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Archive for the ‘Food’ Category

Friday Five – I Love a Day Off

Posted in Books, Cozy, Food, Friday Five, Fun, Joy, Mental Health on July 3, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Happy July! I have the day off today, as I work for the state, and the holiday we would usually get at this time is on a Saturday this year. I’ll take it.

I’ve had a pretty easy week overall. In addition to having today off, I also took Monday and Tuesday off – just because – and I got a lot of reading and very little housework done and got to talk about books while in a pool on Tuesday. So…perfect days. I have a laidback party with some fun people this weekend, and then preparation for a reading retreat next weekend. Yay!

My seasonal depression is visiting. So far, it’s pretty mild this year. This is not a challenge, Derek (what I have named my seasonal depression. I feel like he would be a Derek. No offense if your name or the name of someone you love is Derek, of course. It’s just easy to yell in an exasperated manner.).

And yes, I do picture Derek from The Good Place when I yell it. Thanks for asking.

Here are some things that confused some of the summer sads this week:

  • Wednesday Adams is playing Klara in the screen adaptation of Klara and the Sun!!! And by Wednesday Adams, I do mean Jenna Ortega (which I had to google, because Jenny didn’t look right. Because it wasn’t). That is her real name. I’m too excited. I can’t be trusted to get names right.
  • One of my things-to-do-by-the-time-I’m-60 goals is to join an online book club. I should have been more specific. I have joined several. Technically, I am a member of at least three online book clubs, but I am having a hard time remembering to participate. I have online book friends and book groups, but I wanted to buckle down with one that reads and discusses a book each month. I was excited to discover that Kate Bowler has started one, and the first month is Shark Heart, which was on my radar to read for one of my challenges this year anyway. Added bonus – there are many ways to participate in this club. We’ll see how it goes!
  • One of these days, I’m going to give in and just make some Bala Baiana. It truly is everything I love in a candy.
  • “Obliterates” is a strong word, but I do enjoy Mamdani’s handling of the press. Almost as much as I appreciate that he actually does the job he was elected to do. The bar is so low, y’all.
  • Rachel Maddow’s concern about books that have been weeded is my favorite thing on the internet this week.

I hope you are doing well and get to do something fun this weekend!

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Friday Five – Here Are Things

Posted in Alive, Books, Cozy, Food, Friday Five, Home, Mental Health, Reading Challenges, Revolution, TV on June 12, 2026| Leave a Comment »

It’s Friday. We made it. Good job, us!

I sat here for five minutes trying to sum up the things listed below, but my mind is drawing a blank. Little byproduct of the summer seasonal sads, probably. Anyway, here are things:

  • Voted this week. Quick question: Does Mamdani have a friend who is looking to relocate to Texas? I’d like Denton to experience how it feels to have Mamdani as mayor.
  • Every week, I make approximately 2,435 new plans for the plants in and around my home. This week, my favorite daydreams are thrifting small dishes to use as drip plates for pots and making mint ice cream out of the extravagance my plant has produced.
  • Star Trek and its trailblazing ways.
  • I have a Rec League. I love the unabashed sharing of things people love. It’s a nice brain break in the middle of the day.
  • I am very close to finishing my Libro.fm challenge for the year. The prompt that’s holding me up? “Plan or join an audiobook outing.” Because…why would I want to do that. I meant to listen to an audiobook during the last get-together of my local Silent Book Club, but I got overstimulated that day and ended up not going. Maybe I’ll try again. Or maybe I’ll include listening to an audiobook in my car. Technically, that’s an outing, in that it’s outside my home. It doesn’t say it has to be an outing with other people. It’s a stretch, but I may get desperate.

I hope your weekend is fun and relaxing!

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Not-Friday Five – Maggie and Michelle Weekend!

