The Weekly Crumbs

Sparks of joy I found in my daily life. 9.9.24

NEW! Word of the week?

Hi everyone! Last week I polled y’all to see if you would be interested in having me add a word that has been rattling around in my head lately. It was a resounding, yes please!

To catch you up, first, it was ostensibly (apparently or purportedly, but perhaps not actually), then it was luscious (richly verdant or opulent) and this week it is canonical (according to or ordered by canon law).

To understand the word fully, you need to understand the root word, canon (an accepted principle or rule). So, if something is canonical, it means that it is within an accepted principle or rule. For example, I often run into things even when I don’t mean to. So I could say that I’m canonically clumsy. Or, that me always having nail clippers nearby is canonically “Grace”. This all ties back into a few weeks ago when I talked about making Bingo Cards for all of my friends. Because the bingo cards are basically a fun way to talk about what is in your personal cannon. So, what would you put on your “bingo card”? Ex: “always 15 minutes early”, always asking “where’s my chapstick?”, or “takes forever to finish a book”.

Let me give you the freedom to think about your own personal canon/bingo card. I promise, it makes life oh so much more fun.

Meme of the week

On my plate

For maybe the first time ever, we’re using a recipe that I created! Sure, I was inspired by other recipes and ideas out on the internet, but this is all me. Yummy! I will, however, save you from the photo I took of it after the fact. It’s tasty, but not photogenic.

This recipe is for a high-protein breakfast frittata. I had been making scrambles for myself every morning and it was fun, but it was also time-consuming. Plus, every morning I had to re-do the math to make sure I was getting enough protein, fiber, etc. So this frittata takes all the guesswork out of breakfast, it reheats so quickly in the microwave or air fryer, and it freezes beautifully.

Ingredients + materials (for 6 servings)

• 12 eggs

• one bag of frozen mixed veggies (your choice, I chose mushrooms, asparagus, red pepper, and onion.)

• 1 ½ cups low-fat cottage cheese

• Salt and pepper, to taste

• 6 Morningstar veggie sausage patties (or other sausage of your choosing.)

• Any extra veggies you have lying around that you want to include (suggest spinach, onion, carrot, or others similar.)

• 9×13 baking dish

• Cooking spray/oil

• OPTIONAL: Food processor/immersion blender

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

2. Use oil or cooking spray to grease the 9×13 baking dish.

3. While you prep the egg mixture, prepare the sausage according to package directions (I do the air fryer) and set aside.

4. Crack all 12 eggs into a bowl.

5. Add the cottage cheese into the bowl with the eggs.

6. Add salt and pepper.

7. If using an immersion blender or food processor, process the eggs and cottage cheese until they are blended smoothly. If not using one of those tools, beat the egg and cottage cheese mixture with a fork or whisk until smooth to your liking.

8. Pour veggies into the egg and cheese mixture and stir to combine.

9. Add salt and pepper again. Add any other seasonings you desire at this point, too.

10. Pour egg, cheese, and veggie mixture into the baking dish.

11. Break up the sausage into approximate quarters.

12. Place sausage patties evenly on top of the egg and cheese mixture so that each slice gets approximately the same amount of sausage.

13. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Check consistency, and add back in for 5 additional minutes if needed.

14. Cut into 6 slices. Let cool before refrigerating or freezing.

Notes

• Will last in the refrigerator for 4 days.

• When freezing, cool completely and freeze in an air-tight container or bag.

• If reheating from frozen, microwave for a few minutes to defrost, then place in oven or air fryer for up to 10 minutes at 350 degrees F. 10 minutes will make it really crispy!

Enjoy!

On my big screen

I think I’ve talked about Dropout TV before here. But in case I haven’t, College Humor rebranded to Dropout TV in 2023. They describe themselves as “Independent, ad-free, uncensored comedy.” Now, reader, if you’re worried that it is NSFW, only some of the things are. I’d say this is definitely not safe for tiny ears, but it’s a good time for adults with a certain comedic sense. Any other Jake and Amir lovers out there….? I had a BIG phase where I listened to their entire podcast last year. It was dark. Hilarious, but such a weird phase. Imagine the entire car ride from Colorado to Idaho listening to Jake and Amir from 2018. Yep…. it was something. Even though Jake and Amir aren’t on Dropout TV anymore, they are what got me into the College Humor universe (plus Caleb has been a fan forever!) that eventually led me to Dropout TV.

We’ve been binging “Make Some Noise”, a game show where talented contestants and comedians compete to bring to life silly prompts (3 seasons), and “Game Changer”, the game show where there's a new, surprise premise every episode, (6 seasons). We’re also anxiously awaiting the return of “Very Important People” for season 2, where comedians are given makeovers to be transformed into someone completely new, and then have a fully-improvised interview with host Vic Michaelis.

You really can’t go wrong with anything on Dropout TV! Caleb is a big Dimension 20 fan (for all the D&D lovers) and it is $5.99 monthly or $59.99 yearly, so it’s pretty comparable to other streaming platforms. It has the Bur-Leonard household stamp of approval!

