February 2024

What I’ve been reading, watching, making, and otherwise doing for the past month!

In February, I spent most of my free time reading, naturally, and I also worked on a small set of paintings and continued doing some cross-stitch.

As a reminder, only monthly wrap-up posts are currently open to comments.

Books + Media | Arts + Crafts | Food + Health


Books + Media

  • Audiobook – The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier, 1974
  • Audiobook – The Owl Service by Alan Garner, 1967
  • Audiobook – Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson, 1883
  • Audiobook – A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith, 1940
  • Book – Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton, 1991
  • Book – Ubik by Philip K. Dick, 1969
  • Book series – Death subseries of Discworld by Terry Pratchett, 1987–2001
    Mort, Reaper Man, Soul Music, Hogfather, Thief of Time
  • Audiobook – Doctors and Distillers by Camper English, 2022
  • Book – The Story of My Experiments with Truth by Gandhi, 1927
  • TV series – Resident Alien starring Alan Tudyk, 2021–TBD
  • TV series – Zorro starring Guy Williams, 1957–1959

Arts + Crafts

Nothing this month!

  • “Hogwarts” kit from online shop Stitchering [defunct]
  • Multiple projects from the book Feminist Cross-Stitch by Stephanie Rohr
  • Beginner swatches from the book Stitch ’n Bitch by Debbie Stoller
  • “Malacology” set by self

Food + Health

  • Cookbook cook-thru project – Tasting History by Max Miller, 2023
    Farts of Portingale
  • Cookbook cook-thru project – The Food Lab by J. Kenji López-Alt, 2015
    French onion soup
  • Cookbook cook-thru project – Methodist Morsels by the FUMC of Lamesa, Texas, 1983
    Chilighetti by Pat Newberry
  • Cookbook cook-thru project – Essential Breads magazine special ed., 2018
    Anadama bread by Alison Roman
  • Magazine clippings cook-thru project
    London broil from Food and Wine magazine, recipe by Mary-Frances Heck

Of the new recipes I tried this month, I especially enjoyed the farts from Tasting History. It was a fairly straightforward recipe with interesting results (in a good way). And, of course, it has such a silly name. I don’t know if this will go in my regular recipe rotation, but it was certainly worth trying.

Unfortunately, I was disappointed by the anadama bread from Bon Appetit Essential Breads. It turned out dense and flat — over-proofed, I think; the recipe calls for three rising periods, which is probably not necessary. I might attempt this bread again, but with modifications.

  • Dined out — The Sunflower Bakery & Café in Galveston, Texas

I did not try any new wine this month, so no Wine Folly Challenge yet for 2024.

  • Walking, 4.25 hours (12 miles)
  • Stationary bike, 3.5 hours
    iFit “Dream Chaser” series with trainer Nicole Meline
  • The Challenger “The Lord of the Rings” series — 518.5 total miles

No hiking this month. Bad weather has made many nearby trails unpleasant or unusable.

In better news, I was able to fix the stationary bike!

I completed a series of spinning workouts which began last year, on iFit; “Dream Chaser” with trainer Nicole Meline.

  • Cookbook cook-thru project – Tasting History: Explore the Past through 4,000 Years of Recipes by Max Miller, 2023
  • Cookbook cook-thru project – The Food Lab: Better Home Cooking Through Science by J. Kenji López-Alt, 2015
  • Cookbook cook-thru project – Methodist Morsels by the Cookbook Committee of the First United Methodist Church of Lamesa, Texas, 1983
  • Cookbook cook-thru project – Bon Appétit + Gourmet Essential Breads from Condé Nast Special Editions, 2018
  • Magazine clippings cook-thru project
  • Wine tasting project – Wine Folly by Madeline Puckette, 2015
  • The Challenger “The Lord of the Rings” series, “Mordor” section

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