Lorijo Metz's Blog: ScifiWritermom, page 13

Swedish Cardamon Bread

Varsågod!

Searching for something meaningful to bake for the holidays? Look no further. Today I'm sharing a favorite old family recipe. That's right, nothing deep about this post, just something warm, sweet and delicious to bite into. Toast it, top it with butter or, better yet, peanut butter, and you've got the perfect Christmas, Thanksgiving, or (insert religious holiday of your choice) treat!

That said…in my family, you're either born Swedish, or you marry into being Swedish. You may have English, French, German, or African roots, but when the holidays arrive—you're Swedish. And so, it is with great pride I share this delicious Swedish recipe passed down by my Grandma Anderson, a lovely woman with not a drop of Swedish blood in her, who was lucky enough to marry a Swede.

Grandma Anderson beside her Swedish Christmas Tree made by her Swedish Husband

Break out the flour,

Let rise the dough,

It's time to start baking,

HO, HO, HO!

Swedish Cardamom Bread

1 3/4 cups milk – scalded (heat on high for approx. 2 min. in microwave)
1 package active dry yeast
1/4 cup very warm water (105º to 115º)
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup melted butter
2 egg yolks (keep whites for later)
1 tablespoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon salt
7 cups flour

For those of you not used to working with yeast, check out this website: www.foodsubs.com/LeavenYeast.html before you begin. Read the paragraph about active dry yeast. Some active dry yeast needs to be activated in warm water, along with sugar, before adding it to the flour mixture. Some can be added directly to the flour mixture and the warm water added afterwards. Look at the instructions on your yeast package to see which method to use. Either way, your water should be between 105º and 115º.

(If using yeast that needs activating by warm water before adding to dry ingredients, first mix yeast with the warm water and a tablespoon of the sugar, and let sit for 4 to 5 min.)

Otherwise…

In mixer or food processor: Add 3 cups of the flour, sugar, cardamom, salt, and yeast (unless using the above method.) Add warm water (or warm water/yeast mixture) and half the scalded milk and mix well. Add remaining 4 cups of flour, melted butter, and egg yolks. Mix thoroughly.

Shape into ball and place in lightly oiled bowl. Cover tightly and let rise in warm place for at least 1 hour. (I cover with plastic wrap, lid and then 2 towels drapped over lid)

After dough has risen

Split dough into 3 pieces*. Roll each piece into a rectangle; divide into three pieces and braid. Push braided dough together so it forms a firm loaf. Spray cookie sheets with Pam, place loaves on cookie sheets, cover with towel and let rise for 1/2 hour.

Brush loaves with egg whites and sprinkle with sugar. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes, rotating pans 1/2 way through.

(*I like to give Cardamom bread for gifts. When I do this, I split the batch into 6 loaves instead of 3. When making 6 smaller loaves, bake for 20 minutes, rotating pans 1/2 way through.)

Related articles

Swedish Saffron Buns (Lussekatter) (nami-nami.blogspot.com)
Easy Bread Dough Recipes (notecook.com)
An Old Fashioned Sweet Wheat Bread (emariaenterprises.wordpress.com)
Christmas Raisin Bread (drkaytrotter.wordpress.com)
The Best Dinner Rolls (from scratch) (momphotographer.wordpress.com)
Cardamom (cookingwithspanky.net)


Filed under: SHARINGS Tagged: Bread, Cardamom bread, Christmas, Cooking, Dough, Flour, Lorijo Metz, Sugar, Swede, Swedish, Yeast

Something Everyone Should Read

I've been busy finishing up some writing projects and getting ready for the holidays. I plan to be back posting later this week, but today I just had to share  something with you. Personally, I believe everyone should read this. Click on the link below…

How Doctors Die

http://www.dailygood.org/view.php?sid=136

Filed under: SHARINGS

Let’s Be Thankful—Where We Are Winning

This week has been full of family and cooking and getting ready to host Thanksgiving. Since it is a day of thanks, I’m sharing a link to a wonderful post from my favorite blogger, my husband. While it is a business blog, today’s post has something uplifting for everyone.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Let’s Be Thankful—Where We Are Winning.

Filed under: SHARINGS Tagged: Facilitation, Leadership, MG Rush, Millennium Project, Product management, Terrence Metz, Thanksgiving

Let's Be Thankful—Where We Are Winning

This week has been full of family and cooking and getting ready to host Thanksgiving. Since it is a day of thanks, I'm sharing a link to a wonderful post from my favorite blogger, my husband. While it is a business blog, today's post has something uplifting for everyone.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Let's Be Thankful—Where We Are Winning.

Filed under: SHARINGS Tagged: Facilitation, Leadership, MG Rush, Millennium Project, Product management, Terrence Metz, Thanksgiving

Golden Expectations

My Precious...

