had an opening, which is always a plus. As I mentioned in a prior post, most of my attempts to make contact fell through. Everyone that I contacted seemed to have a full schedule. With the COVID19/Coronavirus pandemic going on it moved to an online session. Which, I think, will be more of the normal going forward. The session was what I would consider very normal. As we noted in our discussion, the only missing element is the IRL contact. The body cues or non-verbal communication that we send; it is important, but not a deal-breaker. The meeting was good. A great step in the self-care journey that I am embarking on. However, it did put a little damper on the day. An analogy would be a jar with sediments or things that settled, becoming stirred up and whirl around in the jar. But that is why I am meeting someone: a filter. Baby steps – right?

With Douglas Country being locked down starting tomorrow, I decided to venture out today. Groceries are still considered essential, but I decided that with the numbers indicating it will get worse, before better, that stocking up now would be better than later. Maybe it was just an excuse to get out. I mean, I did follow all of the social distancing protocols and sanitized everything before and after. I also made sure to not make contact with anyone. It was a needed trip; no lolly-gagging here. And man it was tiring. Being hyper-alert took a toll on me that I did not see coming. Jokingly, it felt a bit primitive as well. I mean it wasn’t by any stretch of the imagination, but it felt more like that today. I had to bundle up, venture out into the world, avoid contact with bad things and search for the things to make food. No skinning squirrels yet, but I am not opposed if we get there.

I head back to work tomorrow. I work in food manufacturing and that is deemed essential. It is good that the work still exists for people for several reasons. It does bring some fear and uncertainty for me though. I will have to remain diligent in my role to be functional yet, distant. I did propose that I can do a lot of my work remotely. With a laptop, I do have about 1 week’s worth of work, before I have to get creative or find something to work on. So, as you can imagine, I was disappointed when working from home was rejected. I have ~~talked to~~ IM’d several people who are going through similar things. There is a duty-bound side of me that feels I need to be there. There is also a self-preservation side of me that wonders if this is what is best for all of the people in my life. Respectfully, we do not make protein, or basic needs foods, so I am internally struggling. Rationalizing – either way – only goes so far. I will go into work, maintain distances, and do my best. I am not that way. #RealWorldStruggles

I started this post to get the creative juices flowing: preparing to write. The mass amount of queries that I have sent out are still out there. I have only received feedback from about 9% of them (mainly expected rejections). The project is still considered active but idle for me right now, as I mentioned previously. I have been working on my outline for an alternative living sci-fi piece. I have about 20 chapters outlined and a general idea of what is happening in the story. I am now closing gaps from main struggles to resolution, layering in foreshadowing and puzzles for the reader to be engaged with. I am mostly a pantser but have plotted a bit more this time. I guess that is called a plantser, LOL. I wanted to add lots of layers and not rework the story more than needed as I think of things that I want to add. I am enjoying writing again. I am enjoying working on and improving my craft while not feeling stagnant.

I hope your week has started with some stability. With foundational structures we took for granted in life being challenged can feel very unsettling. Perfect time for the therapy appointment I suppose. Keep educated, distant, and alert to what is going on. I have seen or heard great things (that make us human), despite the negative that will always exist. It gives me hope. Everything… eventually… will be all right.

WW. joe

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