I am so glad my friends are open to my experiments in baking. They cheerfully eat whatever I provide with great enthusiasm and a limited gagging of face. I have actually arranged outings where my end game is to have folks back to the house for my "dessert du jour". I am always successful if I include lemon or chocolate and peanut butter. Oddly enough after watching a cooking show where they presented the "easiest" lemon pie recipe I literally got a text inviting us to a grill out. (It was 60 degrees and sunny at the time). I immediately volunteered dessert eager to try this recipe. As it contained lemon, I knew I would be forgiven any appearance issues. The crust was intriguing as it is made of saltine crackers-I kid you not. But easiest recipe - my great Aunt Clara. There is always a multitude of steps and ingredients that most basic kitchens do not stock.
Of course, cooking shows have very efficient kitchens with all appliances open, available and inviting as they beckon to the chefs while creating a perfect culinary laboratory. Unlike my kitchen. They used a food processor to prepare the crust. I tend to put whatever crust materials I'm using in a baggie and beat the crap out of it. Looks the same. However, the OH got excited and dug out a food processor we possessed (news to me) that had probably never been used. After perusing the instructions, I remember reading "be very careful not to touch the blades on the edge". Well, a bandaged finger later certainly verified that theory. This was after I read ahead in the recipe and put the eggs for the filling into the crust I had just "processed" and had to clean the whole mess out of the container. Darn. I estimated how many egg-soaked crackers I had to trash, gave up, and then just tossed in a bunch. Should be fine. That is one of those axioms about cooking and baking. If you screw up, improvise but don't advertise.
After carefully separating my eggs-I love doing that-I managed to knock over the bowl with my egg whites. Do you know those suckers do not clean off the counter with a wet sponge? Dozen paper towels and four more eggs meeting their demise later and the crust got in the oven.
NOTE: bacon and eggs. The chicken is involved; the pig is committed. As a manager, always hire the pigs.
The final product looks good, and the from-scratch whipped topping should cover any blemishes. Not a patient person I needed the OH to "zest" a lemon as one does not want any of the white under skin to makes its way into the zest. Way beyond my capabilities.
YAY TO TEACHERS: Watching the OH tie his tie this morning I was reminded that it was my Dad who taught him how to make the knot. In our youth he used to keep a pre-tied tie available for those infrequent formal occasions and just loosened it to slide out of it. Once he had an office job it was a everyday thingee and his collection of ties expanded. As teachers we don't always know the shelf-life or practicality of those we instruct. Once in a while we get a little feedback, but not often.
I used to teach FA and CPR for the Red Cross and at work never knowing if my lessons took until one lady told me she had used the Heimlich on her son who was choking and thanked me for the remembered lesson. Although a lot of my career was training, it was usually mandated and not normally enthusiastically absorbed. However the MIOSHA Training Institute did fulfill my lifelong dream of creating a school curriculum (just kidding-never knew that was my dream). Any way being able to coordinate teaching the same topic in a standardized way did become my dream. As an outsider to MIOSHA it made me terribly uneasy to see the same standard taught in so many unique ways depending upon the consultant/teacher. Which also made me extremely unpopular as it was said I had to bring them "kicking and screaming" into course development classes (well actually that's what I said)
On another memorable occasion a newly minted safety person for a Detroit utility (you have been anointed) was dropped unceremoniously in my office. My instruction - "teach him everything he needs to know about putting a safety program together at a utility." Sure, why not? To this day whenever I run into him he gushes about the day when I became the all-omnificient Yoda to his Luke. Not sarcastically either. He ended up with quite a career which culminated with taking on the City of Detroit and their entire retirement system. Shy he was not. And he claims it's all because of my tutelage. LOL. Rebels know each other I guess.
However talking about feedback...I went to a going away party for a woman who worked for me for many years and I had just given her a glowing recommendation for a new position which she totally deserved. Two people there, including, my ex-employee. told me I was kind of intimidating but they learned a lot from me. Actually it was the lady we were honoring whose boyfriend told me that she said that. And he's a retired police officer! Which shows you she's not adverse to strong personalities. Maybe I got her ready for that LOL.
Speaking of tutelage (like that word) my first podcast this season was with the Board Chair, current President and Executive Director of the Safety Conference. I created a basic script, performed a little practice and we recorded the same day as I "assumed" we all knew the conference well enough to wing it to a certain extent. Forgot these folks do not record podcasts and have very full and busy jobs. When I zeroed in on a point, as I often do to elicit more information, I said "who would like to talk about such and such". Crickets.... So I said, "well I guess I will". When I teased them later it was pointed out it wasn't in the script Sheila. Love these folks!
So one recording published; one script done, ready to record; one script is being written and another interviewee is waiting in the wings to get started. Now the anxiety starts. I am going to try some "person in the street" interviews at the Conference with no clear idea of how I'm going to accomplish that, but I'm optimistic. We would love to get a podcast class at MSU take us on as a project as there is no money of course. Just me. Definitely, PEACE, if we can find it.....
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