I’m back. There is lots of news, and some of it is good! I remain disappointed in many of our “leaders” and their pi*s-poor choices. I am encouraged to see progressive and centrist politicians in Texas.  I remember the glory days of Ann Richards and Barbara Jordan. We can’t go back, but we can aspire to reach heights rather than sink to the lowest common denominator.   The Olympics have been amazing, an antidote to the politics at home. Epstein to the current president is like Monica was to Clinton: inescapable. Don’t forget to support public radio and television. We all need them, especially those of us who live in more rural regions. I am craving Krispy Kreme but the nearest ones are in Pearland or Humble. Sigh. Turn back the clock to 2022, please. Only 1,064 more days.

Kintsugi  2/20/26

 

 

What is the most important thing you can do to be happier? Ask Dr. Laurie Santos at Yale. I took one of her classes on the science of happiness and learned plenty. Laurie Santos teaches “The Science of Well-Being,” the most popular class on Yale’s campus, and hosts “The Happiness Lab,” a podcast that dives into the science of what makes people happier.  (The video below is very long.)

 

 

Isn’t it a shame that we have to have curated lists of “black” movies and shows? Maybe Netflix thinks it is doing us a favor? I also noticed the other day that Books-A-Million has a “black” books section. Since when is Toni Morrison relegated to the limited “black” bookshelf?! Octavia Butler?! Tomi Adeyemi?!

 

Your score is your business.

 

 

I am making quick spaghetti with meat sauce for dinner. Here’s my recipe for 4 servings:

• Cook the spaghetti until it is al dente, or however you like it. Rinse it and set it aside.
• Brown 1 pound of ground meat, beef, turkey, chicken, Italian sausage, or some combination in a saucepan. (My personal favorite is 1/3 turkey, 1/3 beef, 1/3 Italian sausage) Break up into small pieces. Use a fork or a potato masher if you like.
• Prep some veggies:
  • 1 rib of celery, chopped finely
  • 1/4 of a small onion, yellow or white, chopped finely
  • 1/2 of a small bell pepper, chopped finely
  • 1 carrot, peeled and chopped very finely
• Add the celery, onion, bell pepper, and carrot to the meat. Cook for another 2-3 minutes, until the onion is wilted.
• Take one jar of your favorite marinara sauce. (Mine is Rao’s.) Add sauce to the pot with the cooked meat.
•  Add to the sauce and meat:
  • 1/2 cup vodka
  • 1 small can of fire-roasted tomatoes
  • 2 good squirts of garlic paste or roasted garlic paste, about 2 – 3 Tbs
  • a big pinch of dried Mexican oregano
• Put the garlic bread in the oven at about 350F. Follow the package directions, except for the temperature.
• Stir gently now and then while cooking the meat sauce on low heat. Let it simmer for maybe 20 minutes while you sit down and take a breath. If it is making a mess on the stove, turn the heat down and put a lid on the pot, canted slightly to let some of the steam escape.
• Get someone to set the table while you check the bread and raise the temperature to 400F if you want to eat soon.
• Put the drained spaghetti in a bowl, pour the sauce over it, put the cheese on the table,  take the bread out of the oven, and call everyone to dinner.

 

 

 

Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., writing for six members of the court, rejected Mr. Trump’s signature tariffs program. 

 

 

I love, love, love oysters, but the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a warning for oysters sold in 10 states after reports of illness, the agency announced Wednesday. The shellfish may be contaminated with norovirus, a virus that can cause severe stomach symptoms, including nausea and vomiting. Texas is not on the list.

 

Do you still get snail mail? Is it mostly junk?  Would you like it to stop? Here’s how.

 

Alysa Liu radiates joy as an Olympic champion. 

 

 

 

Recent books I really liked 

Black in Blues – Imani Perry

Good Dirt – Charmaine Wilkerson

The Look – Michelle Obama

American Soul: The Black History of Food in the United States – Anela Malik and Renae Wilson

Happy Land – Dolen Perkins-Valdez

A Dream Deferred – Abby Phillip

Still We Rise: A Love Letter to the Southern Biscuit with Over 70 Sweet and Savory Recipes – Erika Council

Cursed Daughters –Oyinkan Braithwaite

When No One is Watching – Alyssa Cole 

When Southern Women Cook: History, Lore, and 300 Recipes with Contributions from 70 Women Writers – America’s Test Kitchen

Praisesong for the Kitchen Ghosts: Stories and Recipes from Five Generations of Black Country Cooks – Crystal Wilkinson

 

 

 

Computer down. Replacement on the way. Too many appointments to get to everything. Will catch up soon.  Yesterday was National Pancake Day. I hope you celebrated.  RIP, Rev. Jesse Jackson. Support NPR  and PBS. They are more important than ever.   How many more days?  1,066.   

Wild Cooking Woman  2/18/26

 

Lemon Butter Chicken Breasts

Ingredients
6 medium boneless skinless chicken breast halves (11/2 lb.)
½ cup all-purpose flour
½ tsp. salt
2 tsp. lemon pepper seasoning
⅓ cup butter  
2 lemons, sliced
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
Hot cooked rice or pilaf (optional)

Directions
Step 1: Prep Chicken – Place each chicken breast half between two pieces of plastic wrap. Pound lightly into a rectangle about1/4 to 1/8 inch thick. Remove plastic wrap. In a shallow bowl, combine the flour, salt. and lemon pepper. Coat chicken breasts with flour mixture.

