Sunday, June 21, 2020

A Father's Day Sunday Salon: June 21, 2020


It's a sunny Father's Day here is southwest Florida. We'd hoped to go out for a celebratory (outdoor) brunch or dinner but, after a week of rapidly increasing COVID-19 cases, we decided against it. My 92-year-old father-in-law has requested pizza instead. He hasn't had it since before the lockdown began, so it looks like a pizza party is Plan B!

As I watched the numbers rise all week, I spent more time reading, blogging, cooking, swimming, and walking on the beach. I even finished two books! Look for a review post later this week...



by T Kira Gadded, narrated by the author




You Think It, I'll Say It by Curtis Sittenfeld


Current reading//


Passing by Nella Larsen




On the blog//

This Week's Read: You Think It, I'll Say It
Quick Thoughts on Four Recent Reads


In the kitchen//



I tried two new recipes and both were winners. First was a Berry Buttermilk Cake from NYTimes... so light and delicious! The flexibility of this recipe is a plus, too. It calls for buttermilk, but says you can use any type of milk. Any kind of berries if fine, too... even frozen. I'll try it with raspberries next.



This Sun-Dried Tomato, Spinach and Quinoa Salad from Cookie + Kate  was perfect for lunches! I made it on Sunday and enjoyed it for days. It will be a go-to recipe all summer long.


The week ahead//

Twin A will travel back to NYC this week, so we'll drive her to the airport. Other than that, literally nothing else is planned. There will likely be a trip to the grocery store late in the week, maybe a socially distant glass of wine outside with a friend. Also, more walking, reading, blogging, and cooking.

How was your week? What are you reading?


The Sunday Salon is hosted by Deb at Readerbuzz.
It's Monday... What Are You Reading? is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date.

48 comments:

  1. Both of those recipes are going on my to-do list! :)

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  2. I didn't know that NYT has a recipe site for cost. I found a recipe I thought looked good, pinned it, then when I returned to make it I discovered that the recipe was behind a paywall. I tricked the system by accessing it from another computer but quickly printed the recipe so I could use it again if I liked it. My Sunday Salon

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    1. Anne - If you'd like this recipe (or any other) let me know and I'll copy, paste, and email it to you.

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  3. So disappointing to see all those numbers rise. Our city was declared a hotspot by end of the week due to rapidly increasing cases and we had a covid scare by end of the week as well.

    That salad looks delicious and I'm going to give it a try as well! Thanks for sharing.

    Pizza party for father's day sounds perfect! We celebrated with some tradition Indian lunch which the husband's father enjoyed tremendously.

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    1. Athira - Even though we're retired, I still love recipes I can make ahead and have meals/lunches ready to go for days. We all enjoyed the pizza party... fun to do something normal again. The rising numbers are so disturbing. I'll distract myself with books this week.

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  4. Honestly, a pizza party sounds wonderful! Glad you're all staying safe!

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    1. Angela - The pizza party was a big success... delicious, too! Hope all is well with you :)

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  5. I hope the pizza was yummy! COVID cases are going up here too, so I’ve been staying inside as much as possible. Have a great week!

    Aj @ Read All The Things!

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    1. Aj - I think COVID will be with us for a while, yet... modifying plans for summer as I type. Hope you have a good week!

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  6. Your week sounded like a good one. Enjoy those walks on the beach and the picnics outdoors.

    I am curious about Passing.

    Enjoy your books and your week, and thanks for visiting my blog.

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    1. Laurel-Rain Snow - I'm about halfway through Passing now and like it a lot. Will feature it in a Tuesday Intro post tomorrow.

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  7. I'm glad you were able to get together for Father's Day, and pizza was a good choice for a meal. We visited with my dad under the shade trees today and enjoyed watermelon together. Our numbers here are going up and staying home was best for all of us.

    I think I need to look for more information about Passing. I look forward to hearing what you think of it.

    Look at that salad. The cake looks great, too.

