Reservoir dogs 🐶 & catching up on cooking

Hi friends!

How are you, my loves? I’m doing pretty swell! As I write this, I am sitting on my couch in my home office with a box fan pointed directly at me, because it’s been sunny with highs in the 90s on my side of L.A. lately. We have an A/C unit in the living room/kitchen and one in the bedroom, but our offices in between those rooms can get quite steamy.

I have been continuing to go on “hikes” here in L.A., which, again, are just flat walks around various reservoirs. Lately I’ve locked in on the Silverlake Reservoir because it’s a pretty short drive from my place and is an easy breezy two mile loop. When I first moved here, the reservoir was dry, and it sat that way, a brown, ugly, giant hole in the ground, for years. I never went to walk around it back then because I need an aesthetic, okay? I need ~ambiance~. But now it’s full of sparkling water and lovely to walk around!

On Tuesday, the day after the last full moon, I woke up at four in the morning. I always have trouble sleeping around a full moon. I decided to get up and go walk the reservoir before it got too hot. When I got back, my husband Ross asked me about all the dogs I’d seen. Here are some highlights:

• A big white floofy guy!

• A real round chonk

• Some super scruffy scruffs

• A tiny, rat-like Yorkie?? Do you even have to walk them if they’re that small?

• A French bulldog puppy!! A little brown one!

Maybe it’s the self-care, maybe it’s Biden dropping out, but as I write this, I am feeling more hopeful about the U.S. presidential election than I have in weeks. I still kind of feel like the Dems are probably going to lose, but damn, at least we’re putting up a fight now! Mixed feelings about Vice President Harris’ D.A. track record aside, it is exhilarating to have another chance at electing a woman president. Am I crazy, or do you feel like she’s already starting to push the party left a little? Maaaaybe??

In general, I have been feeling more productive and grounded and well, more myself I suppose. One thing I started doing recently is making sure I put on “outside” clothes every day. I slid into some real bad habits during lockdown and working from home of wearing what can only very generously be called “athleisure wear,” and sometimes was indistinguishable from my pajamas or the clothes I’d wear to, say, clean the bathroom. It all came to a head several weeks ago when I got locked out of my building and had to pound on the front door for a neighbor to let me in. When one finally answered, she looked at me so suspiciously that I had to convince her that yes, I was actually a new tenant who lived in the building, and wasn’t some vagrant trying to break in and steal everyone’s Amazon packages. That was my rock bottom, clothing-wise. (I think I was wearing a gross old t-shirt over a sports bra with bike shorts and flip-flops, with my hair piled up in a scrunchy, in case you were wondering what I looked like.)

Let’s get into some things:

- I finally made an Instagram page for my cat! You can follow Zadie the fluffy tuxedo here. I’m trying to post something every day or so, because she’s a cat, and who really gives a fuck? I don’t need to be super precious about her social media presence. She’s a cat. She’s literally a cat.

- Thanks so much to everyone who’s purchased a childless cat lady t-shirt so far! They are now available in brat summer green from XS to 2XL, and up to 5XL in other colors/cuts. As I write this, we have raised $94 for reproductive rights and abortion providers! I’m waiting to cash out, but then I’ll put my donation receipts on my Instagram for transparency. I know it’s a small thing, but it feels great to be doing something positive right now.

- Cooking. This never happens: I actually made a new Smitten Kitchen recipe within days of Deb posting it for the first time! It was her braised chickpeas with zucchini and pesto, a super easy, lovely meatless summer meal (vegan if you omit or substitute the cheese!). Ross raved about it for days! I just love zucchini, especially in the summer when it’s in season. I wasn’t too crazy about the leftovers, though, so ymmv there.

Some other zucchini-forward recipes I’ve been making lately:

• The zucchini cornbread from Smitten Kitchen Keepers (page 22)—this always goes so quickly in my house! The least dry cornbread you will ever make

• This sausage, pesto, and veggie pasta that I love to throw all sorts of summer veggies in

• Even more Smitten Kitchen: turkey pesto meatballs with orecchiette, a forever fave

One thing that always bums me out in the summer is my lack of access to a grill, especially because grilled food is some of my favorite to eat, grilled vegetables in particular. Yummmm. I try to satiate myself by making barbecue-style meats in the slow cooker instead, which has the added summer bonus of not heating up my kitchen. Last week, I made these super easy slow cooker bbq chicken thighs, served on buns with mayo, regular pickle slices, and quick pickled red onions. Delish! I ate the leftover chicken for lunch in a quesadilla the next day. I only regret that the recipe didn’t make more.

Earlier this week, I stunned myself by actually cooking a hot breakfast–and on a weekday at that! I made migas, a dish I became familiar with at HomeState, L.A.’s best breakfast taco dispensary. If you’re not familiar, migas is a Tex-Mex dish of scrambled eggs mixed with veggies, tortilla chips, and cheese. It’s so simple, you don’t really need a recipe, but here’s one anyway. Recipes really vary on when you should add the tortilla chips–I prefer to mix them into the scrambled eggs just before adding them to a hot pan. Most recipes suggest making your own tortilla chips, but I just used crumbled up Tostitos, and they worked out just fine. You can throw in any kind of veggies you like, or keep it simple; I chose to just use diced onion, like HomeState does. Really delicious with a few dashes of hot sauce, salsa, or avocado on top. Aaand now I’m hungry. ;P

- The Real Housewives of Orange County, season 18 (Bravo, Peacock). This season is a real reckoning for Shannon Beador, who spent her off-season getting a DUI, after giving Gina a hard time for getting one the previous season. Not only that, her dog was in the car (unspeakable!) when she crashed it into a house, and then, when she heard the cops coming, she got out and pretended to be just casually walking her dog around the neighborhood. The drunk logic!! Obviously, the cops did not fall for that act.

On top of that, the show just added Alexis “Jesus Jugs” Bellino back to the cast, who is dating Shannon’s oh-so-fresh ex, Johnny J. What is up with Housewives always dating each other’s exes? If you watched these franchises in a bubble, you would think Slade Smiley and Harry Dubin have golden c*cks! And it’s not like the show ever made John Janssen look particularly good. Plus, he broke up with Shannon because he supposedly couldn’t handle being in the public eye, only to end up dating another Housewife? Yeah, right.

Anyway, it’s all sort of a pile-on for Shannon, and I haven’t even watched the most recent episode yet. As inexcusable as a DUI is, especially when you have Shannon’s kind of money and live in an area with Uber/Lyft access… There is something about her this season that is just so broken down and defeated that I must admit, I feel a little bad for her. I know! I really shouldn’t! It’s just hard to watch a human being suffer in real time, ya know?

If you’ve been watching the new season of RHOC, what do you think?

Okay, that’s it for now, babes! This is just going to be a little shorty. Like a Summer Friday, if you will.

If you have a second, I’d love it if you’d like or comment on this post–just click this link to go to the post page. This post is public, so feel free to share it on social media, or forward it to a friend.

Until next time—put on some outside clothes.

Love,

Liz

XOXO