Step 2: Cook and Serve – In a 12-inch skillet cook the chicken breasts in the hot butter, half at a time, over medium-high heat for about 3 minutes on each side or until brown and no longer pink. Remove chicken from skillet. Add lemon slices to skillet; cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until lightly browned, turning once. Return all of the chicken to the skillet, overlapping chicken breasts slightly. Drizzle lemon juice overthe chicken breasts. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes more or until pan juices are slightly reduced. Serve
chicken, lemon slices, and pan juices over hot cooked rice or pilaf, if desired. Makes 6 servings.

Note: This recipe is from Better Homes and Gardens and is a bit different from Ina Garten’s. Use hers if you like garlic, and BHG’s version if you don’t.

 

 

 

According to Time.com, the current president’s support among young people has cratered over the last year, according to several recent polls—the drop among young men has been particularly stark. 

 

 

A recall is underway for peanut butter sold in 40 states, according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). 

 

In the 1950s, the idea that the ocean floor was not flat was radical.  Tharp’s hand-drawn maps eventually revealed that the ocean floor was covered in canyons, ridges, and mountains, which suggested that pieces of the Earth had moved.  At first, her findings were dismissed as girl talk. Tharp eventually received recognition. In 1978, the National Geographic Society awarded Tharp and Heezen (posthumously) the highly prestigious Hubbard Medal. And, in 1997, the Library of Congress named her one of the greatest cartographers of the 20th century. (more)

 

 

According to The New Yorker, the Homeland Security agency responsible for processing visas and green cards has become a site for easy arrests. 

 

This month, the Gilder Lehrman Institute is pleased to offer teachers a copy of American Antislavery Writings: Colonial Beginnings to Emancipation. The works encompass autobiography, fiction, children’s literature, poetry, and oratory written by well-known and unrecognized figures in American history, from a petition by four Mennonites in 1688 to the Thirteenth Amendment in 1865.  This offer is LIMITED TO 5000 copies and will only remain open while supplies last.   Visit this page to claim this month’s offer.

 

 

 

What should you do about diabetic peripheral neuropathy? I’m no doctor and not giving medical advice, but these common-sense suggestions work for me. 

 

 

The Rev. Jesse Jackson, the civil rights leader and two-time Democratic presidential candidate, died yesterday at age 84 after battling progressive supranuclear palsy(PSP), his family announced.  PSP is a rare neurodegenerative disease similar to Parkinson’s that affects an estimated five people per 100,000 worldwide. (more)

 

 

Ramadan begins today in Saudi Arabia, with many other Muslim-majority countries following the kingdom’s lead; nearly 2 billion Muslims begin the month of fasting after sighting the crescent moon (More)  Here are 26 nourishing iftar dishes to break the fast this Ramadan. 

 

Here are a few resources for teaching or learning accurately about American history:

• Zinn Education Project  
• Word in Black
• OER Commons
• C-Span Classroom
• PBS Learning Media
• Crash Course   (YouTube videos)
• Library of Congress: American Memory
• Digital Inquiry Group  
• Smithsonian National Museum of American History
• Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History
• OpenStax – US History

 

A long-time friend reminded me of Barbara Neely’s Blanche White books yesterday. Here they are, in order. I highly recommend them.

1 Blanche on the Lam    1992
2 Blanche Among the Talented Tenth    1994
3 Blanche Cleans Up    1998
4 Blanche Passes Go   2000

Barbara Neely is a highly acclaimed author best known for her mystery and thriller novels. She has received numerous awards for her work, including the Anthony Award in 1993, the Agatha Award in 1992, and the Macavity Award in 1993. Neely’s debut novel, “Blanche on the Lam,” which introduced the world to her heroine Blanche White, won three of the four major mystery awards. (more)

 

On My Reading Table (or about to be)

• The Harvey Girl – Dana Stabenow
• The Last Mandarin: A Novel – Louise Penny & Melissa Fung
• Stolen in Death – J D Robb
• Dog Show: Poems – Billy Collins
• The Goblin in the Sink Drain – Hailey Edwards
• When No One is Watching – Alyssa Cole
• A Glimmer of Death – Laurell K Hamilton
• Murder in the Trembling Lands – Barbara Hambly

 

This is from An Elegy for My Washington Post by Carlos Lozado.

The Seven Principles for the Conduct of a Newspaper

 

 

 

 

 

Key Dates for the 2025 Tax Year (Filed in 2026)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Do you have someone in your life who lives alone or far away?  Are you going on vacation because you need a break from caregiving? (yes) Here are some free ways to help check on them while you’re away:

• https://buddyhelp.org/     Offers free emotional support through volunteer listeners and also provides access to professional online therapy.
• https://www.snugsafe.com/    A free app that sends daily check-in reminders. If you don’t respond, your emergency contacts are notified.
• https://checkinbee.com/     Sends daily text messages asking for a simple reply. If no response, designated contacts are notified.