Monthly Review: July

Although the calendar says differently, in my mind, when July ends, so does summer. July means road trips and relaxation, while August is too full of the anticipation of the upcoming school year to truly feel like summer vacation.

This last month, we took our annual vacation to upstate New York to spend time with my grandparents, a trip which also allowed us to see one of my best friends and her husband in Michigan as well as my husband's grandparents in Vermont. It was precisely the time of rest I needed, and I'm so grateful for the memories made with the ones I love.

Because we were gone for two and a half weeks, this month looked a little different for me in terms of my recipe testing, but I did finally have time to read for fun in addition to the reading I'm doing for school. Throughout July, here's what I read, cooked, and created.

What I Read

• I Will Judge You by Your Bookshelf, Grant Snider (★★★★★)

• The Epic of Gilgamesh, unknown (★)

• Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe (★★★★)

• Love and War, Melissa de la Cruz (★★★)

• All for One, Melissa de la Cruz (★★★★)

• No One Is Coming to Save Us, Stephanie Powell Watts (★★★)

• The Penderwicks, Jeanne Birdsall (★★★★★) –– reread

• The Ice Cream Queen of Orchard Street, Susan Jane Gilman (★★★★★)

• Pride, Ibi Zoboi (★★★)

• Girl Gone Viral, Alisha Rai (★★)

• The Rest of the Story, Sarah Dessen (★★)

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

What I Cooked

• Shakshuka

I have a confession to make: I don't enjoy eating eggs. Unless they are in an omelette or a quiche of some kind, I avoid them at all costs. But I've seen shakshuka on Instagram enough times to be curious, and this seemed like a relatively simple recipe (some shakshuka recipes are quite . . . involved). My hunch was correct––the shakshuka was incredibly flavorful. I accidentally overcooked the eggs because I couldn't tell whether they were set all the way (my bad), and Mitchell wasn't a huge fan because he doesn't particularly like cooked tomatoes, but other than that, I think it went pretty well.

• Greek Salad

I was tasked with bringing salads to a family gathering on the 4th, and I wanted a salad that was unique without being too weird. This salad fit the bill. It tasted great, and I think everyone else thought so as well.

• Chipotle Cheddar Corn Chowder

It's basically a rule at this point that I have to try at least one Half Baked Harvest recipe a month, and this soup was the candidate for this month. She includes directions for stovetop, crockpot, and Instant Pot, and since I needed to feed four people on a night I had to work and I don't believe in Instant Pots, I went with the crockpot. I used frozen corn instead of fresh and accidentally forgot to blend the soup as directed, but I don't think it mattered––it turned out great. The chipotle flavor was surprisingly delicate, so if you're wary of spicy food, don't worry: it won't be too intense. Since I do like chipotle peppers, I might add a third when I make it again (and I will be making it again). I served it with these muffins (minus the corn; I thought it would be a little too much corn to have it in both the soup and the muffins), and it made for a delicious summer meal.

• French Toast

Although I'm not a big French toast girl (because, you know, eggs), I had a lot of extra eggs to use up as well as a loaf of bread, so I decided to do French toast for our Sunday morning breakfast last week. This classic recipe includes an unconventional ingredient in the mix: flour. It did not make enough mix for a full loaf as stated in the recipe; I think I ended up with a total of seven pieces of French toast, which was more than enough for the two of us. I found that the addition of the flour made the final product taste less eggy, but it was quite sweet. If I find myself in need of French toast in the future, I would use this recipe again, but I would halve the sugar. That's what syrup is for.

What I Created

• Unpublished original poem "Benediction for the Pharisees"

• Poem "Rain at Nana's"

This will be a real month of transition for us, with some joyful celebrations and some difficult endings. In August, I'll be leaving the part-time job I've been working this last year, training for my new teaching job (which, thankfully, is virtual, allowing me to bypass the craziness of reopening schools), and finishing up my last grad class for this year before taking a semester off to acclimate to my new schedule. Additionally, my parents will be closing on their house and moving to their new ministry, and both Mitchell and I will be celebrating our 24th birthdays, which are five days apart. Amidst these transitions, my hope is that I will be able to savor both the bitter and the sweet, tasting God's goodness to me in both.