A Holiday Reunion – Xfinity 2019

This is really good

Two Remebrance Day Poems

Flander's Field

 For the Fallen

Remembrance Day Poem

Remembrance Day Poem:

Freedom’s Cost

What is the cost,
For all of our rights?
Schooling, working,
Calm and peaceful nights.
We need to remember
Those who died.
Who gave us freedom,
In exchange for their lives.
Not only these people,
But those who are fighting still.
Who all pray to come home
If it be God’s will.
Fighting for our country
In what can only be hell,
No matter what the outcome is,
Never again will they be well.
Minds and bodies battered,
For they are shown no mercy,
Nothing must sway them,
For their mission is victory.
So it is today that we thank them,
For sacrificing their lives,
And giving us freedom,
For us to survive.

Remembrance Day Poem

Why Wear a Poppy?

“Please wear a poppy,” the lady said

And held one forth, but I shook my head.

Then I stopped and watched as she offered them there.

And her face was old and lined with care;

But beneath the scars that years had made

There remained a smile that refused to fade.

A boy came whistling down the street,

Bouncing along on care-free feet.

His smile was full of Joy and Fun,

“LADY” said he, “MAY I HAVE ONE?”

When she’d pinned it on he turned to say,

“WHY DO WE WEAR A POPPY TODAY?”

The lady smiled in her wistful way

And answered “This is Remembrance Day”

And the poppy there is a symbol for,

The gallant men who died in war.

And because they did, you and I are free-

That’s why we wear a poppy you see.

I had a boy about your size

With golden hair and big blue eyes,

He loved to play and jump and shout,

Free as a bird he would race about.

As the years went by he learned and grew

And became a man - As you will too.

He was fine and strong with a boyish smile

But He’d seemed with us such a little while,

When war broke out and he went away,

I still remember his face that day

When he smiled at me and said “GOODBYE’

I’ll be back soon, Mum, so please don’t cry.

But the war went on and he had to stay,

And all I could do was wait and pray

His letters told of the awful fight (I can see it still in my dreams at night).

With the tanks and guns and the cruel barbed wire,

And the mines and bullets, the bombs and fire.

“Till at last at last, the war was won

And that’s why we wear a poppy son”.

The small boy turned as if to go,

Then said, “Thanks lady I’m glad to know.

That sure did sound like an awful fight,

But your son – did he come back alright?”

A tear rolled down her faded cheek;

She shook her head but didn’t speak

I slunk away in a sort of shame,

And if you were me you’d have done the same,

For our thanks, in giving, is oft delayed,

Through our freedom was bought – and thousands paid!

And so when we see a poppy worn,

Let us reflect out burden borne

By those who gave their very all

When asked to answer their country’s call

That we at home in peace might live,

THEN WEAR A POPPY! REMEMBER – AND GIVE!

Jelly Roll Cake

So, I decided to try something different today with baking and made a jelly roll cake. The recipe I used was found on the internet, so I wasn't too sure on how it would turn out. I ended up having to make some adjustments on it once I was finished. Here's how it went.

The ingredients

Next, I put parchment in the cookie sheet & sprayed it with PAM, so it wouldn't stick

Next, start beating the eggs

Hmmm...needs more beating. Not quite there yet.

That's better. Now gradually add in the sugar

Next, add in the vanilla & water

Mix that up. Then, gradually add the flour, baking powder, salt mixture

Great! Now it's ready to go into the pan and oven.

Baking time! Recipe says 10-15 minutes. I'll bake it for 10 minutes. While that's baking, time to prep the towel with icing sugar.

Out of the oven & onto the towel. Take off the parchment & roll it up. Let it cool for about 30 minutes.

Time to get the jam ready. Mix it up, so that it'll spread easier.

Oh crap! 10 minutes was too long. Looks like my cake burnt a bit. Oh well. Shit does happen.

Spread the jam over the cake anyways.

Roll it back up & add some more icing sugar on it. I just used what was left on the towel.

Doesn't that look good? It turned out pretty good.
After awhile, it's time to cut it up & give it a try. Mmmm....look at all that jam.

2 thumbs up! It still tastes good. With my jam being a bit tart, it's not overly sweet.

Here's the recipe that I used.

Jelly Roll Cake

Soft, sweet, and full of jam, this sponge cake is easy to roll and makes for a simple yet impressive dessert!

Ingredients

3 eggs

1 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup water

1 teaspoon vanilla

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

Powdered sugar

About 2/3 cup jelly or jam

Steps

• Heat oven to 375°F. Line 15x10x1 -inch pan with waxed paper, foil or cooking parchment paper; generously grease waxed paper or foil with shortening.
• In medium bowl, beat eggs with electric mixer on high speed about 5 minutes or until very thick and lemon coloured. Gradually beat in granulated sugar. Beat in water and vanilla on low speed. Gradually add flour, baking powder and salt, beating just until batter is smooth. Pour into pan, spreading to corners.
• Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Immediately loosen cake from sides of pan and turn upside down onto towel generously sprinkled with powdered sugar. Carefully remove paper. Trim off stiff edges of cake if necessary. While cake is hot, carefully roll cake and towel from narrow end. Cool on cooling rack at least 30 minutes. *This needs to only bake for about 7 minutes. At 10 minutes, it’s already starting to burn*
• Unroll cake and remove towel. Beat jelly slightly with fork to soften; spread over cake. Roll up cake. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Expert Tips

• Increase eggs to 4. Beat in 1/4 cup unsweetened baking cocoa with the flour. If desired, fill cake with ice cream instead of jelly or jam. Spread 1 to 1 1/2 pints (2 to 3 cups) slightly softened ice cream over cooled cake. Roll up cake; wrap in plastic wrap. Freeze about 4 hours or until firm.
• Make jelly roll cake as directed adding 2 teaspoons grated lemon peel to batter with flour. Omit jelly and spread cake with 2/3 cup purchased lemon curd or make Lemon Curd. Roll as directed. Store covered in refrigerator.
• Make jelly roll cake as directed substituting 1/2 teaspoon almond extract for the vanilla. In small bowl, whip 1/2 cup whipping cream, 2 teaspoons powdered sugar and 1/4 teaspoon almond extract to stiff peaks. Spread over cake and roll as directed. Store covered in refrigerator.

I hope you enjoyed reading this.