Please read this...Happy Groundhog Day...and some other stuff...

On your marks...get set...read...

...oops...the last word was supposed to be "bake," but we'll get back to that in just a bit...

...just wanted to take this opportunity to wish you and yours a happy and joyous Groundhog Day. The big day is Friday, February the Twoth. 

Hope you managed to get your Groundhog Day shopping done on time. On Friday, I plan to gather with all of my imaginary friends to sing our favorite Groundhog Day carols, like "Hark, the Chubby Groundhogs Sing" and "We Three Woodchucks of Orient Are." 

Sorry...

...let's get back to first line in this little adventure...

...over the weekend, The Other Half and yours truly watched a couple of episodes of "The Great British Bake Off." First up, I'll have to admit that the show is a bit of an acquired taste...

Sorry...

Daughter and her sweetheart enlightened us about "The Great British Bake Off" when they journeyed to God's country for Christmas, way back in 2016. She was kind enough to share a couple of seasons with us through the wonders of modern technology.

I think we have Season Three and Season Four on a flash drive, so we're probably a bit behind. Seems like the show is in its eighth season, but I can't be sure.

The Other Half and yours truly watched one episode of the show on Saturday night. We only watched one, 'cause that was as long as we could stay awake.

Sunday evening, we stayed awake long enough to watch two entire episodes. Then, we fell asleep.

The idea behind "The Great British Bake Off" is that a bunch of folks, a dozen, I think, get together to determine the best amateur baker in all of Great Britain. I can't tell you how the participants in the show are determined, 'cause I don't actually know. 

So, a baker's dozen, minus one, of bakers, come together in a big fancy tent and bake all sort of things, likes tarts and sponges and other British sorts of treats, some of which I have never heard of, which is OK.

In each episode, the bakers bake three items. When the baking begins, the bakers are told that they have a limited amount of time to create whatever they are supposed to create. When the deadline gets down to the final few minutes, the camera likes to watch the bakers panic when their creations end up on the floor or explode in the oven.

Each baking adventure, by the way, begins with a declaration by a couple of folks who say: "On your marks, get set, bake." Sometimes, they like to say "bake" in funny sorts of way. While, I suppose the way they say it is funny if you happen to be British. 

On one of the episodes we watched Sunday evening, the bakers were baking pies. They made some very strange pies, including pies with meat and other things that don't belong in a pie.

They also got to make an American pie. Before they baked their pies, for inspiration, they drove a Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry. On the way to the levee, they did see some good ole boys who were drinking whiskey and rye, who were singing something about this was going to be the day they'll die.*

I'm guessing that by what we saw, a fair number of amateur British bakers don't have much experience when it comes to American pies. I think a couple of the Brits even used something called ganache on their supposedly American pies. American pies do not have ganache, which, by the way, I think is either frosting or something that is used to fill potholes.

American pies have apples. Maybe cherries or blueberries. Pumpkin, if it's Thanksgiving or Christmas. And you put a whole bunch of whipping cream on your pie. The kind that sprays out of a can. There wasn't any whipping cream to be seen on the baking show. Ganache? Goodness.

When I was heading back to The Paragraph Factory after lunch on Monday, I happened to spot a couple of vultures which were snacking on some sort of treat they had found along side the road. I couldn't help but wonder if what they were eating would have been better with some ganache on top...or, at least, a whole bunch of whipping cream...

...well, enough for now. Happy Groundhog Day...

(*I apologize to Don McLean and to all of the fans of the song he wrote about an American pastry.) 

The Gazette-Democrat

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Anna, Illinois 62906
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