Haiku

Winter coming on
Who's got it better than us?
You gotta believe

RANT

Student learning outcomes had potential to be meaningful and beneficial.  They have become ritualistic hoops and I am a trained big cat, snarling as I transcend the fire.

Haiku

Shattered promises
Celebrations draining out
Broken champagne flute

Recipe  Honey Cookies

From my Father's side of the family. absolutely delightful and unique.  A big family favorite and regularly requested by friends... (Gotta love that 1/2 teaspoon of warm water!)

1/2 C. Butter
1/2 C. Sugar
1/2 C. Honey
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t warm water
1/2 t cinnamon
1/2 t ground cardamom ( I've been known to use up to 1 t)
2 C flour

Cream butter, sugar and honey.  Add soda and water.  Mix in dry ingredients.

Use a spritz press ( I do! You should too!) or flatten into 1 1/2" rounds.

8-10 min  at 375 degrees or until light brown on bottom.

Ephemera

Huell Howser R.I.P.

You, my friend, were truly Amazing!!!

Song  Simple Turn of Phrase (Key of C)

Well, I'm not much to look at
My belly gets in the way
Of you seeing all my attractions
Lined up like a wildcat play

And I know I'm not the most successful
Man you'll meet around town
But darlin' just like Bozo
I'm gonna turn your frown upside down

Maybe I'm amazed
I could turn your heart around
With a simple turn of phrase
Like the tears of a clown
With just a chance when you looked in my eyes
You ordered me up like a side of fries
And now we're living the good old days
Because of a simple turn of phrase

Now I am not a wordsmith
Though my feet are Longfellows you know
And scrabble ain't my cup of tea
I'm more stop than I am go

But all it took for you to give me a look
Was a quick shot reused rhyme
I'm a simple man with a simple plan
And I'm leaving my eraser behind

Maybe I'm amazed
I could turn your heart around
With a simple turn of phrase
Like the tears of a clown
With just a chance when you looked in my eyes
You ordered me up like a side of fries
And now we're living the good old days
Because of a simple turn of phrase

Haiku

Old friends walk new path
Six is the magic number
Twin baby shower

Song  I'm Not Gonna Love You Anymore (Key of D)

And I'm not gonna love you anymore
No, I'm not gonna love you anymore
'Cause you took my heart
When you went walking out that door
And I'm not gonna love you anymore

I cried for months when you left
'Cause you went and left my soul bereft
Now the colors of my heart have faded
My compassion's been degraded
And I'm not gonna love you anymore

You used to be the finest gal in town
Now when you walk by, I don't even turn around
You're just  a stranger on the sidewalk
I'm deaf to your doubletalk
And I'm not gonna love you anymore

And I'm not gonna love you anymore
No, I'm not gonna love you anymore
'Cause you took my heart
When you went walking out that door
And I'm not gonna love you anymore

I thought our love would last til the end
Now you dare to tell me that you still wanna be friends
But when I look into your eyes
There's no one there I recognize
And I'm not gonna love you anymore

I reckon we'll go our separate ways
I'm looking forward to sleepless nights and endless days
You played me for a Fool
You broke the Golden Rule
And I'm not gonna love you anymore

And I'm not gonna love you anymore
No, I'm not gonna love you anymore
'Cause you took my heart
When you went walking out that door
And I'm not gonna love you anymore
No, I'm not gonna love you anymore

Haiku

Christmas trees curbside
Tinsel strands wave in the breeze
Incarnated gloom

Potent Potables  HoHoHo

I made these for two separate Christmas day parties this year.  Just barely adapted from a recipe in the San Francisco Chronicle for Cranberry Bourbon Sours.

3 C water
2 C sugar
6 cinnamon sticks

Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes.  Discard cinnamon sticks.  Add syrup to:

2 bags of fresh cranberries

And chop/blend (Do not liquefy). Let sit for 10 minutes then strain out cranberry solids and discard (or use to make lovely muffins the next morning).

Mix cranberry syrup mixture with

1 fifth of bourbon
7 T fresh lemon juice

Serve over crushed ice with three crushed mint leaves in the glass for garnish/color/counterpoint.

1/2/13  Recipe  Pinch-off

Some of y'all may know this concept as pull-a-part or monkey bread, but via my maternal great grandmother, Margaret Bleilinger, it has always been Pinch-off.  In my childhood this was traditional for easter breakfast (baked the night before and then warmed up) and my parents used raisins and candied citron and cherries they stored for months from fruitcake baking and then used walnuts for rolling the dough(which was the way my great grandmother made it).  I made the switch to using dried fruit and other nuts(cranberries and pecans; apricots and almonds; apples, apricots, and raisins with walnuts).  I roll the balls in the butter/sugar/nuts and then let it sit overnite and then bake on easter (and now christmas) morning.

Pinch-off

2 packages of yeast
1/4 C warm water
1 C milk
1 1/2 t salt
1/2 C sugar
1/2 C butter
5 C flour
2 eggs
1 t cinnamon
1 lb dried fruit

Dissolve yeast in water. Scald milk and add salt, sugar and butter until dissolved. Cool.  Add half of flour then yeast, eggs, and cinnamon.  Mix well.  Stir in fruit and rest of flour.  Knead and/or use dough hook until well mixed.  Let raise two times.

Roll into ping pong ball sized pieces of dough and roll in mixture of:

1/2 C butter
1C chopped nuts
Sugar to taste (I like about 3/4 C)

Place in pan (flat 9x13 will give you a nice crust--Smaller pans will let you stack giving a gooey center that I adore, but some abhor) with balls touching.  Let raise (overnight is fine).
Bake at 350F for 45 minutes or until done.  Best when warm.

1/1/13  Haiku

Promised beginnings
Another solar journey
Champagne bubbles gone

1/1/13    Looking S.H.A.R.P.E.R.

If perchance you find this, know that it is mostly designed as a way to dedicate myself to a year of creation and re-creation.  I realized that I often have intentions to write or create, but that in the midst of the madness of my life, my best intentions fall by the wayside.  The plan is simple:  One post per day on a variety of topics all linked by the twisted formulations of my consciousness.  Each post will form part of the acronym:

S.  Songs.  New lyrics (and perhaps performances?).  Goal is one every week or so.

H.  Haiku.  These will be the bulk of entries.  At the very least, I thought I could create a haiku every day, even when crazed, tired, or distracted.

A.  Art.  New original pieces.  Probably one or two per month.

R.  Recipes.  Many from my great grandmothers, some of my own creation.

P.  Potent Potables, Photos, and Philosophies.  This was going to be a catch-all category with a focus on 2013, The Year of the Cocktail, but lookingsharp was already taken as a blog title, hence the addition of:

E.  Ephemera.  Momentary glimpses of import (and export).

R.  Rants.  Few and far between.  Hopefully just a few token entries.

And so begins the grand experiment....