snapshot - omelette game still strong

 

book club 4 - audiobook - Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall

 2021-4

 

missing summertime

 It got horribly cold here this week and I'm thinking of warm Spring and Summer days, and these 2 photos from a lovely drive last Summer.

Air Fryer Chickpeas

 I don't remember if I mentioned we bought an air fryer last year - I think I called my mothers day gift to feel less bad about buying it - but we did, and we used it for a while to make fries and roast veggies mostly.  Eventually it got pushed to the back of our minds - and the cupboard it lives in, due to lack of counter space - but at Christmas we pulled it out again to cook some store bought frozen appies and since then we've been using it regularly again, not only for veggies and appies but for meatballs, chicken cordon bleu and even pierogis.

I bought a couple of cans of chickpeas in the fall to try roasting them in the air fryer and finally got around to it last week.  I used this recipe, and specifically the Italian seasoning because I figured that had the most luck of being tried and possibly even enjoyed by my family.

They were easy to make and very very delicious!  The Mister and I both enjoyed them, The Boy ate a handful, said they were pretty good, and slithered back to his room for mysterious pre-teen reasons, and The Girl flat out refused to try them.

 

2 notes I will share - the recipe calls for you to dry the chickpeas thoroughly and discard any skins that come off but I would say dry gently and keep some skins - they are deliciously crunchy as well.

The other is that the recipe is correct that these don't keep particularly well.  They are fine for a couple of days afterwards, but are definitely better the day of cooking. 

book club 3 - Solutions and Other Problems by Allie Brosh

 2021-3

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We aren't good at explaining things to children.  Especially not hard things like how nothing is fair or means anything but, you know, keep trying anyway.

I don't believe in Karma, but I believe there are things that can happen that very specifically force you to understand what an asshole you were.

MWE week 1

 

Week 1 is done, and I listened to at least one new to me album each day.  A few days I was even able to squeeze in a second album!

Feb 1 - Nina Simone - Nina Simone in Concert, Silk and Soul

Feb 2 - Sade - Love Deluxe, Stronger Than Pride

Feb 3 - TeaMarr - Before I Spill Myself

Feb 4 - A Tribe Called Quest - Midnight Marauders, People's Instinctive Travels & The Paths of Rhythm

Feb 5 - OSHUN - bittersweet vol 1

Feb 6 - Janelle Monae - The Arch Android

grocery shop February 6

 

bread, croutons, goldfish crackers, salami, tortilla bowls, guacamole, cheddar, marble cheese, parsley, asiago, fontina, grapes, radishes, green onions, cucumbers, grape tomatos, lettuce, onions, salsa, honey ham, bacon, beef broth, tea, clamato

$104

book club 2 - You Are What You Eat by Dr Gillian McKeith

 2021-2

 

My February goal - MWE

 Have you heard of MWE - Music Writer Exercise - in which you listen to one album a day in the month of February, an album you have never listed to before.

I discovered it this past Saturday night; Saturday afternoon I was in the car with my kids and they were singing along to the radio while I kept saying "What song is this?  Who sings it?  How do you know this?"

I used to love listening to new music and new-to-me music, but somewhere along the way I settled into only listening to music I already knew, or classical and nature sounds to calm my nerves.  In the car I listen to the same CD's over and over, and while I work I listen to podcasts or ocean or bird sounds to keep me sane.

I'm excited to give this a try and discover some new to me music this month, and I will be focusing on Black artists as well.

I hope to come back here each week and let you know what I listened to.  If you're interested, check out the #MWE tag on twitter.

2020 birthday cakes

 Some things changed (which kids cake I messed up this year), and some things stayed the same (my kids love sugar).

The Boy is still obsessed with The Simpsons, and he wanted another Simpsons cake.  I found online a cake with a photo of Homer reaching up on the cake for doughnuts (homemade of course), but we swapped it out for Timbits. 

I bought a couple of 6 inch cake pans so I could get good height on the cake without it being super huge.  I made the cake and icing from scratch, printed the Homer photo, and sent The Mister to Timmy's for the Timbits.

It came together perfectly, into a super cute cake:

 The Boy loved it; he and his sister had plenty of sugar, and everyone was happy.

Recipes I used :

6 inch 3 layer cake recipe 

 vanilla buttercream 

A month later it was The Girls turn and I am not ashamed to admit, I was worn out.  When she (finally!) decided on a candy cake, I decided to go the easy route and use not only box cake mix but also store bought frosting.

I was going to make a Pinata cake full of candy, so I knew it had to be assembled the day of her birthday so the candy inside wouldn't go all gross.  I baked the 4 layers of cake the night before and was up nice and early to knock the cake out of the park.

Pretty much right away I realized that a 4 layer, 9 inch cake was going to be way bigger than we needed, so I changed it to 3 layers.  Then to make sure I had plenty of room for the candy I cut a very large hole in the middle layer.  Too big, I would realize later.  As soon as I started frosting the bottom and middle layers together, I realized I probably hadn't bought enough frosting.

I kept plugging along, trying to frost sparingly to make sure I had enough frosting left for the outside, but it sure didn't look good.

I  mean, it really didn't look good.

In addition to the tubs of white frosting I'd also bought a can of frosting with a variety of nozzles you could use to do your final decorating.  I wasn't going to be able to save that for the decorating, I was going to need it to try to frost the cake.

The spray can of frosting was A PIECE OF GARBAGE.  It was hissing and spitting and would randomly stop dispensing frosting and just shoot out air.  The cake looked bad before; now it looked hideous.