I am the proud owner of a Starbucks gold card. I still remember the day I received the announcement in the mail…well, in my email. I was like—Wow, really? You're sending me, little old me, one of those shiny gold cards. (My husband already had one, which he loved to whip out in front of me, flapping it back and forth beneath my nose while the whiff of superiority made my jealous nostrils tingle.)

So, I waited. And waited. And anxiously waited. Maybe they'd forgotten me. So I called them…well, sent them a message through their website. Hi there, I was just wondering…you recently upgraded me to gold card status and, well…it's been a while and I haven't received my new gold card. Perhaps it got lost in the mail…the snail mail, that is.

My worry wasn't that I hadn't been upgraded. No, I worried that Starbucks had changed their policy and while, yes, I had gold card status; I would be stuck using the same old green card. They could have just as easily put something in the system, which from that point forward would recognize the bar code on my old card and upgrade automatically.

But, I wanted a shiny gold card!!!!!

Anyway, Starbucks was nice enough to reply to my message…to my whiny demand for acknowledgement. Your gold card is on its way. These things take time. (Be patient. Get a life.)

Finally, the day arrived. I went to my mailbox…the mailbox in front of my house, not my inbox—and there it was, an envelope addressed to me, from Starbucks. I quickly tossed all the other unimportant mail—bills and requests for donations from extremely worthy organizations—aside, and tore open the envelope!

Ahhhhh, at last. There it was—a shiny new gold Starbucks card with my name emblazoned on the front of it. Sooooo pretty. My Precious…

I couldn't wait to use it. I imagined walking into Starbucks, whipping out my card and watching all the baristas snapped to attention. Mrs. Metz, what can we do for you? Would you like to wait in the special Gold Card member room and have some wine and cheese while we roast the beans for your latte? Please, take advantage of our special Gold Card member's only bathroom. The toilet seats are heated and the toilet paper soft with the subtlest scent of Columbian coffee. We also have French roast toilet paper if prefer.

Where did I get these expectations? From my husband. He travels constantly for work. As a frequent flyer and hotel guest, he receives "special attention." Ah yes, traveling with my husband is like traveling with a rock star. At airports it's, Mr. Metz, please come to the front of the line. Waiting to board the plane means having to wait in a special room filled comfortable chairs, clean bathrooms, free coffee, freshly squeezed juice and treats. At hotels it's, Oh, Mr. Metz! So nice to see you! We've upgraded you to a suite—for free.

As you can see, it's only understandable that after all these years I would want some of my own recognition. (You would think, as much time as I spend in front of my Apple computer, my Apple iPhone and my Apple iPad, that I would have a gold Apple something by now!)

To make this already long post short, I was thoroughly disappointed when I used my gold Starbucks card for the first time. There was no, Mrs. Metz! No, snap to attention. No…special anything. As the barista handed my card back, along with my Venti latte with an extra shot of caramel, I quietly inquired if they had given me the gold card discount on the extra flavor shot. Sure, came the reply, it automatically comes off when we run your card through.

Well, I guess that's something.

Do you want to see my gold card? It's really pretty!

Filed under: MUSINGS Tagged: Apple, Business, Business card, Gold Card, iPhone, Lorijo Metz, Metz, Starbucks, United States Congress, Venti

Looking at Life from 10,000 Miles

Hey, even Julie Andrews worries

I'm a worrier. I'm a woman. Sometimes I think they're the same. My husband doesn't worry about anything. No, I take that back, he worries about business. He's a man. Maybe I'm being sexist, but in my house that's the way it is.

Lately I've been worrying about people I love and circumstances I have little control, but wish I had LOTS of control, over. Throw in the holidays, birthdays, publication deadlines and the nagging feeling of so much to do and so little time, and well… I'm a bit of a basket case.

A few nights ago my loving husband made the mistake of walking past my office and asking me how I was. (Yeah-big mistake!) I burst into tears, and good man (foolish man) that he is, he came in and sat down.

I poured out my woes and he listened. The answer, of course, was clear. I needed to detach. To "Let Go and Let God," as they say. But how? Easy to do with politics, toothaches, and even with distant relatives… but impossible, I pointed out, with loved ones. Especially children!

To make a long conversation short, he said one thing that actually made quite an impact. (Don't tell him—he'll be walking into my office offering advice all the time!) He suggested I look at the problem from 10,000 miles out. Imagine that! Imagine looking at your worst problem—better yet—your kid's problem from 10,000 miles up in outer space.

So I did. I imagined myself floating somewhere way above the Earth. Not far enough to get burnt by the sun, mind you; but far enough so that the Earth looked like a big round globe. And you know, from that distance, I gained perspective.

