Could You Repeat That? CXCIX: Favorite Lines of Recent Reads

Just Cook It!, Justin Chapple
Once, when I was making my Fingerlings with 40 Cloves of Garlic (page 138) for houseguests, I accidentally overcooked the potatoes--a martini distracted me, my friends reported.

Ama: A Modern Tex-Mex Kitchen, Josef Centeno & Betty Hallock
Tex-Mex was largely dismissed by the culinary elite in the 1970s as inauthentic Mexican food. But that's the point. The only authentic thing about Tex-Mex is that it isn't authentic: It evolves and adapts.

Club Dead, Charlaine Harris
"I don't like having feelings," Eric said coldly, and he left.
That was a tough exit line to top.



The Field Guide to Dumb Birds of North America, Matt Kracht
This ice-cold motherfucker is what's called a "predatory songbird." It really should be called a "Murder-Bird" because the homicidal little shrike feeds on small mammals and other birds and, I swear I am not making this up, often impales them on thorns or barbed wires. That is some sick shit right there.

Miscellaneous Movie Moments LXXXVII (November & December 2022)

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever | Rise of the Guardians | Slumberland | Avatar | Avatar: The Way of Water | Ratatouille | Christmas with a Prince

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, 11 November 2022, Century Olympia 

I went to a 9 AM showing of the film, forgetting it would inevitably start with a funeral. Guys, I wept watching the friggin' Marvel Studios logo.

Four specific things I really, really love about #WakandaForever:

Could You Repeat That? CXCVIII: Favorite Lines of Recent Reads

The Thousand Eyes, AK Larkwood
That made twice in an hour that he'd thought about her. It had been so very, very long. He didn't miss her, except in the way you missed the empty space when you stubbed your toe on something in the middle of the night.

The Last Days of Salton Academy, Jennifer Brozek
The plan worked for the first three yards.

Crusade, Nancy Holder & Debbie Viguie
In her four-inch heels she glided slowly to the window. She had learned centuries before that among those who could move with blinding speed, nothing aroused fear as one who moved slowly.

Star Wars: Dark Apprentice, Kevin J Anderson
"Is that wise, Admiral?" Leia asked.
"No," he said, "it is a trap."

My Two Souths: Blending the Flavors of India into a Southern Kitchen, Asha Gomez
I suspect I may have been a fruit bat in a former life.

Jubilee: Recipes from Two Centuries of African American Cooking, Toni Tipton-Martin
Despite all this name-calling, deviled crab is a spectacular first course.

And...

"All I want to know is who is bringing the chocolate cake," Aunt M. quietly demanded in a way that let everyone know she wasn't pleased.

Media Consumed in 2017

So I've had this sitting in a text file for two months. Oops.

Academic Conferences: 4
ATTW, CCCC, C&W, CWPA

Books: 194
Though my Goodreads count is only slightly over 125, so I'm giving this count a bit of sideeye. How is Goodreads measuring these things? Have I been meeting my reading challenges all along, but been misinformed by the system? Ah, well.

Comics: 90 individual issues (I count graphic novels under books)

Concerts: 8
The Lumineers, Leslie Odom Jr, George Clinton and the Parliament Funkadelic, Shawn Mendes (w/ Charlie Puth supporting), Fall Out Boy (w/ Jaden Smith and Blackbear opening), Bruno Mars (w/ Jorja Smith opening), Regina Spektor, Lady Gaga

Cooking Classes/Demos: 21
Craft/Floral Classes: 8
I will miss Ames and Iowa State so much. So, so, so much.

Festivals: 2
Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival 2017, Riverside Festival of Lights 2017

Lectures and Readings: 13
Chuck D, Kekla Magoon, Ta-Nehisi Coates, Lee Mun Wah, Black Light Butterflies (entymology lecture), Keisha Blaine, John Darnielle, Curtis Chin, David Anthony Durham & Benjamin Percy, Taylor Broby, Anne Curzan, Toni Phinisey-Webber (re: Little Rock Central High School), Jon Ronson

Movies: 140
Last year I only watched 14 movies, so I vowed to watch more. And...yup. Totally did. Special shout-outs to AMC's annual Oscar nominee specials and the Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival.

Museums & Landmarks: 13
Brunnier Art Gallery, Octagon Gallery, Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Mazza Museum of Children's Literature, Living History Farms, Tennessee Riverboat Cruise (Knoxville), Women's Basketball Hall of Fame (Knoxville), Frist Center for the Visual Arts (Nashville), ESSE Museum, Witt Stephens Jr Central Arkansas Nature Center, Arkansas Art Center, Saint Louis Art Museum, The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art

New Restaurants: 53
Thanks to conferences (Portland, Findlay, Knoxville), a wedding reception (Chicagoland), a few concerts/road trips (Minneapolis, Nashville, St Louis, Kansas City, Dallas), moving to another state (Arkadelphia, Little Rock, Hot Springs), and a couple of extra-long visits to California!

