You're Doing It Wrong

I can’t wait until we’ve come full circle and it’s cool and edgy to name your business using real words. This place could be called Happy Juice Bar, or Aunt June’s Delicious Juice Drinks, or Pacific Northwest Juice and Beverage Co.

This is from when Kira and I made little pies and then baked them into cupcakes.

On more than one occasion my mother-in-law described a borscht recipe that she used to make. I have only made vegetarian borscht and none of my cookbooks had a borscht recipe so I set out to find a recipe online so I could make it for her.

This lifestyle blogging thing is out of control. I can’t tell you how many recipes I found that consisted of long homey tales of mom-ery and family lore with dozens of photos of the same bowl of soup, sometimes close up, sometimes from far away, sometimes with a gauzy filter.

Then the recipe itself was about 40 photos with every conceivable step illustrated as if seeing a photo of a cutting board and onions being scrapped into a pot is necessary. And every single blog has a giant popover so you can sign up for Beautiful Nourishing Wellness Mommy’s newsletter because who doesn’t wish for even more email? Especially with gauzy photos.

I ended up using a combination of recipes and the outcome was disappointing. We all ate it. It wasn’t terrible. But it wasn’t great either.

This is from a trip to Germany and not relevant to Thanksgiving or this post except the part about my awesome extended family.

I was trying to think if I had any great Thanksgiving stories and I don’t. My extended family is awesome so I don’t have any terrible family stories.

When I was a kid, we used to go to Alhambra, CA and have dinner with my Great Aunt Ivy. My recollection is that she didn’t have a house set up for little kids but she would have some coloring books for me and my sister. Her house had a tiny kitchen and it was chaos at the last minute getting everything on the table.

This house was way before the day of the open floor plan. We all crammed in the dining room for dinner. There was a separate room — probably called the family room with the TV and a bar (?) and there was a seat that opened up and that’s where she stashed toys for us. I should ask my sister if she remembers any of this.

Not relevant to Thanksgiving but this house had a GIANT avocado tree. Aunt Ivy always brought us avocados.

I wonder what that house is like now. I would zillow it if I knew the address.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

Today I am writing on the same day that I’m posting. I had a half day at work and relaxed for an hour and then made my pumpkin pie. I didn’t hear the timer so it was in the oven a teenie bit too long. I don’t think it’s tragic. We’ll find out tomorrow. I also made my gravy and called it good.

Tomorrow I’m going to write out my timeline for the rest of my cooking. I’ll start with the rolls in the morning. These are my favorite rolls. They are total squishy white bread rolls. Normal mashed potatoes. Stuffing in the slow cooker. Spatchcocked turkey. Last year went smoothly, I think I can do it again.

I finished season 2 of Stranger Things last night. I can’t express hard enough how much that show works for me. I LOVE everything about it. The music, the setting, the actors. I am so in love with every character. The writing is great. I would love to spend a weekend re-watching and outlining from a writing point of view. No time. Gotta keep chugging on my own project.

I wish I took better food photos. This is the giant apple pie I was talking about. The dish is extra big. I was going to put 10 apples in it but 9 already looks like a lot so I stopped. Ten would have fit. It’s a mixture of Granny Smith and farmer’s market varieties that I found in a drawer in the outside fridge. I nuke them for a couple of minutes but they still have a little bit to them which is perfect.

Originally I wanted to make two pies for Thanksgiving dinner but since we have this pie I’m only making a pumpkin.

At one point I had this idea that I was going to make my own reading challenges.

Like for one month I would only read books written the year I was born. Then the next month I would only read books I’ve already read. Then for one month I would only read volumes of America’s Best Short Stories.

It’s still a good idea but since I am barely reading one book a month right now, not a good time to put into action.

Right now the reading challenge is to read the books in my pile.

When we were in Montreal, I found this little comic book in a old book sale in a church. The date on the back is 1972.

According to Internet, Blek is the leader of a group of trappers during the American Revolutionary War. Most of the panels have NDNs in them and I had this brilliant idea that I was going to white out the words and replace with my own and it would be hilarious. Still might someday.

Remember when I couldn’t find Ted Chaing? I’ve been reading Stories of Your Life and Others, which is a collection of stories, forever. The movie Arrival is based on Stories of Your Life — both are really really good. My highest recommendation.

His stories are amazing but also take a little extra brain juice so for me, not good reading when I’m on the bus or right before bed after a long day and a glass of wine. Every time I see it I get a pang because I still haven’t made a point of finishing it.

I’m doing a terrible job telling this story.

I thought I lost the book, either I left it at the office and someone took it (incredibly unlikely) or I left it in Orleans.

What really happened is that I had a box of books, including a stack of books I wrote, to bring to my mom and I forgot it when I left. When I got home I shoved the box in the living room closet to wait until my next trip. Then the next trip came and I pulled out the box and there was Ted Chaing. So he went back in the to read pile.

I think this is the history museum in St. Louis, Missouri. I wish I could tell you I was getting better at organizing my photos but I’m not.

If I were more on the ball I would include a photo of the giant bundle of carrots I picked when I cleaned out the garden. I kept finding one more and one more. Some of them were blown out and I threw into compost but we have a large collection scrubbed and ready for snacking.

When I lived in the dorm at UCSB there was always a GIANT bowl of this shredded carrot salad with raisins in it at every lunch and dinner. It was always there. I’m not a fan of shredded carrot salad. I’m sure I tried it once.

Who was eating it? Was it the same carrot salad the entire time with just a few new carrots shredded on the top? Is this a popular way to eat carrots and I was too snooty to enjoy it? Maybe it was super cheap and they kept putting it out to fulfill a certain vegetable requirement?

I’m still thinking of it 30 years later.

This isn’t a completely accurate representation because I’m writing some bits out of order, which I don’t like but that’s the way it’s coming out so I’m going with it. I don’t count the words until I have a more or less complete section or chapter and I know where it fits in.

Crooked Rock #3:

Sometimes I’m mystified by how sweet certain dishes are. Especially when it comes to vegetables.

Like you go to a restaurant and they have a citrus vinaigrette and it tastes like orange syrup.

But then the salad also has sugar coated dried cherries and sugar roasted walnuts.

I like sweets but my vegetables can taste like vegetables.