Sunday, December 31, 2017

2017 Reading List

It's New Year's Eve again, time to share everything I've read this past year.

Starting in 2015, in addition to logging all the books and plays that I read, I also challenged myself to PopSugar's Reading Challenge. I liked the challenge, so I did it again in 2016, and again this year with the 2017 version.

This year, I also set a goal to read one Shakespeare play each month. These are all included on this list under the "plays" heading. I didn't quite make it, but I'm still pretty pleased!

As always, only books that were finished made the list; anything partially read or unfinished is not listed here.

Here's what I read in 2017:

Fiction

  • The Tropic of Serpents by -a book involving a mythical creature

Plays

  • Richard III by William Shakespeare -- a book by or about a person who has a disability
  • The Addams Family Musical book by Marshall Brickman & Rick Elice, music and lyrics by Andrew Lippa -- a book with multiple authors
  • Henry VI Part 2 by William Shakespeare -- a book with a title that's a character's name
  • Honeymoon in Vegas book by Andrew Bergman, music and lyrics by Jason Robert Brown -- a book involving travel
  • Henry VI Part 1 by William Shakespeare
  • Ordinary Days music and lyrics by Adam Gwon
  • Henry V by William Shakespeare
  • Red by John Logan -- a book with a red spine
  • Henry IV Part 2 by William Shakespeare
  • The Little Dog Laughed by Douglas Carter Beane -- a book set in a hotel
  • Henry IV Part 1 by William Shakespeare
  • It's Only a Play by Terrence McNally
  • Richard II by William Shakespeare -- a book written by someone you admire
  • The Comedy of Errors by William Shakespeare -- a book that's been on your TBR list for way too long
  • You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown music and lyrics by Clark Gesner -- a book with a nonhuman perspective
  • The Nance by Douglas Carter Beane -- a book with an eccentric character

Unused Categories:

-a book recommended by a librarian
-a book of letters
-an audiobook
-a book by a person of color
-a book with one of the four seasons in the title
-a book that is a story within a story
-an espionage thriller
-a book with a cat on the cover
-a book by an author who uses a pseudonym
-a bestseller from a genre you don't normally read
-a book with a subtitle
-a book that's published in 2017
-a book you've read before that never fails to make you smile
-a book about food
-a book with career advice
-a steampunk novel
-a book set in the wilderness
-a book you loved as a child
-a book by an author from a country you've never visited
-a novel set during wartime
-a book with an unreliable narrator
-a book with pictures
-a book where the main character is a different ethnicity that you
-a book about an interesting woman
-a book set in two different time periods
-a book with a month or day of the week in the title
-a book that's becoming a movie in 2017
-a book set around a holiday other than Christmas
-the first book in a series you haven't read before
-a book you bought on a trip
-a book recommended by an author you love
-a bestseller from 2016
-a book with a family-member term in the title
-a book that takes place over a character's life span
-a book about an immigrant or refugee
-a book from a genre/subgenre that you've never heard of
-a book that's more than 800 pages
-a book you got from a used book sale
-a book that's been mentioned in another book
-a book about a difficult topic
-a book based on mythology

Sunday, May 7, 2017

Meal Plan 5.7.17

Sunday: dinner out

Monday: slow cooker BBQ chicken

Tuesday: Mini Mushroom Fritattas (Green Chef)

Wednesday: Italian Meatball Sandwich (Green Chef)

Thursday: leftovers

Friday: leftovers

Saturday: Cajun Chicken Drumsticks (Green Chef)

Sunday, April 9, 2017

Meal Plan 4.9.17

Happy Passover!

This year my show schedule has worked out better for the holiday than last year, so I won't be in tech rehearsals while keeping kosher for Pesach. I also will have a bit more time at home to do all the cooking and baking prep, which I'm happy about.

So, what will we be eating during Passover?

Sunday: finish off the last of the leftovers

Monday: Seder with friends (I'm bringing 4 dozen veggie kugels)

Tuesday: roasted leg of lamb, charoses, another vegetable

Wednesday: salmon and spinach cheese balls

Thursday: leftovers

Friday: Passover potato quiche and salad

Saturday: Passover cheese blintzes (from the New York Times Jewish Cookbook)

Sunday, March 26, 2017

Meal Plan 3.26.17

Here we go into another week of tech rehearsal! It's been nice to have a break from evening rehearsals for the last month, but of course I also love the adrenaline of getting another show up and running. As usual, we'll be using a Green Chef box to keep up with the dinner madness of rehearsal.

