Weekly Roundup: Help for Wildfire Victims + Reverse Menu Planning

It feels a little weird to return to life as normal after the fires, knowing that so many in the area have lost so much. But we started taking our son on his admitted student day visits this weekend, and Los Angeles is so enormous that the vast majority of the city is unscathed. Although it feels like everyone knows someone who lost everything with at most two or three degrees of separation. Hopefully the winds aren't as crazy this week, and again, heartfelt thanks to the firefighters who keep us safe! (I've marked affiliate/referral links with a *, which means I may make a little bit of money if you make a purchase or sign up using that link - thank you!)

I've seen lots of articles with help for wildfire victims, so here's a roundup:

- Paralyzed by heaps of post-fire paperwork? Here are 8 tips to get started (LAT)

- How to get property tax relief if your house burned in the fires (LAT)

- Here’s where victims of the Los Angeles-area wildfires can get help (DN)

- I was forced to evacuate my home. Do I still need to pay my mortgage, rent, utility bills? (LAT)

- Does your home reek of wildfire smoke? Here’s how to get rid of it — safely (LAT)

- They lost their LA home to fire a year ago. Now they are sharing what they have learned about rebuilding (DN)

- Lose your essential documents in the L.A. fires? Here’s how you can replace them (LAT)

I also got a message from Cooler Master, a company based in Claremont:For my menu plan this week, I'm using Reverse Menu Planning because my pantry and freezer are both full, and I'd like to save some money to pay for the aforementioned admitted student day trips as well as to donate. So here's the plan for this week:

MENU PLAN - January 20, 2025

Monday - Mac & Cheese (I have a frozen pan of it)

Tuesday - Chirashizushi (the hand rolls were fun last week, but I think we prefer chirashi more)

Wednesday - Baked French Toast, Bacon, Fruit (I have so much frozen bread as well as some frozen bacon)

Thursday - Steak Sandwiches (using a ButcherBox* frozen flank steak)

Friday - Salmon Patties (using canned salmon)

Saturday - Cheesy White Bean Tomato Bake (I always have beans)

Sunday - Tuna Noodle Casserole (I got lots of egg noodles during the holidays, and I always have tuna too)

Please let me know if there's something you'd like to see in the roundup. And don't forget to sign up for my monthly periodic email newsletter!

Weekly Roundup: Ways to Help After the Wildfires, Prepping for Emergencies, Weekly Menu Plan

My heart goes out to those displaced by all of the fires. At times it felt like the whole city was burning, and even I worried for a while that we might at risk. This was the first time I thought there was even a remote possibility a fire could make it to where we live. Thankfully, the hardworking firefighters kept the fires from spreading. (I've marked affiliate/referral links with a *, which means I may make a little bit of money if you make a purchase or sign up using that link - thank you!)

There are lots of ways to help, but if you're having trouble deciding where to donate money, worthy causes that I donated to are World Central Kitchen, the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank, and the American Red Cross. Almost all of our local news sources seem to have compiled lists of resources for evacuees and victims - this one is by KTLA, this one is by LA Public Press, and this one is by the LA Times. 

I'm enamored of potato chip charcuterie.

A primer on foods to stock for emergencies.

The fires have been a reminder to preserve important documents, including receipts for home renovations. I've got most things digitized so I can just grab my backup hard drive in an emergency, but I don't think I've got all of the documents related to our home renos scanned.

MENU PLAN - January 13, 2025

Monday - Baked Pasta (I have 2/3 of a jar of pasta sauce in the fridge that I need to use up)

Tuesday - Temakizushi (I didn't make it to the farmers market last week, so I'm trying for handrolls again this week)

Wednesday - Chicken Pot Pie

Thursday - Mississippi Pot Roast

Friday-Sunday - We have plans for the long weekend and will be eating out every night

Please let me know if there's something you'd like to see in the roundup. And don't forget to sign up for my monthly periodic email newsletter!

Happy New Year! + Links + Weekly Menu Plan

Hello, and Happy New Year! I hope 2025 is off to a good start, and I wish you peace and happiness in the coming year. 😊 My kids got out over a week before Christmas, so they start school today. Does that seem early? In any event, it's time to get back into the school routine again, even if it is the last semester of senior year - where did the time go?! 😭 (I've marked affiliate/referral links with a *, which means I may make a little bit of money if you make a purchase or sign up using that link - thank you!):

Hip2Save posted a DIY Kindness Jar as a last-minute gift idea, but it occurred to me that it would be such a great show-of-support gift for someone who's going through a tough time (I have a couple of friends dealing with some ugh! stuff at work). 

