Hello world. I have been in a serious slump for blogging and decided I'd try posting again. Life has been same old, same old. I read, do jigsaw puzzles, occasionally work on a crochet project, take naps.... The cooking mojo deserted me for a bit too so I wasn't making anything new.
Last week I made Julie's Noodle Casserole. This is a recipe I have made now and again. The link will take you to the recipe - this time I used ground chicken instead of beef. This is hearty enough for cold nights yet not so heavy you can't enjoy it in hot summer months as well.
As for reading, I've enjoyed quite a few books but instead of posting here, I used my Goodreads account. I have silently lurked on blogs I follow, occasionally leaving comments when I am not thwarted by Disqus. Recently I deleted the Disqus account. Haven't been very active otherwise. 🤷
Here's part of my list since my last post in May 👇
I've linked to my Goodreads review but I am not sure if you link to my account/review or the general book page.
Meredith, Alone by Claire Alexander
The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith
Meet Me at the Museum by Anne Youngson
Deep into Darkness by M.S. Morris
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab
The Bog People: Iron-Age Man Preserved by Peter Vilhelm Glob (nonfiction)
Battleworn: The Memoir of a Combat Medic in Afghanistan by Chantelle Taylor (nonfiction)
📚 Classics?....📚
In my effort to keep an interest and interaction I considered joining the Classics Club. Instead I made my own list of books, trying to stay motivated. My first in the list was The Talented Mr. Ripley. What a sociopath!
This is the most I've typed out in two and a half months. Old people get tired easily so that's it for me :-) Perhaps I'll get on a schedule again.
I hope anyone reading this is doing well.
Linking with -
Joy's Book Blog for British Isles Friday
The Intrepid Reader for Weekend Cooking.
I've been checking to see if you're posted, so today was a happy surprise. I'm still not doing so good in the reading/reviewing area, but I keep trying to get my jones back.
ReplyDeleteI'll check out your reviews!
Vicki, I had thought of quitting as I had been blogging since 2006 - long time. What I did was type out a blog post and saved it as draft instead of publishing. Then I wrote one on a meal we enjoyed - I figured if I still liked writing things up I would jump back in. Good to hear from you.
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ReplyDeleteThank you, Mae. When I was in my early twenties 67 seemed like an elderly person but I'm not really feeling that way these days. I think it's the heat and being stuck inside for so much of the day. Gotta move around more. Thank you for your nice comment.
DeleteAt 75, 67 sounds pretty young! haha
ReplyDeleteGood to see you here. You never have to worry about what you post. The way I see blogging is that I visit a person I know and like, and am interested in anything they say. The other day I wrote of my breakfast. Duller than dirt, one might think, but my dear blogging friends still read and commented,including you!!! Blogging is a wonderful world. Not quick or flashy but friends sharing their lives.
Nan, I appreciate your comment and I agree with the sentiment. Your breakfast was not dull and I went the next day and made a what loaf for toasting :-) It had been a while since I baked a loaf like that.
DeleteTina, I'm happy you did some blogging and let us know what you've been doing lately. I've been in a cooking slump myself---it helps me so much to see what others are cooking, and I haven't been doing that. So please post anything good you run across or old favorites.
ReplyDeleteYou have definitely been reading. I'm curious about which of these have been your favorites. I've been in a bit of a reading slump, too. It's the heat, I think.
Deb, I have a few new things I have tried and will post about those dishes next week. Oh yes, I have been reading and crocheting a bit as it's been unbelievably hot. Excessive heat warmings for the last two weeks and I can't get out much. So I read and nap and we take car rides with the dog.
DeleteThanks for your nice comment.
It's hot here. I go to open swim every morning at our city pool and swim laps and then swimming class starts at 8. That's a nice way for me to cool off.
