Posted in Food and..., tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2022, home, vacation on August 13, 2022| Leave a Comment »
I’m at the start of a brief vacation from the day job, and it feels good. My plan for today included making bread, testing an experimental hazelnut chocolate pudding, working up a new soup recipe, and enjoying a cold glass of sangria in the warm afternoon sun.
I am happy to report that I have accomplished the most important thing on that list.
* * *
Posted in Likes, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2022, cat herding, Thoughts, writer problems, Writers on August 12, 2022| 1 Comment »
A friend asked for an update on the cat naming conundrum, and I had to report that it is still under discussion.
“I don’t know why this is so hard but it is. All we know is that Argyle doesn’t feel quite right, but nothing else does either. I think it’s a matter of getting to know him better.”
You’d think that a writer would have an easier time with this sort of thing, but I’ve been focused on the importance of finding the right name.
In an effort to make us feel better, our friend sent this:
And I do:)
Posted in Food and..., tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2022, food, India, interesting, learning@lunch, new to me, Thoughts on August 11, 2022| Leave a Comment »
I love that there are still so many things to learn. Take fox nuts, for example (the food, not the, well, you know). If you have more than a passing familiarity with Indian cuisine you’ve probably heard of them, but I had not. I ran across a reference today and thought, “Fabulous! What the heck are those?”
Where do Makhana (fox nuts) come from?
Fox nuts, or makhana, are seeds from the prickly water lily (euryale ferox). When cooked they puff up, a little like popcorn (if all the action happened inside the shell and required a blow with a wooden mallet to release the final product). It is a very popular Indian food for snacking and other dishes.
Fox Nuts: How They Are Grown and Prepared
I wonder what they taste like? Time to head over to the local South Asian grocery and find out.
And this has been today’s edition of Learning at Lunch.
* * *
Posted in Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2022, cat herding, Thoughts on August 10, 2022| 2 Comments »
We’re still discussing whether to change the new cat’s name. Nothing seems quite right yet. His current name, Argyle, has a certain dignified cachet but doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue (or lend itself to endearments; Argie? Ugh; unless he becomes a pirate… which could be cool).
Here are just some of the many possible alternatives (and thanks to fellow cat-owned friends for helping with this list):
* * *
Posted in Food and..., tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2022, baking, bananas, Felicia Day, food, peaches are frequently a disappointment, recipes, Thoughts on August 9, 2022| Leave a Comment »
I recently tested two new recipes. One worked, one (through no fault of its own) not so much. I’ll start with the less good.
Butterscotch Peaches Recipe – NYT Cooking
The recipe is fine, the butterscotch flavor excellent, and it could have turned out great. Emphasis on “could.”
If you don’t have access to the New York Times recipe collection, here are the ingredients I used:
The result? My peaches were a bit of a disaster. The first peaches of the season often are, but I held out hope. They were beautiful, I‘ll give them that, but after washing and scoring and boiling and peeling (a pain, I’d skip it next time) and slicing, I had to accept the facts.
The peaches were decidedly mediocre. All but two had at least some internal brown spots, and three were nothing but mush. And eaten fresh, even the prettiest fruit was mealy and low on flavor.
I cooked them up and made the butterscotch. Then, as I was nearing the finish line, I waffled over the final product. Should I go ahead with the subpar peaches or skip the fruit and just eat the butterscotch? While I considered my options, the butterscotch started to harden. By the time I decided to say what the hell, I was on my way to Candyland. As in, the butterscotch was hardening into delicious-yet-difficult-to-mix candy.
I went with it in the end. The final product tasted good, actually, but there were chunks of semi-solidified butterscotch throughout. (It would have made for a delicious addition to ice cream, in fact. Maybe next time.)
* * *
On to the good:
So there I was, stalking Felicia Day’s library on Goodreads (as one does), when I ran across this book:
I picked up a copy last week.
