Friday Roundup #28

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A green anole with its mouth open and it's tongue sticking out, resting on the rim of a terracotta mint pot in the garden
Green anole on a mint pot in the garden, Johns Creek, Georgia

Welcome to another slightly late Friday Roundup! Here’s what’s been on my mind this week:

It’s really starting to feel like a proper Georgia summer around here, y’all. We’re solidly in the 90s, humid enough that stepping outside feels like walking face-first into a steam sauna, and the afternoon thunderstorms roll through right on schedule to remind us who’s actually running things. (Spoiler: it’s the weather; it’s always the weather.)

Friday Roundup banner in the karacooks brand style. The words "FRIDAY" and "ROUNDUP" in dark green serif type flank a small circular pepper cross-section mark in the center, with thin horizontal rules and gold dots extending to either side. Cream background.
  • We’re big Cajun and Creole folks in this house, and I make dirty rice on the regular. So when a recipe for Dirty Spaghetti came scrolling across my feed this week, some deep part of my brain went “oh, absolutely.” Same trinity-and-ground-meat soul, just spun onto pasta instead of rice. I haven’t made it yet, but it’s officially on the list, and y’all know I’ll report back (probably at length).
  • Coming up on the blog: Part 2 of the Maine Love Story drops Sunday, and after that, Meemaw’s Biscuits the way Zach makes them; which is, and it pains me to admit this in writing, better than the way I make them. I’m not salty about it. Much.
  • Discovery: Good Culture Cottage Cheese. The 5.5 oz single servings run 140 calories and 19g of protein, and I’ve started hauling them to work for breakfast with some fruit. Love the product, love the company values. I’m itching to try their sour cream and cream cheese too, though Philly cream cheese has my heart and would need to be genuinely exemplary to get bumped. (Not sponsored, by the way; I just like the stuff.)
  • Garden Update: It’s rained off and on all week, which means the garden is chock-a-block with weeds. The replacement plants are settling in nicely (knock wood), but I need to get out there and pull weeds first thing in the morning, before the heat turns the whole plot back into a sauna.
  • What I’m Reading: The newest Nora Roberts, The Final Target (Bookshop.org* | Amazon), came out recently and I’m powering through it. I’m not one bit ashamed to be a Nora Roberts fan; I will always snap up a new one the day it lands.
  • What I’m Watching: YouTube, mostly. Mythical Kitchen, Sorted Food, and Babish have been my comfort watches this week. And for reasons I cannot explain, Zach has been deep into History of the Universe, and I’ve become oddly fascinated; I won’t queue it up myself, but I’ll put my book down and pay attention the second he does.
  • What I’m Eating: Cherry plums. I just found them at Publix and I’m fully addicted; Zach and I went through a whole bag in two days and I’ll be making a return trip. Also a lot of chicken tenders grilled in batches on the Kamado Joe for our lunches. Easy, tasty protein that makes the week run smoother.

P.S. Yes, “dirty spaghetti” sounds like something you’d get scolded for tracking into the house. I promise it’s a real and beloved thing.

P.P.S. If anyone has strong feelings about Good Culture’s sour cream, I’m all ears.

P.P.P.S. Zach would like it on record that he watches History of the Universe “for the science,” not the soothing narration. Sure, babe.

* Affiliate link. The asterisk is doing transparency work. Details on the disclosure page.