Micah's Read of the Week, Vol. 111
Headlines of the week, twins marrying twins, debt forgiveness and home-buying power, New Yorker Cartoon of the Week, Recipe Corner, and more.
Hello, and welcome to Micah’s Read of the Week. Travel woes delayed this week’s edition. Apologies.
This is a newsletter filled with things Micah Wiener finds interesting. Check out the archive of previous newsletters here.
Headline of the Week, Pt. 1
Toddler takes this creepy doll everywhere. The internet is swooning.
Brittany Beard figured people might be surprised or frightened by the doll, but the last thing she expected was for strangers to gush over it.
Here’s a wholesome, totally creepy story.
Brittany Beard was not expecting this when she took her daughters to the Spirit Halloween store.
She brought her two girls — Briar Rose, 3, and Belle, 8 — to get some inspiration for costumes and decorations for the upcoming holiday.
She had her sights set on a demonic-looking doll. Once she locked eyes with the “Creepy Baby Doll,” she decided she wanted it to be hers.
“I have to have it, Mommy,” Briar begged her mother, who tried to redirect her daughter to toys that did not appear possessed.
But Briar told her: “It needs me.”
The baby doll’s skin looks ruptured, and its eyes are black and hollowed — though they light up red with the push of a button. The doll also giggles on command.
“It’s a dark, evil laugh,” Beard said. “It definitely is the creepiest toy I’ve ever seen.”
Briar named the baby “Chloe,” which Beard changed to “Creepy Chloe.” (It was more fitting for the disturbing doll, she decided.)
Anywhere Briar goes, Creepy Chloe goes, too. Although Briar has no shortage of other dolls, “she never really loved anything until Creepy Chloe came along,” her mother said.
Beard took her daughter to Disney World, and naturally, Creepy Chloe came along. Beard decided to dress her daughter in a Haunted Mansion cast member costume to make her doll seem less out of place. Creepy Chloe wore a princess dress.
“They’re inseparable,” said Beard, adding that Briar dresses Creepy Chloe daily in doll apparel, and tries to match their outfits as best she can. “Much to my dismay, she sleeps right next to her.”
Headline of the Week, Pt. 2
These identical twins married identical twins. Now they have sons.
The Salyerses’ unusual marriages are known as a quaternary marriage, and their sons are known asternary twins.
Ok, this one is really wacky.
Identical twins Brittany and Briana Deane were inseparable as girls growing up in Delaware. Their lives were so intertwined, in fact, that they hoped to one day fall in love with identical twin brothers and marry them.
Jeremy and Josh Salyers are also identical twins who had the same idea to marry a set of identical twin sisters.
So when the two sets of siblings met in 2017 at — where else? — the annual Twins Days Festival in Twinsburg, Ohio, they all decided this could be their perfect match. The Deanes and the Salyerses spent a year dating, and when all four were sure they had found their match, they returned to the festival and got married right there, in matching outfits.
And if that weren’t enough, the two couples — who now live in a house they share in Bedford County, Va. — went back to the twins festival earlier this month, this time with their sons, born about five months apart.
Weirded out yet? Just wait.
“Both of us always knew that we wanted to marry twins,” said Jeremy, noting that with their close relationship, it just made sense.
“We’d decided that if we couldn’t find twins to marry, then we just wouldn’t get married,” he said.
At least they didn’t propose at the same time, right?
The Salyers brothers proposed together, naturally, on Feb. 2, 2018, at Twin Lakes State Park, and Brittany and Briana recalled saying yes at the same time.
“We each got down on our knees [to propose],” Josh said, adding that he and Jeremy gave the sisters identical diamond engagement rings.
Headline of the Week, Pt. 3
Debt forgiveness means more home-buying power
President Joe Biden announced his student loan forgiveness plan which could eliminate between $10,000 and $20,000 worth of college debt for those who are eligible.
What does it mean for you? Less debt not only means more relief but potentially more opportunities.
Now is a great time to explore the housing market. Inventory is at the highest level in three years and tax rules don’t incentivize Californians to buy here until January 1. That means there are some deals available between now and the end of the year. Let’s get started today. Schedule a free home-buying consultation with me now.
