Hi, how are you?

I'm sitting in a Barnes and Noble cafe at the moment. I typically do these at home, but I felt like getting out. It's hard to focus because I like to look at all these people and try to figure out what they're up to. So many laptops and headphones and pastries. Are they studying? Researching? Blogging? Writing the next great novel? What are they listening to? I have a hard time concentrating on anything important if I've got music in my ears. I can cook or clean while listening to things but if I'm writing or reading or creating in some way, I just need to focus on that one thing. What about you?

There are a few random things I want to talk about today! I really like Facebook Memories (the "on this day" feature) most of the time. Sometimes, I'll see an old post of mine from many years ago and cringe a bit. I was naive and immature, we've all been there I think. But mostly I do enjoy the old pictures and memories, the small things that have happened in my life that I don't remember until I see the post. And sometimes I posted something vague and have no idea what it was about! For example "I'm working on a very big project today, and I'm really anxious about it!" And that's it. What was it? Did I finish it? It must not have been THAT big of a project if I have no memory of it, right?

Anyway, the other day something popped up that I was so proud of at the time. Looking back, I still love the idea. I just didn't finish it. But I want to share it with you! I may recreate it, in fact.

Adventure Time 2K8

Back in 2008 I was living in New York City. I had a few roommates: S was one of my best friends, and her boyfriend T, plus a few others. The main two were another couple, J and M.

I made Adventure Time 2K8 for me and S, but the others tagged along sometimes. It was based on the idea that we lived in NYC and really only went on the same adventures all the time! We would walk down Broadway from 34th Street to 14th Street then hop on the subway from there toward Brooklyn. But there were so many adventures to be had, and I wanted to branch out of our norm. So I created a 26-adventure plan. One adventure per letter of the alphabet.

Here is the skeleton list:

A is for AmmunitionB is for BalletC is for Carmine'sD is for David LettermanE is for EquineF is for Fire IslandG is for GolfH is for High TeaI is for IKEAJ is for JailK is for KidsL is for Long IslandM is for MuseumN is for NatureO is for OperaP is for Peanuts and Cracker JackQ is for QueensR is for RelaxationS is for SerendipityT is for TattooU is for Under the SeaV is for VegasW is for WashingtonX is for XiphiasY is for YachtZ is for Zig Zag

Now, we got to the letter H before something happened that derailed it - I'm not sure what, but my best guess is that Cameron and I started dating so I got busy.

A is for Ammunition: We went to a shooting range in the middle of Manhattan, if you can believe it! It was underground! 

B is for Ballet: We got the nosebleed seats for a NY Metropolitan Ballet. We got dressed up and went as a group. It was very fancy and very fun!

C is for Carmine's: That's a family-style restaurant in NY (and other cities). We went, surely as a group, but I don't remember the details.

D is for David Letterman, so I'm guessing we tried being on his show? E was likely a carriage ride in Central Park or something like that.

F is for Fire Island: We took a train with a mutual friend out to Fire Island and just hung out at the beach all day. Super fun!

I don't know what we did for G, but H is for High Tea: We went to a VERY fancy spot for tea. One of S's friends knew where fancy folks went out to eat and drink, so we took her suggestions. It was an expensive day! Haha

I'd like to do something like this now, with the kids. I don't know what each letter could be because of where we live; in NYC there are options. If you have any ideas, send them my way. And if you decide to do something like this, please let me know!

Spaghetti Eis

When I lived in Germany, as a kid, there was one thing we would get sometimes as a treat. It was called spaghetti eis (eis means ice cream in German). It was ice cream that looked like spaghetti! They would take very cold vanilla ice cream and press it through a noodle maker of some sort, then top it with raspberry sauce, then shave white chocolate on top to look like Parmesan. There was some crunchy aspect to it too. It was delicious but mostly just fun. (Pic below is from this website!)

Recently, I made some blackberry ice cream that reminded me so much of the flavor of spaghetti eis! It had bits of graham cracker in it, which was similar to whatever the crunchy part was.

I'll try it again using raspberries!

Coffee Smoothie

The number one suggestion I got moving forward is to include more recipes. I'll do my best to include a recipe in each email! I'll include two this time.

To make this coffee smoothie, simply blend together these ingredients:

• 1 frozen banana*

• 4 oz of brewed coffee OR 1-2 shots of espresso

• 1-2 tbsp almond butter (peanut butter just isn't as good, imho)

• 1 tsp maple syrup

• about 1/2 cup of milk of choice

• pinch of salt

• 1/2 tsp of cinnamon

*If you don't have a frozen banana or you just don't like the taste of banana (it's subtle here but definitely there!), add ice instead. (You know what would be GREAT? Ice cream instead of the banana. 😅)

Fried Chicken Strips

I've been making these about once per week lately. The kids and I love them. There are two ways to do this. I'll share both ways!

Method 1:

1. Cut and trim your chicken into strips.

2. Dip each strip into a mix of salt, pepper, garlic powder, and flour.

3. Then dip each strip into a beaten egg (or two).

4. Then pat each strip into panko breadcrumbs, making sure to coat it as much as you can. You can add some more seasoning and herbs here too!

5. Cook 3-4 minutes per side in a little butter or oil or bacon fat until golden. (It doesn't need to be deep fried.)

Method 2:

1. Cut and trim your chicken into strips.

2. Place them in a bowl along with a splash of milk, 1-2 eggs, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and breadcrumbs. (Add extra seasoning if you'd like!)

3. Use your hands or a rubber spatula to combine all that! Let it rest for about half an hour if you have the time. If you don't, it will still be good!

4. Cook 3-4 min per side in butter or oil or bacon fat, until golden. Be sure not to crowd the pan!

New Email Newsletter Host!

I found a new host for my email newsletters! The old ones are still out there, but the new ones will look like this. I mentioned it on IG stories a few weeks ago: the other email service had a cap of 1,000 subscribers at the free level. This one is called BeeHiiv, and it allows me to send emails to 2,500 subscribers for free. Woohoo!

I also decided to change up the format. What do you think? I love the green! But I'm up for feedback. I'm still trying to figure it all out.

That's it for this week. Have a good one!❤️ Bethany