I would have liked to have some profound thoughts for you today, but instead it’s been a morning of work, a drive in the country, a bit of sunshine, then adult beverages and Return of the Jedi.
So, a good day:)
* * *
Posts Tagged ‘#365Ways’
A Good Day
Posted in Holidays, Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2021, Return of the Jedi, Thoughts, yay on September 6, 2021| Leave a Comment »
A Touch of Magic
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2021, inspiration, nature, writing, yay on September 5, 2021| Leave a Comment »
“A well-composed book is a magic carpet on which we are wafted to a world that we cannot enter in any other way.”
― Caroline Gordon
* * *
Get the Right Things Right
Posted in Other, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2021, creativity, progress, Thoughts, writing on September 4, 2021| Leave a Comment »
The other day I hemmed a pair of jeans for Mr Man. The method isn’t difficult but can be a little tricky to get right. All those thick seams and difficult fabric.
I don’t sew much, so I had to go through the usual process of pretending like I know what I’m doing. A lot like life, really. Thankfully, muscle memory has been in charge of threading sewing machine needles since I was about twelve.
Once I finished, I realized something interesting. The results were good. Better than the last time I did it, actually. And the interesting part was that it wasn’t perfect, nowhere close, but I seem to have figured out what mattered.
For hemmed jeans, it’s thread color.
For writing, I will argue, it’s the emotion that connects reader and written.
It’s possible that I sometimes try too hard, in an effort to get everything right. (Hahahahaha, that seems even sillier when I write it down. Yeah, that’s not happening, like, ever;)
But what if I don’t need to get the whole thing right? What if I just need to get the right things right?
Step one, figure out what those things are. Step two, take the next step.
* * *
The Kuchen of My Dreams
Posted in Food and..., tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2021, cake, cooking, family, memories, recipes, Thoughts on September 3, 2021| 1 Comment »
I’m looking for a good German plum cake recipe. There are (of course) many versions available online, but the problem with that is you never quite know what you’re getting, and I only have the one batch of plums.
There’s also an added complication. I am looking for a plum cake recipe because I made one as a teenager, and it was astoundingly good. Flavorful pastry base, creamy plum filling, and delightful streusel crumble on top. Now, that remembered experience is the standard to which I hold all future plum cakes.
Was it actually as good as it is in my mind? Maybe not, but I think so:) My mother also remembers the cake. It was her favorite type of German dessert, from when she lived in that country once upon a time. She brought home a classic German cookbook, source of the original plum cake recipe.
I hold out hope that she still has the cookbook, and can find that recipe, but until then, I am on the hunt for the kuchen of my dreams.
* * *
Bilbo It Up
Posted in Favorites, Likes, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2021, courage, dragons, inspiration, Patrick Rothfuss, quotes, Thoughts, Writers on September 2, 2021| Leave a Comment »
“The truth is that the world is full of dragons, and none of us are as powerful or cool as we’d like to be. And that sucks. But when you’re confronted with that fact, you can either crawl into a hole and quit, or you can get out there, take off your shoes, and Bilbo it up.”
― Patrick Rothfuss
* * *
Today in Creative Women
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2021, creativity, genre fiction, inspiration, music, sff, Thoughts, women, Writers, writing on September 1, 2021| Leave a Comment »
Today in creative women, we have two items you might find interesting. First, a podcast on one of our great science fiction writers:
Octavia Butler: Visionary Fiction
Octavia Butler’s alternate realities and ‘speculative fiction’ reveal striking, and often devastating parallels to the world we live in today. She was a deep observer of the human condition, perplexed and inspired by our propensity towards self-destruction. Butler was also fascinated by the cyclical nature of history, and often looked to the past when writing about the future. Along with her warning is her message of hope – a hope conjured by centuries of survival and persistence. For every society that perishes in her books comes a story of rebuilding, of repair.
* * *
I was also interested to see this piece on largely forgotten female composers, complete with interactive map. I’m not a classical music buff, but I didn’t even know Amadeus had a sister, much less one who was also a child music prodigy. Now I do, and I’m better for it.
‘They deserve a place in history’: music teacher makes map of female composers
Two siblings, both considered child prodigies, dazzled audiences across Europe together in the 18th century, leaving a trail of positive reviews in their wake. But while Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart went on to be celebrated as one of the world’s greatest composers, the accomplishments of his sister – Maria Anna – were quickly forgotten after she was forced to halt her career when she came of age.
* * *
Here’s to not stopping.
* * *
Just Happy to Be Here
Posted in Likes, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2021, creativity, Thoughts, yay on August 31, 2021| Leave a Comment »
Tuesdays are back to their normal busy schedule, but I am having one of those days when I’m more-than-usually aware of the good things. Not only, but also.
And R2 says hello:)
* * *
Just. Wow.
Posted in Likes, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2021, #ExcusesToTravel...Someday, art, creativity, inspiration, Japan on August 30, 2021| Leave a Comment »
It’s Monday. Have some rice paddy art:)
The Epic Landscape Art of Tiny Inakadate, Japan
* * *
* * *
And they did a Star Wars version!