DeleteI'm so happy to see this post from you! And, now I'm following you on Goodreads. Yay! Have you watched The Talented Mr. Ripley? It's a great film. Thanks for the recipe. I printed it out and plan to make it later in the week. I'm so bored with my usual dinners. Hope it isn't too hot for you in FL, but you'll be in NE pretty soon. Should be lovely weather by then!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Les. Yes, we watched Mr Ripley years ago, very creepy as is the book. I was picturing Matt Damon and Jude Law when I read it because I'd seen the movie. Hope you like the recipe, it's dead easy.
DeleteOh....I can't WAIT to get up to Lincoln and see family and the town. The weather will be a treat. We had the trip cover some week day and part of a weekend in case Tristan finds a job working during the week only.
I'm so happy to see you! I missed you! Would you believe I still haven't read Homecoming? That's on my list to read this year. I'm curious about The Talented Mr. Ripley. I'm familiar with the story but have never read the book. *hugs* and hopefully we will see you here again soon!
ReplyDeleteKatherine, I'm happy to be back :-) I missed seeing what was going on, plus I'm inside so much of the time with these ridiculous heat indexes so I sure had time to write.
DeleteHomecoming is another of her very fat books so be prepared! I like her writing style. Thanks for the nice comment. xx
I have missed you!! Even checked if I had an email for you to check on you.
ReplyDeleteI've lost my cooking mojo this last week, absolutely no ideas or interest.
As for being old, I beat you by a mile!
Jackie, thank you! I just gave you my email in a comment on your post. Maybe it's the heat, which is intense, but I haven;t felt like doing anything. Maybe we ought to live somewhere cooler/colder as I think it will get worse every year.
DeleteHappy to see your post show up at both British Isles Friday and Weekend Cooking. I think a single post that keeps your connections alive is a terrific solution. It will hold the space for if and when you want to post more and is more than good enough if you don't want to post more often.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Joy, I thought I'd give it a go :-) I might post about foodie things one day a week and save books and movies for another day. Not getting overly ambitious as yet though.
DeleteWhat a nice treat so see a post from you, Tina. I know how hot it's been down there and the heat just zaps my energy... and the humidity makes it even worse! No wonder you haven't felt like doing much. Glad to be keeping up with your reading on goodreads and I'll be here to read your posts whenever you feel like writing one. Take care!
ReplyDeleteJoAnn, thanks much, I think the heat has a lot to do with my motivation. Right now Weather Underground shows us with a heat index of 115!!
DeleteI picked up Tom Lake but I have just started Fresh Water for Flowers. That's the lineup right now. I'm going to post this next week about the books. It was good to interact with folks again. Stay cool!!
Welcome back - I think we all go thru ups and downs in reading and blogging and life. I decided I was spending too much of my limited spare time blogging so I changed my format a bit and it works better for me though I don't know how readers have received it. Instead of doing a separate review post for every book I read, I just do a more complete GR review and provide links twice a month. It works for me.
ReplyDeleteI followed your link to Homecoming and it led to the book page but not your review. In fact, I couldn't find a review, just a star rating (5 star!). Here's a tip. If you write a review and save it, the next page that pops up is the "finished" view of your review. That's the link info you want to copy/paste from the address bar. It took me a while to figure that out. Hope that helps.
I've never read a New Yorker - wonder if it's time to explore it? I'll have to check and see if my library is a subscriber..... Looking forward to your thoughts.
Terrie @ Bookshelf Journeys
https://www.bookshelfjourneys.com/post/sunday-post-59
Terrie, thanks so much for the tip on linking my Goodreads review, I did not know how to do that! I jut wrote out your directions in a notebook because I know I would end up forgetting :-)
DeleteI do want to change out the looks of the blog, aybe the format. That's a project for another day!
Welcome back! I watched the Mr. Ripley movie back when it came out. Based on that, I definitely agree with you. What a psycho!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Mark. I didn't know until I grabbed the Ripley book there are 5 in the series but....I need a beak from Tom Ripley.
DeleteTina, totally understand the blog dilemma . After 12 years of blogging, I am amazed that I still find recipes to share or things to blog about. That's when I get out and walk and take some photos of nature, neighbors flowers, the leaves turning colors etc and just share some beauty that I see on my walk. I think it's pretty common to get in slumps with blogging but I'm glad you are back. I enjoy your blog .
