Some Happy Scribbles...
Hello! I hope you’ve had a good week.
Last weekend, Jim and I went to a family wedding, where, for me, a highlight was the Mother-Daughter dance to Carole King’s Where You Lead I Will Follow, which is the theme song of the beloved sitcom, Gilmore Girls. I was not aware of this tradition, and it was adorable. The bride, Jesse, was mainly raised by her mom, Debbie, and in Debbie’s speech the night before the wedding, she spoke movingly about their evenings at home watching Gilmore Girls and snuggling side-by-side on the couch. Dancing to the song together was a sweet and meaningful way to celebrate their relationship moving into its next phase, and I cried!
Back home, we had a string of very rainy, cold, grey days - so much so that we lit a fire in the fireplace two nights running and I made a pot of peppermint tea each morning, as a perk-up. The tea is also a diet hack: the dreary weather makes me want to eat all the time, but if I’m drinking peppermint tea, my mouth feels minty fresh, so I’m less likely to put something else in it… A few pieces of chocolate can sneak by, but it is mostly effective!
On the topic of food, I was thrilled to finally find a solution to the secret problem I’ve been struggling with for quite a while now: something I privately know as “the appetizer issue.”
The issue is this: whenever we have people over, I cannot seem to get the appetizers right. Recent examples: the overly elaborate cheese board that involved opening (and disposing of) multiple packages and WAS BARELY TOUCHED; and the seemingly simple whipped cheese and tomato-topped baguette that turned out to be far more complicated than I expected and caused me to break out in copious stress-sweat just as guests arrived - and worst of all, DIDN’T TASTE GOOD ENOUGH to justify the effort.
I’ve been keeping this struggle secret mainly because I didn’t want anyone to judge me for the amount of time I’ve spent thinking about something that’s clearly not world-changing. But now I have found the solution - in the form of this piece on Cup of Jo - I want to share my discovery so that no one else need suffer from this silent shame.
It’s so simple, as Jenny Rosenstrach writes:
The ideal way to get a night going is not necessarily with cheese and crackers…You want something to wake up your taste buds, something that teases your appetite, as opposed to smothering it.
And so, from now on, I will simply follow the rule of three bowls: potato chips, green vegetables, (and by that I mean olives or pickles) and nuts. There are many other inspired and easy ideas in the Comments section of the piece: from doctoring up store-bought salsa; to sprinkling freshly cracked black pepper on potato chips; and drizzling yogurt with chile oil to make a “dip.” Now I just need to invite some friends over and stick to my plan!
I’m also trying something new here: see below for a list of all the things I found intriguing, interesting, delightful, and amusing this week: aka Some Scrambled Scribbles…
I hope you have some fun things planned for the weekend. We’re going to an Octoberfest party; I want to go to the movie theater, and I’m planning to make this roast chicken with bread and arugula salad and then homemade stock out of the leftovers for soup next week.
Have a wonderful weekend!
xo
Amelia
P.S: I LOVED all your comments and notes about responding to “bids” about birds, fish, and racquet sports, among other things!
Some Scrambled Scribbles…
I listened to episode 2 of Brene Brown’s podcast about The Love Prescription. It’s really good, with many relationship tips and tricks.
I am downloading samples of three new books on my Kindle - I’ll report back as to which I recommend: Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng; Lessons by Ian McEwan; and Lucy by the Sea by Elizabeth Strout.
I do not consider myself a good gift buyer so I’ve saved this “super-specific” list.
Bros is on at my local moviehouse - it looks hilarious and I want to see it!
Did you see this incredible dress? “It started with a can of silly string…”
The newly cold weather makes me want to bake. Might be time for a batch of these highly addictive cookies.
Wirecutter did a round-up of the best cashmere sweaters - this one’s for you, Susie Wilson!
I still have dahlias in the garden and loved this piece on decorating with dahlias - and the divine English interiors.
I’m watching The Patient and Bad Sisters, and think A Friend of the Family might be an intriguing addition to what seems to be a psychological thriller / murder theme to my current viewing lineup…
This duet between Loretta Lynn (who died at 90 this week) and Kacey Musgraves is awesome for many reasons.