5 Things: Salisbury Steak Cactus Cake Edition

Happy Friday! Hope you all had a great week like these students in England with an incredibly thoughtful teacher. Also, the story is a great reminder to make sure our neighbors (especially the elderly and those with small children) have enough food and supplies during this time. A lot of people are still furloughed or went back on furlough due to new restrictions.

Well, even if this week hasn\’t been the greatest (the heat got to you, your car broke down, and you still can\’t see all your friends), we have arrived at Friday and the last day of July! It\’s that time to sit back, relax, aim the table fan just so, and check out \”5 Things\” of interest. Heck, you might even laugh a little. Enjoy!

1) For Mum and Babbo: This week we were all quoting the hilarious film Fun With Dick and Jane (Jim Carrey and Tea Leoni). If you haven\’t seen the film, Dick (Jim Carrey) is laid-off from an Enron-like company and getting desperate to care for this family. Finally, he resorts to a crime spree that, apparently, takes some practice…

2) It\’s funny but despite the sweltering heat (it hit 100 degrees again today), this Salisbury Steak recipe from Food Wishes looks delicious. I, too, have fond memories of the TV dinner variety from childhood. This included eating Salisbury Steak or fish sticks while watching The Jetsons Meet the Flintstones. The more \”mature\” version sounds even better. 

Update: This recipe just made an appearance at our Sunday family dinner and is fabulous. I subbed in baby portabella (delish) but otherwise stuck to the original recipe. Definitely adding Salisbury Steak to the repertoire.

3) Last week the podcast Hidden Brain posed a really interesting question about the concept of \”cultural appropriation\” in writing. The author in question created her whole book around a Vietnamese-American character while she herself is white. Others questioned her choice and, in the end, she decided that the only thing to do was rewrite the entire narrative from a different point of view. Given that writing with \”diversity\” is a common topic of conversation in writers\’ circles, this was definitely food for thought: Is there a way forward if, as writers, we\’re encouraged to be more \”diverse\” in our character creation? At the same time, how can that diversity be achieved without writing about people different from ourselves? In a respectful manner, of course. A lot to unpack there… Great episode!

4) Melted crayon art is one of those things that I\’ve always wanted to try. Fortunately, I have some very cool, very crafty kids in my life to do it with. Coming to a kitchen island soon! There\’s also the great concept of shredding old crayons to make a totally different kind of art. Hmmm… We might have to try both!

5) There is no way that I would be able to assemble this cactus cake with any measure of proficiency but this is a fabulous video. Watch how it is accomplished step-by-step and marvel at the final product. What a talented baker!

Okay, that\’s all for now. Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!

Published by Jenn R

I write stuff and pretend to be good at crafting. Check out my first novel on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3nAxiZ4

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