ReplyDeleteJudee, I felt like I didn't have anything new to share and was a bit down in the dumps. It's nice to visit with people again, thanks for your nice comment.
DeleteI always get into a little slump this time of year. I feel sort of in limbo at the end of August - not quite summer, not quite fall. I don't like it. Lol.
ReplyDeleteI am glad you are feeling a bit more bloggy!
Erin, It's been fun to get back to it. Yes, this is definitely the time of year where I am longing for a different season.
DeleteI love the addition of the scallions! I too am in a cooking/blogging slump. We are getting a second home for the property and that is consuming all my attention and energy. I am updating some of my earlier posts that are actually quite good, but got very little attention. Have a great week, and thanks for stopping by.
ReplyDeleteMelynda, I look forward to your new posts about your property!
DeleteTinaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!! I'm so happy your back! I always enjoy and look forward to your posts. So very sorry you've been in one of those horrible slumps. Not fun.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the link to the recipe. It sounds like it's a deconstructed lasagna? Kinda/sorta? For people like me who are too lazy to make a proper lasagna??? Great timing because I haven't placed my Walmart grocery delivery order yet AND I'm out of all things pasta! This is definitely going on the menu this week! Woo hoo! I feel confident I can figure out how to do this via my pink hotpot and my air fryer. lol
This made me spit out my coffee: My first in the list was The Talented Mr. Ripley. What a sociopath!
I think that book is on my shelf here in the apartment.
Hope you have a good week!
Jinjer!! I think the slump is over but we will see. I did enjoy posting :-) I think this recipe will work for you in the hotpot even though I used the oven. Coming up I have a chicken recipe you can make in the cute pink hotpot and it's delicious!
DeleteRipley, who knew there were 5 books in the series. Well, I didn't but I need a psycho-break now.
I love a good casserole. Comfort food lol. Hope you've been well. :)
ReplyDeleteGreg, comfort food...absolutely.
DeleteSometimes it's hard to keep up a blog especially when there's no money or fame in it! ha. Thanks for checking in with all of us. Looks like you are reading and cooking some great things. I've been wanting to read the Invisible Life of Addie LaRue for awhile now.
ReplyDeleteI hope to keep seeing you around from time to time!
Heather, oh absolutely no money or fame! I really enjoyed the Invisible Life of Addie LaRue.
DeleteYummy casserole, thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteOh yes please join the Classics Club. The neat thing is that with this Club, you DO make YOUR OWN list! And you can also determine how many books you want to read in the next 5 years. The standard is often 50, but you can do the number you want.
Here is my current list:
https://wordsandpeace.com/2022/09/15/the-classics-club-september-2022-2027/
Click on the TAB SHEET 4 at the bottom of the form
And when there's a spin, you pick 20 of YOUR main list, and the random number that comes out will the book on YOUR list you will have to read soon.
You will meet lots of classics readers. And from time to time, they highlight authors that tend to be forgotten
Alas yes, you gave the goodreads link to the book, not to your review.
what you do is click on your review there, and click on the date that's on the top right corner of your review. that will give you the url of YOUR review.
looking forward to seeing what you thought of Homecoming, I so loved it.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5132744753
Emma, I don't think I am ready for the commitment but I will do my own list of classics for now. Maybe sometime in the future I'll hook up :-)
DeleteThank you for the tip on the Goodreads link. I couldn't figure that out!
Your noodle recipe looks very good! I love it when there is a layer of cheese on top! Makes everything better!
ReplyDeleteMarg, we are big fans of cheese!
DeleteGlad you are back on the blog. I was wondering how the new Kate Morton novel is so I'm glad to see you gave it 5 stars. She can spin a tale for sure. But not sure yet when I can get to it. Where is Homecoming set?
ReplyDeleteThank you, Susan. Morton sure can weave a good story and I love her style. It is, as usual, a big fat book. The setting is Australia in Adelaide Hills, a very hot region. It goes between 1959 and present day. I love the connections and how it started weaving together.
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