I need to start testing some of the thousand (!) recipes here, but if there is a more perfect type of cookbook for me, I don’t know what it is. I love the ease, reliability and reach of books like Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything, but this new book’s approach not only tests the many (many) variations of each recipe, it also tells you what they tried, why, and with what results. Then you get the finalized recipe.
I made the banana bread. Mr Man’s double helping for dessert say it was a success.
* * *
Posted in Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2022, creativity, Fiction, inspiration, Thoughts on August 8, 2022| Leave a Comment »
“Here’s to books, the cheapest vacation you can buy.”
― Charlaine Harris
* * *
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2022, creativity, Fiction, Thoughts, Writers, writing on August 7, 2022| Leave a Comment »
I won’t lie, a nap sounds pretty good right now. Instead, I’m making yogurt, working on a design project, considering my cookbook update, and waiting for a storm to roll through.
Who knows, I might even write something.
There’s no such thing as writer’s block. There’s simply a fear of bad writing. Do enough bad writing and some good writing is bound to show up.
— Seth Godin
* * *
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2022, Fiction, inspiration, quotes, Thoughts, Writers on August 6, 2022| Leave a Comment »
“We are not trapped or locked up in these bones. No, no. We are free to change. And love changes us. And if we can love one another, we can break open the sky.”
― Walter Mosley, Blue Light
* * *
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2022, drabble, Drabble Dabble Do, Fiction, genre fiction, pesky vampires, teeth, writing on August 5, 2022| Leave a Comment »
A new drabble:
Beware of Bite
He waited until the end of the appointment to ask, fingers brushing as she handed over his new bite guard.
“Are you free later?”
“Sorry?”
“I have a thing for dental hygienists,” he said, winking.
She looked him over. He knew what she saw, though he hadn’t seen it himself in years. A tall drink of dark and handsome, only slightly marred by two remarkably sharp canines.
“Sure, why not?”
“It’s almost 7:00. When do you get off?”
“Eight o’clock.”
“Can’t wait.”
Just enough time to prepare, he thought, dropping the bite guard into his bag with all the others.
* * *
Posted in Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2022, cat herding, home, Thoughts on August 4, 2022| Leave a Comment »
This is a story about the cat. Also other things.
Lord Argyle suffered through his first trip (with us) to the vet today.
Like so many other vets these days, ours is extremely busy. Between pandemic restrictions, new pet owners, reduced hours and practitioners, vets are having to deal with a lot lately.
Why It’s So Hard to Find a Veterinarian These Days – The Atlantic
Our original meet and greet appointment was scheduled for mid-October, but when we noticed that our fellow was having some issues, they got us in right away. Our vet really is great.
And yes, I made her brownies.
The final report was not bad. Not 100%, as he is having some allergic reactions, has a weird hole in his gums and oh yes, weighs sixteen pounds.
Sixteen! Big is fine, but we want to make sure he’s healthy too.
So while we think most of these issues will be relatively easy to resolve, we have a bit of work to do.
* * *
Heading home, cat loudly protesting the recent indignities, I watched a thought fly by.
“I was hoping this time would be a little easier. What if he’s not ok?”
To which the rest of me responded, “Are you kidding? One, you are not bleeding, so this cat is definitely easier than Neko.”
Truth.
“Two, if our three-year old cat were instead a newly-rescued kitten, he would have other issues. Fun stuff like conjunctivitis, bad digestion, ticks, fleas and worms.”
Also true. Ew.
“And three, if you went for a check-up today you would have issues too. Are your teeth perfect, your blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar ideal, your heart rate and joints and eyesight all functioning at peak levels? Do you exercise enough? Do you eat only what you should and not what you shouldn’t?”
Wellll… You may have a point.*
“And yet, your life is good. Not perfect, but good. Do your best and his will be too.”
Ok. You’re right.
Here’s to a good life.
Not perfect, but good.
* * *
* Erm. See the previously mentioned brownies.
* * *
You must be logged in to post a comment.