Things I learn from a crossword puzzle

Here are some things I learned from the New York Times crossword puzzle (which you can find online from the Seattle Times if you don't have a NYT subscription) for Friday, December 2, 2022:

• Poor Courteney Cox was the only Friends star who never got an Emmy award;
• "Life hacks" include using frozen grapes as ice cubes (so your drink doesn't get watered down) and binder clips as cable organizers, even if "hacks" is a hackneyed word;
• "Codswallop" is a great synonym for "rubbish," as in "the opposing party's argument to the contrary is codswallop"; and
• Onyx is a type of "chalcedony," which unfortunately didn't help me understand what "chalcedony" means but spurred me to look it up at Merriam-Webster online: "a translucent variety of quartz of various colors and waxy luster."

And one thing I knew before doing the puzzle but was glad to be reminded of is that Aldo Leopold advocated "thinking like a mountain" in his seminal essay of that name in A Sand County Almanac.

 

FYI if you want to build your puzzling skills: Brad and I do the Friday and Saturday* New York Times and Newsday crossword puzzles every weekend and there is no comparison—the Newsday puzzles, especially the "Saturday Stumper," are consistently more difficult, clever, and fun than the puzzles in the NYT, despite the latter's lofty reputation. The NYT does, however, have a good primer on how to solve crossword puzzles.

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*The other days' puzzles are not up to our skill level. 😎

 

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You just never know where you'll find some food inspiration. I recently read The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green, his entertaining book of "reviews" of a very odd collection of stuff, including "You'll Never Walk Alone" (he's a Liverpool FC fan) and Scratch 'n' Sniff Stickers. (In the spirit of the book, I give it 4 stars, out of five.) In the book, he mentions two memoir-ish books by his "friend and mentor" Amy Krouse Rosenthal: Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life and Textbook Amy Krouse Rosenthal. I checked both of them out at the library, and read and enjoyed them both (4 stars for the former, 3.5 for the latter). In Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life, Rosenthal describes a simple method for making “[u]nusual and delicious croutons … by using corn bread in place of French or sourdough.” That sounded intriguing, so I gave it a shot. These are indeed some delicious croutons, which make a good change of pace from the standard cornbread that accompanies chili, for example. They’re definitely softer and crumblier than croutons made with regular bread so you have to treat them gently, but I think they’re worth the small amount of added effort.

Cornbread Croutons

Inspired by Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life: Volume One (2005) by Amy Krouse Rosenthal

Time: ~30 minutes total

 

These cornbread croutons are perfect with chili and also go well with Butternut Squash and Red Lentil Soup, especially if you season them with za'atar. 

1 (preferably day-old) loaf of cornbread, homemade, store-bought, or from a mix

2 to 3 tablespoons (~35 grams) olive oil

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper /and or other seasoning such as za'atar (see note)

    1. Cut the cornbread into 1-inch cubes. Let sit out for a few hours.

    2. When you're ready to bake the croutons, place a rack in the center of the oven; heat to 375 degrees.

    3. Place the cornbread cubes in a large bowl. Drizzle with the olive oil. Season with a few pinches of salt and whatever other seasoning you're using. Toss very gently (cornbread is much crumblier than the stale bread you use to make regular croutons). Spread the croutons evenly across a 13-by-18-inch half-sheet baking pan.

    4. Bake until the cubes are golden brown, about 15 to 18 minutes, tossing once halfway through the cooking time. Let the croutons cool completely for maximum crispiness, though they'll never be as crispy as regular croutons.