Friday mornings #5
Spring in the kitchen and on the sidewalks
From a misty morning here in Fredericksburg, eight quick items from my week:
The first rhubarb of spring appeared at the farmers market last weekend. I made some into this strawberry-rhubarb crisp. I recommend putting far less sugar in both the filling and the topping, but we prefer desserts on the less sweet side in this house, so don’t blame me if it turns out too tart for you . . .
Honeysuckle has been blooming all over town. I stopped to smell some on our neighborhood walk the other day, and a gentleman getting ready to cut a neighbor’s lawn spotted me. “I always used to pull it apart and eat the honey drop as a kid,” he confided. That brought back memories! I’ve also made a point of noticing how honeysuckle smells different depending on the weather and the time of day.
Ever made homemade pickles? I used this recipe to make a quick brine for leftover red cabbage and radishes. I love keeping jars of pickled vegetables in the fridge; they make a nice addition to meals and snacks. It’s a great way to use up vegetables that are fading.
My friend Kathryn Jean Lopez at National Review has just launched a newsletter called “The Lifeline” that will be worth your time, especially if you want to stay in the loop on developments in the pro-life movement. You can sign up here.
Another subscription idea: My friend Jay Nordlinger has joined Substack. He’s an excellent columnist; you’ll enjoy reading him.
I am an inveterate reader of physical books. The Kindle intrigues me, but I prefer turning pages. I don’t like how it feels like you’re reading on a phone. I aspire to become a better audiobook listener, but my multitasking skills are minimal at best. I’ve been working on those skills lately by listening to To Kill a Mockingbird, because there are times when I’m busy with my son and it’s an easy way to get some hands-free reading in. I haven’t read it since high school, and it’s even better than I remembered. If you’ve enjoyed any books that have a good audiobook version, leave ideas in the comments for me to try out next.
I enjoyed reading Pope Leo XIV’s first homily as pope. I don’t read op-eds about the Catholic Church very often, but I appreciated this article from Michael Heinlein about the early days of the new papacy.
Thursday night is “documentary night” in our house. We just finished watching The Imagineering Story docuseries about the history of Walt Disney Imagineering. It’s one of the best-made documentaries I’ve ever seen. I’d love your ideas for what we should watch next.
Have a wonderful weekend, and thanks as always for reading. I’d love it if you’d share the newsletter with friends who might enjoy it. And feel free to leave a comment or send a message. I’m always glad to hear from readers:
Let's hear it for physical books!! 👍