November's Six

Image Credits: upper-left and upper-middle tiles via amazon.com (linked below), upper-right tile via tablespoon.com, lower-left and lower-middle tiles via pexels.com, lower-right tile via Tom Rosenthal’s Facebook.

The aim of this series is to corral some favorite things and share them in a short and sweet post. Whether it’s a song, book, recipe, tip, or product, hopefully you will find some inspiration in this list.    

1. If you’re into oil diffusing and Le Labo, then I have a blend recommendation for you. This oil smells really, really close to Le Labo’s Santal 26 (and a relative steal at $27). I absolutely love diffusing it, but I do so in the evenings as it is a heavy, woody, masculine scent.

2. Speaking of dupes, I have a Jennifer Behr knock-off find to share. This pearl headband is cute, and while the quality isn’t anything to write home about, for $8, I am more than satisfied. To keep it from looking too girly or preppy, I pair it with an oversized sweater or tshirt and jeans.

3. I was having a craving for these particular buttery, creamy hashbrown potatoes that my grandma sometimes makes. After searching online, I believe my grandma’s recipe is basically the same as this one. I need to compare notes with her to be sure! Anyways, this old-fashioned and definitely unhealthy recipe is so good and so easy—made it twice in the past 3 weeks. I served it with a heaping pile of greens and chicken in the name of balance.

4. Sharp turn here, but when I started seeing the term “neuromyth” being thrown around, especially in teaching contexts, my interest piqued. Among the many articles out there aimed to debunk these widely-held myths is this one. This excerpt stood out: “The most commonly endorsed myth was ‘individuals learn better when they receive information in their preferred learning style.’” What a relief given the class sizes I have been dealing with!

5. This is a random tidbit, but I would be remiss not to share some great cheeseboard additions now that the holiday season is upon us. All of these items are awesome with cured meats and cheese, and can be found at Trader Joes. Add these to your list: honey pale ale mustard (so good with sharp, dry cheeses), hot and sweet pickled jalapenos, apple cider jam (perfectly sweet contrast to salty or funky cheeses), and dark chocolate and turbinado sugar coated almonds. These extras, in addition to the usual cheeseboard suspects (fresh fruit, charcuterie, cheese, fresh herb garnish, etc), make for a great appetizer.

6. The acoustic version of “All of Them Dreams” by Tom Rosenthal and Rae Morris is simply lovely and has been on repeat during my grading sessions. Listen to it here.

Alison