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My loved ones may struggle, but they aren't alone. And they aren't unique. There in front of my eyes was a planet covered with billions of humans. All of them—all of us doomed to evolve the only way we can, by learning from our mistakes and overcoming struggles. Whether you believe it's part of some greater Higher Power's plan or not, that's how it is. From that perspective, worrying (a.k.a. wishing our loved ones would have a totally smooth ride) is like expecting rain only on Wednesdays from 9 pm to 6 am. It's just not going to happen that way. So, rather than worry that our loved ones are struggling, we should expect it. And like rain, while it's not always convenient and not always pleasant, facing struggles, mistakes, opportunities… whatever you wish to call them, is necessary if we are to grow. What would the Earth be without water? What point to life, if we have nothing to learn?

Up there at 10,000 miles I also noticed a few other things. People struggled, but they also laughed and smiled and loved. And I should expect—no, rather, I should know perfectly well, my loved ones will experience that too.

Related articles

What Kind of Worrier Are You? (psychcentral.com)


Filed under: MUSINGS Tagged: children, Earth, Faith, God, Grief Loss and Bereavement, Health, Higher Power, Julie Andrews, Lorijo Metz, Love, Mental health, parenting, teens, Worry

How Much Social Networking is Enough?

I have to admit, this post is aimed at other writers, artists, or anyone who needs to establish a presence on the web in order to sell something. However, you never know when you'll need an extra 10,000 Twitter followers, so feel free to chime in.

It seems like every other day I hear people saying, you've got to be on twitter, on Facebook, on LinkedIn, on Google+, have a website, write a blog, etc., etc., etc.… as the King of Siam would say. And there are all the groups associated with whatever your specialty is. In my case, writer's websites, forums, and discussions I should join, blogs I should follow, and blogs I should blog on.

I recently created a Google+ page and invited a fellow writer to join one of my"circles," as Google calls them. This talented woman is on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, keeps up a website and blogs. She is multitalented and has worked hard to create a presence for herself on the web. Anyway, she received my Google+ invite and immediately wrote back wondering if I had a compelling reason for her to set up an account. As she stated, "It's time-consuming for me to do Facebook & Twitter & blog etc. etc. So I thought I'd ask why you like this Circles thing & why you think I should join."

Honestly, I wasn't sure how to respond. The truth, it's a big wild web out there and I'm still learning out to negotiate it. Below are few thoughts and a few questions I thought I'd throw out for your personal pondering. I'd love to hear your thoughts in return. Here goes…

Like any effort, I accept that starting out, while building my presence, the time and effort will be greater.
Should I focus on building two or three really good followings–or do I need more?
Is there a manual out there that can tell me step by step what I need to do to be successful?
Finally, how much time should I expect to devote to keeping up this social presence as the years go by?

Of course there are so many other elements that go into this question; such as, what type of return am I looking for: a New York Times bestseller status or something more modest? Let's keep it simple. What should one person/one artist be doing to develop a reasonably successful web presence? What are your thoughts? Sometimes I'm overwhelmed by it all. Are you?

Related articles

Does social media just mean Facebook and Twitter? (marketing.yell.com)
I Don't Have a Social Media Strategy (coydavidson.wordpress.com)
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Filed under: MUSINGS Tagged: Blog, Business, Facebook, Google, linkedin, Lorijo Metz, Online Communities, Social media, Social network, Social network service, Social Networking, twitter

Be Here Now

Look for more cool posters like this at Motifake.com

Every night, while the bath is filling, I play fetch with my dog, Henry. All I need do is start the water, and no matter where Henry is, he comes running.

One night, I decided to multitask. I had Words With Friends, a scrabble-like game on my iPhone, going with two or three different players. I started the bath. Henry came running. Then, iPhone in one hand, ball in the other, I positioned myself at the top of the stairs. I tossed the ball and as Henry took off, I quickly clicked on a game. Studying the small screen intently, I didn't bother to keep up my usual banter with Henry. Hey, I was playing fetch. Wasn't that enough?

Apparently not.

Henry returned once, twice, three times… but each time a bit slower, until finally he just stopped and stared at me.

I have to admit; this wasn't the first time I'd tried to multitask during our nightly game of fetch. And, it wasn't the first time he'd reacted like this. However, it was the first time I realized Henry was trying to tell me something. He wasn't having any fun. It wasn't running after the ball that was important to him, it was those few minutes—the time it took to fill the bath—that he had me all to himself. I needed to Be Here Now for him.

I put aside my phone and played ball.

Are we trying to juggle too much?

Society has led us to believe that multitasking is efficient. The truth is, it usually isn't. The few seconds I had while Henry chased after the ball, were not nearly enough to think of a word, type in the letters and click send. Henry was back before I'd even figured out what letters I had to play with…never mind all the options for playing them. In the end, neither game benefited. And sadly, a relationship suffered.

How many other relationships and tasks have I shortchanged by trying to multitask? How many have you?

Related articles

http://trendsupdates.com/multitasking-hip-but-unhealthy-and-inefficient/


Filed under: MUSINGS Tagged: Android, animals, Games, Henry, iPhone, Lorijo Metz, multitasking, Newtoy, relationships, Scrabble, Word game, Words With Friends