Happy Monday! Links to Make Your Day Brighter

This tray is huge, some of those zucchini are more than a foot long!

Happy Monday! Oh my god guys, it is so hot here in Portland. It is miserable. I believe we just reached 100 degrees yesterday–thank god for the AC in our bedrooms–so I am unashamedly enjoying the much cooler morning temperatures in a bra and shorts. Keep in mind that the shorts are too big and it’s a nursing bra, so no fantasy material here!

Sid’s at BPRD day camp at Trackers this week, so I’m hoping to get a lot of stuff done, including prepping for our camping/beach vacation next week. The highs are 65 in Astoria and Lincoln City, and I cannot wait. I want to wear a sweatshirt!

Cooking

Sid is carpooling to camp this week with his friend Ernie and stepbrother Zach, so I have a houseful of boys to make breakfast for this week, yay! I plan to use part of our zucchini crop to make this Lemon Zucchini Bread my Mom brought to my attention. Yum!

I’m trying to do the impossible with our upcoming three-day camping trip: I don’t want to bring too much food. I know, have you met me?!? I’ll write it out if my meal plan is successful. Meanwhile, I might make this Sausage and Bean One-Pot Stew to bring with us. Fortunately, we’re renting a house with a kitchen immediately after camping, so any leftover food will be eaten there.

Comics and Books

I was able to get a sneak peek at the finale of Archie vs. Predator, and it was great. There’s something super satisfying about gore and decapitations in that classic “Archie” house style. If you’re not into floppies (individual comics), there’s an Archie vs. Predator hardcover coming out this fall–if you pre-order, you’ll save 20%.

If I haven’t said it before, I am loving the library. Our library is awesome. I’m currently reading The Third Plate: Field Notes on the Future of Food by Dan Barber, an excellent look at the present and future of the “farm-to-table” movement, and Style, by Kate Spade. Style was a bit of a disappointment–lots of lists of things without any context (20 artists, a dozen books, etc.)–but still fun.

Fashion (and TMI)

In keeping with the TMI of my opening paragraph, I wanted to let you know that you should buy my underwear. Well, not my actual underwear, but Nordstrom is having a sale on Hanky Pankys. I buy eight every year during their Anniversary Sale (a savings of $52 this time) and they are the best. I heard about them a decade ago from my mom, who heard about them from Oprah, so–clearly well vetted. They’re cute, they’re comfortable (more TMI–I wore them my entire pregnancy), they’re practically invisible under clothes, and if you hang them to dry they’ll last for years. Get the low-rise unless you’re really tall.

Murder, She Wrote

I couldn’t resist this “How Would You Die on Murder, She Wrote?” quiz. Although there’s no skiing in Cabot Cove, BuzzFeed!

Happy Monday! Links to Make Your Day Brighter

I made a flower arrangement. Deal with it!

Happy Monday! I hope you all had great weekends. Ours was packed: birthday/housewarming of one of my best friends, brunch with Sid’s mom, partner, and kids, and then a barbecue with my folks, brother, and girlfriend. A lot of cooking. And I’ve got a lot of cooking ahead of me in the next two weeks (two dinner parties and a brunch). I’m taking a break after the Fourth of July, I swear!

Links!

First up: I was graciously invited to guest on Ask Me About My Draculas, a vampire-themed Google hangout-podcast hosted by Ma’at Crook and Kel McDonald. This week, they introduced me to the hilarious New Zealand comedy What We Do in the Shadows.

Food/Cooking:

So I am the official birthday cake baker for most of my friends, but the above-mentioned birthday girl is paleo, which offers certain challenges. Fortunately! Said friend is also fantastic at picking recipes that are delicious, so I’ve made her this Lemon Meringue Cake the past two years. It looks like a cake, it feels like a cake (nice and spring-y), and it is delicious. Bonus: you’ll end up with about a pint of leftover lemon curd.

Another paleo winner (for the same party) is this Bacon Lime Sweet Potato Salad by PaleOMG.

I finally discovered (and used) the mini food processor attachment to my Cuisinart Hand Blender–it only took me three years of owning it. I was making a little baby food on the fly. Anyway, this sucker consistently impresses me (and it was a wedding gift from the birthday girl!). If you’re looking for a good immersion blender or are just building your kitchen and want one tool that can be a blender, hand mixer, smoothie maker, and food processor, I recommend it highly.

Household:

Ugh, it is warm and we have a lot of fruit, so a bunch of fruit flies cropped up this weekend. This apple cider fruit fly trap worked wonders.

Comics:

I read the first three issues of Archie vs. Predator this weekend, and it was a total blast–in the vein of Afterlife With Archie, it is not for small children. The Predator crashes the kids’ jungle vacation and then hitches a ride to Riverdale, and the results are incredibly gory. Writer Alex de Campi (Grindhouse: Doors Open at Midnight) balances the traditional “Archie” tone with the darker material, and artist Fernando Ruiz (Life With Archie) handles the character moments and action superbly. The final issue is due out 7/22.

Murder, She Wrote:

My favorite Murder, She Wrote blog, Murder, She Blogged, is recapping my very favorite episode: “Mirror, Mirror on the Wall.” This season five finale was originally going to be the series finale (before Angela Lansbury agreed to continue) so it is extra! Dramatic! Seth!

Got anything to share? Post it below. I’ll just leave this here from Murder, She Blogged.

SETH HAZLITT STOP MAKING JB CRY YOU BASTARD.

Happy Monday! Links to Make Your Day Brighter

Happy Monday! Cranky about springing forward for Daylight Savings this past weekend? Me, too. Here’s some fun stuff to peruse while you acclimate to that lost hour.

