a blog about cooking, writing, and everything else
This recipe was inspired by the repulsion that Jeff has for ripe bananas (Jeff: anything not green is gross). The bananas that are best for muffins are very ripe and give off an odor that is very off-putting to my husband (Jeff: it's true). The strawberries that I used were fresh from the farmer's market; …
Continue reading Strawberry Banana Muffins (Or, How to Use up Mushy Fruit!)
Today “Foliate Oak Literary Magazine” published my short story “Everyone’s Favorite Couple,” which you can read by clicking here. The last few pieces of fiction I’ve gotten published were very short—“drabbles” (writing under 100 words). At 640 words this new piece is a developed story, with a clear narrative, some decent characters, and humor (hopefully) …
Continue reading Publication: “Everyone’s Favorite Couple” in “Foliate Oak Literary Magazine”
This weekend Leah and I have lived in North Carolina for a year. There are many things I could reflect upon, given the anniversary, but when I think back, what comes most to mind is rejection. Now, things a year ago with Leah were going great—she wasn’t the one rejecting me. And things with the …
Continue reading One Year in North Carolina (or: How I Got a Job After 90 Rejections)
Leah and I both got carnivorous plants. “Hers” is a sundew plan, and “mine” is a pitcher plant, and I’m using quotation marks here because first, as an egalitarian couple, these are our plants, and second, though I love all of our plants a lot, Leah is probably just a little more vested in their …
For the last few weekends Leah and I have gone to the Greensboro Farmers Curb Market. That’s the exact name of it, and I’m not sure why there isn’t an apostrophe in “Farmers,” and I’m not sure why it’s called a “curb” market since it’s in a building. But, it is the best farmer’s market …
So how do you ensure that you keep talking to the woman of your dreams, after reestablishing contact, after you haven’t talked for almost twelve years? Well clearly you call, text, Skype, and email, and then you invite the woman of your dreams to move your car with you. Or at least that’s what I …
My husband is an adventurous eater, but there is one vegetable that he doesn't like. When beets are mentioned, he shudders a little and recalls childhood stories about a grandfather who loved beets (and loved to share them). And so, when he wondered casually if I could cook beets in a way that he would …
Continue reading Barley Salad with Golden Beets and Rainbow Chard Recipe
Once Leah got her job in Greensboro we had to figure out where to live. After a fair amount of internet searching we came up with three possible abodes. The first was in a new apartment complex, but constructed in a way to cash in on the “old factory” vibes that are around the city. …
I found a bag of these beautiful, small, and multi-colored potatoes -- perfect for a double roast, a drizzle of olive oil, and fresh herbs. We served them for lunch with farm eggs from the Greensboro Curb Farmer's Market and a large green salad. Potatoes often have a bad reputation from a nutrition standpoint, because …
So how did a guy from Oregon and a gal from Boston get to North Carolina? Well, Leah and I both completed graduate school as 2016 ended. We started applying to jobs right away, and Leah got one in Greensboro. That’s the story, simple as pie. But how did we actually get here, as in …
Continue reading Renting a U-Haul is Much Harder Than Renting a DVD
