#10 - Watch 3 Movies From the AFI Top 100 List

1. Sunset Blvd

1/15/21

This film was interesting. I don't get why the AFI would put it in their Top 100. But like, worth a watch.

2. Citizen Kane

3/2/21

I did not get it. Basically just a journalist learning the life story of an old, rich, white man, which was a super basic, boring old, rich, white man trying to buy and possess so many, many things, including women and things that can't be bought, like a passion for one's work. And like... he owned the thing he supposedly yearned for after all that time? Boring.

3. Casablanca

4/25/21

I get why people like Casablanca. The story, the characters, and the setting are all compelling. The ending is so well done. So I liked it. I didn't love it. Maybe it's because I expected to see some beautiful scenery, knowing Casablanca is likely an incredibly beautiful city. But I'm glad I've now seen it, so that I have context for the so very, very many references from this film that I've heard throughout my life. 

#25 - Make 3 New Breads

1 - Bagels

January 2021

I love bagels. So much. But they have always stuck in my mind as something impossible to make at home. I don't know where I got this idea. 

I saw a post from a friend of some bagels he had made. He's also a great cook, so I still assumed bagels were beyond my reach.

Then I came across a video on Serious Eats about how to make bagels. I knew I wouldn't be able to do it, but the video was only 4 minutes, so I gave it a watch. 

Um, y'all... bagels are kinda... easy. Great bagels are tough, but good bagels are within reach of anyone with a food processor and some basic cooking gear. 

I don't have a food processor, but for several months in 2020, I was staying with my parents, and they have one. 

The toughest part about making the bagels was finding barley malt syrup. It's just not an ingredient easy to find at regular grocery stores. I was able to find some online, and it definitely made a difference, both in giving a lovely thin crust and in getting toppings to stick. 

The second toughest part was getting the dough to be the right texture. The recipe I found said it should only take 90 seconds or so in a food processor to achieve the right texture, but I found I needed longer than that. Much longer. I never quite got the full stretchiness I wanted, but in both attempts, I gave up, and my bagels were decent.

The first day they were great. The second day, they started to do that shrivel things bagels do, but that makes sense, giving they had no preservatives. I am so stoked that I can make bagels at home. SO DELICOUS.

2 - Crusty White No-Knead White Bread

3/20/21

This was shockingly easy and turned out quite good. I should have let it rise a bit longer, but it had a delightful crust, and I can't wait to make it again. Here's the recipe via Serious Eats.

3 - Irish Soda Bread

3/20/21

Well, this was likely the easiest bread I've made and right up there with the best I've tried so far. Such a tasty side with butter! Again, much love to Serious Eats!

Fails:

2/15/21

For some reason, this foccacia did not work. At all. But it was still tasty.