FREE PRINTABLE | THE USES OF SORROW BY MARY OLIVER

Years ago some dear friends and I collaborated on a group blog called the Transpacific Sketch Project where we shared bits of beauty we found throughout our days. It was wonderful. These friends of mine showed me the glories of the PS22 Chorus (how can you not fall in love with a group of schoolkids singing their hearts out), the Sound of Music Flashmob (I still watch this to cheer me up when I'm having a bad day), and an incredible amount of good...

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CRISPY ROAST CHICKEN A LA THOMAS KELLER & INA GARTEN

For years, making roast chicken terrified me. How on earth did that slimy, nasty raw bird become a glorious, crispy-skinned feast? Too afraid to try roasting a chicken on my own, I satisfied my craving with frequent Costco runs. Honestly, Costco's rotisserie chicken is hard to top. But there is something wonderful about roasting a chicken in your very own oven.The first time I tried it, I used Ina Garten's Perfect Roast Chicken recipe. It is, indeed,...

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MICHIGAN MONDAYS: REBECCA SKLOOT AT THE HILL AUDITORIUM

A few weeks ago we went to see Rebecca Skloot, author of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (one of my favorite nonfiction books), speak at the University of Michigan's gorgeous Hill Auditorium. Side notes: Hill's stage has been graced by everyone from the Grateful Dead to Yo-Yo Ma. I am super pumped to see M. Ward and Zooey Deschanel's band, She & Him, perform in July (!!!!). Anyway, Rebecca Skloot's talk was wonderful. She discussed...

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FREE PRINTABLE | THE WONDER YEARS - KEVIN ARNOLD & WINNIE COOPER FOREVER

Kevin Arnold and Winnie Cooper. Swoon, right? The Wonder Years is one of those shows that I go back to again and again. When I first moved to Iowa I was homesick out of my mind. My dear friend, Patricia, was also similarly marooned in a grad program thousands of miles away. For a few blissful weeks that first lonely semester we would video chat and watch The Wonder Years together using the modern marvel of YouTube.Kevin, Winnie, Paul, and...

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COOKIE BUTTER LACY THINS TOPPED WITH HEATH ENGLISH TOFFEE BITS | WASHINGTON D.C. RECAP

While this will ultimately be about these incredibly delicate, lacy Speculoos cookie butter thins topped with crushed Heath bar, I wanted to first make a detour and revisit our too-short weekend in Washington, D.C. We were craving French fries by the time we drove into D.C. so we made a pit stop at Good Stuff Eatery to indulge in Spike's ridiculously good rosemary village fries and messy (aka, fantastic) burgers. Note how happy Warren looks...

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FREE PRINTABLE | ALL THINGS ARE DIFFICULT BEFORE THEY ARE EASY

Hard work. That's a phrase I have never liked, mostly because my standard operational mode is permanently set on "lounge." Even as a kid I did not like getting my hands dirty. I whined when I had to do yard work or wash the dishes or pretty much anything else that looked a bit like work. This attitude has not served me well. I am perhaps the laziest adult alive. I should amend the previous thought: I will put my heart and soul into something that...

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TO DIE FOR GORGONZOLA FONDUE WITH PETER REINHART'S HERBED FOCACCIA BREAD

Friends, I have found the holy grail of leisurely weekend lunches: fluffy pillows of Peter Reinhart's focaccia bread smothered in to die for Gorgonzola fondue. Add a few tart slices of apple and snappy green beans and, well, there are  simply no words. I mean, just look at those gorgeous, airy pockets of awesome in this focaccia. Glory in the golden crust that sparks in the mouth with Kosher salt, Parmesan, garlic, and herbs. Rendered speechless,...

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HOW TO STAY CREATIVE DESPITE A SOUL-CRUSHING OFFICE JOB

Before I entered the painfully real world that is office work, I was an adjunct writing professor. This was an absolute ideal gig for lazy-bones me because its flexible schedule encouraged all sorts of napping and Hulu watching. But it didn't allow me to tackle my student loan as aggressively as I wanted, nor build a savings account. Off to the real world I went.While I love my job for many reasons--it provides stability, structure, and is way better...

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FESTIVAL FRIDAYS: A. KENDRA GREENE ON LISBON SAUERKRAUT DAYS

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READY IN 20: EASY CHINESE TAKE OUT STYLE ROASTED GREEN BEANS AND SHRIMP

I was first introduced to the gluttonous magic that is Panda Express in college. I know, I was so late to the orange chicken party. Needless to say, whatever addictive additive they put in their food had me hooked. Panda Express is what I crave more than any other fast food, with the exception of Five Guys. Before I realized that their two-entree meal could comfortably serve a family of four, I loved to treat myself to a hefty orange chicken, beef...

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MICHIGAN MONDAYS | JOHN K. KING USED & RARE BOOKSTORE - A DETROIT GEM

Kathleen Kelly ruined me. The second she opened the doors to her wondrously cozy book shop in You've Got Mail I knew I was done for. Shop Around the Corner was, for me, the Platonic ideal of a bookstore. It embodied warmth and imagination with its checkered floor, its kid-height shelves stuffed with cheery picture books and plush stuffed animals. As an unreformed bookworm, I wanted to live there forever. It seemed tailor made for dreaming and...

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