Theatre: 26
Messiah on the Frigidaire, Akeelah and the Bee, The Vagina Monologues, Newsies, Allegiance, Our Antigone, The Bee's Tease, The Importance of Being Earnest, Good Night Desdemona Good Morning Juliet, Citizen by Claudia Rankine, Little Women, Annie, Fun Home, Other Desert Cities, Trashion Show, Tempest, Happy Days, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime, HIR, Greater Tuna, I Am Emily Doe, Circle Mirror Transformation, Night of the Iguana, The Mousetrap, HSU Directing Class Showcase, Corona Dance Academy Winter 2017 recitals

TV Episodes: 632
This is the first year I've kept track of how many episodes of television I've watched. This is a big number, but it's also probably way less than I've watched in previous years--my shift to watching more movies meant, obviously, that TV was edged out a bit. Oh, and for the record, I also watched a ton of The Daily Show (I love Trevor Noah deeply), Late Night with Seth Meyers, and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, but since I generally skip the interview portions of the shows, I opted not to count those here.

And that's officially a wrap for 2017!

2016: By the Numbers

I've done quite a bit this year! My habit for the past few years has been to keep track of these things monthly, but somewhere in the middle of the summer, I lost track of things. This is about the best that I can do in reconstruction--I'll be a bit more organized in the year to come (I hope).

Academic Conferences Attended: 6
Iowa State Conference on Race and Ethnicity, Ames, IA (20160303-04)
Association of Teachers of Technical Writing, Houston, TX (20160406)
Conference on College Composition and Communication, Houston, TX (20160407-09)
Computers and Writing, Rochester, NY (20160519-22)
Council of Writing Program Administrators, Raleigh, NC (20160714-17)
International Writing Centers Association, Denver, CO (20161013-16)

Books Read:
102, according to GoodReads. A good number, except that I ambitiously set my reading challenge to 200. LOL.

Comics Read: Not Enough
Princess Leia, Saga, Black Panther (not counting graphic novels)
I need to increase my consumption here--I've got batches of comics in my Marvel/Comixology/Dark Horse accounts. I just need to read and log them more consistently.

Concerts Attended: 6
Adele (St. Paul, MN, 20160705)
Nico & Vinz (Ames, IA, 21060825)
Switchfoot & Relient K (Clive, IA, 20160921)
Grace Potter (Des Moines, IA, 20160929)
Beyonce (Nashville, TN, 20161002)
Carrie Underwood (Des Moines, IA, 20161007)

Cooking Classes/Demos: 17
Quinoa (Cooks Emporium, 20160128)
Pressure Cookers (CE, 20160220)
A Taste of Egypt (CE, 20160227)
Turkey Roulades & Lemon Cupcakes (CE, 20160305)
Risotto Croquettes (Wheatsfield Co-op, 20160329)
Versatile Goat Cheese (WC, 20160426)
Chicken Mole (CE, 20160430)
Cooking with Cast Iron (Williams-Sonoma, 20160626)
Fermented Food & Kombucha (WC, 20160809)
Spiralizer Favorites (W-S, 20160821)
Natural Fermented Pickles (CE, 20160903)
Nordic Waffles (CE, 20161008)
Thanksgiving Side Dishes (CE, 20161112)
Paella (CE, 20161119)
Seven Cheese Gougere (CE, 20161126)
Holiday Cookies (CE, 20161203)
Holiday Savory Snacks (CE, 20161210)

Craft/Movement Classes: 23
Copper hoop earrings & pendant (The Workspace, 20160114)
Felted wool mittens (TW, 20160121 + 27)
Silver & copper rings (TW, 201602)
Resin Jewelry (TW, 20160224, 20160302)
Boho Wall Hanging (TW, 20160801)
Fused Glass Pendants (TW, 20160829)
Inked Coasters (TW, 20160831)
Knitting (TW, 201609)
Mat-cutting (TW, 20161006)
Dia de los Muertos Skulls (TW, 20161008)
Crochet (TW, 201610)
Sugar Skull Embroidery (TW, 20161020)
Silk Painting (TW, 20161029)
Delsarte: Body Language and the Artist (TW, 20161105)
Delsarte: And a Torso Even More So (TW, 20161105)
Delsarte: Standing Up for Your Art (TW, 20161105)
O'Keeffe Oil Painting (Reiman Gardens, 20161107)
Fused Glass Ornaments (TW, 20161109)
Frugal Florals (RG, 20161116)
Balloon Crafts (RG, 20161117)
Miniatures (RG, 20161120)
Wreath-Making (RG, 20161130)
Etched Glass Ornaments (TW, 20161207)

