I am so glad this recipe is here! Also Anne of avonlea autumn!!!!! I’ve been so behind on reading Substacks. Thanks divorce, sick mother, teenager I chauffeur around, best friend with cancer, working in the ER.
A game that I like to play with myself is scrolling through my twitter feed and seeing Erin liked a tweet and going "that's gonna make it in the Friday newsletter" and then seeing if I'm right. I'm 3/3 this week hahaha
Treasure of all Treasures this week is that I book my trip to Madrid in October. I got sick a couple years ago (where my autoimmune peeps at) and this is the first trip I am planning that is not to a family/family location since. SO FREAKING EXCITED!!! Give me all your solo girl traveling tips and recommendations for Spain.
We did a walking tour of Madrid right when we got there which was super helpful in getting oriented and comfortable exploring on our own later. Also, Segovia is a twoish hour bus ride from Madrid. The castle was gorgeous and it was so cool to see the aquaducts.
Spicy Erin must have curated the tweets this week and I'll be honest- I had much joy over all of it :D
I'm in the process of making Bri's Easiest Paleo Roast recipe (found here: https://oursavorylife.com/the-easiest-paleo-roast-recipe/) because yesterday while on my way to Denny's for an impromptu goodbye 39 girl's dinner for my aunt, I went to my old grocery stomping grounds and was reminded I do in fact really like how easy that recipe is. Also - we had Little Caesar's pizza for both lunch & dinner on Wednesday so while I had grand plans to make some delicious Creamy Chicken Poblano Soup this week (or really, last week), realistic me finally gave up and started looking at 5-ingredient dinner recipes.
I've officially replaced my driver's license due to having lost it & not because it expired, so I feel a level of 'grown up woman' I didn't realize I was missing until it arrived hahahaha.
Hubby has spent the weeks since we closed on our new house dreaming & scheming of ways to set us up for financial success & we start the first active step (aka signing more paperwork) tomorrow, so good vibes would be appreciated - it's a 2+ year long path but at the end we'll be able to look toward retirement with a little more financial stability which, considering we both do manual labor (creative labor, but still) for work, is something that weighs on my mind regularly.
TW: infant loss
We got the photo proofs back from the newborn shoot of 'our' rainbow baby this morning & watching my niece be snuggled by her dad, when the last photos we have of him holding a baby were of the baby we buried did something to me in a profound way & I'm weepy.
Hope you all have the best weekend available to you <3
Very embarrassing confession. I've been very confused about why they cast a middle-aged woman to play a 15ish-year old Ariel but ok, whatever. But then I just discovered a few minutes ago that no, honey, it's not Halle Berry, it's Halle *Bailey*. 🤦♀️
oh, thanks for sharing!! I'm not very deep into this portrayal, but every time I've seen the trailer, I think, 'I really don't see it. I don't recognize her as 'Halle' at all!' So I guess there's a few of us.
You are not the only one, trust me! I think there was a whole thing where both Halles were talking about it on Twitter and that’s how I figured it out. 😂
I love that poem by Brad Aaron Modlin. I first heard it on Poetry Unbound. It is a treat to listen to Pádraig Ó Tuama read it and give his commentary alongside those beautiful words.
Just stopping by to say I’m the happiest Marylander in the whole comment section. That tweet was perfection. Where is the Maryland flag emoji already?!?! 🫡🦀
This week has been rough with a cold slowly working it’s way through the four of us then me tacking on a UTI at the end. 🙄
But, I do feel like all the work I’ve been doing around body acceptance and embodied living is finally starting to pay off, because although my first response was “My stupid body is betraying me!”, I was able to follow that up with a gentler, kinder “My body is telling me I need to rest and take extra care of her today.” Progress.
Also, the big big treasure is that OUR COOKBOOK LAUNCHED TODAY! My husband and I poured our hearts and souls into this, and I’m super proud of it. If you want some unfussy recipes for seasonal gatherings (there’s a whole chapter just for fall potlucks and tailgating!) this is the place: https://neighborfoodblog.com/cookbook/
Happy Friday! It's been lovely and cool here in NC this week, and I love it. My apartment has two sliding windows that open onto a screened porch, and leaving them open at night is just glorious.
