A Spicy Hodgepodge

A hodgepodge is a jumble or assortment of things that might not appear to belong together. Joyce at From This Side of the Pond hosts a weekly link-up called Wednesday Hodgepodge that is a little collection of questions for bloggers to answer just for fun and to get to know each other. I always look forward to chatting with friends over coffee, so pour a cup of your favorite and let's visit for a few minutes!

Here are this week's questions - and my answers - for this week's Wednesday Hodgepodge.

1.  June 10th is National Herbs and Spices Day. Besides salt and pepper what herb or spice container to you reach for most often? Is there a spice you truly dislike? What's a recent dish you made that called for more than salt and pepper?

 

I think I probably use the Old Bay most often. Or could be basil or oregano. I use those all the time, and frequently use paprika and garlic powder. I can't think of any spice flavor that I genuinely dislike, although I may be reminded of them when I start reading other answers! Let's see, I recently made Chicken Florentine, which I season liberally with basil, oregano, and thyme. 

2. It's been said 'variety is the spice of life' . . . in what way is this true for you? Elaborate.

I certainly have a lot of routines and things I do regularly, but I also get impatient with the same old same old. I get bored if things are too repetitive and like to switch things up. So I may do my nails every Saturday, but I almost never do the same nail colors two weeks in a row. I have my go-to recipes but I don't like getting into a rut of having the same meal every Thursday. I like to have lots of coffees to choose from, several options for snacks, a wide variety of music to listen to and books to read, and I like to try a different route to a familiar place every once in awhile. 

 3. What's something in your life that adds 'spice' (excitement, intensity) even if it also comes with challenge or unpredictability?

 It's hard to think of much in my life that is spicy or exciting at the moment. Haha. I guess there's a challenge and unpredictability factor to chorus. There's new things to learn and we're always stretching ourselves to be better and add excitement to our performance. I am helping with the annual show this year and that is a big challenge and something totally new for me, so I anticipate it adding spice to my life in the days ahead.

4. If you could instantly master one skill or hobby, what would it be and why?

 Playing another instrument. My first choice would be guitar. I'd love to just instantly be able to play well and confidently. I also have a vintage dulcimer that I intend to learn how to play, and it would save me a lot of time and trouble if I could just magically master it in an instant!

5.  We're halfway through the year . . . what's one book, movie, or activity you've loved this year that you'd recommend to others?

 

 Well, hmmm. I don't watch many movies, so I guess I'll recommend a book. One I finished recently, despite it being on my shelf for a very long time. Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn is a thriller, but with a lot of humour. One of the review lines in the blurb says it's like Golden Girls meets James Bond, which I'd say was pretty accurate. The premise is that four sixty-something women retire from active service as professional assassins and realize they are are now on the organization's kill list. They have to work together to stay ahead of those who are targeting them, find out why they are being targeted, and come up with a plan to kill or be killed. I found it very enjoyable, and this is one of my favorite authors. (Warnings: Not gory, but obviously there's violence, and there is a fair amount of 'colorful' language)

 

6. Insert your own random thought here.

As you might be able to tell from the graphic for the book, I'm doing the 52 Book Club Challenge again this year (even though I never get to 52 books any more!), and I'm doing the additional Connections Challenge. Well, some do an additional number of books for the mini-challenges, but not me. This is technically a mini-challenge for the summer, but I thought it looked interesting and will just work my way through it without worrying about finishing by the end of summer. I think I'll probably go till the end of the year and see how far I get through the prompts.

The Wednesday Quotes link-up theme is Summer Fun, and you can find it here to join in with your thoughts and quotes on the topic: WQ - Summer Fun.

 

 

What's adding spice to your life these days? Leave a comment and let me know!

I'm sharing in this week's Wednesday Hodgepodge at From This Side of the Pond.

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