Friday Feels - Volume IV

Oooh boy! It's been QUITE a week, has it not? 

Marshmallow = LuRuSo

I think we all know what I am talking about. (insert big SIGH) One of the reasons I backed away from this blog for a spell is I worried about posting unnecessary frivolity while such serious unrest existed in the world. I didn't feel right ignoring the issues, yet I wasn't prepared emotionally to write about them. I still don't. But since it is a Friday Feels, I guess I can admit that I continue to be concerned, dismayed, and anxious about what is happening in our country and I am grasping at the idea of hope. Thank goodness for both the activists and the comedians out there, who give me fuel and a laugh.

Tina Fey is a national treasure. I'll buy the sheetcake if you bring the grilled cheese?

SNL Weekend Update: Tina Fey on Protesting After Charlottesville - YouTube

I think this could really work. Sorry, Florida.

Jimmy Kimmel's Plan to Save Us from Trump - YouTube

This quote felt like a punch in the stomach. So true.

Might need to order a few of these tanks and walk around town passing them out.

Grayson Threads Women's Human Kind Graphic Tank Top Charcoal Gray - Target

But even with such distressful events and an unending political chaos, the world goes round, and the sun rises and sets. And sometimes the moon gets in the way and you have a solar eclipse.

An annular solar eclipse on May 21, 2012, Tokyo, Japan. Photo: Masashi Hara/Getty Images

Some fun solar eclipse facts HERE

More questions answered HERE

What it will look like from your time & location HERE

Fingers crossed for a clear day on Monday!

Do you ever go down the YouTube rabbit hole? You start off innocently watching one clip and then realize there are thousands of more clips on your topic and before you can realize it you've clicked through them all and have a mastery of the subject? I find myself in this position at least once a week. The latest one was instigated by talking about a historic Willie Mays catch.

Greatest Catches in MLB History - YouTube

Being a kid growing up in Minnesota during the 80s/90s, I do believe they had one egregious omission ("He...*caught* it!)

1991 WS Gm6: Puckett's amazing leaping grab at the wall - YouTube

The past few weeks I've been upping my protein with shakes a few times a day. The Ninja has been my best friend. So easy to use and a breeze to clean up. And believe me, I'm super lazy and would usually not make the effort to take out and put away an extra piece of equipment. I especially like this set because it takes care of your blender, food processing, and smoothie needs all in one bundle.

Ninja Mega Kitchen System (Blender, Processor, Nutri Ninja Cups) BL770 - Amazon.com

After my stretch of clean & healthy eating, I'll definitely be primed to enjoy an adult beverage or two this weekend. I'm thinking perhaps a cider? It seems appropriate as we transition from summer to autumn.

Sociable Cider Werks

Another seasonal segue winner has been this eyeshadow palette. It has the rose gold and shimmer for these last August days, as well as siennas and wine-tones to be used as the September leaves start to fall.

Limited-edition Don't Quit Your Day Dream Eyeshadow Palette - tarte

I used it for my self date to see a show at the Guthrie the other night. I am in love with wandering around my new(ish) neighborhood. This might not be the case come winter, but for now, I spend hours exploring new sights and hidden streets. I couldn't believe I never ran across this "urban castle" a few blocks away from my home. Funny to think of how it sat amongst endless parking lots and the Metrodome before its more vibrant and blossoming current surroundings. I am completely obsessed with the rumor that it will soon be turned into a brewery. Downtown Minneapolis is killing it!

Urban castle in downtown Minneapolis might become 'destination brewery' - Star Tribune

That's all the feels for this Friday. OK, I'm lying, I could go on and on this week, but let's leave it with this thought that I heard Senator Cory Booker say on a podcast:
Don't let hate make you hateful. Don't let the darkness make you dark.

All The Cookery

I love the word cookery. It brings to mind heavy bottom pots, wooden spoons, and pies cooling on the windowsill. There is something folksy and also modern about it. Cooking and baking is such a pleasure in life; It is creative & intuitive, mathematical & technical. It takes skill and artistry. Cooking is undoubtably love, and brings joy to those who give and those who receive. I've developed quite the addiction to reading and watching and hearing about cookery. If I was somehow able to finagle a living out of it, I would happily watch cooking shows and read food blogs 24-7. 

My initial TV cooking love was Jamie at Home. Of course, Ina (Jeffrey, too!) and Giada were on rotation, and let's not forget about The Pioneer Woman (side note: I sat directly in front of her on a flight from MSP-LGA once. She ordered the omelette and then was very friendly to all her fans that approached her in the airport bathroom line). But these days you can find me marathoning episodes of A Chef's Life on PBS. You get glimpses into Vivian's world as a chef, a mom, a daughter, a wife, a boss, and how it plays into her food. She also has a beautiful tome of a cookbook (seriously, you could use it as a weapon) that brings back happy memories of the show.

