October 2024

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

In October, I spent most of my free time either getting in a little physical activity outdoors enjoying the halfway decent weather or lazing about the couch watching foodie channels on YouTube. Most importantly — just this week, I started a new job!

Books + Media | Arts + Crafts | Food + Health


Books + Media

  • Audiobook — Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones, 1986
  • Audiobook — The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster, 1961
  • Audiobook — Tevye the Milkman by Sholem Aleichem, 1894
  • Book — Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard, 1974
  • Book — The Silent World by Jacques-Yves Cousteau, 1953
  • Movie — Interview with the Vampire starring Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, and Kirsten Dunst, 1994
  • TV series — Agatha All Along starring Kathryn Hahn and Joe Locke 2024–TBD
  • Book — Arabian Nights by anon. and transl. by Antoine Galland and Edward William Lane, ed. by Muhsin al-Musawi, circa 900
  • YouTube series — Ranked with Babish starring Andrew Rea at Babish Culinary Universe, 2024–TBD
  • YouTube series — Tasting History with Max Miller starring Max Miller at Tasting History, 2020–TBD
  • Podcast — Wine 101 hosted by Keith Beavers, produced by VinePair, 2020–TBD

Arts + Crafts

Nothing this month!

Food + Health

  • Cookbook cook-thru project – Tasting History by Max Miller, 2023
    Pumpkin tourte
  • Cookbook cook-thru project – The Food Lab by J. Kenji López-Alt, 2015
    Black bean soup
  • Cookbook cook-thru project – Methodist Morsels by the FUMC of Lamesa, Texas, 1983
    Caramel apple blox by Terrye Wilkes
  • Cookbook cook-thru project – Holiday Entertaining magazine special ed., 2018
    Pumpkin mascarpone pie by Sarah Patterson Scott
  • Magazine clippings cook-thru project
    Sour apple slaw from Eating Well magazine, recipe by Michael Twitty

Of the new recipes I tried this month, I especially enjoyed the sour apple slaw from Eating Well. It was fresh and a bit different from a typical cabbage salad. I will most likely make this again.

I also enjoyed and would recommend the pumpkin tourte from Tasting History and the black bean soup from Food Lab.

Unfortunately, I was disappointed by the caramel apple blox from Methodist Morsels. These were basically little caramel jelly squares with diced apples; though that sounds delicious in theory, in reality they were surprisingly bland and the texture wasn’t particularly appealing.

  • Dined out — Garden Thai Cuisine in Galveston, Texas
  • Dined out — Mosquito Café in Galveston, Texas
  • Dined out — Star Drug Store in Galveston, Texas
  • Dined out — The Sunflower Bakery & Café in Galveston, Texas
  • Walking, 17.5 hours (49.75 miles)
  • Weight training, 2 hours
  • The Challenger “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds” series — 49.75 total miles

We have started regularly visiting a flood mitigation space + nature park, Exploration Green. This area includes several connected paths that loop around a series of retention ponds. Besides getting in those miles and catching up on audiobooks, I’m also practicing some great novice birdwatching here.

I signed up for a new series on a miles-tracking app, The Challenger, which is based on the television series Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. For each 100-mile section of the series, participants can earn a fun little medal; part of the signup fee also goes towards nonprofits that either plant trees or remove plastic from the ocean (participant’s choice).

  • 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 Holiday Entertaining from Condé Nast Special Editions, 2018
  • Magazine clippings cook-thru project
  • Wine tasting project – Wine Folly by Madeline Puckette, 2015
  • The Challenger “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds” series, “The Enterprise” section

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