Posted in Church, Denton, Food, Friday Five, Fun, Joy, Mental Health, Music, TV on May 24, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Yay, Maggie and Michelle! They are here in my house this weekend! I am looking at them right now. I was so excited they were coming into town that I didn’t remember to post this on Friday. We have eaten a lot of cheese and blueberry sourdough and also went to see The Importance of Being Earnest at the community theatre last night. Happy all around.

Some more things that made me happy this week:

  • I grew up singing in church choirs. It was always my favorite thing about church, a place where, otherwise, I felt as awkward and out of place as I did everywhere else growing up. I can’t listen to so many songs that we sang without feeling that gut punch of knowing how often they were used to belittle others (we called it speaking the truth in love) and shut them out (we hid behind our wildly out-of-context interpretation of the Bible’s instruction to be set apart for Christ). I remember how scandalous it was when a Christian singer, songwriter, speaker, preacher, etc., stepped outside the prescribed, approved path (i.e., anything but straight, conservative, and behaving according to their assigned gender role). As someone who knew how painful the rejection of not living up to said path could be, I had a soft spot in my heart for these people who were living our shared faith the best they could, despite not fitting their assigned boxes, in a very public arena, even before I understood how much I would come to agree with many of them as I got older. This week, I curled in a ball and sobbed when I read about the rerelease of Testify to Love, a reimagining that celebrates how big and wide God’s love really is. While it is very different in style from the songs I sing in my church choir now, that sad, serious inner child of mine with so much love to give just healed a little. 
  • I love this piece on self-compassion. Here are some golden nuggets that make me feel seen:
    • “I decided long ago that I would rather beat myself up every day for the rest of my life than whisper to myself about how the Universe is conspiring in my favor.”
    • “I try to approach my own brain the way I would approach a skittish rescue animal—no sudden movements.“
    • “I remind myself that I am not competing in the Trauma Olympics. I’m allowed to have feelings even if someone else has it worse.”
    • “Sometimes [self-compassion] looks profound. Sometimes it looks like eating sour gummy candy in my car while telling myself to calm the hell down before I ruin my own day. Either way, I think it counts.”
  • I love two things about Jenny Lawson’s post this week. First, I relate to the perpetual being behind on many cultural commentaries. I, too, get lost in my deep dives. Also, I sometimes have to take in information more thoroughly before I fully form my opinion about it. I blame (i.e., thank) my communication degree. Conflict management teaches response rather than reaction, and so much of what we get, particularly on social media, is mainly reaction (not all – some people just process information really quickly and can get their response out faster). And second, I am very excited to learn what she names her new foster fail kitty. The little face! That cat knows it’s found a home.
  • There is going to be a Grey’s Anatomy spin-off that takes place in West Texas. Yessss. 
  • Thom Yorke was inducted into the Fellowship of the Ivors Academy. Harry Styles presented him with the award. And Yorke’s acceptance speech was also brilliant. I love it when musicians are also good writers.

Hope you’re having a fun weekend, too!

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Friday Five – Slow Life

Posted in Cozy, Food, Friday Five, Home, Lush, Quiet on May 15, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Today is the second round of Transfer Orientation, so work is going to be anything but slow. Perhaps the busyness at work is part of why I have been drawn to snippets and musings about a slow life this week. 

  • I love this daydream about living in Italy (and also a gentle push to maybe put down/throw away the phone and live) from Shawn Smucker.
  • Andi’s snapshot of a slow-living moment made my mouth water. It’s been a while since I enjoyed a perfect omelette. I think I see one in my near future.
  • As it will soon be too hot here to cook over a stove or turn on the oven for a few months, I’m clinging to warm salad season lately. I love a good roasted veggie salad so much, but my willingness to tolerate the heat that roasting adds to my house will evaporate by mid-June. This week, my meal plan includes a spin on German potato salad (warm, with a mustard vinaigrette) and something with sweet potatoes, onions, and cranberries.
  • Speaking of changing weather, I love this piece of advice about being stuck in the transition time between seasons from Tamar Adler – “When you taste the season’s first cherry, then plum, then apricot, let all the time before it open your mind and heart to its miracle. Sit down and describe it. Be stuck until you unstick.”
  • “Dough you want this focaccia recipe from Le Cirque?” Yes, Dorie Greenspan. I really do. I may not make it before summer arrives, but I love a good focaccia.

