2020: Week 38

September 14, 2020 – September 20, 2020

Bucket List Items Accomplished

Try Tai Chi
Make matzo brei
Try trapeze, aerial silks, hoop or another aerial circus class. I took an intro class for trapeze. I also have a class for aerial silks lined up for next week and a hoop class in a couple of weeks. I’m taking these classes at Island Circus Space.
Bake challah
Go horseback riding again. I did a two hour trail ride with my mom with a guide from Alpine Stables in Cobble Hill. It was such a gorgeous morning, and this was a perfect start to a day. I rode a beautiful and calm Fjord horse named Luna.

Things I Enjoyed this Week

I have started a new 30 day challenge to exercise everday. I am trying out as many different forms of exercise as I can. I did a whole bunch of fun new things this week and some of my standbys.
1. Circus flexibility class. Lots of active stretching.
2. Tai Chi. I followed along with this Tai Chi 5 Minutes a Day Youtube video from Taiflow.
3. Handstand class. I was an absolute beginner, but this class taught me some good foundations. I booked another class in two weeks to practice more. I really want to hold a good handstand off of the wall.
4. Walk. I was feeling pretty sore this day, so I just took a couple short walks.
5. Trapeze class. This class was challenging but fun. I made myself motion sick by the end of it, but I still managed to do some inverted splits and other things.
6. Walk again. I walked all over town. I went to the farmer’s market in the morning and bought some delicious fireweed honey that I’m excited to bake with. I walked to my haircut downtown and all around before walking home. I also walked to forage for blackberries.
7. Horseback riding was a surprisingly good core and inner thigh workout. I also went for a very nice walk on a trail up island. I have been reading The Old Ways: A Journey on Foot by Robert Macfarlane. It is all about the foot trails, both modern and ancient that weave throughout landscapes across the globe. It has been a pleasure seeing how his thoughts meander and reading his eloquent musings about the nature he sees and about the people that have come along before.

I want to continue posting the new words I find in the wild from books or podcasts.
1. Odium – widespread hatred and condemnation
2. Trenchant – sharp, perceptive, keen
3. Crosier – shepard’s crook shaped staff
4. Fricative – consonant sounds made by narrowing the vocal tract and having turbulent air pass, e.g. “f” and “th”

I watched no Oscar Best Picture Winners.

I taught myself no new constellations this week.

I had the most enjoyable lunch at Alderlea Farm Cafe. I had mushroom and garlic soup, a grilled cheese with onions and sauerkraut, and a slice of pumpkin pie. They have a strong commitment to farm to table. I enjoyed my lunch from a rocking chair outside with a view out over the nearby farmland.

Meal Prep and New Recipes Tried

Matzo Brei is often described at Jewish French toast. I looked at this Matzo Brei recipe from Ruth Reichl and this Matzo Brei recipe from Tori Avey. It’s delicious, simple, and fast. It’s made with matzos (unleavened flatbread), eggs, and butter. I topped mine with cinnamon sugar. I was listening to Ruth Reichl’s audiobook for My Kitchen Year, and her descriptions of this dish made me remember how much I wanted to try it.
Since I then had matzos in my cupboard, I buzzed some in the food processor to make matzo meal. I made matzo meal pancakes called Bubeleh (or Bubula), which is also a term of endearment that means something like sweetheart in Yiddish. This pancake was completely deserving of my endearment. I used Bubbe’s Bubula recipe from OMG! Yummy. I mangled the pancake on the flip, but it was airy, eggy, and satisfying. I served it with some sliced apples that I cooked on the stovetop with a little water, honey, and cinnamon until I was happy with the texture.
In my recipe research for matzos, I found out it was Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, this weekend. L’Shana Tova! Round foods, including challah, are traditionally served for this holiday, as are apples dipped in honey. I followed Tori Avey’s Challah Bread recipe, and this Youtube guide for How to Shape Four Strand Round Challah from Joy of Kosher with Jamie Geller. This is one of the most gorgeous things I have ever made.
BudgetByte’s recipes strike again. This time it was for Slow Cooker Vegetarian Lentil Chili. I had some ancient bags of dried black beans, white beans, and kidney beans to use up. I soaked them all overnight. The next day I covered them with fresh water, added some salt and a strip of kombu (apparently it helps the beans soften and aids with digestion), brought them to a boil, and simmered them for about an hour. I slightly undercooked them and put all the extra in the freezer to dump in soups or chili later. I then put the amount I needed for the chili in the slower cooker with the other ingredients.
I made Curry Udon from JustOneCookbook’s recipe. This rich soup with noodles was just the ticket for lunch on some chilly days. I added a container of shimeji mushrooms at the same time as the dashi, which was a delicious addition. I also added some steamed broad beans I wanted to use up.