It’s Lowkey Mid tbh. Not!

While Andy today in OurLittleCorner writes about aging, I’m thinking about staying cool. And by “cool” I mean young and trendy – not “out of the heat” or “chill.” And by “chill” I mean cold, not laidback. Actually, I’m totally confused about what I mean! Does that come with age? 🙂

This all started after I read this NYTimes article on teenagers’ language. Dare I say “dope” language? After not understanding any of the teens’ expressions being analyzed (“glazed,” “mid,” “sus,” “cringe,” and “based,”) I decided to consult with my most cool besties…my two grandsons, ages 19 and 22. It’s interesting that Moss, our younger hip Santa Cruz grandson, confirms that he uses the words more than Silas, our older hip Brooklyn grandson. Maybe they’re reflecting age differences. But Silas and his Brooklyn roomies did confirm that “dope” was a “with it” kind of word to use.

My exchange with Moss went like this:

Moss and Silas agree that “sus” has “fallen off” (whatever that means). According to Silas, “sus is like superrrrr cringey but it’s funny to use in an ironic way.” And Moss had this to say (via text):

AOC. Is she cool – or cringy – when she uses “sus while she plays Among Us?”

Stephen Marche, the author of that Times article (which is entitled “Today’s Teenagers Have Invented a Language Which Captures the World Perfectly”), maintains that today’s slang has been “created for a society that’s characterized, online and off, by collapsing institutions, erosions in trust and a loss of faith in a shared sense of meaning.” I’m not sure I’d agree with his thesis, but I still am intrigued with the words.

After all the confusion caused by my trying to become more hip in my language, I was relieved to find the following comment posted on Marche’s Times article, “Hi, just want to note that the word “cool” has never changed meaning or gone out of use in about 100 years. Maybe it’s the exception to the rule but, hey, it is still the very coolest of all our slang words.”

That’s cool! Whew.

And now onto today’s food (for thought?). Though I may have fixed a lot of lowkey mid meals tbh lately…meals that have been nothing to rave about…neither have they been sub-par or cringe-worthy (amazing when you start writing how many expressions you realize you’re using). But you can rest assured that when you serve this Nut-Glazed Chocolate Sheet Cake the reaction will not be glazed.

LMAO about all of this 🙂

Nut-glazed Chocolate Sheet Cake

Servings: 18-24?
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This is a vintage recipe that I cut out of a magazine years ago. It’s almost identical to a cake that Ree Drummond, aka the Pioneer Women, says she got from her mother-in-law and “is moist beyond imagination, chocolaty and rich like there’s no tomorrow, and, 100% of the time, elicits moans and groans from anyone who takes a bite.” Ree uses double the amount of frosting that my recipe calls for – so if you love, love, love anything sweet and chocolaty go ahead and double mine! NOTE: my recipes calls for a 15″x 10″ jelly roll pan. Ree bakes hers in a 18″ x 13″ sheet pan.

FOR THE CAKE BATTER:
2 c flour
2 c sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp Diamond kosher salt
1 c butter
1/4 c unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 c boiling water
3/4 c buttermilk
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla extract
FOR THE FROSTING:
1/4 c butter
1/4 c unsweetened cocoa powder
3 T milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 c powdered sugar
1/2 c finely chopped walnuts or pecans

In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, cinnamon, and salt.

In a saucepan, melt the butter. Add the cocoa, stirring to combine. Add the boiling water and stir again; turn off the heat. Pour the cocoa mixture over the flour mixture, and stir lightly to cool.

In a small bowl combine the buttermilk, the beaten eggs, baking soda, and vanilla. Stir the buttermilk mixture into the butter/chocolate mixture. Pour into a 15 x10-inch jelly roll pan or a 18×13-inch sheet cake pan and bake at 350°F for about 30-35 minutes if using the jelly roll pan or about 20-25 minutes if using the sheet pan. Be sure that before you take it out you can lightly touch the center of the cake and it will spring back.

While cake is baking, make the frosting: In a saucepan, melt the butter. Add the cocoa, stir to combine, and turn off the heat. Add the milk, vanilla, and powdered sugar, stirring together. Add the pecans, stir together. Add a bit more milk if needed to make the frosting easily spreadable. Be sure to frost the cake while the cake is still quite warm.

Cut into squares, eat, and enjoy. The cake will keep well for several days – and freezes well, too.

Recipe brought to you by BigLittleMeals.com and Andy and Ann.