I hope you get some time to slow down and savor whatever you have going on this weekend. Have a good one!

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Friday Five – Little Pockets

Posted in Books, Cozy, Food, Friday Five, Poetry on April 17, 2026| 2 Comments »

I’m wearing jeans today. It’s been a minute since I’ve worn real pants. But they looked cute and I bought them. So here we are. I forgot how little the pockets are.

This has been a high-anxiety week. No specific reason (other than the usual living-in-this-world). I did have a checkup at the doctor (everything’s good), so maybe that’s it. 

Anyway, today’s list focuses on little pockets of joy I love from the week. Enjoy!

  • I love this poem by Rebecca Dupas – How To Slay a Dragon
  • How did Dorie Greenspan know that what the world needs now is to hear her wax poetical about pastry? [P.S. Dorie Greenspan always gushes about pastry.] [P.P.S. The world always needs it.]
  • Sally Field stars in Remarkably Bright Creatures! This is a great year for the best books being made into films.
  • My tomato plants are thriving with all the moisture we’ve been getting, but they look a little lonely. Time to plant some friends!
  • Next week is National Library Week! The theme this year is Find Your Joy, and I’m pretty sure my joy is at the library. I’ll have to make sure to block out some time to do some meandering and browsing.

How are you doing? Hope you find some joy this weekend.

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Friday Five – Life and a Love Story

Posted in Alive, Beauty, Books, Bookshops, Food, Friday Five, Getting It Together, Mental Health, Poetry, Wonder on April 10, 2026| Leave a Comment »

What a year this week has been. I haven’t been this happy to see Friday in a minute. And I get to leave early to attend a program at the library this afternoon, so that’s exciting.

Here are some things I enjoyed reading this week:

  • I’m excited to add a life audit from The Good Trade to my goal review process. I’ve decided to incorporate little transition spaces into the year. Advent, for example, begins the church year during the same season the calendar year is finishing. Sounds like a built-in transition space to me. This will also help move my goal-setting into January, which I’ve been considering for the past couple of years. I could really use a soft launch for new/updated goals rather than a sprint in the middle of winter when all I’m supposed to be doing is cuddling up with books and tea. I think I’ll try that out next time and see how it goes.
  • I love this list of recommendations for National Poetry Month from Parnassus Books.
  • I am emerging from my meal planning funk. I’ve cooked a couple of old favorites recently, and I’m trying out some salad recipes that go beyond just greens and dressing. Natalie Gale (via The Good Trade) must have known I was struggling. I am more excited about this list of 99 healthy recipes (divided by dietary lifestyle) than I have been about figuring out what to make for dinner in a long time.
  • This list is very Good Trade heavy this week, and I’m not even sorry. Here’s some good stuff on the importance of cultivating soft skills, especially with AI becoming more prevalent. I especially like the reminder that these are not just things you have or don’t have – they can be learned! As a former communication instructor, I assure you that most people do have to learn these skills. Even those who have natural talent at influence or resilience or conflict management still have to train and practice that talent to get the most out of it. This reminder also helps me be more hopeful about my future, as teaching adjunct may be something I go back to when I retire from full-time work.
  • An otherwise terrifying week has been made a little kinder – a little more “oh yeah, that’s the point of living” – by the Artemis II crew. This is what happens when people who actually know and love the moon go up to see what more we can learn about it. We get a love story. I love that they carried the flag designated for the Apollo 18 mission. I love that they named a crater after a loved one. Before this week, I didn’t know that craters were formed when the moon protected us from space junk. I am happy to know that now. Wishing the crew a safe return home today. Go outside and say hello to Carroll tonight.

I hope you have a good weekend, friends!

