Yes, I have changed the name of my Substack to Reading with Expression - the old title was long and a tad clunky, and I wanted one that showed in its entirety in Notes and other locations where I share content.
If you’re new to my Substack, the back story on Friday Bitch & Brag is here. Time to circle up!
Bitch: Just when I think I’m doing okay with this new medication, I wind up with a day or two of feeling extra fatigued to the point I take 3-4 hour naps, or I’m nauseated or headachy or all of it. We’re nearly at the one-month mark and I really want this onboarding BS to be DONE.
Brag: Over Memorial Day weekend I discovered the rose bush in the front yard had blossomed. The bush is rather ragged looking—my housemate didn’t plant it, and he’s not one for gardening—but the blooms are a gorgeous varietal with hues of orange, pink, red and yellow, one of my favorite combinations.
Bitch: Algorithms that decide for me what posts I want to see, or what posts of mine rise to the top. I could rant about this for hours, but I’m sure you’re all familiar with this issue.
Brag: I got a large container of blueberries and baked some reduced-fat blueberry muffins using Greek yogurt. The recipe in the 1997 edition of The Joy of Cooking advised against overmixing, as the muffins can wind up being tough, and the batter got so sticky I was nervous that I’d get blueberry hardtack. Fortunately the muffins turned out very tasty.
Bitch: Over the last week a few excellent series ended: “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”, “Fatal Attraction”, and “Succession.” (Don’t click those links if you haven’t watched these shows, but you plan to, and you detest spoilers.) Only one of those three seemed to get much attention. I guess HBOMax (now Max) had a much bigger PR budget.
Brag: Another food-centric brag to close out the week: after a few times of making what I referred to as “lazy migas” using homemade salsa with my eggs and tortilla strips, I finally made them with sauteed bell pepper and red onion, and added the salsa & cheese at the end. Muy delicioso.1
There are tons of online recipes for migas, and I can’t remember which one I used. What I did: cut 2 small corn tortillas into strips, fry them in canola oil until they are crispy-ish, then remove from the pan and put on a paper towel-lined plate to drain off the excess oil. I put about 1/8-1/4 cup each diced bell pepper and diced red onion in the same pan and sautéed until softened, then added 2 large eggs and scrambled. Once the eggs were nearly to the doneness I prefer, I added the tortilla strips back in. I plated it with a little cheese and salsa on top. My lazy version eliminates the pepper & onion and heats up homemade salsa in the pan before adding the eggs. Still very good, just different.