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Hello Friends!
Welcome to the Saturday edition of the Extra+Ordinary Newsletter because
my goal was to make this letter like we were virtually sitting together
over a nice cup of tea and, well, I don’t have time to read things on
Fridays. I figured many of you out there might be in the same boat, so
Saturday it is. Do you have your cup of tea or coffee yet?
Our weather finally made it out of the negatives and single digits this
week, and while we’re not exactly out there in tank tops, the little bit
of sun peeking through the clouds sure does feel good. I’m pouring over
seed catalogues and eating salads to help banish the winter doldrums. I
discovered this super fun chef’s videos
on the Bon Appetit channel and now I have a few jars of various sunny
looking hot sauces fermenting on my counter. This is on the shelf next
to my thriving kombucha jars. Do you make or eat any fermented foods?
It’s been a while since I shared an animal video
with you, so I really otter get back into the habit. Ahem. Directly
related: baby otters must be some of the cutest things on the earth.
I shared a nifty DIY tutorial idea on Foodie with Family's facebook page
and was a little surprised to find there is evidently a subset of the
population who finds thrifty arts and crafts videos infuriating. Whoa. Those reactions!
HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE BLOG THIS WEEK:
- These Barbecue Bacon Spicy Baked Beans
are one of the most ridiculously easy, delicious ways to prepare beans.
They’re so layered with flavours that if you hadn’t made them, you’d
never believe they started with canned beans.
THINGS I LOVE:
These European chocolates filled with espresso: Pocket
Coffee from Ferrero is one of my new favourite treats. You have a
smooth dark chocolate shell that is lined with the thinnest crisp sugar
barrier that contains an actual ⅓ of a shot of espresso. I don’t drink
coffee but BOY do I love these candies. My coffee chugging husband can’t
get enough of them.
This crazy, weird, effective non-aluminum deodorant cream:
I know. That sure doesn’t sound appealing, does it? I’m sorry if this
is a TMI moment, but I’ve been on the hunt for a natural, aluminum-free,
non-antiperspirant deodorant that actually works. I was so close to
giving up and using the commercial stuff despite the attendant health
risks until I stumbled upon this. It seems expensive at $17, but after
the initial week, you only apply it once every 5-7 days and you only use
a tiny bit. Most people report a little container of it lasts them
between 6 months and a year. If it lasts that long, it’ll be far less
expensive than the commercial stuff. So far, I love it. It barely has
any scent at all, and the barest hint of it that’s there simply smells
clean. Apparently it’s been around for a long time, too, and has legions
of devotees. I’ll check back in with you in a few months and let you
know if I still love it as much as I do now after a week!
BOOKS ON MY NIGHTSTAND:
The Silent Speaker (A Nero Wolfe Mystery) by Rex Stout: Archie
is smooth as always, Nero is bombastic and prickly and generally
unpleasant as usual, Fritz is a culinary genius, as expected, and I love
them all. This one is an excellent story of two organizations pitted at
each other in a public tussle after a speaker from one group ends up
dead at the banquet of the other group. Witty dialogue abounds like you
expect in a Nero Wolfe story, and I’m eating this one up fast!
WHAT I’M WATCHING:
Better Call Saul: I
despised ‘Breaking Bad’ and this is a spinoff of it. So why am I
watching it? My darling husband loved BB and was sad when it ended. When
Better Call Saul hit his radar, he jumped. And my
usually-non-tv-watching hubby watched three seasons in three weeks. THEN
he said he thought I would love it. I have to admit I was as shocked as
could be that I actually DO like it. The story line is compelling, the
characters are sympathetic and entertaining, the cinematography is
spectacular. Shoot. I honestly didn’t WANT to like it -that’s how much I
really despised Breaking Bad- but I can’t because honestly, it’s good.
Have you watched any of it?
QUESTION OF THE WEEK:
Do you have a tv show you love that you didn’t want to like?
Love,
Rebecca
“We were created to be fully human - a lifetime effort - and using our
minds intelligently and reverently is essential to full humanhood.”
— Sister Wendy Beckett
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