Hummingbird High has been a favorite food blog for many years now, and I know Michelle has been posting less but I'd forgotten that she went back to grad school. I'm so impressed that she graduated with her master's, and I related a lot to her comments about the difficulties of job hunting.

Raising Teens Today has some interesting thoughts on families tracking each other. I know my kids know that I can and do use the Find My app on them and they don't complain about it. I let them track me in return, though I have no idea if they ever do. 😂

I just learned about a new way of charitable giving called Charitable Gift Annuities. In a nutshell, you put the amount you want to donate into an annuity; you get regular payments from the annuity while you live, and the charity gets the funds when you die.

This is too late for Christmas 2024, but I absolutely love this clever yet simple keepsake idea for little ones. I wish I'd known about it, oh, 20 years ago!

Jimmy Carter might have accomplished the most of any former president, but I was blown away to learn that before he became president, he saved a nuclear reactor after a meltdown.

MENU PLAN - January 6, 2025

Monday: Slow Cooker Brisket with BBQ Sauce (I defrosted the meat, so now I have to use it!)

Tuesday: Sushi (I'll use my grandmother's sushi vinegar recipe, but instead of making chirashi like I usually do, I might be bold and make hand rolls ...)

Wednesday: Enfrijoladas (I'll be honest, I'm going to look for a good packaged salsa verde before buying the ingredients listed ... one of the advantages of living in SoCal 😂)

Thursday: Cauliflower Parmesan, Cheesy Hawaiian Roll Garlic Bread (I never made the cauliflower when I planned to in December; also, just a reminder that the LA Public Library has 72-hour NYT passes that you can access from this page)

Friday: Instant Pot Butter Chicken

Saturday: Ramen (I buy Sun Noodle kits* at Whole Foods and bolster them with some veggies and ajitsuke tamago)

Sunday: Grinder Sandwiches

Please let me know if there's something you'd like to see in the roundup. And don't forget to sign up for my monthly periodic email newsletter!

The Best Books I Read in 2024

In 2024, I read and listened to 258 books (this doesn't include those I started but didn't finish). It's a big number, but many of these books are light-hearted cozy mysteries that I flew through, as I've always been a fast reader. (As a tween, I read Sweet Valley High* books in an hour. And I was that annoying kid who always finished standardized tests quickly.)

(I've marked affiliate/referral links with a *, which means I may make a little bit of money if you make a purchase or sign up using that link - thank you!)

Most of the books I read, I borrowed from the library. In fact, the Los Angeles Public Library is an amazing free resource for residents. I haven't set foot in an actual library in years, yet I borrow hundreds of books, read newspaper articles and recipes, and watch movies thanks to my library card (I'm finally getting to watch Hallmark's Hailey Dean series in its entirety). Author Gretchen Rubin has expressed similar affection for her library, so if you're not an Angeleno, check out what your local library has to offer.

I'm not listing all 258 titles read in 2024 here. But here are the highlights, broken into categories:

MYSTERIES

• Kate Carlisle's Bibliophile* and Fixer Upper* series - Both series are well-written with likeable characters and settings.
  
  
• Mia P. Manansala's Tita Rosie's Kitchen* series - I love how imperfect the protagonist is, and there's so much food in these stories, including a lot of Filipino food that I'm not familiar with, so it's educational too.
  
  
• Victoria Thompson's Counterfeit Lady* and Gaslight* series - Both of these series feature strong women living within but also bucking social expectations circa the early twentieth century, and the stories are great.
  
  
• Deanna Raybourn's Veronica Speedwell* series - Another series set in another century, featuring a strong, nonconforming woman.
  
  
• Andrea Penrose's Wrexford and Sloane* series - I'm detecting a trend, because this is yet another entertaining series set in another century. And I've realized that a big reason I'm attracted to well-written stories set in the past is that they make me think a lot about how much things have changed for women, and that I don't want to take any of the progress we've made as a society for granted.
  
  
• Vivien Chien's Noodle Shop* series - This series, featuring another likeable yet imperfect protagonist, is contemporary so I'm not completely stuck in the past 😂
  
  
• Dorothy Gilman's Mrs. Pollifax* series - This series is set when I was growing up, so the Cold War is still going on, and technology is not what it is today. Mrs. Pollifax is quite a bit older than the usual protagonist and so delightful that I wish she were my mentor.
  
  
• I'm not sure this qualifies as a mystery per se, but Bec McMaster's London Steampunk* and London Steampunk: The Blue Blood Conspiracy* series were a fun read (also racy).
  
