Weekend Reading

Whew, what a week! Mr Official Taster and I celebrated our anniversary, got keys to a new place, and started moving. And that awesome thing about the west coast not having mosquitos? Well, all 12 of them out here found me and bit me this week. I'm excited about our new place, but right now I feel mostly tired, sore, and itchy. I think I'll sit and read a bit, and then maybe have some bread with blackberry jam and some more with apricot butter. It's good for what ails you, as they say.

Onto this week's finds:

This first one is fun because it's about the giant water lilies at Longwood Gardens, which I showed you way back here.

Oh, Naked Juices, you are making me sad.

The prettiest pizza I think I've ever seen.

This one is interesting for several reasons, but you've got to listen to it, because Lake Bell has a great radio voice and can do lots of fun things with it.

Read this. It's interesting and good for you. And good for us, as humans, to listen to other people.

Oh, man. Canning in Alaska is crazy. And, boy, am I an amateur!

A Tucson food bank doing smart work. Some of the comments are interesting (and informative!) too.

Amber Tamblyn and David Cross have a question for you.

How was your week? What are you reading/listening to?

Blackberry Jam - vegan, gluten free & free of just about everything else

I'd been putting off going to the farmers' market (strange, I know) because I was afraid of going to early, getting seduced by gorgeous peaches, and then having my heart broken by those same peaches because it was too early. I am so glad I waited, because the stand where I get my peaches had about ten varieties of peaches and nectarines, with samples of all of them, and I swooned. Hard.

Oh, there were other things there, too, though, sadly, no apricots (major bummer. I had plans) Fresh peas, basil, tomatoes, and blackberries. Guys, it's summer.

Weekend Reading

Happy weekend, all! I hope you're staying cool. I'm planning on making some jam tonight or tomorrow, so you've got that to look forward to.

In the meantime, a few things to keep you busy:

- A long, but good, article about Joe Biden. He went to my high school! And he's definitely Delaware's most famous person.

- All that drama about the biracial family in the Cheerios commercial? These kids have it so, so right.

- If you think gender discrimination went the way of the dinosaurs, think again. Sad, but true.

- I just like this as a life-type essay.

- Looking to improve your food photography? Pinch of Yum has 10 household items to help.

- Finally, if you've been thinking about grocery home delivery, it may be greener than schlepping to the store.

What have you been reading lately?

Ambrosia: Apricot Butter - vegan, gluten free, & free of just about everything else

Remember my friend with the apricot tree? Well, when I went over the other week to get some more fruit, her countertops were covered. You know those plastic tubs that baby spinach and salad greens come in? I think she had about six of those filled and overflowing with fragrant, golden fruit. So instead of coming home with a pound or two, I came home with eight.

It turns out that I don't love fresh apricots. I like them dried, but I love them turned into butter. If you think I went into raptures in past summers about peaches, well, you're right, but I went into bigger, louder raptures over this apricot butter. Obviously, Mr Official Taster thinks I'm nuts, but, you know what? More. For. Me.

Weekend Reading

Happy Friday, ya'll

I have some delicious, delicious apricot butter to share with you just as soon as I have some good light. It's worth waiting for, I promise.

In the meantime, a few things I've seen online of late that are worth a read.

Celebrate the women of NASA's 2013 astronaut class and think about why we don't do it more here.

My mom sent this one to me. I'm an only child, and I like to think that I'm neither lonely nor unusually selfish. I also am grateful for the time, energy, and money my parents have been able to spend on me through the years because I am an only child. Why do us Onlies have such a bad rap?

This photo from a Saudi Arabian women's conference? oi vey.

This one from The Atlantic is pretty spot on. Stephen Marche presents an actually multi-faceted take on "having it all," the work-life balance, and the balancing act that is marriage. He points out what I think is often unacknowledged -- most couples I know will move cities and follow a job and face un- or under-employment by one half of the partnership, not because one spouse's job is more important than the other, but because one pays much more than the other. In my generation, money is the driving force, not one gender's perceived importance.

Oh, this one I love. While I will always love being told I look pretty, there's only so far that conversation can go. Ask me what I'm reading or what you should be reading and we can really get to know one another.

Finally, need a mini break or don't believe you're addicted to the internet? Try doing nothing for two minutes.

Anything you want to share with the class?