I feel God in this Chili's tonight

Airport adventures, an epic HindJew wedding, and olives

I’m writing to you from the Jacksonville airport Chili’s, which has been an anchor this weekend for its power, chips & salsa, and outlets! Chili’s is also all over TikTok right now and

Rachel Karten

interviewed their social media manager. Chain restaurants shine in stressful travel situations—consistency is underrated. We headed to Jekyll Island for Anjali’s wedding, which was so joyous. The island didn’t have power for most of the weekend, but we were spared the worst of the storm (which was very bad) and had so much fun celebrating. Our hotel went above and beyond, keeping the lobby stocked with snacks and cold drinks and everyone crowded around generator powered outlets like campfires. Anjali and Mathew combined Hindu, Jewish, and Southern traditions in such a cool way (and the food was incredible). Anjali and Leah met in kindergarten so she’s been a part of our lives for a long time and it was so special to see her get married (her parents are the best and my parents joke that she’s the favorite child).

The chips were warm, a gift

ICYMI, we did a Q&A last week. Check it out for fall activities, my favorite Williamsburg restaurants, and cooking with decision fatigue. Now, let’s dive in!

Something to cook:

I made a very basic rice and beans situation for lunch last week—Trader Joe’s frozen jasmine rice, pinto beans, spinach, cumin, paprika and pepper flakes. I reheated it with shredded cheese and our office stash of SOMOS salsa macha (client).

Other than that, I didn’t do a whole lot of cooking. I added edamame to leftover Thai food for extra protein, had some office yogurt and granola, and that was it.

This week, I’m making

deb perelman

’s fig challah for Rosh Hashana. I look forward to making it all year and this year am attempting to make two loaves in my very small oven (not at the same time, I’m going to make a bigger batch of dough and bake them back to back. Send good yeast thoughts.

Something to order:

Julianne and I caught up over happy hour at Cozy Royale. We tried a very unsuspecting appetizer, listed as just Casteveltrano Olives and Blue Cheese. I thought it was just blue cheese stuffed olives or something but it was actually a generous almost dip situation of blue cheese, smashed olives and toast for piling high. If you like blue cheese and olives, you’ll love this!

Devinne and I caught up at As You Are at the Ace Hotel. They have a very good coconut banana bread and a corn muffin that comes with miso tahini butter.

For the wedding, the welcome party was right on the beach with southern food from Three Little Birds on St. Simons Island. I was so impressed with all of the vendors this weekend as they pulled everything off. The mac and cheese was so good and so were the lentils (apparently an Ina Garten recipe). I also appreciated the orange wine available at all the events.

For the wedding itself, they had a King of Pops cart at cocktail hour, which was the perfect refreshment. I had a chocolate sea salt pop, an elevated fudgsicle. The fruit flavors were also perfect for adding to a cocktail.

The food itself was from Cafe Bombay in Atlanta and they nailed it. The appetizers included pav bhaji, samosa chaat, and freshly made pani puri. Dinner included tableside naan service, dal, dosas, and so much more. They also had fresh coconuts for hydration.

Something to read:

Soup season is coming and I want to try this tomato chickpea coconut one. This will be my first soup season with an immersion blender and I am ready.

Two fascinating recent issues of

Culture Study

: The Secret Lives of Option-Less Wives and this interview with author Jessica Goudeau about Texas history and the secrets families keep.

How Caribbean Pepper Sauce gets its fire, featuring Shaquanda Will Feed You, one of my favorite hot sauce brands.

A Refreshing Conversation About Climate Change

Ina Garten Talks Trad Wives and Her Marriage Confession plus, her WSJ interview and her NYT interview. Love an Ina press tour.

The Tradwives Are Making Incredibly Weird Bread

California Passes Legal and Financial Protections for Child Influencers

You can donate to feed families in Florida affected by the hurricane here and here’s how to help families in Western North Carolina

What Repeat COVID Infections Do to Your Body, According to Science. Book your next booster and order free covid tests here!

Giving birth in Gaza. At night, they were kept up by airstrikes. When they hit, Sultan’s baby often hugged himself. “A four month old [who] understands what airstrikes are?” she said, more of an outraged question than a statement.

Mayor Eric Adams Indicted by Federal Grand Jury! He stole over $10M from New Yorkers

It’s fall vibes season on social media

Inside Team Trump’s Plans For Mass Deportation Camps

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Have a good week, friends! Wishing you a sweet new year and thank you for being here!

xo, Abigail