A Taste of Summer
Posted in Food and..., tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2021, Boston, food, making stuff, memories, pasta, recipes, summer on August 29, 2021| Leave a Comment »
I thought today might be a workshop or writing day, but instead it turned into a computing and sewing day. That’s fine, I’m happy I made progress with what I had.
* * *
On that same note, last night’s dinner was a medley of things we had in the fridge. They are also the sorts of flavors I associate with summer: fresh herbs, tomatoes from the garden, and sweet corn.
I was reminded of a dish I had in Boston years ago, a delicate, almost ethereal ravioli stuffed with shrimp and corn in cream sauce. The corn’s sweetness is complex enough not to seem one-note, and elevates the flavor of the shrimp. It’s a good memory, and while I don’t remember the year or the restaurant or the other eleven items on the tasting menu, that dish made a lasting impression.
* * *
We also decided to try our hand at homemade pasta. The same friends who lent us the KitchenAid ice cream attachment also lent us their pasta rollers. Taste and texture were good, and the process was fairly straightforward, considering I’ve made pasta only once? before.
I used this dough recipe: Fresh Pasta Recipe
Notes to Future Me: use the eggs we get from our local source, the ones from Costco were a little too small and threw off the ratio; knead more enthusiastically; and use more flour than you think you should for dusting the sheets before rolling and cutting.
* * *
My father asked how I made the sauce. I have a fairly casual relationship with most recipes, but here it is, more or less. If you don’t have all of the ingredients, substitute red peppers for tomatoes, dried basil for fresh, or whatever’s in the pantry. That’s what I did:)
* * *
Creamy Summer Shrimp Fettuccini
Ingredients
- 2 slices bacon, chopped into bits
- 1 shallot, sliced fine-ish
- 1/2 C. corn kernels, cut from cooked cob, frozen, or canned
- 1 C. cream
- 1 T. lemon juice, or to taste
- white wine, whatever you’re drinking, a splash or three
- shrimp, big handful
- cherry tomatoes, handful, halved
- basil, six giant leaves from the garden, sliced
- reserved pasta water to taste, plus backup cornstarch if you add too much
- salt, pepper, Parmesan
- fettuccini
Instructions
- While the pasta water heats, sauté the bacon and shallots until translucent.
- Add corn, cream, lemon juice, white wine and cook down for a couple of minutes, until slightly thickened.
- Add shrimp, cook until opaque.
- Add the tomatoes and basil and heat through.
- Adjust the sauce for flavor and thickness with salt, pepper, more wine, cream and/or and pasta water. If it’s too thin, mix up a slurry of 1 T. cornstarch and a cup of cold water, add until you have enough liquid and cook until thickened.
- Serve over pasta, topped with grated Parmesan.
* Note: I would say that have moderately-sized hands.
* * *
Yippee for Yaupon
Posted in Food and..., Likes, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2021, caffeine, CatSpring, civilization as we know it, creativity, inspiration, Michael Pollan, Thoughts, yaupon on August 28, 2021| 1 Comment »
I have found a source of caffeine that I can actually drink and I am suuuuperhappyaboutthat!
Ahem.
I gave up coffee voluntarily in grad school (because school was stressful enough and also when you need a giant pot to get through the day that’s your body telling you something) and then had to give up tea a few years later for digestive reasons. So I’ve been living a mostly caffeine free life for too long.
Recently, through a confluence of conversational touch points, I found myself telling my mother about yaupon, the only (known) caffeinated plant native to North America.
* * *
Yaupon (pronounced yō-pon) is a branch of the holly family. The scientific name is terrible (Ilex vomitoria, um, no thanks?) but the plant and tea have nothing to do with regurgitation (ok, that’s fine then!).
Native to the southeastern US, it was used by natives for thousands of years, and traded across North America and the Atlantic.
Yaupon: The rebirth of America’s forgotten tea – BBC Travel
When picked, roasted and boiled, the leaves yield a yellow to dark-orange elixir with a fruity and earthy aroma and a smooth flavour with malty tones. As if orchestrated specifically for the mind and body, yaupon leaves’ perfect ratio of stimulating xanthines such as caffeine, theobromine and theophylline release slowly into the body, providing a jitter-free mental clarity and an ease to the stomach.
* * *
Why am I going on about this tea? Because it’s native, sustainable, and it deserves to be thought of as more than a “pesky weed.” It’s tannin free, so unlike traditional tea from Camellia sinensis, you can steep it multiple times without that unfun bitter, astringent aftertaste.
Also, because I happen to have a bag from one of the more prominent yaupon companies, CatSpring in Texas, and I’m drinking a delicious cup with maple syrup right now.
This caffeine stuff works, y’all;)
* * *
Speaking of, let’s just take a brief moment to appreciate the role of caffeine, “the most widely used psychoactive drug on Earth,” in human history.
Whatever your beverage of choice, may your eyes remain bright and your synapses active!
* * *
-
Recent Posts
She Said, He Said
-
-
Favorite Posts
Archives
Categories
It’s All So Random
What I’m Reading
You must be logged in to post a comment.