  I read the latest installments in these favorite series and am looking forward to the next books:
  
  
• Rita Mae Brown's Mrs. Murphy* and Sister Jane* series - I love the human characters in these books, but the best part might be the conversations the pets have with each other 😂
  
  
• Ellie Alexander's Bakeshop* and Sloan Krause* series - Both of these series feature a strong woman whom I identify with because she loves to cook 😂
  
  
• Rhys Bowen's Royal Spyness* series - The characters are great, but I especially enjoy the backdrop, with a protagonist who's related to the British monarchy at a time just before World War II.

FAVORITE AUTHORS

My favorite authors remain Donna Andrews and Grace Burrowes. Donna's protagonist Meg Langslow* feels like an old friend, and I re-read the series regularly for comfort. Grace Burrowes's books always make me feel better - better about humanity, better about myself, better about life. Like the Meg Langslow series, her books are comforting, and I'm especially enjoying the Lord Julian* series.

NONFICTION

Ever since I was in college and read Madeleine L'Engle's thoughts about how theoretical physics is connected to religion, I have read/listened to books about science. Last year, I particularly enjoyed:

• Something Deeply Hidden* by Sean Carroll
  
  
• If the Universe is Teeming with Aliens ... Where is Everybody?* by Stephen Webb
  
  
• How to Make an Apple Pie From Scratch: In Search of the Recipe for Our Universe, from the Origins of Atoms to the Big Bang* by Harry Cliff
  
  
• A City on Mars: Can We Settle Space, Should We Settle Space, and Have We Really Thought This Through?* - Kelly Weinersmith and Zach Weinersmith

I made a lot of progress in my quest to reach some kind of détente, if not peace, with my body. Two books have been particularly helpful: More than a Body: Your Body Is an Instrument, Not an Ornament* by Lexie Kite and Lindsay Kite, and Intuitive Eating* by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch.

These books are helping me be a better person, parent, friend, leader and counselor:

• The Culture Code: The Secrets of Highly Successful Groups* by Daniel Coyle
  
  
• Co-Intelligence: Living and Working with AI* by Ethan Mollick
  
  
• Cultures of Growth: How the New Science of Mindset Can Transform Individuals, Teams, and Organizations* by Mary C. Murphy

So that's what I read. What did you read in 2024 that I should read in 2025?

Happy Holidays! (And some recent recipes reviewed)

This being the week of Christmas and Hanukkah, things are quite busy for me as well as for you, probably. So I'll keep this short. I'll be taking a planned break and will return in the New Year. But in the meantime, I wish you the happiest of holidays, and will share some recent recipes I've made. (I've marked affiliate/referral links with a *, which means I may make a little bit of money if you make a purchase or sign up using that link - thank you!):

Roasted Chicken with Fish-Sauce Butter (NYT) - This was a huge hit with my family. I doubled the chicken because *teenage boys* and it was barely enough. The croutons were amazing and the sauce was delicious, but the best part was the crispy chicken skin.

Avocado Chicken Burgers (RecipeTin Eats) - I came across ground turkey for 50% off at Whole Foods, so I used that in these burgers, which were definitely good enough to make again.

Chicken with Mushroom Gravy (RTE again) - This was soooo good. I made it with my college-age son, and it's simple enough for him to make on his own. We browned the chicken but finished cooking it in the sauce, instead of cooking it through to start and just warming it in the sauce. This thickened the sauce more and I think it gave the chicken more flavor. My son likes spicy so he added a good amount of cayenne pepper for a little kick.

Crunchy Roasted Chickpeas (Big Vegan Flavor* by Nisha Vora) - I've made roasted chickpeas before, but these were the best I've ever made. I'm looking forward to using her technique with different flavors.

Cheesy, Spicy Black Bean Bake (NYT) - This was delightfully easy to make, and good enough as it is. But I think it could be made quite a bit better. The next time, I'll saute some jalapenos before cooking the garlic and maybe add some frozen caramelized onions. I also think a can of diced green chiles would improve the texture and add more flavor. And definitely use more cheese - I used at least 2 cups, maybe a little bit more 😂

Please let me know if there's something you'd like to see in the roundup. And don't forget to sign up for my monthly periodic email newsletter!

