November 2024

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

In November, I spent most of my free time walking outdoors + looking at birds, but I also found some time to try a few new recipes and work on my genealogy projects.

I’m still getting up to speed at my new job; I’m in the process of giving myself a little self-guided tour of campus by looking for public artworks (there are many!), which has been an interesting experience so far.

However, I have just come down with a nasty little cold, so I’ll apparently be spending the first days of this month curled up under a quilt with a box of tissues.

Books + Media | Arts + Crafts | Food + Health

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Books + Media

Finished

Books

• Audiobook — Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice, 1976
• Audiobook — The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark, 1961

Media

• Movie — The Birdcage starring Nathan Lane and Robin Williams, 1996
• Movie — Bridget Jones’s Diary starring Renée Zellweger, 2001

In progress

Books

• Book — Casino Royale by Ian Fleming, 1952
• Book — The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende, 1982

Media

• TV series — The Diplomat starring Keri Russel and Rufus Sewell, 2023–TBD
• Podcast — Wine 101 hosted by Keith Beavers, produced by VinePair, 2020–TBD

Arts + Crafts

Nothing this month!

Food + Health

Finished

Cooking

• Cookbook cook-thru project – Tasting History by Max Miller, 2023
  Gingerbread
• Cookbook cook-thru project – The Food Lab by J. Kenji López-Alt, 2015
  Brussels sprouts with bacon
• Cookbook cook-thru project – Methodist Morsels by the FUMC of Lamesa, Texas, 1983
  Jezebel sauce by Venna Nix
• Cookbook cook-thru project – Holiday Entertaining magazine special ed., 2018
  Butternut squash and apple soup by Alexis Touchet
• Magazine clippings cook-thru project
  Wild rice stuffed acorn squash from Eating Well magazine, recipe by Nik Sharma

• Fudge from family collection, recipe by my great-grandmother

Of the new recipes I tried this month, I especially enjoyed the wild rice stuffed acorn squash from Eating Well. It not only looks impressive, it tastes impressive — but actually it takes very little effort to make. I might not put it in the regular meal prep rotation, but I will keep this recipe in my back pocket for holiday dinners.

I also enjoyed and would recommend the butternut squash and apple soup from Bon Appétit.

An uncle of mine shared a recipe for fudge from my great-grandmother last year, but this was my first time making it. It’s a classic confection style fudge that gets cooked on the stovetop, but it also includes marshmallow creme to help stabilize the texture, so it’s comparatively foolproof.

Dining + Drinks

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

Fitness

• Walking, 27.25 hours (73.5 miles)
• Weight training, 1 hour 40 minutes
• The Conqueror “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds” series, “The Enterprise” section — 100 total miles [COMPLETED]
• The Conqueror “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds” series, “Spock Divided” section — 23.25 total miles

We have continued to visit Exploration Green, but I have also joined my spouse a couple of times for a walk around Memorial Park. (Well, I’m walking; he’s training for a half marathon.)

I’ve been able to identify several birds that are new to me, too. I’m working on building a page on this website for my birding life list, which should be published sometime before the end of this year.

Also, I completed the first part of my walking challenge from The Conqueror, and have started on the next section of the challenge.

In progress

Cooking

• 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

Dining + Drinks

• Wine tasting project – Wine Folly by Madeline Puckette, 2015

Fitness

• The Conqueror “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds” series, “Spock Divided” section

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