If you are at a loss for what to procrastinate with this weekend, we’ve got your back with our new weekly post, letting y’all know what we’ve been into this past week. From new blogs to peruse to new makeup to try, we are here to fulfill your scholarly, pop culture, sartorial, etc. wants, needs, and guilty pleasures.

Taneem: I am loving this new blog called Background Checks Required (tagline: The Dating Memoirs of a 20-Something in the South). It details the precariousness of dating post-Tinder, is super witty, infinitely readable, and tells wtf I cannot believe this is true but it is stories, while remaining relatable. As a devoted chick lit fan, I’m so there.

Cindy: I’m digging the motto my friend Katie gave me to assure me that it’s okay to be smart: “You’re not a cunt, you’re a specialist!” Someone put that on a T-shirt.

I’m also digging mushroom soup (not fucking chervil) and sack dresses.

Sonnet: Is anyone else as stoked about the Podcast renaissance the U.S. is experiencing right now?!? When I’m jonesing to hear some U.S. voices, doing housework, or walking the Sava and Danube, I’m getting my Podcast on. My go to podcasts these days are definitely  Call Your Girlfriend, You Must Remember This, and For Colored Nerds.

Friends of mine will tell you that I have terrible taste in reality television shows (I’ve seen every episode of Catfish (boo to Nev’s shitty tweet about #blackgirlmagic this week), Say Yes to the Dress: Atlanta, and my all-time favorite queer show, Sister Wives). So it makes sense that I am religiously watching Real Housewives of Potomac (one word- ballgown).

Last week’s (April 1) “Small batch” conversation on NPR’s Pop Culture Happy Hour with For Colored Nerds’ Brittany Luse and Eric Eddings was about Real Housewives of Potomac and it quite enjoyable.  NOC’s Luse and Edding talked about the show and issues of race, class, and legacy in the relatively small black community in Potomac, Maryland- an upper class community in the suburbs of Washington, DC. It’s a short podcast episode (21 minutes) and definitely worth a listen. I also highly recommend the show for some reality gems sprinkled with poignant and/or problematic social commentary on race, class, and gender. (Btw, if you’re interested in diving into some of the analysis and critiques on RHOP,  The Root, Jezebel, For Colored Nerds are all good places to start).

This week (Episode 45) I was totally feeling the fangirl lovefest on Call Your Girlfriend with Huma Abedin (Hillary Clinton’s righthand woman). Whether you’re #notwithher or #Imwithher, this episode is a gem for folks interested in feminism and women in politics. They also talk about their favorite television shows, what it is like being a Muslim American woman working on the hill, and power bars.

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Finally, as a comic book nerd, I was dying over the convo on Hard NOC Life and Blkboard about Marvel v DC comics and intersectionality. The episode is a lead up to last week’s premiere of Batman v Superman. It starts off a little slow, but then self-proclaimed nerds of color start talking about DC Comics’ diversity initiatives at the box office in comparison to Marvel’s monochromatic films, and the opposite in the comic books. For anyone that loves comics, superheroes, and/or action films, this is a must watch/listen.

Alex: I had a hard week, but I cooked a lot (something I didn’t do at all Jan and Feb when my depression was really bad) on Sunday, which set me up with good meals. …So, what did I dig this week?

BEETS.

I never ate beets growing up–they hadn’t had their renaissance, and I only encountered them pickled, which I didn’t like. But my world changed in spring 2013 when I had whole roasted beets with a berry vinaigrette at a friend’s house. My sister thinks they taste like dirt. I think they taste like dreams.

Here’s how I prepare them, and my top 5 beet pics on Instagram (of mine. This was proposed in our msg thread possibly as a joke, but it was actually tough for me to narrow it down to 5!). For actual (and amazing) food blogging, you should check out friend-of-the-blog Mike Bierschenk’s Optional Kitchen

  • Take off rings, roll up sleeves, preheat oven to 450º
  • Bunch (or two) o’ beets –cut off tops for different delicious dish
  • Peel, with a veggie peeler, into the sink (they bleeeed), then toss peelings into compost/trash
  • With sharp chef’s knife, cut into cubes, 1/2 to 1 inch ish
  • Throw in baking dish with olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder
  • (wash cutting board, sink, and hands)
  • Bake for 30-45 mins, depending on preference–I like mine soft and just a bit shrively! check on them 20 mins in and give a stir.
  • They are delicious to eat just like that, or with just a dash of vinegar/lemon juice.

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  1. [these are chronological] my first ever beet post, October 2013 “they were so freaking good I want to eat them forever”
  2. imageYou can use beet greens/stems anywhere you’d use kale, spinach, etc. You just need to wash each leaf thoroughly, as they are grown in sand. They also are salty already! This was my first time approximating North Star’s Winter Salad, with kale+beet greens base. I also make the greens as a side just sauteeing them with onion and hitting them with brown mustard at the end.image
  3. Nature is gorgeous. Check out the crazy mandala action inside this golden beet! For incredible produce art, wonderful recipes, hilarious self-love, and body positivity, check out Laura Miller at those hyperlinks!image
  4. I made this when I got home from my spring 2014 trip to NOLA, aka one of the best weeks of my life (love you Emma and Ann!) I went to Bacchanal and had small dishes that changed my life, like this one, and a fennel-carrot-smoked trout salad.
  5. imageThis week’s beets. Roasted as above, plus dill, lemon juice, pickled onions, and chevre. Pretty much perfection. In fact, it’s lunchtime right now, and I have one serving left…
    The only problem with beets is the aftermath. Let’s just say they never lose their color. Thanks to Colleen for this great Portlandia sketch that sums it up perfectly!

We all also like Jeff Goldblum. And he likes Fridays:

Have a great weekend! If you participated in #WhateverWednesday/#SartorialScholarsWW, please tweet, instagram, or e-mail (sartorialscholars@gmail.com) your pic(s) to us by Tuesday, April 12!