Festivals Attended: 2
Define American Festival, Des Moines, IA
Festival of Cheese, Des Moines, IA (20160730)

Lectures and Readings Attended: 7
Alisha Gordon, "The Fierce Urgency of Now" (20160121)
Reshma Saujani, "Women Who Don't Wait in Line" (20160128)
Marion Blumenthal Lazan, "My Holocaust Story" (20160208)
Cheryl Strayed (20160915)
Jennifer Knox + Iowa Bird of Mouth (20160916)
Gloria Steinem (20161011)
Margaret Atwood (20161101)

Movies Watched: 14
Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation (DVD)
Jurassic World (DVD)
A Better Life (film festival)
Don't Tell Anyone (film festival)
The Muslims Are Coming! (film festival)
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies [theatre]
Cinderella (2015) [DVD]
The Grand Budapest Hotel [streaming]
Hector and the Search for Happiness (streaming)
Captain America: Civil War (theatre)
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (streaming)
Edge of Tomorrow (DVD)
Loving (theatre)
Rogue One (theatre)

Museums & Landmarks Visited: 12
Chocolate Tour of Chicago (BestTours.com, 20160507)
Strong Museum of Play, Rochester, NY (20160522)
Design Exchange, Toronto, ON (20160524)
Aga Khan Museum of Islamic Art, Toronto, ON (20160525)
Peel Art Gallery and Museum, Brampton, ON (20160527)
Niagara & Horseshoe Falls (20160528)
Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, NY (20160529)
Contemporary Art Museum in Raleigh (20160715)
Pappajohn Sculpture Park, Des Moines, IA (20160730)
Olive & Sinclair Chocolate Factory Tour, Nashville, TN (20161001)
Corsair Distillery tour, Nashville, TN (20161002)
Broad Contemporary Museum of Art, Los Angeles, CA (20161227)

New Restaurants Visited: 43
The Mission Inn (Riverside)
Ninfa's (Houston)
1600 Bar + Grille (Houston)
Calabash Island Eats (Houston)
Volare (Chicago)
Doc B's Fresh Kitchen (Chicago)
Quartino's (Chicago)
Yolk (Chicago)
The Owl House (Rochester)
Senbazuru Sushi Bar (Richmond Hill)
Sushi Inn (Toronto)
Bohemia (Barrie)
Anchor Bar (Buffalo)
Table 128 (Clive)
Blue Tomato Kitchen (Des Moines)
Bubba - Southern Comforts (Des Moines)
Prime (Des Moines)
Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream (Cleveland)
Fran's Restaurant (Toronto)
Spoon River (Minneapolis)
Izzy's (Minneapolis)
Birchwood Cafe (Minneapolis)
Hell's Kitchen (Minneapolis)
Bluestem Bar (Minneapolis)
Little Octopus (Nashville)
Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream (Nashville)
Biscuit Love (Nashville)
Las Paletas (Nashville)
Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream (Nashville farmers' market)
Bolton's Spicy Chicken & Fish (Nashville)
Five Daughters Bakery (Nashville)
Franklin Juice Company (Nashville)
Green Fine Salad Co. (Denver)
Guard and Grace (Denver)
Syrup (Denver)
Prospect's Urban Kitchen & Bar (Denver)
Range (Denver)
Goldfinch (Des Moines)
Thai Kitchen (Ames)
Porto's Bakery & Cafe (Glendale)
Komodo (Los Angeles)
Cascabel (Los Angeles)
Sam's Banh Thai (Riverside)

Road Trips Taken: 8
Lafayette, IN (20160312-18); Spring Break cooking
Chicago, IL (20160506-08); bachelorette weekend
Rochester, NY/Toronto, ON/Buffalo, NY (20160518-30); conference/visiting family/wedding
Pennsylvania & Cleveland, OH (20160701-03); wedding
Lafayette, IN (20160805-07)
Toronto, ON (20160909-11); wedding
Minneapolis, MN (20160924-25); theatre
Nashville, TN (20160930-1002); concert

Sports Attendance:
Rams vs. Forty-Niners (20161224)

Theatre Performances Attended: 10
Sweeney Todd, Minneapolis, MN (20160724)
[title of show], Ames, IA (20160923)
Lady and the Trump, Minneapolis, MN (20160924)
The 39 Steps, St. Cloud, MN (20160925)
Mr. Burns: A Post-Electric Play, Ames, IA (20161009)
Cabaret, Ames, IA (20161113)
Ugly Lies the Bone, Des Moines, IA (20161119)
November, Ames, IA (20161127)
Cirque Dreams: Holidaze, Ames, IA (20161201)
The King & I, Los Angeles, CA (20161228)

TV Watched:
A lot. (I meant to keep track of how many episodes I watched this year, but I lost track around June. But it's a lot.)