The tweets this week were excellent! I'm firmly in my cozy early bedtime era and plan to keep it that way.
A big treasure this week was committing to walking 2x a week with a friend. She's got 4 kids, so it's hard to have time where it's just us, and we both know we're better people when we move our bodies, so it's nice to have a set time and a partner to keep you on track.
I recently discovered Sheila Wray Gregoire and her podcast Bare Marriage. Y'all, she's amazing and such a good post-purity culture truth-teller.
I finally read Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow this week. It was delightful! I don't think I liked it better than Jane or A.J. Fikery, but it was a good read.
Have a great weekend friends, look forward to catching up in the comments!
Everyone keeps reading and loving Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow, and I know I should read it but for some reason the description doesn't sound interesting to me! What was it like?
It's kind of a slow burn about friendships and love- familial, romantic, and platonic- told through the story of three friends who make video games. Sam and Sadie meet in the hospital where he's recovering from a horrible foot injury and her sister is battling cancer and bond over gaming. Gaming is a thru line but she uses it to show you so much character development and depth. It's not action packed but it's definitely propulsive. From some of the foreshadowing I thought it would be a lot sadder than it was, but it's for sure has a melancholy tone.
My grandparents owned the fist taco restaurant in our small southern OK town. It’s been shut down for over 30years and my grandparents divorced for just as long and my grandpa has been dead since before the twin towers fell, but my grandma FINALLY told my mom the recipe for their taco seasoning and the heavens have parted and bestowed me this gift.
I’m still not privied to the full recipe but when my mom is out of special seasoning packets I try to replicate it by adding a few squirts of tomato paste and a small glug of vinegar to regular taco seasoning and it mostly does the trick.
This sounds so similar to my husband's family's Christmas schnecken (cookies). I wasn't allowed to do more than roll out the dough until we were married, and that was only after we had gotten engaged.
The best part? My husband likes the way I make them way better lol
😂 it is quite the journey. I’m like do y’all not know that you’re missing out on the joy of cooking WITH us when you wait until you die to pass down the recipe?!?
I also make really good Rotel dip. No real recipe, I just brown some hamburger meat, then in a pot melt a thing of Velveeta, then add the beef, 2 cans of Rotel, 1 can of corn, and a bunch of chopped pickled jalapenos and some jalapeno juice. You can just keep adding stuff until it tastes perfect to you. My husband thinks it's the best thing in the world and makes me feel like an actual chef when I make it.
If you are wanting a dip with some veggies, I also make really good Spinach and artichoke dip. The secret is to start with store bought spinach and artichoke dip. I get the real big one from Costco, so if you get a regular size one from the grocery store, just do less of the other ingredients. Pour the dip into a casserole dish, mix in at least 2Tbsp of whipped cream cheese, mix in half a bag of shredded Italian blend cheese. pour the rest of the cheese on top. Top with cracked black pepper (this part is actually important, it needs to be cracked black pepper, not the really fine stuff you use every day, you can get it for like $2 at the store). Then bake in the oven at 350 for like 20 minutes or until it's bubbly on the sides. This one really impresses people and you don't have to tell them that it's store bought.
Turds:
- the weather. I think 2 weeks ago I said we are DONE with 90 degree weather here in Alabama and I feel like Boo Boo the Fool now. The highs next week are 95. I'm v depressed about it.
- I had my performance review at work and it went SO WELL. My career has been turned upside down several times over the past few years, but I'm really happy about the way things are going right now.
- Mornings here have been in the 60s and I've been able to sit on the porch while I have my coffee and not want to die!
- I read My Lady Jane this month and it was so cute and fun. And then I found out that there are other books like it about other historical ladies, and I can't wait to get into those as well!
