Friday, Day 3 - Who knew that morning TV was so darn awful? I like to watch the news, but our local channel, News 13, is one long advertisement for personal injury attorneys imploring you to beware of insurance company attorneys, broken up by short news stories that repeat over and over again. The weather takes longer than the news. One growl and two yawns for that bit of programming.
And who watches eight episodes in a row - that's four freaking hours - of "Sex and the City" first thing in the morning? Ewwwwww ...
I admit it could be a lot worse - I could be sitting in court at this very minute, trying to manage the 18 witnesses I had to subpoena two weeks ago, for three different trials set for "cattle call" at the same time. Not the way I am accustomed to doing things, and while time-certain trials are not a perfect scheduling device either, at least I successfully managed to avoid pissing off the entire medical and therapeutic community. Maybe I'm exaggerating just a bit. Literary license. What I am not exaggerating is my back pain, coupled with Insane Itching in my left hand and foot. This is slowing down my dishwashing progress, while speeding up my coffee-drinking and web-surfing. I am surfing for seafood soup recipes, and I think I found what I am looking for, which is coincidentally what Cory requested in lieu of dill pickle soup. I love that dill pickle soup, but it would not be his first choice on a soup and salad bar.
I already have several items on my cooking list, so what's one more? Backpacker Brownies, beef empanadas, hamantaschen, and now, cioppino, the San Francisco seafood treat. I am going to take my time - what else have I got? - so that I don't stand in one spot for too long and aggravate my already aggravated little body. Growing old sucks and so does CPS. Some of my cooking plans will require a trip to Walmart, so I may have to start with the brownies. (Everybody all together now: awwwwww ...)
The dishwasher is swooshing, and the Backpacker Brownies are in the oven. It smells good in here.
Speaking of lists, I've got all of my PCP-recommended appointments set, which impressed even me. I so impressed myself, I am going to add my dentist to the call list.
The news, when I bother to watch it, is depressing. The Prez is in a pissing match with Bibi, and my money is on the Bibster. The media is still picking on Hillary. Dr. Ben Carson, who I have liked in the past, has publicly lost his mind. He announced that homosexuality must be a choice, because straight men go into prison, and their experiences there turn them gay. (All of my gay family and friends, this would be a good time to let out a big, collective "aw, jeez ...") Harrison Ford, my all-time favorite actor, crash-landed yesterday. Fortunately he landed on a golf course, and there were several doctors immediately on site to help him. That's not a Doctor Joke, that's the truth. It won't stop snowing up north. That's why we call it global warming. That's a joke. And I'm off to Walmart.
Those Backpacker Brownies, which are inspired by Camilla Saulsbury's awesome Ultimate Shortcut Cookie Book, are like a Chunky Bar on speed. Chocolate, fruit, nuts, chocolate, oats, chocolate ... did I mention chocolate? So here is the recipe, and a picture. Drooling is optional.
1 - regular size package brownie mix
3 extra-large eggs
1/2 cup canola oil
1/3 cup half-and-half
1 - regular size package brownie mix
3 extra-large eggs
1/2 cup canola oil
1/3 cup half-and-half
1 1/3 cup quick cooking oats (not instant), divided
1 1/2 cup lightly salted mixed nuts (I make my own snacking mixture: roasted pecans, cashews, pistachios, and peanuts), coarsely chopped, divided
1 cup dried cranberries and/or raisins
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (I combined 1 cup chocolate +1/2 cup butterscotch chips), divided
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray the bottom of a 9 by 13 inch baking pan with non-stick spray.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the brownie mix, eggs, oil, and half-and-half. Mix with a wooden spoon just until all of the dry ingredients are moistened. Stir in 1 cup of the oats, 1 cup of the chip, 1 cup of the nuts, and all of the dried fruit. Pour into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Sprinkle the top with the remaining oats, nuts, fruit, and chips. Bake for 28 to 30 minutes until the brownies are firm and the edges have started to pull away from the sides of the pan. Let cool completely on a rack before cutting.
I did not cut these myself, as they were intended as a hostess gift, and they are already on their way to the intended reipients. I think I would remove them from the pan, place them on a large cutting board, and cut them with a long serrated knife, like a bread knife.
Something possessed me to do my shopping at the St. Cloud Walmart. The good news is that I actually found several pairs of slacks that should hopefully fit me. The bad news is that I could not find some of the major ingredients for the cioppino, including items I normally find in Walmart. The other good news is that I found other stuff, like spinach and feta popcorn chips (very good) and unwrapped white chocolate Kit Kat minis. Also canned baby whole clams, canned whole oysters, crawfish tails, a rather handsome corned beef brisket for hash, and the ground beef for the empanadas. So I have ideas and I have options, based on the content of my freezer and pantry. I also have time to do more shopping elsewhere, as Cory will be gone all day tomorrow and the cioppino won't be needed until Sunday evening.
1 1/2 cup lightly salted mixed nuts (I make my own snacking mixture: roasted pecans, cashews, pistachios, and peanuts), coarsely chopped, divided
1 cup dried cranberries and/or raisins
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (I combined 1 cup chocolate +1/2 cup butterscotch chips), divided
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray the bottom of a 9 by 13 inch baking pan with non-stick spray.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the brownie mix, eggs, oil, and half-and-half. Mix with a wooden spoon just until all of the dry ingredients are moistened. Stir in 1 cup of the oats, 1 cup of the chip, 1 cup of the nuts, and all of the dried fruit. Pour into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Sprinkle the top with the remaining oats, nuts, fruit, and chips. Bake for 28 to 30 minutes until the brownies are firm and the edges have started to pull away from the sides of the pan. Let cool completely on a rack before cutting.
I did not cut these myself, as they were intended as a hostess gift, and they are already on their way to the intended reipients. I think I would remove them from the pan, place them on a large cutting board, and cut them with a long serrated knife, like a bread knife.
Something possessed me to do my shopping at the St. Cloud Walmart. The good news is that I actually found several pairs of slacks that should hopefully fit me. The bad news is that I could not find some of the major ingredients for the cioppino, including items I normally find in Walmart. The other good news is that I found other stuff, like spinach and feta popcorn chips (very good) and unwrapped white chocolate Kit Kat minis. Also canned baby whole clams, canned whole oysters, crawfish tails, a rather handsome corned beef brisket for hash, and the ground beef for the empanadas. So I have ideas and I have options, based on the content of my freezer and pantry. I also have time to do more shopping elsewhere, as Cory will be gone all day tomorrow and the cioppino won't be needed until Sunday evening.
The Magic won tonight, but not before I became emotional and used language that would blister paint off the side of a barn. Well worth the spike in blood pressure. Go Magic!
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