Weekly Roundup: Making Money on Poshmark, Tater Tot Appetizers & the Hallmark Binge Pass

The kids are off from school and my house is full, and somehow I've convinced myself that this means I've got more time to get things done. 😂😂 Things like finishing shopping for gifts and wrapping them and getting them under the tree. Planning out my menu for Christmas dinner (and breakfast). Sending out our holiday cards. Mailing holiday gifts to loved ones who don't live nearby. Wow, my to-do list is longer than I thought! I'm going to hop to it and leave you with these tidbits below (I've marked affiliate/referral links with a *, which means I may make a little bit of money if you make a purchase or sign up using that link - thank you!):

I sell a few things on Poshmark, so I couldn't help clicking on this article about a woman who's making six figures by selling on the site.

I have half a bag of tater tots in the freezer, and this fancy appetizer idea is right up my alley - I love caviar, and now I know how to use up those tater tots!

Am I the only one who's sad when it's all Christmas movies all the time on the Hallmark Mysteries channel? It turns out that you can log in to Hoopla with your library card and borrow a Hallmark Binge Pass. I'm totally getting my cozy mystery movie fix now!

This time of year is a little crazy, and I thought about not doing a menu plan until the new year. But then I thought about how having a menu plan, even if I don't follow it, somehow keeps me sane. Last week, for instance, three of the nights completely deviated from my planned menu. And the carnitas moved from Friday to Sunday night. Nevertheless, my days and nights were a bit easier because I had a plan of some sort, even if I didn't follow it.

Menu Plan - December 16, 2024

Monday: Breakfast for dinner - Blueberry Skillet Pancake, Sausage, Eggs, Fruit (if this looks familiar, it's because I was supposed to make it yesterday)

Tuesday: Boys' choice (I've got a girls' night out so I'll leave my men to figure things out for themselves 😂)

Wednesday: Cheesy, Spicy Black Bean Bake

Thursday: Spinach Artichoke Dip (from ATK's Complete Slow Cooker*) and a Charcuterie Board

Friday: Turkey Pesto Sandwiches (this is another old Cooking Light recipe with a pin that doesn't go anywhere anymore so I'll have to re-create it)

Saturday: Asian Beef and Noodles

Sunday: Baked Ziti using meat sauce I've got in the freezer

Please let me know if there's something you'd like to see in the roundup. And don't forget to sign up for my monthly periodic email newsletter!

Weekly Roundup: The History of College Applications, Book Recommendations and this week's Menu Plan

My friends and I can't stop talking about how crazy it is that Thanksgiving was a week and a half ago, and this is now the last week before school gets out for winter break. None of us can understand why we don't go another week and then start school on January 13 instead of the 6th. But it is what it is, and so this week is just crazy busy. I'm optimistic that it means next week will actually be rather chill. 🤞 Is anyone else's kid getting out this early? Here are this week's finds (I've marked affiliate/referral links with a *, which means I may make a little bit of money if you make a purchase or sign up using that link - thank you!):

In a recent Admission Beat podcast, they talked about the history of the college application and I learned so much. 

One of my favorite writers, Dan Pink, suggests writing a user manual for yourself to make you easier to work with. (I recently re-listened to his book Drive* - highly recommended.)

A list of 100+ book recommendations from independent SoCal bookstores.

RecipeTin Eats is my favorite food blog, but Nagi is in Australia so I always get thrown/amused by her comments about Christmas being hot! 😂

The Chargers fan in me died a little last night when the Chiefs' kick bounced off the upright and then through. Their luck is ridiculous and unbelievable, but my sense of humor is restored by this old Travis Kelce interview and this Mahomes post-game interview from last night.

Menu Plan - December 9, 2024

Monday: Steak, Baked Sweet Potatoes, Air-Fried Asparagus, Copycat Red Lobster Biscuits, Apple Tarte Tatin (we're celebrating my son's 18th birthday - I still don't understand how that happened!)

Tuesday: Salmon Chirashizushi

Wednesday: Baked Spaghetti Squash 

Thursday: My college son's choice (he'll be home, and I suspect he'll choose take-out from our favorite Japanese restaurant)

Friday: Slow Cooker Carnitas, taco fixings (and I'll freeze the leftovers for future Mexican Sliders and Ripper Nachos)

Saturday: Cauliflower Parmesan**

Sunday: Breakfast for dinner - Blueberry Skillet Pancake, Sausage, Eggs, Fruit

**If you're like me, you balk at NYT recipes because you have to subscribe. But check your local library! The LA Public Library has 72-hour passes that you can access from this page. I use the library so much (ALL digitally) that I donated to them on Giving Tuesday.

Please let me know if there's something you'd like to see in the roundup. And don't forget to sign up for my monthly email newsletter!