Deep Run Roots: Stories and Recipes from My Corner of the South

PBS also got brownie points with its documentary series American Masters' Chefs Flight, highlighting four iconic chefs of our era. With the celebrity chef culture and social media food pics of today, it's fascinating to compare what the culinary world looked like mere decades ago.

Top Chef will always be DVRed at my house. Season 15 is around Denver. I've been awaiting this location for a few years now - should be a good one!

Reading about these comestible topics is also inspiring and interesting - they delve into so many aspects other than what's on the plate. It just goes to show that food is life. Some of my favorite books have been Anthony Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential, the memoirs of Top Chef judges Gail and Padma (Talking with My Mouth Full: My Life as a Professional Eater and Love, Loss, and What We Ate: A Memoir, respectively), and former NYT food critic Ruth Reichl's, Garlic and Sapphires: The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise. I highly recommend the audio versions - just make sure not to listen on an empty stomach. 

Next on my list is Amy Thielen's Give a Girl a Knife: A Memoir. I've been thoroughly entertained by her past ventures, and am looking forward to learning a bit more about this fellow Minnesotan-NYCer-back to Minnesotan.

Of course, I'm always on the hunt to add actual cookbooks, both fresh and classic, to my shelf.

Print: Jane Mount - Ideal Bookshelf

 Some that I have my eye on include: 

The name alone sells it for me.

Thug Kitchen: The Official Cookbook: Eat Like You Give a F*ck

Check. Check. Check. Check.

Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat: Mastering the Elements of Good Cooking - Samin Nosrat

I walked by this shop and always meant to pop in! 

The Four & Twenty Blackbirds Pie Book: Uncommon Recipes from the Celebrated Brooklyn Pie Shop - Emily & Melissa Elsen

I could make an unending list of food blogs I stalk, but Food52 is my one stop blog for recipes, supplies, and articles of interest.

Even Instagram has become a foodie's paradise. I first was introduced to Lucinda Scala Quinn when she demonstrated a recipe on the Martha Stewart show. I was in the audience and they gifted us a magazine that included the recipe. It was for a simple, but packed-with-flavor, garlic pasta dish. My boyfriend at the time couldn't get enough of it. Lucinda moved on to greater things (as did I, that boyfriend is long gone, good riddance!), and I lost touch with her career. But then came Instagram stories and her presence has brought my obsession to watching people talk and deal with everyday food to a whole new level. She is clearly a talented chef, but I think what makes her "stories" so watchable is the messy (who cleans up that stove top afterward??) and tactile manner in which she assembles and showcases her meals. Her Upper West Side (hello, balcony envy!) apartment feels real and there is always groovy music and vibrant conversation in the background. 

In fact, I need to go check out what she is up to right now - follow LSQ HERE.

My next foodie frontier is the land of podcasts. Do you have a favorite food and cooking related podcast? I want to hear about it!

Slide Into Summer Shoes Via Target

Is there anything more therapeutic than strolling through Target, your REDCard at the ready in your pocket, no place to be and no one to be responsible for? Target seems to have the answer to everything within each aisle you peruse.

TheGiftableGoodies - Etsy

I especially love their shoe selection. Unabashedly full of designer knock-offs, but though the price point saves you some dough, the quality and comfort feels surprisingly more expensive. This summer my focus is on footwear that I can quickly slip on as I head out the door and just as effortlessly kick them off when I want to dip my tootsies into a fountain or some lush green grass. Summer should have an ease, no?

These backless loafers bring polish to any look.

Merona Women's Kona Backless Mule Loafers - Target

I love the relaxed femininity of the added bow on these slides.

Sam & Libby Nevada Slide Sandals With A Bow - Target

These are surprisingly comfy for their heel height.

Women's dv Nya Booties - Target

I appreciate some fringe in the summer to bring out the bohemian in me.

Women's Mad Love Morgan Fringe Thong Sandals - Target

I'd take the laces out of these sneaks for some seriously easy slide action. And look at those sweet summer patterns -  florals and gingham and stars, oh my!

Women's Mossimo Supply Co Lunea Patterned Canvas Sneakers - Target

Speaking of Target, have you seen the Instagram account targetdoesitagain? It consists of someone walking around Target or Target.com and pointing out all of the cute stuff you need or (more likely) don't need. Warning before you follow - it's inexplicably mesmerizing and addictive!