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Friday Five – I’m a Fan

Posted in Books, Food, Friday Five, Fun, Run, Work, tagged , , on March 27, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Happy Friday, friends. We did it. Despite being absolutely covered in pollen every time I step outside, I have made it through the week. Claritin is my friend.

I’m a big fan of these five things this week:

  • This is the deep dive into bar soap that I didn’t know I needed, and I am here for it. Bar soap for life. I mean, not Irish Spring, as I’m allergic. But you can pry my locally crafted soaps and my Dr. Bronner’s peppermint away from my cold, dead hands.
  • Jane Fonda is going to play one of my favorite book characters from the books I read last year. I’m so excited!
  • HARRY STYLES TALKING TO HARUKI MURAKAMI ABOUT RUNNING! “One of the most important things for a human being is to embrace the contradiction.” I feel better about life in general just having read Murakami saying, “What is this chaos in me?” Same, Murakami. 
  • Today, we are celebrating International Waffle Day (Observed) in the office because we had another lunch to attend on Wednesday, when it was actually International Waffle Day. Of course, I brought my waffle iron to work. While Mark Bittman’s quick and easy waffles are my favorite go-tos, I make a mess when I mix them up. I needed something more portable, so I adjusted to a mix I could just shake and pour. I tested it last night, and it was fine. Meh. It was waffles from a mix. It will work. I have cranberries and thyme to add to it, so that will spruce it up a bit. At any rate, yay waffles for lunch!
  • I’m going to make this dish this weekend. Baharan brought it to cookbook club, and I can’t stop thinking about it. So simple. So delicious. So easy to make, even on busy days.

I hope you have a good weekend!

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Friday Five – Crafted Cozy

Posted in Beauty, Books, Church, Cozy, Food, Friday Five, Joy, Mental Health on February 13, 2026| Leave a Comment »

I want one of these days. Oh, to be a crocheted frog! That looks so cozy and nice. Maybe soon. 

In the meantime, here are some good reads that also feel cozy. Enjoy!

  • I love Jenny Lawson, and I cannot wait to read How to Be Okay When Nothing Is Okay. That is all.
  • On embracing the inner crone, from Stefanie Vallejo Monahan. Yes, please.
  • I have many favorite authors. My authors page on my working TBR rivals my series page as the longest. However, I don’t know that there’s even a single author about whom I can say I’ve read all their works. I mean, I wanna. I have the drive to do so. I will read something I love and immediately devour three or four other books that person has written. I will drop everything I’m doing to read the newest Fredrik Backman (or at least make sure it gets on one of my book clubs’ lists). And I am (slowly) working through Isabel Allende’s work in order of publication. But I do not yet have a completist author of my own, and I WANT ONE. I am looking forward to this series.
  • Ash Wednesday is NEXT WEEK. What in the world. Anyway, I have practiced Lent for many years and in several ways. I like the way this post breaks it down into four intentions to pursue.
  • And finally, I’m gonna make Joy the Baker’s one-pot French onion pasta tomorrow. I’ve got a fairly busy weekend, and this little dish is going to help me slow down a little and remind me that it is, in fact, my day off, regardless of what my activities may suggest.

Have a good weekend, friends!

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Friday Five – Joy and Help

Posted in Beauty, Church, Food, Friday Five, Fun, Joy, Revolution, Work, Writing, tagged , , on February 6, 2026| Leave a Comment »

My first full week in office in my advisor position! The first week had Monday as a holiday, and the second week was mostly working from home due to the winter storm that swept through this area. It’s been a long week, but it’s been good. I haven’t quite outfitted my office yet, so I’m going to do some more decorating next week.

I’m looking forward to going out with some friends tonight and I have a few events this weekend. Hopefully, I’ll also have some time to read, clean, and generally decompress as well.