- A few weeks ago I asked y'all if I should watch Lord of the Rings and y'all said yes, so I did. I watched the original 3 and the three Hobbit movies and loved them all. Now I'm watching Rings of Power and it's so good! I'm happy that I understand it and I finally understand all of the LOTR memes that have been circling the internet for the past 10 years. And also, Legolas is V V V hot and can totally get it, but don't tell my husband.
- I'm part of the Sharon Says So book club and we just finished Just Mercy. This was one of the best books I've ever read. I've heard other people say how good it is, but I just never got around to it. I want to tell all of you, if you haven't read this book, READ IT NOW!!! It's only about 314 pages, and the story is so compelling you have to know what comes next, so it was easy for me to finish in a couple of days.
Okay, I think that's it. I love y'all so much! Can't wait to catch up in the comments <3
First, that clarinet/flute duet made my day! That's exactly what my friend and I used to do in high school with our favorite Disney songs lol so I loved it. And hooray for a good performance review, nice weather in the mornings, and watching LOTR!
My Lady Jane! So bummed I completely blanked on the book club, but I'm glad you enjoyed it! I just got the 5th Janies book from the library, so I'm excited to read it. My Contrary Mary was probably my second favorite, since Mary Queen of Scots has always been fascinating to me. Also, I'm in the middle of Just Mercy and I kind of cannot put it down!
Yes, we missed you the other night, but I saw that your kiddos were sick and probably very busy taking care of them 💗 thank you for suggesting the book. I probably wouldn’t have picked it up on my own.
I love any recipe that starts with “for my so-and-so dish, the secret is to buy the so-and-so dish.” 😂 Also, LOL at “a thing of Velveeta.” This is my kind of cooking! 🤣
Welcome to the Fellowship, Lauren. 🧝♀️ I’m a longtime fan — saw the first film in a cinema, then devoured the book trilogy every late night for the next 3 months because I couldn’t wait a full year for the second film’s release just to find out what happened! Two decades later, I’m still firmly in the Merry and Pippin Club (Dominic Monaghan and Billy Boyd are my beloveds), and I want to *be* Eowyn but live in Rivendell till I die. Also, Orlando Bloom has never done better than give us Legolas. LOTR is magical to me. I’m waiting to watch Rings of Power in one long binge, but I just used my last free trial Audible credit for The Silmarillion since I never had a chance to wade through that one. I’m at my best and nerdiest talking about this franchise and the stories. 🤓 I’m so happy you liked them!
LISTEN, this white chicken chili (https://www.cookingclassy.com/white-chicken-chili/) is magic. Everyone I make it for is obsessed. The first time I made this recipe, I ate some the next morning for breakfast. That's how good it is.
My treasure for the week is that for our 15th wedding anniversary, my husband and I are doing the tasting menu at my bro in law's restaurant (https://www.elviesrestaurant.com/), and I'm pretty excited.
I'm still new to this whole commenting on the swipe up thing. Are we allowed to ask questions? Because if so, I need help! How do you make friends in the south? I have had no trouble making friends quickly in the last two places we've lived (Burlington, Vermont, and State College, PA), but we just moved back to Mississippi (where we are originally from), and when I tell you I have almost no friends, I am not exaggerating. What am I doing wrong?!?
Marley! How did I forget to put this chili on my menu for this month?! October, for sure. HAPPY ANNIVERSARY! I hope your meal goes wonderfully, and you and Bech get to enjoy the meal and each other.
Also, making friends is HARD WORK. I think it's easier in places where a lot of people move in and move out (Penn State and UVM). You're doing absolutely nothing wrong! And I'm just sorry for all the people in your town who DON'T know the magic that is Marley Evans yet. Come up and visit meee, I'll buy you Citizen (although I like 1911 better), snuggle you in one of our new cozy blankets, and play the entire Anne of Green Gables miniseries for you. Where's my raspberry cordial, I need to get you some!
Happy anniversary, Marley! 🎉 The tasting menu sounds so fun!