Thanks,
M
New Yorker Cartoon of the Week
Recipe Corner
Sheet-Pan Italian Sausage and Pepper Sandwiches
Perhaps you’ve noticed football is back. I’m hosting a watch party and I’m doubling this recipe and feeding everybody with easy cleanup. Thanks.
1 large onion, preferably yellow, halved and sliced
2 bell peppers, any color, stemmed, seeded and sliced
1/3 cup or about 10 sport peppers (or other pickled pepper, such as pepperoncini)
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
4 to 6 sweet or spicy Italian sausages (about 4 ounces each), uncooked in casings
1/2 cup water
4 to 6 submarine sandwich rolls or buns, split
4 to 6 slices provolone cheese
Potato chips, for serving
Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 425 degrees.
Place the onions, bell peppers and sport peppers on a large rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle with the salt and toss until the vegetables are evenly coated. Nestle the sausages between the onions and peppers.
Roast in the oven for 20 minutes, or until the onions and peppers begin to caramelize. Remove the baking sheet from the oven. Using tongs or a spatula, flip the sausages over and toss the onions and peppers so that they cook evenly. Return the baking sheet to the oven and roast for another 10 to 15 minutes, or until sausages are cooked through and onions and peppers are well browned in some places. Add the water and, using a wooden spatula, create a jus by stirring up some of the caramelized bits.
Toast the sandwich rolls, if desired, and line them with provolone, if using. Or, dip the split rolls into the pan juices. Divide the peppers, onions and sausages among the rolls, spooning on some of the pan juices, if desired. Serve hot.
Sweet Potato Salsa Salad
Bring over a healthy side dish, ok?
3 sweet potatoes (1 1/2 pounds total), scrubbed and cut into 3/4-inch chunks
3 cloves garlic, unpeeled
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon fine salt, divided, plus more to taste
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided, plus more to taste
1 ripe avocado, peeled, pitted and cubed
1 medium red onion (8 ounces), finely chopped
1 jalapeño pepper, stemmed and thinly sliced (with seeds)
1 cup lightly packed fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems, chopped, plus whole leaves for garnish
2 teaspoons finely grated lime zest
1/4 cup fresh lime juice (from 2 to 3 limes)
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels
One (14-ounce) can no-salt-added black beans, drained and rinsed (or 1 1/2 cups cooked black beans)
2 red bell peppers, stemmed, cored and chopped
1/2 cup toasted pumpkin seeds
Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees.
In a large roasting pan, toss together the sweet potatoes, garlic, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, smoked paprika, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper. Roast for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes and garlic are very soft. Let cool slightly or completely in the pan.
Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, toss together the avocado, onion, jalapeño, cilantro, lime zest and juice, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper until combined.
When the sweet potato mixture has cooled, pick out the garlic cloves, slip off their peels, chop them, add them to the avocado salsa and toss to combine.
To the roasting pan with the sweet potatoes, add the tomatoes, corn, beans and bell peppers, and toss to combine. Drizzle with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Taste, and season with more salt and pepper, as needed.
Pile the sweet potato mixture on a large platter. Top with the salsa, pumpkin seeds and cilantro leaves, and serve.
Tomato Salad With Yogurt and Pita Chips
One more simple tomato salad.
2 pounds mixed tomatoes, cut into quarters or halves, depending on their size
Fine salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup full-fat, plain Greek yogurt
1 lemon
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups pita chips
1 cup fresh mint leaves, halved if large
Place the tomatoes on a serving plate and season generously with salt and pepper. Place the yogurt in a small bowl. Zest the lemon into the bowl. Stir to combine and season to taste with salt and pepper. Use right away or refrigerate until needed. Set the zested lemon aside until ready to serve.
When ready to serve, cut the reserved lemon and squeeze the juice into a medium bowl, then add the oil. Stir to combine and season to taste with salt and pepper. Add the pita chips, crumbling them into bite-size pieces in your hands as you add them. Stir until the chips are shiny. Add the mint and stir gently.
Dollop the yogurt on top of the tomatoes, then spoon the pita-chip-mint mixture on top.
Did Micah practice yoga this weekend?
Yes. 90 minutes Sunday at Ocean Yoga in Long Beach, New York.
That’s 33 in-person weekend classes in 36 weeks this year.
More Micah
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