Friendmendations 1.27.20

when I was a young boy, my father took me into the city to see some friendmendations

Friendmendations 1.27.20

Hey, what’s up, hello. I have dyed my hair an edgy color and gotten dramatic bangs and I am so pleased with both. If you’ve been looking for a sign from the universe that you should go for the bold hairdo you have been considering, this is that sign.

If you have been looking for recommendations for stuff, keep reading because that’s the whole thing here.

A new newsletter for you!

My friend Julia started a new newsletter called “When I Hear This Song,” and I am so excited about it. Different writers will be contributing to it to share their thoughts on the song that’s most emotionally resonant to them. She’s written the first post, on Bruce Springsteen’s “Dancing In the Dark,” and it’s so good.

The lust is a ligament that extends from the need for connection, for understanding, for a wool blanket over our soggy shoulders at the end of a very, very long day. And this man knows long days. I get up in the evening, and I ain’t got nothing to say. Each day runs together because they’re not worth separating.

There’s something so intimate and joyful about hearing people open up about their connections to music. I can’t wait to see where this project goes. You should subscribe!

Two delicious green recipes

One day I was complaining to my therapist that I don’t know how to eat healthy when it’s so much easier to eat pasta than vegetables and she said “Have you considered putting vegetables in your pasta?” and it was really one of those moments when I wondered how I’ve managed to survive this long when I’m clearly the stupidest person to ever exist.

On the topic, my friend Maureen sent me this Jamie Oliver recipe for a pasta sauce made of kale, garlic and cheese and it is addictive. I initially thought that I was reading the recipe wrong, but you do indeed drop the kale leaves and garlic cloves into the pasta water to cook up a bit before blending them. It softens them and makes the sauce so smooth and silky.

I used the leftover kale to make a non-pasta recipe, Alison Roman’s equally addictive raw and roasted kale salad. I got my roommate Roman’s book Dining In for Christmas, but then I borrowed it to find a use for the extra kale so it was really a present for myself as well. This salad tastes like something from a fancy restaurant, all crispy and nutty and lemony and cheesy and perfect, and it cooks at the same time and temp as this lemon butter tilapia, so that’s what I made for dinner this weekend.

Two lols from Twitter

My apologies to the British, but the memes in this thread are farcically incomprehensible on this side of the pond.

Further apologies to every state here in America, but I laughed at this.

A nice new follow

condimentraccoon

A post shared by Raccoon (@condimentraccoon)

I do so love Condiment Raccoon’s Instagram! These goofy little comics about a scrappy cooking raccoon are a lovely addition to my feed, and they’ve given me some good cooking ideas. I was stressing about how all my raspberries always seem to be smushed when I buy them, which leads them to get moldy immediately, and this raccoon gave me the idea to cook them down into a compote. Thank you, Condiment Raccoon!

Music to chill out to

I really like listening to Hrishikesh Hirway’s band The One AM Radio this time of year — it’s soothing and a little melancholy. The sound changes a bit from album to album, so you may like their more low-fi early stuff or prefer their later stuff, which is a bit more Postal Service-y.

It’s nice music to work to. I really like putting it on when writing or doing other creative things.

Well, that’s all she wrote, “she” being Allison, me. Catch ya on the flipside!