Some links for the week:

  • This opinion from US District Judge Fred Biery on the release of Liam Arias and his father Adrian is a good read. “‘We the People’ are hearing echoes of that history,” is the type of statement that once inspired me to consider the law and eventually judgeship as a career path. As much as I would probably loathe being a judge most of the time, I would enjoy writing things like this.
  • Charcuterie. Pretzels. Y’all, this is adorable.
  • How to make soup and also write a novel. I’m going to add this wisdom to my Fall Curriculum (spoiler – my goal will be to revamp my writing practice and finish a manuscript).
  • I love her joy and her new ‘do!
  • Troubles in Minneapolis persist, and friends of a friend have a good resource on the ground if you are looking for a place to donate. The Helping Hand Fund through Our Savior’s Lutheran Church supports their neighbors in need, and you can donate generally or designate your donation as “immigrant support” if you want to specify where you’d like it to go.

I hope you get time and space to decompress this weekend!

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Note to Little Me

Posted in Alive, Beauty, Church, Cozy, Dance, Food, Health, Home, Hope, Joy, Mental Health, Music, Work, tagged , , , on January 10, 2026| Leave a Comment »

The coziest (and the best) way to ring in the new year? Snacks, wine, comfort of my own home.

I love the Montana Happy newsletter. It’s always full of cozy crafts, recipes, and tips. It’s a much-needed shelter in the storm of the world. In exploring cozy as a theme this year, I am working my way through this list of prompts.

  • Hygge prompt #1 – What advice would you give your younger self with your current knowledge if given a time machine? What changes would you make?

Not that my younger self would have listened…but here goes.

That interdisciplinary major you’re considering during grad school (the one that would give you a foot in the door to library science)? DO IT. You can still teach public speaking and work night desk and be an assignment coordinator. These will be the jobs that give you the best stories and where you will meet some of your favorite people. But it would also be nice to have some sweet librarian training in your back pocket when you’re ready to branch out.

Don’t stop dancing and running. It’s hard to get that momentum back after you lose it, and you will miss it when it’s gone.

Ditto re: playing piano and French horn. 

Don’t sell your French horn. Maybe stick with a digital piano/full-sized keyboard instead of the upright grand, though. That was…a lot.

The pavement on Fry Street is dangerously uneven. Tread cautiously. Your left knee, in particular, will thank you. Also, maybe don’t drink the WHOLE beer tower. Just a thought.

In fact, go ahead and slow down on the drinking in general. One or two glasses of wine at a time is fine, and it is definitely less expensive. If you need to be buzzed to feel comfortable at a place, just leave the place. You could be home and reading. 

We still love home and reading.

You don’t want to live in the downstairs apartment. Having upstairs neighbors is THE WORST.

Look closely for bug problems before you move in. No apartment is cute enough to be worth the hassle of getting rid of an infestation.

Those things that you keep seeing ads for that you think you’d really enjoy having? You won’t. Just keep scrolling. I guarantee there’s a cute cat video coming up, and it’s free.

The cancer diagnosis isn’t the end of the world. You survive, and your friends really come through for you. Go ahead and push for the reconstructive surgery while they have you on the table, though.

When the church you love dissolves, don’t rush into replacing it. Save yourself some religious trauma and take a real break. But keep that weird little liturgical one you visited in the back of your mind. You’re going to love them someday.

I know loneliness sucks. And it will suck for a long time, especially when it seems like everyone around you is pairing off, so buckle up. But don’t waste so much time wanting a partner. Your life is already rich with love, and you will absolutely adore living alone. Once you get there, you will realize that it would take a truly exceptional connection to merit giving that up. Hold out for it.

When you feel like you have to choose between loving others well and wanting to hold them to your own moral code (which, despite everything you’ve been taught, they are not – in any way – obligated to adhere to), choose love. Every time. Your moral code will change as you learn and grow, and you will regret the harm that you did before you knew better. But you will never regret loving extravagantly. 

Love extravagantly.

Love yourself. To quote Tova Goodman’s six-word memoir, “Little me would’ve liked big me.”

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