Here's what we'll be eating this week:

Sunday: leftovers

Monday: Thai Veggie Pitas (Green Chef)

Tuesday: Lemon Gremolata Chicken (Green Chef)

Wednesday: leftovers

Thursday: Thyme-Roasted Pork Chops (Green Chef)

Friday: dinner before opening night

Saturday: dinner with friends


And of course, if you're interested in trying Green Chef, feel free to use this link to get 4 free meals:
http://greenchef.com/invite/q6xy9

Sunday, March 12, 2017

Weekly Meal Plan 3.12.17

I have some delicious meals planned for this week! Here's what we're eating:

Sunday: leftovers

Monday: Pasta with Kale and Walnut Pesto

Tuesday: Broiled Shrimp with Tomatoes and White Beans

Wednesday: roasted chicken and Swiss Chard au Gratin

Thursday: leftovers

Friday: Grilled Vegetable and Goat Cheese Tacos (using the vegetables I have on hand)

Saturday: burgers and sweet potato fries (grill the burgers outside if it's warm enough)

Sunday, March 5, 2017

Weekly Meal Plan 3.5.17

I have some time to breathe again after a very busy February! I'm looking forward to making more food from scratch again, and maybe getting back into the habit of baking bread weekly now that we've rejuvenated our sourdough starter. We did decide to get another Green Chef box for this week though, because the menu looked tasty enough. Here's what we're eating this week:

Sunday: Baked Kale with Eggs and Sausage

Monday: Cajun Mac n' Cheese (Green Chef)

Tuesday: Mediterranean Sloppy Joes (Green Chef)

Wednesday: leftovers

Thursday: Tarragon Roasted Chicken (Green Chef)

Friday: leftovers

Saturday: dinner out before a show

And as always, if you're interested in trying out Green Chef, you're welcome to use the following code to get a box with 2 free meals:

http://greenchef.com/invite/q6xy9

Sunday, February 26, 2017

Weekly Meal Plan 2.26.17

I've just come out of one tech week, and now I'm heading into another! Phew! It's a good thing Sean understands the craziness of being married to a theatre person. And, I know I've said it before, but I'm so glad we discovered Green Chef for these weeks; it makes meal planning easy, and it's given my non-cooking husband so much confidence in the kitchen.

So, here's what we're planning to eat this week:

Sunday: leftovers

Monday: Green Chef Fig Mushroom Flatbreads

Tuesday: Green Chef Chicken Katsu

Wednesday: leftovers

Thursday: Green Chef Spanish Pork Chops

Friday: dinner out before opening night

Saturday: spaghetti and meatballs with a salad


And of course, if you're interested in trying out Green Chef, you're welcome to use the following code to get a box with 2 free meals:

http://greenchef.com/invite/q6xy9

Sunday, February 5, 2017

Weekly Meal Plan 2.5.17

It's a busy week here, with lots of meetings for different plays. So we'll be doing a lot of easy, quick dinners that make leftovers!

Here's what we're eating this week:

Sunday: Superbowl party (we're bringing this Kale Artichoke Dip)

Monday: leftover lasagna

Tuesday: Slow Cooker Maple Glazed Short Ribs and green beans

Wednesday: chili

Thursday: leftover short ribs

Friday: Salmon Tacos with Mango Avocado Salsa

Saturday: date night downtown

Sunday, January 22, 2017

Weekly Meal Plan 1.22.17

Here's what we're planning to eat this week.

Sunday: currywurst and saurkraut

Monday: Korean Beef and Quinoa with peas

Tuesday: Chicken Thighs with Bulgur

Wednesday: leftovers

Thursday: leftovers

Friday: Steak Fajitas with Sweet Potato and Poblano

Saturday: Mushroom, Cheddar and Toast Frittata

Sunday, January 1, 2017

Plans for 2017

I'm not big on making resolutions. It's never been a real tradition for me, and I much prefer setting goals that are achievable to making lofty resolutions. But, I've made a few plans/goals for 2017, so I thought I'd share them.

1) Read a Shakespeare play each month. I'd like to eventually work myself through the complete works, and I figure setting a goal of one per month is achievable, even with all the other plays I'll be reading for work. If I happen to read a Shakespeare play for work, it counts towards that month.

2) Start baking my own bread again. We've fallen out of the habit of baking since moving to CO, and I'd like to start up again.

3) Go camping this summer. Camping was something Sean and I each did a ton growing up, since we were both in scouts, but oddly enough have never really done together. School and work always seemed to get in the way. But we both love the outdoors, so now that neither of us is in school anymore, we must get outside again!