I have very little advice about making friends (and kind of want to ask how on earth you made friends so fast in VT and PA?), other than that for me at least, it always takes time. Maybe there are more introverts in the South?
Ohhhhh where in MS are you? Making friends in Bay St Louis was the easiest place I have ever made friends. Cleveland - I feel sure I could have lived there for 10 lifetimes and not made one real friend.
Oh man! We have been in PA for 10 years now. To be honest, I do not miss it that much 🙈
I did have a hard time making friends here - it took so much longer than I thought. Someone shared a theory with me about areas like where I am in Lancaster, and the Delta which you're practically in that made so much sense to me. This person had moved to Lancaster from Los Angeles and was also struggling to make friends. She said it had been so easy in LA because many people were transient to the area and were also looking to make friends. Areas like Lancaster and the Delta, people's families have lived there for generations and they all have their built-in friend groups from childhood. Also, relatively few people are coming to those areas from outside. The combination can mean there's way fewer people even looking to meet new people and make new friends.
Add in that certain geographic areas seem to attract certain personalities, and there's another layer. Gosh I wish I had some useful advice! I hope you come across some friend type people soon. :)
Happy anniversary! This tasting menu looks delish! and the restaurant looks so cute! I love celebrating anything with a nice dinner.
Yes, please ask questions. Making friends as an adult is hard, especially in the South. A professor once told me that the people of the South are unusual to the rest of Americans because we generally don't leave home. We may go off to college, but then we come right back to where we're from. Therefore, most people here have their friend group that they've always had their whole lives. I read a book on making friends as an adult and the main take away was that you have to ask people to do stuff with you. The author said it will feel so hard, but people genuinely like being asked to do something, or being invited somewhere, so just step our there and find someone you think you might mesh with and ask them on a friend date. I hope that helps. But know that you are not alone. Everyone has a hard time making or maintaining friends as they age.
I am so good at asking people to do things, but I just didn't want to this time! I know I sound like a toddler saying that, but just being honest. I am always the one welcoming new people...I just wanted to be the one welcome this time, ya know? It's okay...I can put on my big girl panties and deal with it!
This is so true! Hickory locals were shocked I moved here for grad school. Almost ten years later all my close friends are other people who have moved here.
That is such a good insight, Lauren! I moved around a lot, but most people I know in the South didn't. It's hard to break into friend groups that have been established since high school!
I don’t live in the south but recently moved back to where I’m originally from and making friends has been so hard. I don’t understand it but wanted you to know I GET IT. Hoping you meet some amazing friends really soon 💕💕
Treasure: this guy singing kids' jams in the style of his favorite bands. Baby Shark in the style of Radiohead? Check. Wheels on the Bus in the style of Bon Iver? Check. etc. etc.
I am so glad this recipe is here! Also Anne of avonlea autumn!!!!! I’ve been so behind on reading Substacks. Thanks divorce, sick mother, teenager I chauffeur around, best friend with cancer, working in the ER.
A game that I like to play with myself is scrolling through my twitter feed and seeing Erin liked a tweet and going "that's gonna make it in the Friday newsletter" and then seeing if I'm right. I'm 3/3 this week hahaha
Treasure of all Treasures this week is that I book my trip to Madrid in October. I got sick a couple years ago (where my autoimmune peeps at) and this is the first trip I am planning that is not to a family/family location since. SO FREAKING EXCITED!!! Give me all your solo girl traveling tips and recommendations for Spain.
Turd- Headache of headache months
We did a walking tour of Madrid right when we got there which was super helpful in getting oriented and comfortable exploring on our own later. Also, Segovia is a twoish hour bus ride from Madrid. The castle was gorgeous and it was so cool to see the aquaducts.
