Fall time is here! Does anyone say “autumn” anymore? I kind of wish we did because it’s a much lovelier term. In August we had many days that felt like the new season had arrived and I was wingeing because I wasn’t ready.
On a side note, I just Googled the term “wingeing” because I wasn’t sure if it was spelled right. It also felt a little strange and I wasn’t sure why. Google reminded me it’s because it’s a slang term that is used more in Australia (where I lived for 3 years). Sometimes little things like that just become a part of you!
Now that we’re at the end of September, I’m ready to welcome the slightly cooler air, shorter days, and long sleeve shirts. Iced coffee is seeing its final days and I’m beginning to dream of warm drinks in the evenings curled around the fire. Over the next few days, one of my tasks is to pull out my tiny collection of fall decorations.
Alas, it is time to hand you my offerings for the week and let you take what you like and leave the rest behind.
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Here is a great resource on composition with Wynn-Anne Rossi. The YouTube playlist features 14 episodes! (Alfred Music Piano)
2
I just finished a wonderful book by Canadian chef/author Laura Calder called “The Inviting Life.” It’s about home-keeping, entertaining, etc. so at one point she mentions the website Debretts. It feels so posh! LOL. I’m following them on Instagram now for fun.
3
The Internet Can’t Decide Whether This Hard-Boiled Egg Instant Pot Hack is Brilliant or Terrifying (The Kitchn)
Looks kind of gross to me, but it does make sense. Who cares what it looks like if you’re planning to just chop the eggs for salads, etc?
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My Favourite Podcasts for Music Teachers (Colourful Keys)
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Target’s New Fall Collection. I’m hoping to get #8 – the artificial arrangement in a ceramic pot. It’s a great color! (The Kitchn)
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A video of a primer level ensemble. How cute are they in their matching purple?! (Faber)
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Wow, this photographer has captured what our world might actually look like when we remove our devices. Great art. (Qz.com)
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If you’ve never used the Piano Explorer Magazine in your studio, you should! It’s a great resource for teaching students about composers, piano lessons in general, highlighting student compositions and practice efforts (with the 100+ day practice challenge), and more.
There are puzzles and quizzes and short, easily digestible articles. Plus, the subscription is really cheap!
If you want to use it for your lab time, then get the corresponding Music Lab Sheet so students are more reflective/interactive as they work their way through the magazine.
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A YouTube playlist of music by Dennis Alexander. (Alfred Music Piano)
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What I made these past couple weeks:
Grape, Avocado and Arugula Salad (Gimme Some Oven)
Oh my goodness, we LOVE this salad. In general, I actually prefer arugula over salad greens as it has a lot sturdier texture. The mild peppery taste is also wonderful.
I used pickled red onions (which I prefer over raw), feta instead of goat cheese (because that’s what I had), and no avocado (simply because I did not have one).
Also, I didn’t even end up making the dressing this time, I simply drizzled a little olive oil on top and relied on some of the vinegar from the pickled red onions and it was wonderful!
The rest of the recipes I made were from Milk Street Magazine since I’ve been playing catch-up on all my back issues.
Australian Oat-Coconut Cookies (Anzac Biscuits)
The orange zest was a great addition to the original cookie (or “bikkie” as they would say in Oz!).
Yum. This will be a new seafood stable in our house. P.S. I skipped the cayenne pepper entirely.
Chinese Chili and Scallion Noodles
We loved this and had it alongside the Miso Salmon, but it did seem like the liquid mixture the noodles were tossed in was a little too much. Next time I’m going to try doing a half recipe of the liquid mixture. I also only used half the amount of red pepper flakes and it was still a tiny bit spicier than we like.
Roasted Cauliflower with Tahini and Lemon
We absolutely loved this. It was unique as well as a very simple way to prepare a vegetable! I skipped the drizzle, and it was still yum.
Creamy Cajun Maque Choux without the Cream
Again, we loved this because it was a simple preparation for lots of vegetables. I doubled the sausage and the balance was still nice.
Do you have a recipe you made this week that was a winner? Link to it in the comments!