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    1. Deb - Glad you had a nice Father's ay at home with your dad, too. It really is the best option right now. I'll have a little bit more about Passing on my Tuesday Intro post tomorrow.

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  8. Those dishes look fantastic! Thank for sharing :) Cases are increasing here too, but not too much and having to do with reopening I'm sure.But, I have decided to scale back grand plans for getting out more. Again. I need a beach!

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    1. Stacy - I think we're all going to have to make adjustments to our plans as we go along, especially until there is a vaccine available. The beach is the best part of my day, every day... so fortunate to be here!

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  9. I'm with your FIL--pizza was our first "outside" food during the pandemic. :) I'm reading a wonderful novel called The Fifth Season by NK Jemisin. Really a page-turner. I have Passing on the shelf and will be curious to hear your thoughts.

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    1. Amy - I just read your review of A Month in the Country, then saw another blogger reading it now, too. That book has been on my kindle for a very long time... this must be a sign! The first half of Passing is very good. Didn't realize it is actually a novella. Might finish tomorrow.

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  10. Pizza was a much missed treat in our home too. We finally got one! Funny what little things bring us joy these days. I'm very interested in the buttermilk cake, thanks for posting the recipe link.

    Same with us at the other end of Florida- as cases rise near us we are doing ear,y morning grocery shopping, staying on the property and reading. I think drink more wine now:-)

    Just finished Bel Canto by Ann Patchett and started the series Vera by Ann Cleeves. I have so many boks on my to-read list!

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    1. Tina - The pizza was so good and we could all tell how happy my FIL was with the meal... it really is one of the simple pleasures. The NYTimes has the recipes behind a paywall now. If you want me to copy, paste, and email it to you let me know.

      I see a couple of counties mandated masks today. It's a step in the right direction, but I'll be surprised if our county does. Wish people would be more careful.

      Glad you enjoyed Bel Canto. I just love Ann Patchett's writing. My tbr list is completely out of control, too!

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  11. Glad your Father's Days plans will still work out nicely. (People are being so foolish with this virus). I'm nervous about my first haircut in 4 months this week.

    Glad you were able to get some reading done and thanks for the berry cake recipe as well, I will try that one.

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    1. Diane - Hope you have a good visit to the salon. My experience was barely acceptable, but it sounds like Ti's was bad. My next appointment will be at my old place in NY. I'm going to try that cake with raspberries next.

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  12. The rising numbers are scary. I hope your father-in-law enjoyed the pizza! I'm a little nervous about heading to MT on Friday because their numbers are up, too, but so are the numbers here in WA. It's hard to know what to do. I hope you have a great week!

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    1. Susie - I think if you take precautions while traveling, it will be okay... and it will be so good to see your family after such a long time. Hope you enjoy every minute!

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  13. Yep, our cases are on the rise, as well. We had to drive into Salem (90 minutes away) on Friday for my mom and husband's monthly eye appointments (they both get a shot in their eye!!) and we couldn't get over how much traffic there was heading from the valley over to the coast. It looked like summertime traffic. Oh, wait. It is summer, right? :) But everyone is acting like there's no pandemic. I'm so glad we live in an isolated little gated community where we feel relatively safe. That said, I do have to go to the grocery store today. Still trying to only go twice a month. I'm going to try both of those recipes. They look fabulous. I made an apple cake last week and it's been requested again, so I'll probably have to nudge a certain husband to get out and walk with me a little more often. :) No big plans for us this week other than my mammogram tomorrow. That should be interesting, although probably not much different than going to the dentist (which I have postponed for the time being). Stay well, enjoy your walks and cooking!

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    1. Les - Our county is starting to get out of control now. A couple of other counties today started requiring masks for businesses (employees and customers) but I'm not holding my breath about it happening here. We'll continue to keep a low profile until we go back to NY next month. Picked up a couple of books curbside at the library today... happy they are continuing that service now that they're open. Glad you're in a safe area, these are trying times,

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  14. It sure feels like COVID will be with us for quite a while. But that is what the scientific community warned would be the case. Especially if people keep flaunting the recommended safety precautions. Thank you for being one of the good people!