If you didn’t see my post from earlier today, Episode #47 of Rachel & Miles X-Plain the X-Men is live! I was fortunate enough to guest host. This week, Miles and I discuss X-Men/Alpha Flight volumes 1 and 2.

Archie vs. Predator is real, and it’s going to be spectacular (trust me, I have insider knowledge). Get an ashcan of Dark Horse’s Archie vs. Predator at Things From Another World!

Need something good and easy for breakfast? These Banana Wheat muffins are awesome, healthy(ish), and take just a couple of minutes to whip up (oil your muffin tin and go without liners–the bottoms get nice and crisp).

In other cooking news, I made about 12 cups of veggie broth for zero (additional dollars), thanks to this post at Zero Waste Chef.

I want to thank my friend Jen Waters for showing me LansburyReact, a Twitter feed dedicated to hilarious gifs of Angela Lansbury, a.k.a. Jessica Fletcher. IT IS PURE GOLD.

This week I’ll have more Circle of Chicken recipes (my son Sid’s favorite soup) and we’ll also talk about cooking dry beans (do this it’s so easy, and better for you than canned). Probably more nerd stuff, too. Nerds!

Have something to plug? Post your links below!

Happy Monday: Links to Make Your Day Brighter

Happy Monday! Here are some fun/interesting/hilarious links to help you transition into your work week–or, if you’re me, finish up the weekend’s laundry and plan a trip to WinCo. Yes I am living the dream, thank you very much.

Coming later this week: more Circle of Chicken recipes (I’m testing a new one tonight!), a post about baby bedtime routines (I swear Sarah’s has made everything better), and probably more X-Men and Murder, She Wrote hijinks.

But first: let’s see how Jessica Fletcher feels about Mondays!

Via Murder, She Blogged, a fantastic and funny MSW recap site.

I heard about the passing of Leonard Nimoy, Star Trek‘s inscrutable Mr. Spock, with a heavy heart. Not only did Nimoy perfectly inhabit a beloved character for decades, but he was also an incredibly decent human being who believed strongly in loving and respecting others. NPR has a wonderful interview with him here. This weekend we watched Star Trek II: Wrath of Khan (weeping through Spock’s funeral) and  , which was directed by Nimoy. He was proud of the fact that there was no “villain” to kill in this movie–instead, the conflict sprung from human nature.

Another Rachel & Miles X-Plain the X-Men podcast is live! This week, they tackle the Shadow King, Charles Xavier’s inconsistent mobility, and New Mutants #29-34. If you missed my announcement last week, I was lucky enough to be tapped to guest host next week’s episode, in which Miles and I explore the 1985 and 1997 X-Men/Alpha Flight miniseries. Huge thanks to Rachel and Miles!

Want to cook something healthy, cheap, and incredibly delicious? Braised Coconut Spinach with Chickpeas and Lemon gets five stars in my book!

Need something to watch? Here’s The Best and Worst of What’s New on Netflix This Month, according to Pajiba. Best? Secret of NIMH. Worst? Grease 2. Or is that the best worst? I might want a Cool Rider!

I have a confession: I love, love, love Jennifer L. Scott’s Daily Connoisseur weblog and books. Her 10-Item Wardrobe made me so much better organized–and dressed! I also love that she emphasizes pursuing cultural activities and finding enjoyment in your everyday life. However, she’s a bit of a guilty pleasure for me, because she sometimes comes off like Diane Chambers. You know what I mean. I mean, I love my trash, too!

Got any awesome blogs to share–even your own? Post ’em below!

Happy Monday: Links to Make Your Day Brighter

Happy Monday! Ugh. Even though I’m home with Sarah now, I still get that dreaded “it’s almost Monday” feeling in the pit of my stomach on Sunday. Here’s a cute picture of her to make your transition to the work week a little easier.

Plus: links! I am a weirdo of varied interests.

New Rachel and Miles X-Plain the X-Men podcast: Lifedeath! – Rachel and Miles X-Plain the X-Men is such a good podcast, but don’t take it from me–they were named by Entertainment Weekly as one of 20 Podcasts You Need to Hear in 2015! This week they’re covering Lifedeath, the powerful two-part epic of the aftermath of Storm losing her powers, drawn by the incredible Barry Windsor-Smith!

Listen to it if you love the X-Men. Listen to it if you hate the X-Men–heck, listen to it if you know nothing about the X-Men–you’ll receive an entertaining and engrossing education. The joy of this podcast is Rachel and Miles’ clear love of everything X-Men–even the crappy stuff–but what I enjoy is how tight everything is: there’s no aimless rambling, all of the rambling has been thought out ahead of time! Major props to Bobby Roberts for his expert production skills.

Welcome back, Tyler Durden! See artwork from Chuck Palahniuk’s comic-book sequel Fight Club 2 at Rolling Stone.

Hellboy Turns 21 and Rogue Ales Gets Him His First Beer at ComicBook.com.

Zero Waste Chef: This is one of my new favorite blogs. You think I love to cook? This lady cultivates her own sourdough starter and makes her own sour cream. Oh yes, new worlds to conquer! I might even finish reading Michael Pollan’s Cooked now.

Murder, She Blogged: My other favorite blog. Hilarious recaps of Murder, She Wrote. The screencaps of Angela Lansbury’s priceless expressions and the writer’s total and absolute hatred of Grady, Jessica Fletcher’s hapless nephew, are extremely funny. Read it.

Got any awesome blogs to share–even your own? Post ’em below!