Category: Book Talk

Recently Consumed

Lauren3 Comments

A list of things consumed by my head, heart, eyes, ears and stomach lately.

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Carrot Hummus at The Pig and The Sprout

We chose this spot for our Tuesday Date Night and when they posted a picture of this luxurious looking carrot hummus on Instagram that day, I KNEW I had to order it and see what was up with those “funyun” chips.  Turns out there’s no chickpeas involved in that hummus, hence the creamy texture and those chips DID have the exact flavor of Funyuns.  We dug it!

Swear on This Life by Renee Carlino

Forgot to mention our March book club read!  Probably because I really wasn’t into it.  Basic Plot: Grad student/aspiring writer borrows a very buzzed about book from her roommate and discovers it’s about HER (very troubled) past and was written by her long lost childhood best friend turned first love.  Ugh, just writing that description reminded how annoying this book was.  The entire cast of the book seemed to cater to this very selfish and immature main character and I was not about it.

Girls Final Season

The highest respect to TV writers who had reviews of the final season of Girls out the night of the finale.  It’s been weeks and I still can’t make sense of my feelings on the show in its entirety.  I meant to write about the finale and I didn’t.  I meant to post about my favorite episodes from all six seasons and I didn’t.  I meant to figure out why I’m so conflicted about this show and I haven’t.  I will say, that final scene between Hannah and Adam was easily one of my favorite moments of the entire series.  They said so much by saying so little and though it was heartbreaking, it felt right.  Also, I will continue to pretend “Goodbye Tour” was actually the finale because Hannah and Jessa reuniting (even if only temporarily) was so touching and the whole dancing scene interspersed with snapshots of Hannah’s future was really the only ending I needed.  Plus I really hated “Latching.”

Well that “quick blurb” certainly got away from me…

Broken Angels by Gemma Liviero

This book reminded me A LOT of both All the Light We Cannot See and The Nightingale, both in the setting (Europe during WWII) and the formulation (characters from different sides of the aisle whose stories eventually combine).  That being said, I felt the effect was damaged because I kept thinking “I’ve read this all before!”  And I liked the writing in both of those other books more than this one.  Still, I liked this one well enough and wouldn’t dissuade anyone from picking it up for themselves.

Sweet Corn and Zucchini Pie

Well I’ve mentioned this recipe on the blog approximately 7,000 times, sooooo HAVE YOU MADE IT YET?  If not, I don’t know what you’re waiting for, but I’m actually not waiting for summer to eat corn and zucchini.  JOEY cooked this for ME and even though we were short a few ounces of cheese, it was still SO GOOD.  So that’s probably why I’ve talked about it so many times.  Paired with the best sweet potato fries (Joey makes them so much better than me!) and I think this meal actually willed the sun out of hiding that day.

Beloved by Toni Morrison

GUYS.  OMG.  LITERATURE!  I tried to explain to Joey — in a lengthy and cocktail induced speech — the difference between what I read in book club and actual literature and how damn refreshing it was to know within seconds of starting Beloved that is was the latter but he was probably mostly hoping I’d just stop talking 🙂  But seriously, the writing is so poetic and the story is so deeply painful and beautiful and I don’t know why it took me this long to finally pick this novel up but I’m so glad I finally did.

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Happy Friday/Cinco de Mayo/Birthday to my mother-in-law!  We are celebrating all those things the best way we know how… with burgers, fries, beer and a Rockies game!  Bet you thought I was going to say tacos and margaritas, huh? 🙂  What are you up to this weekend?

This Week

Lauren4 Comments

I’m trying to do a better job “documenting” (and actually publishing) small moments from the week.  I often find myself lost in thoughts of the past, wondering “when DID we watch that movie??” or “what DID I wear to that wedding??”  These aren’t all that important but they will swirl around in my brain until I remember.  Maybe if these snippets exist elsewhere, they’ll stop taking up real estate in my head 🙂

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I finished The Eyre Affair on Monday night and I really really loved it!  I got completely (and wonderfully) lost in a world where “Baconians” hand out pamphlets attempting to disprove the existence of William Shakespeare, where dodos are alive and well, living as house pets and everyone knows the story of Jane Eyre like the back of their hand.  If only!  Also as far as main characters go, Thursday Next is pretty badass.

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I think I may have mentioned Tuesday night 🙂

In the same vein, I also read this Buzzfeed article called “I Tried the Gray Stuff and It Really Was Delicious!” so if you A) get that reference and B) have also always wondered what the gray stuff is then we should be besties.  Turns out it’s some kind of frosting covered thing but the “article” was packed with comments about how that mystery food appears on a tray of savory appetizers so it’s more likely mushroom pâté and I actually have to agree with the people on that one.

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I made Golden Milk!  Joey thinks that’s a gross-sounding name but he’s got a gutter brain and knows nothing Jon Snow.  It was so good all freshly simmered, frothed and spooned straight from the blender but equally delicious in my morning cup of coffee.

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I saw some stupid Facebook video a few weeks ago showing how to make a week’s worth of lunches for your kid and thought yeah yeah with kids, I want those lunches.  So I made them for Joey and I and while eating-wise, it was a nice break from our salads, it was so much more work.  Back to salads next week, please!

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Real Question: How many years do I have to be on this Earth before the time change stops affecting me so much?  We had just gotten to the point where it stopped being dark in the morning and then we just had to spring forward and now, when I wake up, it feels like the middle of the night.  The good news is, post-work napping in the extra end-of-the-day sunshine helps.

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Wednesday: Joey and I tag-teamed this veggie shepherd’s pie and after I finished it up, I ate a big bowl on the couch, in my pajamas while watching Midnight in Paris and it was easily a top moment in a week filled with top moments.  HAVE YOU EVER COMBINED SWEET POTATO AND GOAT CHEESE?!  It is life changing.  Also, should I post this recipe??

Also on Wednesday, I set out on a post-work run (the best part of springing forward is being able to run outside at the end of the day!) and made it a whole 2 miles before throwing in the towel.

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Joey was jealous of my solo coffee + toast date last week so we went on one together this week.  After I took this picture, Joey butter-and-jammed that toast to perfection.  More of that, please!

I’m going to my parents’ tonight for corned beef & cabbage, Irish Soda Bread and homemade Green Velvet Cake so sounds like one happy St. Patrick’s Day to me!