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    1. Judy - I'm afraid you're right. COVID is not going to leave us any time soon. Happy to have plenty of book and places to walk. Stay safe!

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  15. My reading is going on rather slowly. I did expect it to go faster with all the time available but we seem to be just drifting and I've realized how easy it is to fall into the new pattern of life.

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    1. Mystica - I agree. Seems we are all falling into new patterns of living these days. Things will likely stay this way until a vaccine is available.

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  16. I'm sorry to hear Covid cases are on the rise where you are. Ours are staying about the same. Both those recipes sound good. Come see my week here. Happy reading!

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    1. Kathy - Glad cases aren't rising in your area. Wish people here would act more responsibly.

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  17. I hope your father-in-law and the rest of the family enjoyed the pizza party! Take care and I hope you continue to enjoy walking, reading, blogging, and cooking. 😃

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    1. Jessica - We all enjoyed the pizza and the company. The little things seem even more important these days. Take care!

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  18. Sounds really wise to stay home and have pizza, hope he enjoyed it, good on him for choosing it. Sorry to hear Florida is not good virus wise at moment. Take care. I haven't read Curtis Sittenfeld but would like to .

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    1. Kathryn - We all had such a good time Sunday - the company, the food, and a beautiful day! I'm impressed with Sittenfeld's stories and look forward to trying one of her novels. Eligible will likely be first.

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  19. I would have voted with your father in law on the pizza!

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    1. Vicki - Pizza was an excellent choice! Not much prep on my part either... just a salad and dessert.

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  20. That sounds like a wonderful father's day! It's funny the things we miss. I am missing ice cream out. :( We have been staying close to home, and isolated for the most part. Michigan is holding its own right now, but seeing other states rise makes me wary and looking to see what happens here in the next few weeks.

    Stay safe!

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    1. Erin - It was such a good day! My FIL has long been a fan of good pizza and I'm so glad we could help him enjoy it for Father's Day. Glad you're staying safe close to home.

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  21. That cake looks fabulous! And yay for a pizza party. Numbers are looking a bit scary again in a lot of places. Stay safe and enjoy your week!

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    1. Becki - That cake was delicious... so light! Can't wait to try it with raspberries. Hope you and your family are staying safe.

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  22. When we took our son back to San Luis Obispo to begin his new job, he took the weekend to show us all the beach towns. All of them were lovely but two of them were frighteningly crowded. Really, to the point where you could not walk without brushing up against someone. We all put our masks on. It's a requirement for California but many were not wearing one. I felt at risk. One beach town was much nicer and spread out and the people there were mostly wearing masks.

    We had a bad hotel experience which forced us to leave late at night to find another hotel with our dog in tow. Not an easy feat but I am convinced I caught COVID from that first hotel and that wasn't even why we left!

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    1. Ti - Sorry you had a bad experience at the hotel. We'll need to stay in one a couple of nights on out way back to NY... if you have any tips or want to share you experiences, feel free to email me. I'm nervous about it, but would appreciate hearing anything you've learned through experience. These are crazy times...

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  23. I must admit this is the first time I'm learning about the Nella Larsen book ... if it's a classic why don't I know about it? Perhaps my head has been under a rock during my education. I'm glad your FIL is requesting pizza .... sounds good to me! I like pizza and taco nights.

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    1. Susan - I don't think Passing is as well known as other classics of the Harlem Renaissance. It was an interesting read though... and it's very short. Our pizza party was a resounding success. My FIL was thrilled to take home the leftovers. He's probably been eating pizza all week!

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  24. Thank you for the cake recipe. I love cakes that aren't overly sweet and this has fruit so it's gotta be healthy right? :)

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    1. Iliana - Yup, at least that's what I keep telling myself! ;-)

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