Weekly Syllabus | Gen Ed 101 |Week 4: Spring & Summer

Welcome back (although I’m not so sure we can be back with three fairly inconsistent posts but nonetheless…) to the Syllabus, a publication of things I’m reading, listening to, and exploring. Like show and tell, but for grown-ups.

Spring absolutely flew by, but in Arkansas with rainy days, thunder-storming evenings and pockets of sunshine, it still feels a bit like spring although we are in the thick of summer. The delights of my days are the chaos blooms in my garden, planted last fall and quickly forgotten, a curious surprise as they reveal themselves. I suppose I’ll start there…

Tending to: The double Hollyhock. I planted the seeds for a few of these in our yard a couple of years back and they bloomed white on our friend’s wedding day. They are a bi-annual, making their debut on the lawn a little more precious. The bees have been nestling between the plumes of petals and buzzing out a little sleepy drunk on pollen.

Listening to: In a series of sleepless nights in the spring I spotted a barred owl in our back yard, I swear its big blinking eyes looked right into my soul before their wings opened to about a 4’ span to take flight. Leaving me awestruck and overwhelmed. I started making this playlist around then. Recently, when a client mentions a song being particularly meaningful to them in a therapy session, I make a point to listen and add it to the list. Music can be such fertile ground for empathy, the songs let me into their experience. While the pacing seems random, it’s not at all random to me. I suppose this is nearly every song to someone isn’t it? Full of importance for the connected human experience.

Creating: I’ve been having a blast making summer “punch cards”. Millennials among me-remember Pizza Hut’s BOOK IT! program? The glory days where we would get rewarded with a personal pan pizza after reading a certain number of books? For a nerd like me that also obsessed over tiny things in childhood (a hotel bathroom of tiny toiletries or Cracker Barrel’s tiny syrups/jam hated to see me coming) it was a dream come true! To honor the inner child in me while formulating some measurable goals (ahem, data consistently reports this increases the likelihood to reach said goals). I started making punch cards and couldn’t stop. So I’m teaming up with my endlessly creative friend Claire (from Online) to host an Analog Summer: Bucket List Craft Night on Monday June 29th where we’ll lead bucket lists, bingo cards, and punch cards. Our hope is to give some whimsy to summer goals that get you off these screens of ours and into creative community. Join us if you’re in the area!

Cooking: While I’m sure a salad qualifies more as chopping or mixing together, I’m running with it. This spring a local favorite restaurant The Meteor added a Green Goddess Salad to the menu. I wanted it every. single. day. so I recreated it! Once I recreated it, I couldn’t shut up about it, sharing the recipe with everyone I love. Now you’re in on it, dear reader. In general I will throw many things that are (or aren’t) green into it from the fridge because much like my chaos gardening, I’m also a bit (bunch?) of a chaos cook. I thought I would tire of it but am still eating about three times a week, adding some variation with local farmers market finds. Try it and see what you think:

Green Goddess Meteor dupe (with some churching up from meg) recipe

1 Cucumber

1 Can drained chickpeas

Kale (as much as you personally like)

1/4 Cup sliced banana peppers

1-2 Cups slaw type lettuce

1/2 Cup chopped grapes

1 Green apple (chopped)

1/4 Cup crushed or whole pistachios (topping)

1 Avocado

Additional add-ons:

1/2 Cup chopped and/or pickled celery

1/2 Cup chopped brussel sprouts

Mix all together! Add any other goddessy green veggies you like!

Serves 4-6

Dressing is from Samin Nosrat via NYT Cooking:

2 oil packed anchovy filets

1/2 cup Mayo

1/3 cup Full fat Greek yogurt

1 small avocado

1/3 cup Parsley leaves

1/2 cup Basil leaves

2 tbs Lemon juice

Put it in a blender or food processor, will make a jar full and be good for 5 days!

or a vegan version can be made with Trader Joy’s Green Goddess Seasoning :

1 Tablespoon GG Seasoning

1 cup greek yogurt

1 tablespoon honey dijon mustard

Add salt and pepper as desired and lemon juice to taste

How about you? What is on your summer salad, playlist, or punch card? Would love to hear about what I should add to my lists.

Bird by bird.

xo

-meg