I was hysterical with laughter by this time - what good would getting frustrated and upset do?  The cake looked terrible and I couldn't stop laughing.  I laughed so hard I cried.  Eventually I pulled myself together and smoothed the pink frosting into the white and it just barely covered the whole cake.  Almost.

The good thing about 6 year olds is that if their cake is covered in candy, they don't give a hoot what it looks like.

After we ate some cake, (sooooo sweet) I told The Mister that he's in charge of birthday cakes in 2021.  Mom needs a break.

book club - 1 - Indians on Vacation by Thomas King

 2021-1

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I've always wondered if doctors are like politicians, if they actually believe the lies they tell.

 "You know, you're only old if you want to be old." 

I can't imagine that anyone likes to see anyone in distress, but as soon as I think this, I remind myself that I'm wrong.

goodies and Christmas

 I was very lucky to receive a lovely bunch of books for Christmas - 

I am very excited about all of them, and I'm sure The Mister was smirking when he heard me on the phone saying how much I love Mexican food and I should cook some soon.  I am looking forward to the Instant pot books as well, anything that can help me cut down on my time in the kitchen is more than welcome.

We binged watched Nadiya Hussain's Netflix show Time to Eat last month, and enjoyed it very very much, and I went online and bookmarked a bunch of recipes to try, including her savory french toast recipe which we've made twice and is so delicious -

 Once I unwrapped Time to Eat, The Mister practically ripped it out of my hands and ran to the kitchen to bake the Olive and Rosemary Crown, with blue cheese inside.  One of the best breads he's baked lately.

We had a traditional dinner again this Christmas, turkey and veg and the fixins.

Mince tarts for dessert, using the wonderful tart dough from 100 Breads.

 With some of the leftover turkey we made Turkey Tetrazzini.  So delicious!  Makes a ton!

Our first dessert of 2021 was the Post Secret Apple Cream Pie.  Delicious, but very sweet.  

 

Hope 2021 is.....off to a start?  The last week has already been full of ridiculous news.  Deep breaths.  

2020 book club review

 

 In 2020 I read 41 books.  

Memoirs by female authors - 5

Memoirs by male authors - 1

Non-fiction by female authors -5

Non-fiction by male authors -2

Fiction by female authors -22

Fiction by male authors -6

 

Audio books -0

 

The one that made me cry the most - Spoiler Alert: The Hero Dies

The one that made me want to travel to the Great Bear Rainforest for small towns and Sasquatches - In the Valleys of the Noble Beyond

The one that made me uncomfortable - Little Fires Everywhere 

The one that would make a great movie - My Sister, the Serial Killer

The one that made me jumpy and turn on all the lights - The Hunger 

 

Here's how that compares to the past few years -

 

51 books in 2019 - 9 audiobooks

48 books in 2018

41 books in 2017

26 books in 2016

 If you take away the audiobooks from 2019 I came out pretty much even with last year.  I could have read more books this year but working lots and plenty of staring off into space contemplating this year kept me busy.  

I don't have the same big stack of unread fiction books waiting for me in 2021 that I've had in past years, and I've got a lot of yoga/diet/nutrition/self help books laying around that I should either read or get rid of, and I'd realllllly like to pull myself out of this years long slump I'm in physically and emotionally, so it could be good to get into some of those.

book club - Winter in Paradise by Elin Hilderdrand

Posting the last of my 2020 books this week

2020-41

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Maybe it's simply one of the unsolved mysteries of human nature: how two siblings, born of the same parents and raised in the same house, can be complete opposites. 

"Secrets become lies, and lies end up destroying you and everyone you care about."

Her mother was alive inside of her.  Maia was her own person, but she was also a continuation of Rosie.

book club - Keep Moving by Maggie Smith

Posting the last of my 2020 books this week

2020-40

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Stop waiting on some grand permission to change your life.  The universe is not going to tell you it's ok.  Tell yourself it's ok.

Reflect on what you've lived through - and look, you're still here.

What's worse than suffering?  Suffering but pretending that you aren't.

Do not allow someone else's choices to run your waking hours or interrupt your sleep.

book club - The Guest List by Lucy Foley

Posting the last of my 2020 books this week

 2020-39

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It stands out against the sky like a twisted, long-fingered hand,  reaching up from the ground.  There's a haunted look to it.

Somewhere near at hand they are vaguely aware of the crash of wager against rock.  They can feel the ground shuddering beneath their feet at the impact of it.

book club - The Hunger by Alma Katsu

Posting the last of my 2020 books this week. 

 2020-38

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Only now did he close his eyes and imagine Mary's face.  He coaxed it up from the darkness of his mind and held it, let it burn there like a star, his final memory.

"Maybe it takes one demon to keep the others away......Lucifer had been an angel first.  I always remembered that."

Thy looks are a gift from the devil, boy, so you might tempt others to sin.

 

book club - Very Fat Very Brave by Nicole Byer

Posting the last of my 2020 books this week. 

 2020-37

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Good responses to friends who want to police your bikini choice - 

#4 Get new friends.

 

And I guess I've more or less just decided life is already really fucking hard  and I don't want to spend it hating what I see in the mirror.

book club - The Survival Guide to British Columbia by Ian Ferguson

 Posting the last of my 2020 books this week

2020-36

Ian.....what did Kamloops ever do to you???

book club - results may vary - by Bethany Chase

Posting the last of my 2020 books this week.

 2020-35

 

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 "It's human nature to try to make things not feel as awful as they are, which is why people say garbage like  'Everything happens for a reason.'."