On my phone

I’ve been working hard to create a No Crumbs Allowed Instagram account up and running! You can follow me there at @no.crumbs.allowed 🙂 It’s been a fun outlet so far, just another way for me to work those creative muscles and try to share this goodness with others. Give it some love if you feel like it!

In my earbuds

No earbud talk this week! I’ve actively been trying NOT to listen to podcasts, especially on my walks. The magical power of feeling completely unplugged and my senses not being doubly, sometimes triple-y stimulated all at once? Truly unmatched. Super inspired by Anna Seirian (who is ½ of the blog Internet People), who was dropping these truth bombs all last week:

If you like anything that Anna is saying, you’ll definitely like subscribing to Internet People!

On my bookshelf

OMG!!!!!! You know when a romance book is a slow burn? Well, in the fantasy novel series I’ve been reading, the Farseer Trilogy by Robin Hodd, the first book and a half were such a slog. So. Much. World. Building! It actually took me multiple weeks to finish the first book (yikes) and I was hesitant to even start the second one. But about 40% of the way through the second book it started to get daym good. So I finished it last week (remember, I said I would and I DID!✅) Then I started the third and final book in this trilogy, and ahhhhhhhhhhh I’ve been stuck in the Farseer world and I don’t want to leave. The LORE. The WORLD BUILDING. The CHARACTERS. I get it, guys. I GET IT!!! Lucky for me, she has quite a few other books that are in the same universe so I cannottt waitttt.

Once I finish that book this week, I’ll be getting into this month’s book club book, The Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley! It’s not too late to sign up for the book club—all the info can be found here if you’re curious or want to RSVP.

In my head

I have been thinking nonstop about my Halloween costume for this year. You see, I’m not really a “Halloween” person. The movies don’t get me, I’m already an anxious person so I don’t need the world to be full of creepy scary stuff more than it already is, I feel weird about wasting money dressing up for one night, and honestly, for the longest time, Caleb and I have lived far away from most people who would give us any reason to dress up for Halloween. But a friend of mine this year invited me to a big party her work is hosting, and apparently, if you win the costume contest there is a huge prize. And I don’t even know what the prize is, but I WANT IT.

So I’ve begun brainstorming what I think the absolute best costume could be. And I started out going really funny and obscure, and now I’m heading towards just dang fun. Because it doesn’t actually matter if I win. I just want to have fun with my friends (and get at least one compliment on my costume!)

In my cart

Well well well. Not to get ahead of myself, I’ve been pretty good with not immediately purchasing things when I see them. Instead, I’ve been adding them to my Pinterest Wish List so I can come back to them easily and then look at them and say, huh, did I actually want that thing? But of course, this is Prime Week or whatever, so we must STEEL OURSELVES FROM THE OVERCONSUMERISM! (C’mon, Jeff, Get ‘em! —Bo Burnham’s song “Bezos” from Inside, 2021.) I must implore you to spend 58 seconds with this clip. Please.

This week I added a winter coat because sadly I’ve outgrown the amazing down jacket that Caleb got me back in college and I’m nearly grown out of the fantastic Arcteryx jacket that was a double hand-me-down (I love that thing so much, I will be super sad to see it go, but after 7+ years of being washed and dried, it’s coming to the end of its life.) And now that we no longer live in the middle of a frozen tundra (Ah, Minnesota!) I don’t need such a heavy jacket. Right now I’m leaning toward this one (likely in black, not this gorgeous tan) from Land’s End.

I’ve also got my eyes on this pair of sneakers from Rothy’s. (Talk about a brand that never goes on sale… sad face.) We’re obsessed with their sleek lines and the practicality of them being machine washable. Just waiting for them to restock… any day now, Rothy’s, I know you’re reading!!

Now, I’ve ordered from Rothy’s twice before to try out their mary jane style shoes (raise your hand if you were also personally victimized by the mary jane trend of the past year.) Sadly they just didn’t fit right and I realized, as much as I want to pin the cutest outfits to my Pinterest board that include Sezanne sweaters and mary jane flats, that just isn’t what I actually want to wear day to day! I need comfort! In fact, Sezanne sweaters are far too itchy for my sensitive skin, so there’s that, too. But, if anyone knows of a good dupe for the Sezanne Emile sweater, pleaseeeee help a girl out. I’m obsessed with that gorgeous cherry red right now.

Lastly, I’ve had my eyes on this pair of pants from Backcountry for two months. I’m just waiting, no, begging, for them to have a sale so I can snatch them up (they’re not even that expensive, I just really don’t want to pay full price because I’m stubborn (and dangit, I am proving to myself that I’m good with money and can wait for things!)) I am still a huge lover of the Outdoor Voices Rec Trek pants, but they are just a little too mid-rise for me and my long torso. So I thought these might be a good option? With the bonus that they have the soft waistband for ultimate comfort. We shall see.

Quite obviously, I’m stressed about what people wear in the fall. Is it cute? Is it comfy? Can it be both, or neither? Please send help.

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Thanks for spending some virtual time with me today, reader! Please drop me a comment or reply to this email if you have any questions for me, are also struggling with what the heck people wear in the winter/fall, or if you have halloween costume ideas or want me to help you brainstorm. I’m here for ya. 🙂 

Love you, mean it.

Grace