Spicy Erin must have curated the tweets this week and I'll be honest- I had much joy over all of it :D
I'm in the process of making Bri's Easiest Paleo Roast recipe (found here: https://oursavorylife.com/the-easiest-paleo-roast-recipe/) because yesterday while on my way to Denny's for an impromptu goodbye 39 girl's dinner for my aunt, I went to my old grocery stomping grounds and was reminded I do in fact really like how easy that recipe is. Also - we had Little Caesar's pizza for both lunch & dinner on Wednesday so while I had grand plans to make some delicious Creamy Chicken Poblano Soup this week (or really, last week), realistic me finally gave up and started looking at 5-ingredient dinner recipes.
I've officially replaced my driver's license due to having lost it & not because it expired, so I feel a level of 'grown up woman' I didn't realize I was missing until it arrived hahahaha.
Hubby has spent the weeks since we closed on our new house dreaming & scheming of ways to set us up for financial success & we start the first active step (aka signing more paperwork) tomorrow, so good vibes would be appreciated - it's a 2+ year long path but at the end we'll be able to look toward retirement with a little more financial stability which, considering we both do manual labor (creative labor, but still) for work, is something that weighs on my mind regularly.
TW: infant loss
We got the photo proofs back from the newborn shoot of 'our' rainbow baby this morning & watching my niece be snuggled by her dad, when the last photos we have of him holding a baby were of the baby we buried did something to me in a profound way & I'm weepy.
Hope you all have the best weekend available to you <3
💗💗💗 for the photo proofs. Such a devastating and beautiful thing.
Very embarrassing confession. I've been very confused about why they cast a middle-aged woman to play a 15ish-year old Ariel but ok, whatever. But then I just discovered a few minutes ago that no, honey, it's not Halle Berry, it's Halle *Bailey*. 🤦♀️
oh, thanks for sharing!! I'm not very deep into this portrayal, but every time I've seen the trailer, I think, 'I really don't see it. I don't recognize her as 'Halle' at all!' So I guess there's a few of us.
Ha, I had the same thought at first!
😂😂😂
You are not the only one, trust me! I think there was a whole thing where both Halles were talking about it on Twitter and that’s how I figured it out. 😂
I love that poem by Brad Aaron Modlin. I first heard it on Poetry Unbound. It is a treat to listen to Pádraig Ó Tuama read it and give his commentary alongside those beautiful words.
https://onbeing.org/programs/brad-aaron-modlin-what-you-missed-that-day-you-were-absent-from-fourth-grade/
Just stopping by to say I’m the happiest Marylander in the whole comment section. That tweet was perfection. Where is the Maryland flag emoji already?!?! 🫡🦀
This week has been rough with a cold slowly working it’s way through the four of us then me tacking on a UTI at the end. 🙄
But, I do feel like all the work I’ve been doing around body acceptance and embodied living is finally starting to pay off, because although my first response was “My stupid body is betraying me!”, I was able to follow that up with a gentler, kinder “My body is telling me I need to rest and take extra care of her today.” Progress.
Also, the big big treasure is that OUR COOKBOOK LAUNCHED TODAY! My husband and I poured our hearts and souls into this, and I’m super proud of it. If you want some unfussy recipes for seasonal gatherings (there’s a whole chapter just for fall potlucks and tailgating!) this is the place: https://neighborfoodblog.com/cookbook/
Also, these Apple Cider Floats are my favorite summer bridge to fall recipe. Get all the fall vibes without turning on the oven. https://neighborfoodblog.com/caramel-apple-cider-floats/
Well, I have everything I need to make those floats right now. Dessert tonight!
Congrats on the cookbook! What an endeavor! It looks amazing! (three exclamation points... high praise 😂)
Apple cider floats sound amazing!!!
It’s my favorite ice cream float hands down.
Happy Friday! It's been lovely and cool here in NC this week, and I love it. My apartment has two sliding windows that open onto a screened porch, and leaving them open at night is just glorious.
The tweets this week were excellent! I'm firmly in my cozy early bedtime era and plan to keep it that way.
A big treasure this week was committing to walking 2x a week with a friend. She's got 4 kids, so it's hard to have time where it's just us, and we both know we're better people when we move our bodies, so it's nice to have a set time and a partner to keep you on track.