A Mostly-Wordless Update

A Mostly-Wordless Update It's Friday already! This past week has been apocalyptic, and I fell behind on blogging. Here's what I acquired at the market last Saturday:

• A half-pound of Lion's Mane mushrooms from Joygrow, $6
  
• One pound of new potatoes from Heritage Hill, $3
  
• A bunch of dill and a bunch of garlic scapes from Onion Creek, $2
  
• A bunch of beets ($3) and a bunch of cilantro ($1) from Iowa Fresh, Jewell
  
• A breakfast empanada from Macubana, $4
  
• Four tomatoes ($4.50) and one cucumber ($1.50) from Lee's Greens
  
• A bunch of green onions from Crescentia, $2

I knew I would be getting a bunch of chard from Wheatsfield, so I didn't get any greens. I also didn't think I needed any fruit. Half of these were sort of impulse buys, though. As of yet, I haven't used the garlic scapes, the green onions, three of the tomatoes, or the cucumber. (Though the tomatoes and cucumber are going to become a salad in a few minutes.)



And here's what I made this week!

Honey-glazed Asian Salmon




Polenta with White Cheddar, Chard, and Wild Mushrooms








Roasted Beets in a Fig Balsamic Glaze










Herring and Potato Salad












Chard Tzatziki








Inside-Out Lamb Cheeseburgers














Gooseberry Elderflower Cake




















I promise I will have words for you next week.

From the Freezer, We Devour

This week was rough, and I sort of ran out of energy to do extensive posts halfway through. So here are the rest of the things I cooked this week, some of which were successful.

• Strawberry Rhubarb Upside-Down Cake
  Major Ingredient Sources: Rhubarb (from farmers' market, frozen), strawberries (farmers' market)
  
  Thoughts Upon Result: This was fiddly to layer, and called for MUCH too much of the brown sugar syrup. It looked beautiful, then quickly dissolved into mush. I like this idea, but would make some major adjustments to the recipe if I attempted it again.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Soy Ginger Ahi Tuna
  Major Ingredient Sources: Ahi tuna steak (frozen, Trader Joe's), ginger and garlic from the freezer, cilantro from the farmers' market, limes from HyVee
  
  Thoughts Upon Result: SO delicious, and way easy. Since I keep most of the liquid ingredients on hand at all times, I'll definitely make this again. (In fact, I bought more tuna from HyVee last night so I could make this again.) Plus, it’s gorgeous.
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Tuna Ceviche
  Major Ingredient Sources: The same as the tuna dish above. And the ingredients were almost all the same!
  
  Thoughts Upon Result: It ended up being delicious, but I think I let it "cook" too long in the marinade—it got a bit too tuna-salad-looking.
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Gooseberry Crumble Cake
  Major Ingredient Sources: Gooseberries from the farmers' market
  
  Thoughts Upon Result: Super-tasty, but I completed failed to estimate how much the cake would rise--I was thinking crumble, rather than cake. They ended up overflowing from the pan—not presentable at all. HOWEVER, I ate them for breakfast three days in a row. I'd make this again, using a larger pan instead of a muffin tin.
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Butter Lettuce Salad with Goat Cheese, Tomatoes, Sunflower Seeds, and Honey Lime Vinaigrette
  Ingredient Sources: Lettuce and tomatoes from the farmers' market, goat cheese and limes from HyVee, honey from Farm to Folk, Dijon mustard from Try The World
  
  Thoughts Upon Result: A simple salad, with the ingredients I usually toss in when doing a lettuce salad. (Spinach salads are always blue cheese and dried cranberries.) I let the butter lettuce wilt too much in the fridge, but the tomatoes gave the salad some much-needed body.
  
  
  
  
• Eggs with Chorizo and Mushrooms, Served with Tomatoes, Cilantro, and Sour Cream
  Ingredient Sources: Chorizo (frozen, from Fresh Thyme), mushrooms, tomatoes, and cilantro from the farmers' market
  
  Thoughts Upon Result: This one was a freestyle recipe--I wanted to make migas, but didn't have tortillas or bread on hand. Classic scramble it is!
  
  
  
  

And that's all I've got for the week! Tomorrow, we begin the cycle anew.