Thoughts for your Thoughts (Volume 4)

This newsletter contains a recipe for delicious shrimp pasta + lots of book recommendations 🤠

Greetings from Wussow’s Cafe, a cozy coffee shop nestled next to an indie bookstore in West Duluth! It’s cold outside, but the sun is shining; and more importantly, I am not at work and instead am writing :) 

Drinking a salted caramel latte from Wussow’s is on my ‘30 Things To Do Before I Turn 30’ bucket list *and* I want to be more diligent with carving out time in my schedule to write so this was a “two-birds-one-stone” opportunity. Finishing the first draft of my novel is also on that bucket list and between you & me, dear reader, I am very behind with that endeavor. SO my goal from now until November is to take myself on a writing date every 1-2 weeks and type my heart away. 

(Except I’m not working on the novel today lol. Today I am working on this newsletter and a personal essay. But I’m building momentum, starting a new habit, etc. etc. etc.) 

Anyways, without further ado, let’s get to the point of why your eyeballs are here: recommendations on what you should indulge in next :)

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Books, books, books!

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• I read Butter Honey Pig Bread by Francesca Ekwuyasi slowly so I could savor it. Here’s a quick synopsis: After traumatic events in their childhood, twins Kehinde and Taiye become estranged from themselves and from their eccentric mother Kambirinachi. This is a story of their lives and how they find their way back to one another. It’s a tender story, a loving story, a sad story, a story of how every action has consequences. Food is a focal point and I wish I could eat every single thing described within the pages

• A Mind Spread Out on the Ground by Alicia Elliott is an essay collection that explores a life spent between Indigenous and white communities, parenthood, poverty, intergenerational trauma, colonialism, and more. To be completely honest, I thought some of her essays in this collection are very informative and thought provoking and brave. But overall, I thought it was mid (as the youths say) and I just don’t think this collection should be compared to the works of Samantha Irby & Roxane Gay. *shrugs*

My hand holding a paperback copy of A Mind Spread Out on the Ground in front of our hotel pool in Colombia. The mountains of Medellín are in the background.

• A Woman is No Man by Etaf Rum is a story that follows three generations of Palestinian-American women and the struggles they face within their new communities in America and within their own culture. This book is SAD so be warned!

• Stay Awake by Megan Goldin is a little thriller that will keep you on your toes! This story starts with our main character waking up in the backseat of a cab with no recollection of how she got there. When she’s dropped off at her apartment, a stranger answers the door and claims that they live there. When she goes to grab her phone to call her boyfriend to figure out what is going on, she discovers it is gone and in its place is a bloody knife. She looks at her hands and sees that they are covered in writing including the words ‘STAY AWAKE’ on her knuckles. From there, more twists and turns ensue. This was a quick, entertaining read. I picked this book up because of Maggie (@babewithabookandabeer on IG) and have no regrets. Would recommend to anybody looking for a book they can’t put down!

  

  Halpert, my sweet and goofy rottweiler, lounging with a library copy of Stay Awake.

• Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty was an entertaining story about a group of random people who all find themselves at the same health resort run by a mysterious and charismatic woman. I really enjoyed it and I’m looking forward to watching the Hulu adaptation.

My hand holds a paperback copy of Nine Perfect Stranger with a photo of Halpert, my bookmark, sticking out of the top. Beesly, my brown & white lab-mix, is in the background. She is sitting on the step of our peeling gray deck.

• I remember watching the viral video of Blythe Baird reciting her poem ‘When the Fat Girl Gets Skinny’ and feeling so moved because it reminded me so much my adolescence and my own experience with disordered eating. Her latest collection of poems titled Sweet, Young, & Worried is equally as moving and I’d encourage any poetry fan to check it out.

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And now, a recipe for you!

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Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta with Shrimp

This recipe was inspired by a very delicious Half Baked Harvest recipe called ‘Creamy Bacon and Tuscan Shrimp’ from the cookbook Every Day. I highly recommend that recipe, which calls for crispy thick-cut bacon and heavy cream and generous sprinkles of parmesan cheese. Because we are trying to eat as anti-inflammatory as possible and because Ben loves the original HBH recipe, I decided to try to modify the recipe so it would fit within his dietary restrictions. The end result was GOOD even without the bacon & dairy. This recipe could easily be modified to be vegan/vegetarian by omitting the shrimp and adding tofu if your heart desires. This dish is a frequent request from Ben and I’m happy to make it because it is easy prep, can be made in under 30 minutes, and is a great way to use up that bag of spinach wilting in the vegetable drawer.

• Ingredient List:

  • 12 ounce bag of frozen cooked shrimp, peeled & deveined (thawed)

  • 2-3 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil

  • 6 garlic cloves, minced or grated (the stuff in the jar is just fine)

  • 1 teaspoon of dried rosemary

  • 1 teaspoon of paprika

  • 1 teaspoon of oregano

  • 1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes

  • juice of 1 lemon (the bottled stuff is just fine)

  • 3/4 cup of sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained & chopped

  • 2/3 cup of full-fat coconut milk (or ~1/3 of a 13.5 ounce can)

  • 3 cups of spinach (or whatever your heart desires! I generally just use what’s left in the container. Spinach wilts down a lot so keep that it mind, too)

  • 8 ounces of your favorite pasta (I use Banza chickpea pasta. It’s gluten-free, high in fiber & protein, and tastes great.)

  • Juice of 1 lemon (the bottled stuff works just fine!)

  • Dried basil to sprinkle and/or fresh basil for garnish (optional, but a delicious addition)

• How to Make It:

  • Get your ingredients ready, your mise en place! I like to measure out the garlic, rosemary, oregano, paprika, and red pepper flakes and put it in one little dish because they all go in at the same time.

  • Cook your pasta according to the directions on the packet. Begin making the sauce & shrimp as your pasta cooks.

  • Heat your oil in a large skillet over medium-ish heat. Once it’s shimmering add your shrimp, season with salt & pepper, and cook for two minutes each side.

  • Add the garlic, rosemary, oregano, paprika, and red pepper flakes. Cook for ~1-2 minutes.

  • Add the sun-dried tomatoes and cook for ~2 minutes.

  • Stir in the coconut milk and spinach. Cook for ~3 minutes or until the spinach is wilted.

  • Stir in the lemon juice. Season to taste.

  • Combine your pasta with the shrimp & sauce and stir it so that the pasta is coated. Sprinkle with basil & enjoy!

If you make this dish, I would love to hear what you think of it!

Annnnnd that’s all folks! I hope this newsletter finds you in good health & good spirits! If you enjoyed this newsletter and would like to support my little writing endeavors & me further, may I suggest sharing Parallel Charts with a friend with the recommendation to subscribe :)