Why We Need Show Tunes – Poor Man’s Treat

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Poor Man’s Treats are a very special treat with a great history! dscn0034

I’m about to stop watching the news folks. I pretty much have it memorized like a kid on their hundredth airing of Toy Story. Economy, recession, depression, financial, bailouts, wall street, cutbacks, foreclosure, deficit, Washington, Washington Washington. Enough already!

Tonight I realized that all of the gloom and doom is rubbing off  of me and I’m here to tell you I’m not having it.

You see, within my mind lies a wealth of show tunes, show tunes which I have a tendency to hum and sing throughout my day and with very little conscious knowledge. I’m just a music-y person. I sing. I can’t help it. There is always a song in my head and my vocal chords like to get in on the jam session.

While walking through Wal Mart, I was humming. Now I’ve been known to hum a  lot of things in Wal Mart. Once, while talking to a friend on the cell phone, I began humming the star spangled banner on the coffee aisle. I didn’t even realize I was doing it until she exclaimed in a disgusted voice “You have GOT to be the most patriotic person I have ever met”

“Huh?”

“No one I know randomly hums the star spangled banner”

Oh.

Minutes later I began humming My Country ‘Tis Of Thee

I wake my kids up with various up beat good morning songs and I sing the entire soundtrack from singing in the rain and just about every Judy Garland tune ever recorded (except the sad ones, of course!).

Tonight, while going through wal mart (okay so I spend way too much time in Wal Mart), I was humming, not really paying any attention to the tune until I heard my voice quietly singing the words and it hit me…

I gets weary, and sick of trying. I’m tired of livin’ and scared of dying…

Oh good grief, I’m singing Old Man River!

NUH UH! This stops here.

Now don’t get me wrong. I realize that life is harder now on some a lot folks than it has ever been in their lifetimes. Fact is, many of us have very valid reasons to complain and worry. What I’m saying though is that we also have valid reasons to be grateful, too, and the good things in our life deserve at least the same amount of air time as the difficult.

So I’ve decided to stop the cycle. I’m not buying into the whole “life is horrible, cower and worry” that is being sold to us all right now. I’m not going to spend my entire day in anxiety and I’m not going to exchange my inner peppy soundtrack for a slower beat or a mournful strain.

You know what we all need?

What we need are some upbeat show tunes and maybe even spontaneous choreographed dance.

Bring on the Judy Garland, Crank up Mary Poppins and hit play on the old version of Pollyanna, its time to bring back the good life!

We need to live our lives in such great appreciation of each day and each moment that we all find ourselves walking through Wal Mart humming the star spangled banner. It really wouldn’t hurt if the rest of the store joined in and we all started twirling and tap dancing about, now would it? Those without a partner can just grab a sack of potatoes or some of that abundant rice we all stocked up on during the panic over supposed shortage a few months back.

We need to realize that sometimes life gets so bad that we lose sight of just how very good it is!

There is ALWAYS something to be grateful for. There is always a positive side.

So here is your homework:

Smile at strangers today, count how many smile back.

Learn the words to at least one song from an old Technicolor musical

And lastly, hum the Star Spangled Banner. I don’t care who you root for in the elections, we live in a fine country and I got some “special” batch brownies for anyone who tells you different!

It’s like I tell my kids:

Each day when you wake up you have a choice. You can have a good day or you can have a bad one. So you might as well have a good one.

Same goes for life.

For the pessimists who haven’t left the room yet, things can ALWAYS get worse so you best get to enjoying them now. Don’t make me come over there and slap you around a bit because I will…and I’ll sing SHOW TUNES While I do it!

Oh and a recipe…here ya go. These were sent in to me by Cynthia, a reader who called them “poor man’s treats”. I asked my mother about them and she said her father practically lived on them as a child.

Spread crackers with peanut butter

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Top with marshmallows

Place under broiler just until marshmallows are browned.

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Eat with a grateful heart. 🙂

Poor Man’s Treat

A special treat that most anyone can afford, with precious memories attached to it, too! Reminder to whistle while you walk through life!
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: American
Keyword: treat
Servings: 4
Calories: 153kcal

Ingredients

  • Saltine Crackers
  • Peanut Butter
  • Marshmallows or marshmallow cream

Instructions

  • Spread peanut butter on the crackers. Top with marshmallow or a dollop of marshmallow cream. Place under broiler in oven until marshmallow is just browned. Pay close attention because this will not take long at all! Devour.

Quick, easy, good. Make 'em tonight and eat like the po' folks do, our food tastes better than the rich people's anyway. Another thing to be grateful for.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 153kcal
    Tried this recipe?Mention @southernplate or tag #southernplate!

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    148 Comments

    1. my family is so laughing right now because I make a similar treat. I use a slice of bread, creamy peanut butter, and miniture marshmallows then toast until it browns. I have eaten that since I was little and that was many moons ago. guess i don’t realize we are in a depression. Anyway it’s good to know someone else appreciates poor mans food as much as me. Maybe my family will at least try it since YOU have the similar recipe. (lol)

    2. Oh -you have to go to you-tube and enter Zippity Do Dah. There are several versions on there ranging from the original with Uncle remus and my favorite was Miley Cyrus’s. This stated as a joke at work because everyonewas sort of bummed out one day and the younger ones didn’t even know what I was taliking about so I sent the you tude link and now we are all singing this little cheery number at random times. Fun. The place of employment is a maximum security prison so we need some bluebirds on our shoulders. Even the inmates have heard us and join in now and then.

    3. I sing out randomly as well, I think I get it from my mom, who would belt out the words to the songs on the radio playing in grocery store when I was little. Used to embarrass me then. Now I am the one embarrassing my hubby and I am sure my son when he is old enough. Oh, and I am a huge fan of old movies/musicals. “The hills are alive with the sound of music…”

      Oh as for the “treat” my grandmother does this, but with good old white bread and makes a sandwich. There great!

    4. So fun! I find myself humming or singing all the time. And when I’m not, there always seems to be a song in my mind. Usually it’s from a cheesy kids’ video, because that’s what’s always on the TV. Baby Einstein, Disney cartoons, VeggieTales, all that fun type! I love the simplicity of those crackers and marshmallows. Sometimes cheap and easy is just the best way to go!

    5. I know what you mean about singing. I sing in my sleep. I also don’t watch much of the news. I don’t know what your religious beliefs are but here is a link with a couple of videos of Christian songs that I like if you are interested. One of ’em talks about “finding the roses under the thorns” and looking for the joy in life. Life is far too short to wallow in misery.

      Those snacks look yummy. Too bad we’re out of marshmallows-we have a brand new jar of PB and a huge box of saltines from Sam’s Club.

    6. Amen sister! It’s so easy to get sucked into the “recession” attitude. But you’re right. We all need to forget what’s going on even if it’s just long enough to bust into a nice rendition of Do Re Mi from Sound of Music! 🙂

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