Thursday, August 4, 2016

Jack and the Beanstalk and My Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day


From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...It has been a day. It began when eggs rolled off the counter and hit the floor in scrambled dumpty fashion. While cleaning up the mess, I left oatmeal on the back burner and managed to scorch it beyond recognition. Lest I be allowed to forget a day that got off to a bad start, the acrid odor permeated the house and refused to dissipate. Things didn't improve as the day wore on. I was late for a meeting and in my hurry to make up for lost time, I left the spigot on the coffee urn open, and didn't notice it until the coffee swirled around my no-longer white sneakers. That wasn't the impression I was trying to make, but at least they'll remember my name. Once home, I managed to fall up the stairs, dropping the sack of groceries I was carrying. I decided to take a breather and rev up my chi before I killed myself. I headed to the deck, plunked down in my favorite chair and took a deep breath. That's when I saw the arborvitae and the vine that was climbing around it. In a progression that is natural only in a brain like mine, the story of Jack and the Beanstalk entered my frontal lobes and would not go away.


I know you have heard at least one version of this fairy tale. All tell the story of a boy who was charged with selling the family cow. Jack meets a con artist who convinces him to trade the cow for magic beans. Is Jack a dullard or a genius? Is he a lazy or clever boy? His mother thinks him a lazy fool and tosses the beans into the garden where they grow until they reach the sky. Jack decides to climb the stalk. Is he careless or adventurous? Jack climbs the stalk three times. He steals from the giant each time, but on his last assent the giant discovers his presence. Outraged, he follows Jack back down the stalk. Fearing for his life, Jack chops down the vine causing the giant to fall and die. Now all kinds of questions come to mind. Is Jack a thief or opportunist? Is he a murderer? Do his treasures represent ill-gotten gains or are they a reward for uncommon valor? The answers to the questions depend on the mindset of the reader, as does the moral taken from the story. Interpretations vary from religious to Freudian. We'll stick with the homespun one for the time being.

Now, I know you are wondering how a fairy tale made its way into a post on a food blog. As my day wore on, I took some shortcuts that I hoped would make my day go better, faster and easier - a bit like Jack. I've been dieting for a while now, and I had an irresistible urge for some gingerbread. I wanted to try a new recipe I tucked into my files some time ago. It was easy, straight forward and I suspected would produce a richly flavored ginger bread. It would have been delicious, if I had followed the directions which warned against using self-rising flour. Like Jack, I took a shortcut and alligators started nipping at my heels as soon as that flour hit the bowl. My cake was a hot mess and inedible. I blame it on the beanstalk that's smothering my arborvitae.



Old-Fashioned Gingerbread...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Betty Crocker

Ingredients:
2-1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup shortening
1/3 cup sugar
1 cup molasses
3/4 cup hot water
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg

Directions:
1) Heat oven to 325ºF. Grease and flour bottom and sides of square pan, 9x9x2 inches.
2) Beat all ingredients with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds, scraping bowl constantly. Beat on medium speed 3 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Pour into pan.
3) Bake 50 to 55 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Serve warm or cool. Yield: 9 servings.

Expert Tips:
To ensure recipe success, do not use self-rising flour in this recipe.


Follow Me on Pinterest                    

                                     Older Posts



                 One Year Ago Today:                                                          Two Years Ago Today:
             Citrus Glazed 1-2-3-4 Cake                                           Sweet and Savory Cornmeal Cookies



                Three Years Ago Today:                                                    Four Years Ago Today:
                     Cauliflower Gratin                                                  Peanut Butter and Jelly Belly Cake


13 comments :

From the Kitchen said...

I think your day was considerably worse than "Alexander's"!! If it were cooler here, I'd be thinking of gingerbread too!!

Best,
Bonnie

CharlesR said...

LOL!
I'm glad you had a day like this.......... not really.
You always seem to have things together and you always seem so self-assured, that sometimes I feel intimidated.
This day of yours has shown me, that you aren't always perfect.
Thanks for sharing this side of you! :~D

Big Dude said...

I just hate days like that but sounds like you had several days worth of mishaps all rolled into one.

Gloria Baker said...

Omy God ! What a day !!
Love this gingerbread look delicious !!

Pondside said...

Well, if it's any consolation you had enough happen to last you for all the rest of the summer and well into fall!

Nickie and Jim said...

Whew! I'd have been tempted to go back to bed! Since I love-love-love gingerbread and your recipe sounds "healthier" than mine, I will try yours. Is that whipped cream a-top?

Tucsonbabe said...

Mary,
You made me laugh this morning. Yesterday my husband dropped the refrigerator container of eggs. All 15 of them hit the floor including the twelve jumbo eggs I had just purchased.Next to go was a wine glass...one of the good ones of course. Fortunately I did not attempt to make a cake!

David said...

Mary, You had the kind of day that would have made me go back to bed and hit the 'reset' button! I feel much better now about running the Keurig coffee maker yesterday...and forgetting to put the cup underneath it to receive the freshly brewed coffee...then cutting my finger on the underside of the machine as I cleaned up my mess. At least my disasters stopped after that one incident! Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

Kath said...

Wow, Mary, that was a crazy horrible start to your day! Hope it's smooth sailing now! Your gingerbread looks great. :)

Alicia said...

Hahaha! I hate when that happens. Sometimes I have days when everything I touch turns to Gold and then days like you had where it's just luck that I didn't kill myself.

I love how you wove the fairy tale in there! That gingerbread sure does look scrumptious!

Beverly said...

Ugh, Mary. Definitely not a fun day. Gingerbread always make me feel better, too. And, I admit that I have taken the self-rising shortcut that "bit me in the butt", too.

Lori E said...

♫♫♫ Mamma said there'd be days like this ♫♫♫

flying eagle woman said...

ahhhh, how I've been missing such posts!!! We're friends on all the social media but THIS is where the fragrant words bring realiTEA. I hope your day is better tomorrow!!!!

Related Posts with Thumbnails

Printfriendly