Monthly Review: October 2025

Photo by Mitchell Allen

Devil’s Lake, Ten Years Later

Here at this ledge,

this edge of everything, here is

your hand.

You do not mind my grip; you will not let me sleep,

much as my feet fear.

Here we sit beside ourselves as once we were,

all gleaming eyes and nimble limbs.

We leapt from stone to stone;

we climbed like stars, sure

we were immortal.

Time proves us fools (am I a coward too?).

I fear

the long

way

down,

forget the l o n g  l o o k  o u t.

That old horizon calls me from

our youngest memories

when I could dream of drifting leaves

instead

of plunking stones,

those days when love was just one step beyond

but never out of reach.

How young we were,

how unafraid of falling.

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Here's what I read, cooked, and created in the month of October.

What I Read

• The Way of the Wildflower: Gospel Meditations to Unburden Your Anxious Soul, Ruth Chou Simons (★★★★★)--launch team

• In the Unlikely Event, Judy Blume (★★★★)

• The Bletchley Riddle, Ruta Sepetys (★★★★)

• The Man in the Brown Suit, Agatha Christie (★★★)

If you want to hear the rationale behind my rating, head to my Goodreads for full reviews.

What I Cooked

• Best Lemon Zucchini Bread

Difficulty: ★

Flavor: ★★★★

Keeper: Yes

Comments: A light, zesty lemon zucchini bread. I liked that it included less sugar than some other similar recipes.

• Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread

Difficulty: ★

Flavor: ★★★★★

Keeper: Yes

Comments: Deb does it again. This was delicious.

What I Created

• Original essay "Live a Great Story" for Commonplace magazine

• Original recipe Frankenchili

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May your days be filled with beauty, and may your heart be filled with the willingness to see and give thanks for it.

Frankenchili

Ingredients

• 1 pound chuck roast

• 3-4 chipotle chilis in adobo, chopped

• 1 can mild red enchilada sauce

• 4 garlic cloves, minced

• 1 tsp salt

• 2 tsp chili powder

• 1 tsp chipotle chili powder

• 2 tsp cumin

• 1 T smoked paprika

• 1/2-1 tsp red pepper flakes

• 1 poblano pepper, diced

• 1 yellow onion, diced

• 1 can black beans, undrained

• 1 can pinto beans, undrained

• 2 cans Rotel, undrained

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine chipotle chilis with 2 T adobo sauce, enchilada sauce, garlic, salt, chili powder, cumin, paprika, and red pepper. Place chuck roast in the bowl, cover with marinade, and marinade overnight in the refrigerator.

2. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, brown the chuck roast on all sides.

3. In a small saucepan, cook marinade over medium-low heat until slightly reduced.

4. In a crockpot, combine poblano, onion, beans, and Rotel with reduced marinade, then add the chuck roast.

5. Cook on low 6-8 hours or until roast is tender. Shred the roast, test the seasoning level, and continue cooking with the lid off for 30 minutes.

6. Serve with your favorite chili toppings.

The Making of Frankenchili

I am not, by nature, a recipe developer. I scout out the best recipes I can and then stick with them for life. I found my Holy Grail cinnamon roll recipe in 2015 and refuse on principle to sample any others. I stole my chili recipe from my mother-in-law when I married into the family. I rely almost exclusively on a handful of bloggers to round out my weekly dinner plans. But two years of coming in second at my friends’ annual chili cookoff made it clear to me that Rachael Ray and Tieghan Gerard could not get it done.

So I determined to create my own chili recipe, taking my favorite elements from my two runner-up recipes plus elements from a favorite taco recipe, in the hopes of finally securing the coveted title of chili champion. I did not test it. I did not write it down. I did not think I or anybody else would ever want to make it again.

But when my name was announced and the Golden Ladle Trophy was in my hand, I knew I could not let Frankenchili be lost to time. So, with great thanks to Rachael Ray’s Tex-Mex chili and to the poblano chili and chicken tinga tacos from Half Baked Harvest: Super Simple, I present this, the chili of champions. And, because I'm not a food blogger, I'm putting the recipe first.

Monthly Review: September 2025

Learn impermanence,

O frail immortal.

Kiss the dust from whence

you issue and return.

Made as you are of that which fades and withers, bless

the flowers; bless the dying leaves.

Know transience,

O fallen glory, little idol

of the living God who gives

your form and being.

Accept inquietude,

O dying star,

which blazes for the briefest night and is no more.

This dark enshadows that which is to come:

that far unsleeping land beyond

that everlasting summer bloom

that form enduring ever

Run unfainting as the outward earth is wasting.

Bless the coming of the light

Bless that eternal dawn.

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Here's what I read, cooked, and created in the month of September.

What I Read

• Our Mutual Friend, Charles Dickens (★★★★★)

• Tom Lake, Ann Patchett (★★★★★)

• The Hired Girl, Laura Amy Schlitz (★★★★★)

• Surviving Savannah, Patti Callahan Henry (★★)

If you want to hear the rationale behind my rating, head to my Goodreads for full reviews.

What I Cooked

• Crockpot Hamburger Helper

Difficulty: ★★

Flavor: ★★

Keeper: No

Comments: Ugh, this should have been so much better than it was. The taste and look were rather reminiscent of dog food. I want to like it because the method was easy, but it was just not good.

• No-Peek Chicken

Difficulty: ★

Flavor: ★★★

Keeper: Yes

Comments: I wouldn't say this wowed me, but it certainly could not have been easier, and I can see it being a great casserole to contribute to a meal train.

• Orange and Zucchini Olive Oil Cake

Difficulty: ★★

Flavor: ★★★★★

Keeper: Yes

Comments: I love fruity olive oil cakes and good uses for zucchini. Absolutely a win.

What I Created

• The first paragraph of a new essay

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May your days be filled with beauty, and may your heart be filled with the willingness to see and give thanks for it.