Do you ever have a chore you know you should do, but you keep putting it off indefinitely because you know you don't have to do it?
For me, that was getting our knives professionally sharpened. I know with how much we use our knives - particularly our workhorse of a chef's knife - we should at least hone them on a steel every month and get them professionally sharpened once a year. But that never happens. I never hone them at home and they haven't been professionally sharpened since September 2019.
This chore has been sitting in the back of my mind for months. Every time I cooked, I was reminded that I should take a few hours to just get it done. On Friday, I packed up our knives (with an oh-so-professional wrap job of a deconstructed soda box and painter's tape) and headed out to Union Market. Despite before opening, a professional chef somehow snuck up to the counter right before me. While I was bummed that my wait time doubled, it was fascinating to see the chef discuss his knives and sharpening preferences. They went knife by knife. The chef was bummed to learn that one little paring blade could no longer be sharpened without losing integrity in the blade geometry. It was fascinating to hear such detailed discussion about what I considered to be an annoying chore.
If you're in the DC area, give District Cutlery at Union Market a look. We've used them twice now and their work is both stellar and affordable.
I am a few chapters away from finishing Anthony Bourdain’s Kitchen Confidential. What I’ve learned most is that I am very happy I did not enter professional cooking as a career. In high school, I dabbled with the idea of going to culinary school. I am quite pleased with my decision not to. I could not tolerate the stress of a professional kitchen nor am I a fan of the brutish language that seems to be the lingua franca of the staff, chefs, and line cooks. I am, however, very hungry for french food after reading this book.
I, too, suffer from revenge bedtime procrastination. [WaPo]
How companies are going back to office. [Culture Study]
The pandemic may have permanently changed how hotels operate. [WaPo]
The temperature swings at the Grand Canyon are intense. [WaPo]
Science explains how the northern lights happen. [NPR]
The insides of average things. [Buzzfeed]
How to master the five types of listening. [Career Contessa]
A guide to understanding and using gender identity terms. [NPR]
Were you aware that China had a new space station? I was not. The country just launched three astronauts there for a three month stay. [NPR]
Apple and China seem to be in a toxic, codependent relationship. [The Daily]
The life of monarch butterflies. [Short Wave]
We should all be better at apologizing. Here's how. [Life Kit]
The foodways of Juneteenth. [Code Switch]
Creating the look of The Office. [Office Ladies]
We started watching the more recent seasons of Doctor Who. We had watched the first two seasons of Peter Capaldi's Doctor awhile back, but we opted to jump back to his episodes to refresh our memories. Every time I watch this show, I want to start over from the beginning of the reboot - with Christopher Eccleston. It's such an engrossing series. I love the creativity and storytelling. Matt Smith will always be "my doctor" but I enjoy the serious zaniness of Capaldi. Very much looking forward to Jodie Whittaker's spin on the role. But those episodes are probably weeks away. [HBO Max]
A behind the scenes look at how food commercials are made. It involves robots! [Insider]
Eggs cooked in pesto - not butter or oil - started trending a few weeks ago. I had some homemade arugula pesto and egg whites in my fridge that needed to be eaten. So, I gave this technique a whirl. I tossed some pesto in a skillet, added my eggs, and scrambled. I then tossed those eggs in a tortilla with some shredded mozzarella. It was a delicious and satiating breakfast. I was full until mid-afternoon. [amywilichowski]
For meatless Monday, I busted out a recipe I haven't made in YEARS - summer garden enchiladas. This recipe came from my friend/former roommate's health insurance healthy habits brochure. (They're not just junk mail!) It's basically a pile of veggies and some cheese in a tortilla. There's a lot of chopping involved, but the final result is oh so tasty. Plus, if you can't fit all the filling in your tortillas, you can just throw it on top of everything before you toss the baking dish in the oven. [My Evernote]
I am forever forgetting what the symbols on clothes tags mean. This chart reminds me. I really should just print it out for our floor’s laundry room. I don’t think our neighbors would mind.
The Husband has his first work dinner in over a year this week. They’re going to a restaurant with a tasty looking menu. Would it be uncouth to ask him bring something home for me? Dessert at least?