I recently discovered Sheila Wray Gregoire and her podcast Bare Marriage. Y'all, she's amazing and such a good post-purity culture truth-teller.
I finally read Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow this week. It was delightful! I don't think I liked it better than Jane or A.J. Fikery, but it was a good read.
Have a great weekend friends, look forward to catching up in the comments!
Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow was delightful, but I agree, I liked AJ Fikry better, especially on the reread!
Everyone keeps reading and loving Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow, and I know I should read it but for some reason the description doesn't sound interesting to me! What was it like?
It's kind of a slow burn about friendships and love- familial, romantic, and platonic- told through the story of three friends who make video games. Sam and Sadie meet in the hospital where he's recovering from a horrible foot injury and her sister is battling cancer and bond over gaming. Gaming is a thru line but she uses it to show you so much character development and depth. It's not action packed but it's definitely propulsive. From some of the foreshadowing I thought it would be a lot sadder than it was, but it's for sure has a melancholy tone.
Okay, that does sound good! For some reason I thought it was more sweeping, which is one of my least favorite book words!
My grandparents owned the fist taco restaurant in our small southern OK town. It’s been shut down for over 30years and my grandparents divorced for just as long and my grandpa has been dead since before the twin towers fell, but my grandma FINALLY told my mom the recipe for their taco seasoning and the heavens have parted and bestowed me this gift.
I’m still not privied to the full recipe but when my mom is out of special seasoning packets I try to replicate it by adding a few squirts of tomato paste and a small glug of vinegar to regular taco seasoning and it mostly does the trick.
This sounds so similar to my husband's family's Christmas schnecken (cookies). I wasn't allowed to do more than roll out the dough until we were married, and that was only after we had gotten engaged.
The best part? My husband likes the way I make them way better lol
The journey I just took in your first paragraph. 😂
Why are matriarchs so stingy with family recipes? Stop making us wait till you die! 🙄
😂 it is quite the journey. I’m like do y’all not know that you’re missing out on the joy of cooking WITH us when you wait until you die to pass down the recipe?!?
Beloveds, I had originally left the ground ginger (it's in the title!) out of the recipe, but it has now been added 💛
Good morning, sweet swipes!!!
I hope y'all have had a wonderfully peaceful week, and if you haven't I'm praying we all find a way to relax this weekend.
One of my favorite easy side dishes to cook is this honey butter skillet corn. It's very comforting and only takes minutes: https://togetherasfamily.com/honey-butter-creamy-skillet-corn/
I also make really good Rotel dip. No real recipe, I just brown some hamburger meat, then in a pot melt a thing of Velveeta, then add the beef, 2 cans of Rotel, 1 can of corn, and a bunch of chopped pickled jalapenos and some jalapeno juice. You can just keep adding stuff until it tastes perfect to you. My husband thinks it's the best thing in the world and makes me feel like an actual chef when I make it.
If you are wanting a dip with some veggies, I also make really good Spinach and artichoke dip. The secret is to start with store bought spinach and artichoke dip. I get the real big one from Costco, so if you get a regular size one from the grocery store, just do less of the other ingredients. Pour the dip into a casserole dish, mix in at least 2Tbsp of whipped cream cheese, mix in half a bag of shredded Italian blend cheese. pour the rest of the cheese on top. Top with cracked black pepper (this part is actually important, it needs to be cracked black pepper, not the really fine stuff you use every day, you can get it for like $2 at the store). Then bake in the oven at 350 for like 20 minutes or until it's bubbly on the sides. This one really impresses people and you don't have to tell them that it's store bought.
Turds:
- the weather. I think 2 weeks ago I said we are DONE with 90 degree weather here in Alabama and I feel like Boo Boo the Fool now. The highs next week are 95. I'm v depressed about it.
Treasures:
- I've never seen the movies, but I think the HSM fans will like this: https://www.instagram.com/reel/ChjBJHRDkMl/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
- I had my performance review at work and it went SO WELL. My career has been turned upside down several times over the past few years, but I'm really happy about the way things are going right now.
