Gentle January is On!
The most gentle time of year, kale sauce, and beans
Hi friends,
Happy New Year! The sun is setting later and we’ve made it to January, a month I used to dread but now somewhat look forward to. That mindset shift came thanks to Gentle January, a term coined by Karlee Sisler Flores about 10 years ago (I first found it through her writing on Joy the Baker). It’s been a wonderful antidote to the New Year’s resolution/transformation discourse of this time of year, which doesn’t resonate with me.
Gentle January is about coziness and taking care of yourself. It’s about giving yourself a pep talk to take a walk even though it’s cold out and buying a hot chocolate on said walk to warm up your hands. It’s about leaving space in your calendar for nights at home with lots of candles lit and finding time to see loved ones in low key ways. It’s about being mindful of how we talk to ourselves—we live in our own heads, which can be scary at times. It’s about limiting comparison and being gentle as we move through this time. Naps and restorative yoga are very gentle January, so is vodka sauce and supporting local restaurants (January is a really hard time for the hospitality industry so go dine at your favorite spots if you can).
This Gentle January, I’m trying to still take walks, reading a lot, and trying to keep my fridge full of greens (my family used to call me Abi-kale). I’m also sleeping and moisturizing because the air is so dry! I have a big trip coming up at the end of the month (more on that in a few weeks) so my goal is to go into that healthy and ready. I hope you’ll join me in Gentle January. There are really no rules but it feels good to know other people are embracing it too. As Karlee wrote last year, “Know that you can’t do it wrong. One of the greatest parts of Gentle January is that one thing on the list usually leaves. The key is to be Gentle on yourself. And letting go is a part of that, too.”
Now, let’s dive in. We have a lot to catch up on.
Something to cook:
We had a family Hanukkah celebration aka a mini latkes and vodkas (but with wine because it was more lowkey). My parents made latkes and tried this trick where you put a carrot in the pan with the latkes to keep the oil clean. It didn’t not work! I brought labneh and za’atar from Sahadi’s for a topping and it was delicious.
Alongside, the latkes, we had Dan Pelosi’s fall salad with roasted butternut squash. It’s a great kale salad that keeps well for lunch the next day. If you have his cookbook, he has a variation for every season, which is really fun. The spring one is also delicious and I need to try the others.
On New Year’s Day, I made kale sauce, a perennial favorite. The recipe is very flexible and you can do it in an immersion blender, which makes clean up way easier.
I once again made pumpkin muffins and shared them with friends. I have one more can of pumpkin in the pantry so these will make another appearance before winter is over. I halve the crumble and add some oats to it for texture.
The best thing I made over this break was broccoli and cheddar grilled cheese, which Dale called a religious experience. It’s basically what it sounds like but I’ll share the full recipe later this week with paid subscribers. Grilled cheese is such a great canvas for flavors—Teal and I got really good kimchi grilled cheeses in England over the summer.
Something to order:
Dale and I got a last minute table at Misi right before Christmas—I hadn’t been in years. My favorite dish was the butter beans with kale, calabrian chili, and parmesan and I also really liked the corzetti with broccoli rabe and mint—they’re shaped like flat coins.
On Christmas, we picked up take out from Kings County Imperial. I love their sesame noodles and long beans.
I had never been to Double Chicken Please but had it saved for years (Clare raved about their tofu sandwich). We got there before it opened and waited about a half hour to put our names down. Then we wandered around the neighborhood and got a snack at Las lap, a Jamaican bar and restaurant with delicious patties.
Once we got the text for The Coop (their back area), we got seated at the bar. The cocktails are all based on different dishes and divided by course. I got the thai curry one, which came with a thai iced tea pop and Dale’s was based on sesame noodles. The drinks are well made and really good. We split a custard bun inspired one for dessert. For food, Dale loved the popcorn chicken and the cucumbers are so fresh and well seasoned. The tofu sandwich was enormous (almost to big to bite into) but really good, with peanut sauce and fried shallots. They enforce a 90 minute seating limit, which makes sense given the waits and I’m glad I tried it.
For New Year’s Eve, we kept things lowkey and special at Lighthouse, one of my favorite places to be, any day of the year. Oysters and mushroom pasta were a great last meal and we came home and watched The Holiday.
Apollo Bagels opened last week in Williamsburg in a fairly large location (right by the 16 Handles on North 7th). I’ve gone twice and had basically no line (go before 11 am or on a weekday). The bagels are not traditional—they’re sourdough and served open faced and heavily toasted with a lot of crunch. That being said, they’re very tasty, and they sell Topo Chico as well. I’m glad to have it nearby the office for my bagel rotation.
Something to read:
Congestion pricing is finally here! Here’s what it means (my favorite parts are the cleaner air, fewer car crashes and more funding for the MTA).
Heriloom tortillas are a totally different food and Santiago Atitlan gets a shoutout here—I miss those tortillas. Thanks Granny for sending this!
Chef Tini Younger’s Impact Goes Way Beyond Mac and Cheese
I loved Ina’s memoir and the way she talked about money was completely unrelatable.
I love that Joy the Baker had a surprise thanksgiving wedding. I’ve been reading her blog since college (I went to her book signing at the Free Library in Philly) and am so happy for her!
Dame Jilly Cooper’s book series became an excellent TV show
has a thoughtful guide to buying spices. Much like having a stocked pantry makes cooking much easier, having high quality spices makes everything taste better! I’m a Burlap & Barrel superfan, they have slightly ruined me for most supermarket spices!All You Needs is a Book and a Bar from
—I loved this ode to a favorite activity, with some fun pairings and stories from dining alone.Only by opting out of the Sisyphean “solutions” escalator can we unlock true climate progress.
Do you side sit on dates? We love to sit at the bar but I have not been bold enough to ask for a table for 4 for two before.
The devastating impact of street sweeps of people living outside and what people lose in them
A Mexico City project invests in poorer neighborhoods with centers for health and wellbeing.
Why We Should Bring Back the Tradition of the Christmas Orange—it’s Sumo Citrus season and I need to get my hands on some!
How to make your holiday cooking more sustainable (true year round)
Sam Sanders and Rachel Bloom talk about death, the ultimate heckler. I saw Rachel Bloom perform this show in September 2023 and I think about it a lot.
Hope your Gentle January is off to a good start!
xo, Abigail
Yay for Sahadi's labneh and congestion pricing! Happy New Year!
I had no idea Christmas oranges were a tradition but now the gift I received from a cat sitting client makes a lot more sense 🤦 He left me a very fancy looking chocolate orange and I've always hated that flavor combo so I gifted it to a friend who was over the moon to accept it. The mo' you know!