What I'm cooking ~ Half Baked Harvest Coconut Curry Chicken Meatballs with Garlic Butter. I'm a big fan of Half Baked Harvest's recipes and this one was no exception. I don't care for ground chicken, so I used a mixture of ground turkey and ground pork. I also didn't use the chili flakes called for in this recipe, as I'm sensitive to hot spices.
What have you been reading, watching, listening to, and cooking that you would recommend? Please share!
Our world is pretty darn stressful right now with the pandemic (or dampanic, as Susan Branch calls it), our (USA) current administration and out-of-control wildfires. Add personal stressors on top of it, and it's enough to make anyone run for the hills. Don't forget your mask. And better hope the hill isn't on fire.
Here in far northeast Illinois, we've hit another surge of COVID cases and deaths. Most restaurants are now closed again for indoor dining. I'd been taking Clementine inside the vet's office for her twice weekly subcutaneous fluids and starting today, just like back in the late spring, we have to stay in the car and the vet tech comes out to get her.
While we're all (mostly) stuck inside, sometimes it feels good to just snuggle up on the couch or in the bed and immerse yourself in a good book, lose yourself in some beautiful music, or watch an engaging movie or TV show. I thought it'd be fun to share what we're reading, what music we're listening to, and what movies or TV shows we're watching. Sometimes it's too easy to stick with the same types of books or music, so maybe we'll discover something new to read, listen to or watch.
As an introvert and avid reader, I've always been surrounded by books and have my nose stuck in one. I just tried reading four fiction books and couldn't get into any of them. So I'm back to reading my usual non-fiction. I'm currently reading David Kessler's newest book, Finding Meaning: The Sixth Stage of Grief. If you're not familiar with Kessler, he's written many books on death and grieving, including two co-written with psychiatrist Elisabeth Kubler-Ross. We're all probably familiar with the five stage of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. Even though Kessler was a grief "expert", when his 21-year old son died of an accidental overdose, his life, of course, was upended and writing this book was a way to work through all the stages of grief - including this new stage he came up with - and to honor his son. As most of you know, my oldest son, Philip passed away 11 years ago ~ also at age 21 and from an accidental drug overdose. This book is insightful for anyone who has lost a loved one and is on the healing end of their grief journey.
Simple Abundance is a book I read year-round, as it's divided into months. And every day of the month has an short essay. Even if you miss a few days ~ or weeks, it's easy to pick up this book and just start where you left off. This book first came out in 1995 but the new edition (which I have below) came out in November 2019. This book is all about women's spirituality and following your own true path.
I didn't start truly listening to music until I was a pre-teen. Back then in the early 70's, I rode my bike around the neighborhood with my transistor radio in the basket on the front of my bike. And on Saturdays when I got my allowance, I couldn't wait to walk to K-Mart and pick out the newest "45". One record I remember playing over and over ~ even taking it to my friend's house and playing it on her record player, too ~ was Radar Love by Golden Earring. Now I just have a few CDs that I still haven't parted with (I do listen to them in my car) and my Spotify playlist.
I played the piano and flute growing up, but I didn't choose to play the piano. It was something my mother said I was going to do. Back in those days, we just said OK and did it. Did I enjoy it? Only the casual playing part. I hated the lessons and the 30-minute per day practicing. I did choose to play the flute when I was in junior high ~ and that continued through high school.
My favorite genre of music is classic rock ~ that's probably from being a teen in the 70's ~ but I also like alternative rock, folk music, bluegrass, jazz, disco, Motown, Indie, instrumental (piano or guitar), some classical, and vocal swing. I love discovering new artists, so share away! I hope you enjoy a couple of my picks.
Billie Eilish is only 18 years old but wow, what a beautiful, sultry voice!
It's no surprise that Kurt Vile paired up with John Prine on this song: Kurt was influenced by Prine in his early music career. This song was recorded just four months before Prine's death in April 2020.
As for TV and movies, I'm not much into either. I've just now turned the boob tube back on after having it off the entire summer, except for a cooking show here and there. I'm more likely to have my nose stuck in a book or be on my laptop writing emails or researching something. My blogging friend, Dewena recently recommended that I watch Angela, aka "The Parisienne Farmgirl" and Shaye at "The Elliott Homestead" on YouTube. I follow both of them on Instagram but haven't watched their videos yet.
So I'm probably late to the game, but we're just now watching Schitt's Creek. We watched the first two episodes when it first came out, but couldn't get into it. Last month we decided to try one more time, this time saying we'd give it four episodes. It worked. We are hooked. It's light-hearted and hilarious ~ something we need these days.
I read about this movie on the Greater Good website and it piqued my interest, though I haven't watched it yet. On my to-watch list!
"Driveways studies how learning to cope with the loss of relationships can help create new, meaningful ones. Because the fulfillment of this essential psychological need is so strong, these ties can be forged between people who are seemingly very different from each other. Everyone must carry something heavy, from time and time—and Driveways highlights how leaning on each other can lighten our burdens." (Maryam Abdullah, Greater Good)
My son is very much into movies, especially ones with deep meaning that leave you thinking and guessing. He watched this one recently and recommended it, so it's another that's on my to-watch list.
"When I got to the end of Charlie Kaufman’s I’m Thinking of Ending Things, I had to ask myself: What the heck was that about? After I watched it a second time, I came to understand a few things about this beautiful, unsettling, complex, melancholy film.
To begin, I don’t believe it’s a spoiler to reveal that the movie is a character study, and that it takes place entirely inside that one achingly lonely mind. But what’s the story about? In my view, I’m Thinking of Ending Things is really about goodness, but what makes this story a tragedy is that the goodness goes unseen and unappreciated by others.
At one point, his girlfriend (Jessie Buckley) praises Jake (Jesse Plemons) for taking care of his dying mother. “I’m glad to hear you say that,” he says. “That makes me feel better. Sometimes, it feels like no one sees the good things you do. You’re just alone.” She whispers to him, “I see it.”
However, this wonderful girlfriend doesn’t exist outside of his head, and the tragedy is that Jake needed to invent someone to see his very real goodness. She is variously named Lucy, Louisa, Lucia, and Ames; she’s sometimes a physicist, sometimes a painter; once a poet, again a film critic. When Jake’s elderly parents need their pain recognized, she becomes a gerontologist.
Throughout all these metamorphoses, she stays smart, grounded, and funny. She’s not a doormat or a manic pixie dream girl, as we might expect from decades of Hollywood movies. She’s something new to cinema: the imaginary woman who is wiser and realer than the shadow of a man who imagines her. She becomes what Jake could have been, if he’d been luckier. The movie left me wondering what goodness I might be missing, in the people I encounter. I could be missing a lot of bad, too; I’m Thinking of Ending Things doesn’t shy away from how much social invisibility hurts Jake. He’s not a bad man, but he is a damaged one.
By the end, we can see him whole, good and bad. It’s confusing, that karmic mixture, because we like to see clear-cut heroes and villains in our stories. When we don’t, it’s ourselves we begin to see, good and bad." (Jeremy Adam Smith, Greater Good)
What are you reading, listening to and watching? Or what do you recommend? Please share in the comments!
Looking out my window ~ I see hazy morning light and snow on the ground. So does Monkey. After getting 5" of snow yesterday, it's frigidly cold here again. It was -3F when I woke up this morning. We're due for more snow this afternoon into tonight.
I am thinking ~ About the day ahead of me. I have homemade chicken stock going in the Crockpot; I need to do my yoga practice, clean cat boxes, do laundry, and work on an ongoing project in the basement. This afternoon, I need to start dinner, which will be a vegetarian jambalya.
I am thankful ~ That I don't need to run any errands today.
One of my favorite things ~ Fresh flowers in the house, even in winter. Especially in winter!
I am creating ~
{whether you are a knitter, mixed-media artist, enjoy scrap-booking, etc., share} A cozy corner in the spare room. This is a naked IKEA chair. The slipcover was dirty and dusty from this chair being stored in the basement, so I washed it yesterday and now it's hanging to dry. The slipcover is the original that came with the chair - it's black - so next time I go to IKEA, I'm picking up a white slipcover.
I am wearing ~ Yoga pants, a long-sleeved cotton shirt with a tank top underneath, thick socks.
I am reading (read) /watching (watched) / listening to ~
{share favorite titles, give a book review or pass along a current movie, podcast, music video, or television series you are enjoying} Just started The Story of Arthur Truluv by Elizabeth Berg last night.
The only TV show I watch is This is Us. Did you see last night's episode after the Super Bowl?! Music...I've been listening to "coffee table jazz" on Spotify, playing it through the Bose speaker in the living room. The music is very relaxing.
I am hoping ~ that the groundhog was wrong and that there won't be six more weeks of winter.
I am learning ~ that chopping vegetables can be very cathartic.
In my kitchen ~
{share your kitchen adventures, weekly menu, as well as recipes} Chicken carcass and vegetable scraps for broth...
Paleo blueberry muffins (made with almond flour and pure maple syrup)...
Chopping vegetables for homemade soup yesterday...
Getting ready to make the veggie jambalya...
The jambalaya recipe is from this cookbook...
Post Script ~
{add a favorite link that you would like to pass along. It can be someone else's website, etsy shop, instagram feed, facebook link OR it can be your own}
I love this house! It's a cottage in Little Rock, Arkansas designed by Kathryn J. LeMaster. The colors, design and collections are so charming.
Shared Quote ~ {share a favorite quote} "I love to be alone. I never found the companion that was so companionable as solitude." ~ Henry David Thoreau
A moment from my day ~
{share a picture with us of your daily-ness} Monkey on top of the clean laundry I'm supposed to be folding.
If you're interested in participating in doing a post for The Simple Woman's Daybook, see the guidelineshere.
What's adding a bit of cheer to my home when I'm feeling winter will never end...
(Flowers from Trader Joes)
What I'm listening to lately...
(New-to-me music...give it a listen! It starts out slow but picks up. Beautiful, gentle voices and a catchy tune.)
What's making me laugh...
(Monkey's goofy faces)
What I'm creating...
(a little art journaling/scrapbooking)
What I just finished reading...
(Really enjoyed these stories of food and how it brings us together ~ fantastic recipes, too)
What I'm now reading...
What I'm making in the kitchen...
(Cavewoman Cafe Bars - my hubby's latest fave! Since we don't do processed sugar and I'm also trying to cut gluten wherever possible, these are perfect for when we have a taste for a little something sweet. You can find the recipe here).