- Mornings here have been in the 60s and I've been able to sit on the porch while I have my coffee and not want to die!
- I read My Lady Jane this month and it was so cute and fun. And then I found out that there are other books like it about other historical ladies, and I can't wait to get into those as well!
- A few weeks ago I asked y'all if I should watch Lord of the Rings and y'all said yes, so I did. I watched the original 3 and the three Hobbit movies and loved them all. Now I'm watching Rings of Power and it's so good! I'm happy that I understand it and I finally understand all of the LOTR memes that have been circling the internet for the past 10 years. And also, Legolas is V V V hot and can totally get it, but don't tell my husband.
- I'm part of the Sharon Says So book club and we just finished Just Mercy. This was one of the best books I've ever read. I've heard other people say how good it is, but I just never got around to it. I want to tell all of you, if you haven't read this book, READ IT NOW!!! It's only about 314 pages, and the story is so compelling you have to know what comes next, so it was easy for me to finish in a couple of days.
Okay, I think that's it. I love y'all so much! Can't wait to catch up in the comments <3
That spinach dip sounds so good - love an easy app especially when having people over. Bumping Just Mercy higher up on my TBR list!
First, that clarinet/flute duet made my day! That's exactly what my friend and I used to do in high school with our favorite Disney songs lol so I loved it. And hooray for a good performance review, nice weather in the mornings, and watching LOTR!
My Lady Jane! So bummed I completely blanked on the book club, but I'm glad you enjoyed it! I just got the 5th Janies book from the library, so I'm excited to read it. My Contrary Mary was probably my second favorite, since Mary Queen of Scots has always been fascinating to me. Also, I'm in the middle of Just Mercy and I kind of cannot put it down!
Yes, we missed you the other night, but I saw that your kiddos were sick and probably very busy taking care of them 💗 thank you for suggesting the book. I probably wouldn’t have picked it up on my own.
I love any recipe that starts with “for my so-and-so dish, the secret is to buy the so-and-so dish.” 😂 Also, LOL at “a thing of Velveeta.” This is my kind of cooking! 🤣
Welcome to the Fellowship, Lauren. 🧝♀️ I’m a longtime fan — saw the first film in a cinema, then devoured the book trilogy every late night for the next 3 months because I couldn’t wait a full year for the second film’s release just to find out what happened! Two decades later, I’m still firmly in the Merry and Pippin Club (Dominic Monaghan and Billy Boyd are my beloveds), and I want to *be* Eowyn but live in Rivendell till I die. Also, Orlando Bloom has never done better than give us Legolas. LOTR is magical to me. I’m waiting to watch Rings of Power in one long binge, but I just used my last free trial Audible credit for The Silmarillion since I never had a chance to wade through that one. I’m at my best and nerdiest talking about this franchise and the stories. 🤓 I’m so happy you liked them!
I'm in the same place with Just Mercy, everyone recommends it but I just haven't gotten to it yet! Moving it to the top of my list
The spaghetti appt tweet 😂😂
I’m not great at the baking (or the cooking for that matter!) but I’ve been eyeing these and I’m going to attempt this weekend: https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/zucchini-banana-muffins/
The tweets were the BEST! These Paleo Brownie Muffins are a staple around here! Here you go: https://www.realfoodwithjessica.com/2018/04/05/paleo-chocolate-brownie-muffins/
LISTEN, this white chicken chili (https://www.cookingclassy.com/white-chicken-chili/) is magic. Everyone I make it for is obsessed. The first time I made this recipe, I ate some the next morning for breakfast. That's how good it is.
My treasure for the week is that for our 15th wedding anniversary, my husband and I are doing the tasting menu at my bro in law's restaurant (https://www.elviesrestaurant.com/), and I'm pretty excited.
I'm still new to this whole commenting on the swipe up thing. Are we allowed to ask questions? Because if so, I need help! How do you make friends in the south? I have had no trouble making friends quickly in the last two places we've lived (Burlington, Vermont, and State College, PA), but we just moved back to Mississippi (where we are originally from), and when I tell you I have almost no friends, I am not exaggerating. What am I doing wrong?!?
