ft. ‘The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’ & Breakfast Crunchwrap

March 19, 2021 by Sydney Grant

TGIF! Daylight Saving is officially behind us, meaning the worst workday of the year aka The Day We Lost A Full Hour of Sleep is behind us. It was all worth it though because I don’t know about you, but the whole “getting dark at 5 pm” thing was getting a litttttle old.

On a serious note, if you want to know what you can do to help support the Asian American community and combat Anti-Asian racism, The Infatuation and Time put together great guides to do so. You can also donate to the Asian Pacific Covid-19 Recovery Fund or Send Chinatown Love, which supports Asian-owned small businesses impacted by Covid-19.

However you’re planning on spending your weekend, enjoy these quarantivities!

Quarant-streams

‘The Falcon and the Winter Soldier‘

Watch this if you’re already missing WandaVision:

I’m a sucker for a bromance. Forget Rachel and Ross, it was all about Joey and Chandler for me. The best part of Love Island or The Bachelorette? Not the relationships. (Boring.) The bromances. So obviously, when I heard that Captain America’s two BFFs were getting their own show, I couldn’t wait. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is similar to WandaVision in that it takes place post-Avengers: Endgame, but not-so-similar in that it returns to Marvel’s action-packed save-the-world roots. Think less meta sitcom, more masked militia.

I’m sorry to report that the series won’t feature Captain America or Chris Evans in spandex. Boo. So if not Cap, who will stop the evil supervillain Helmut Zemo? That is the very question the series poses, for, although Sam Wilson aka Falcon (Anthony Mackie) unofficially got the job when Captain America passed off his shield to him at the end of the Endgame, he’s reluctant to take on the role. Sorry, cap — maybe with a raise and some health insurance, I’ll consider! Another contender is their buddy Bucky Barnes, a genetically enhanced supersoldier with a past that doesn’t exactly scream patriotism. So who will wear the shield? And will Sam and Bucky stand a chance without Evans’ help or spandex? Can the power of one bromance save the world?? You’ll have to watch to find out!

Stream it via Disney+.

‘Freaks and Geeks’

Watch this if you’ve ever worn a rock tee of a band you’ve never listened to:

This is not a drill. I repeat: this is not a drill. One of the best shows to ever grace this whatever-God-you-believe-in given Earth is FINALLY available for streaming, so obviously I must suggest it. Before Seth Rogen was THE Seth Rogen, or anyone knew who James Franco, Jason Segel, Busy Philipps, or Linda Cardellini were, they were just a bunch of Hollywood newcomers on a show called Freaks and Geeks. For those of you who aren’t familiar with this cult-classic, it follows highschooler Lindsay and her brother Sam as they attempt to navigate high school in the 80s. Determined to rid herself of her former geek status, Lindsay trades in her mathlete uniform for a grungey green army jacket and begins hanging out with the stoner “freaks,” while Sam and his gang of “geeks” attempt to navigate school crushes and particularly ruthless games of dodgeball.

Because life is unfair, Freaks and Geeks was canceled after just one season. And because life is also cruel, until very recently, the only way to stream the show was to own it on DVD or Blu-ray. Here’s a fun activity to play at your next family dinner — ask your kids what Blu-ray is and see what they come up with. Thankfully, after years of the team trying (and failing) to clear all the music used in the show, you can now enjoy Freaks and Geeks, along with its authentically 80s soundtrack (No disco though — disco sucks!), in all of its glory.

Stream it via Hulu.

Quarant-reads

‘The Lost Apothecary’ by Sarah Penner

Read this if you have a slightly skewed moral compass:

Mystery, murder, trust, and betrayal — all poisonous themes that lurk within the pages of Sarah Penner’s debut. The Lost Apothecary is set in London, jumping from past to present as it tells the story of three women: Nella, Eliza, and Caroline. Nella is the owner of an apothecary shop in 1791 and Eliza is one of her customers. This is not a normal apothecary shop, however. Nella’s intent is not to heal those who purchase her potions, but rather the opposite. Caroline’s story begins in the present-day after a fatal mistake made decades ago by Eliza leads her to one of Nella’s long-forgotten bottles. The result is a time-bending journey through these three women’s lives that will have you turning the pages faster than you can say “apothecary.” Apothecary.

Purchase via Amazon.

Quarant-eats

Breakfast Crunchwrap via Pinch of Yum:

Make this if you dream of Taco Bell:

Katharine Hepburn’s Brownies via NYT Cooking

Bake these for brownies that are no work, all reward:

Photo: Romulo Yanes for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Vivian Lui

INGREDIENTS

½ cup cocoa
½ cup butter (1 stick)
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
¼ cup flour
1 cup chopped or broken-up walnuts or pecans
1 teaspoon vanilla
Pinch of salt

PREPARATION

Heat oven to 325 degrees.
Melt butter in saucepan with cocoa and stir until smooth. Remove from heat and allow to cool for a few minutes, then transfer to a large bowl. Whisk in eggs, one at a time. Stir in vanilla.
In a separate bowl, combine sugar, flour, nuts and salt. Add to the cocoa-butter mixture. Stir until just combined.
Pour into a greased 8 x 8-inch-square pan. Bake 30 to 35 minutes. Do not overbake; the brownies should be gooey. Let cool, then cut into bars.

Blueberry Mint Bourbon Lemonade via What’s Gaby Cooking:

Make this to celebrate it still being light out now during your after-work quarantine stroll: