We are a week and change away from life returning to normal… err, the most recent normal? So let’s play catch up.
Food has still been a bit hit and miss due to rehearsals and gigs. Recent highlights:
— the cheater’s Spanish tortilla: did this for a brunch party with the recommended prosciutto and piquillos and it was a dang delight. Def a new favorite party trick.
— Colby Garrelts’ Grilled Pork Loin with Green Bean Arugula Salad and Olive-Brine-Marinated Chicken With Date Relish have so many of my favorite nouns in the titles.
— Blackened Trout with Escovitch: we subbed salmon and used this timing. So light, so flavorful, feels way more decadent than healthy. We paired with coconut milk and lime infused rice and I wish I could remember where I first saw that tip because it’s now a Flat 493 standard.
Drink. A DC friend posted a Bloody Mary in his Instastories today and I immediately needed one. But we are out of vodka. But my former bartender of a husband pointed out we had Ketel One herbal shenanigans on hand and he made quite possibly the best Bloody Mary he’s ever made me.
Also, a while back I broke down and bought a single-serve smoothie maker and HOLY COW IT LIVES UP TO THE HYPE. So nice to be able to prep a few mornings’ breakfasts in a row. We’ve also used it for some vinaigrettes and condiments. Totally worth it.
Dogs.
Yeah. The usual.
Books. This weekend, I finished books 53, 54, and 55 of the year. Two of them were Book of the Month offerings I didn’t choose as part of the mini-sub my friend Jenny got me for Christmas. That I still haven’t finished. Decisions are hard. Yay for libraries.
— THE HACIENDA, Isabel Cañas. This was a very fast read for a very traditional gothic – with a healthy dash of Mexican history. Houses can be haunted by so many things.
— BREATHLESS, Amy McCulloch. McCulloch has intimate knowledge of the extreme mountaineering she is writing about and, wow, does it pack a punch. So much pathos and emotion built into a take on the classic “and then there were none” trope.
— AN UNFORGIVING PLACE, Claire Kells. I finally got my second read from NetGalley thanks to a rec from one of my favorite new bookstagrammers. And what an adventure! Claire Kells certainly has the skills to take you out into the wilderness. Even though this is the second in a series, and I hadn’t read the first (but now I will definitely be looking for it), I quickly felt welcomed into Felicity’s world. I love a good mystery filled with red herrings and twists, and this delivered that in a beautifully harsh setting.
Theatre. I’m headed into tech week for a dream show, RENT. I discovered this show soon after it premiered, thanks to my high school bff, and it opened my eyes to world outside my small town. I never dreamed I’d get to be a part of it. In fact, you had to be under 30 to audition on Broadway, so I asked the director beforehand if I should teach the children how it’s done or not waste either of our times. This is my third of three back-to-back shows and as exciting as it is… I’m looking forward to a break.
Ann Davis-Rowe 