Marley! How did I forget to put this chili on my menu for this month?! October, for sure. HAPPY ANNIVERSARY! I hope your meal goes wonderfully, and you and Bech get to enjoy the meal and each other.
Also, making friends is HARD WORK. I think it's easier in places where a lot of people move in and move out (Penn State and UVM). You're doing absolutely nothing wrong! And I'm just sorry for all the people in your town who DON'T know the magic that is Marley Evans yet. Come up and visit meee, I'll buy you Citizen (although I like 1911 better), snuggle you in one of our new cozy blankets, and play the entire Anne of Green Gables miniseries for you. Where's my raspberry cordial, I need to get you some!
Happy anniversary, Marley! 🎉 The tasting menu sounds so fun!
I have very little advice about making friends (and kind of want to ask how on earth you made friends so fast in VT and PA?), other than that for me at least, it always takes time. Maybe there are more introverts in the South?
Ohhhhh where in MS are you? Making friends in Bay St Louis was the easiest place I have ever made friends. Cleveland - I feel sure I could have lived there for 10 lifetimes and not made one real friend.
Madison area...want to move up here and be my friend?
Oh man! We have been in PA for 10 years now. To be honest, I do not miss it that much 🙈
I did have a hard time making friends here - it took so much longer than I thought. Someone shared a theory with me about areas like where I am in Lancaster, and the Delta which you're practically in that made so much sense to me. This person had moved to Lancaster from Los Angeles and was also struggling to make friends. She said it had been so easy in LA because many people were transient to the area and were also looking to make friends. Areas like Lancaster and the Delta, people's families have lived there for generations and they all have their built-in friend groups from childhood. Also, relatively few people are coming to those areas from outside. The combination can mean there's way fewer people even looking to meet new people and make new friends.
Add in that certain geographic areas seem to attract certain personalities, and there's another layer. Gosh I wish I had some useful advice! I hope you come across some friend type people soon. :)
Happy anniversary! This tasting menu looks delish! and the restaurant looks so cute! I love celebrating anything with a nice dinner.
Yes, please ask questions. Making friends as an adult is hard, especially in the South. A professor once told me that the people of the South are unusual to the rest of Americans because we generally don't leave home. We may go off to college, but then we come right back to where we're from. Therefore, most people here have their friend group that they've always had their whole lives. I read a book on making friends as an adult and the main take away was that you have to ask people to do stuff with you. The author said it will feel so hard, but people genuinely like being asked to do something, or being invited somewhere, so just step our there and find someone you think you might mesh with and ask them on a friend date. I hope that helps. But know that you are not alone. Everyone has a hard time making or maintaining friends as they age.
I am so good at asking people to do things, but I just didn't want to this time! I know I sound like a toddler saying that, but just being honest. I am always the one welcoming new people...I just wanted to be the one welcome this time, ya know? It's okay...I can put on my big girl panties and deal with it!
This is so true! Hickory locals were shocked I moved here for grad school. Almost ten years later all my close friends are other people who have moved here.
That is such a good insight, Lauren! I moved around a lot, but most people I know in the South didn't. It's hard to break into friend groups that have been established since high school!
I don’t live in the south but recently moved back to where I’m originally from and making friends has been so hard. I don’t understand it but wanted you to know I GET IT. Hoping you meet some amazing friends really soon 💕💕
Marly, that chili looks amazing! Thanks for sharing!
Treasure: this guy singing kids' jams in the style of his favorite bands. Baby Shark in the style of Radiohead? Check. Wheels on the Bus in the style of Bon Iver? Check. etc. etc.
I think the Bob Dylan one might be my favorite, but they are all excellent: https://www.tiktok.com/@ksrhoads/video/7142879200217795883?is_copy_url=1&is_from_webapp=v1
ohmygosh the Dylan is perfection! 😂