I had a vision
Vision boards, plant balls, and a cabbage trio
Saturday was a rainy, grey day in Brooklyn. And yet over 30 people filled Common Mollies to spend a few hours thinking about the year ahead. Our vision board workshop will be a new annual tradition and it was so great to see so many familiar and new faces. We had first time vision boarders and people for whom this is an annual ritual. We had so many magazines, including vintage ones—New York Magazine was a favorite alongside a 2018 issue of Bon Appetit. I got poster board from a local craft store and Victoria and Erika helped me cut it. We had cookies and a photo booth. It was a a joyous afternoon and it felt good to spend time collecting inspiration for the year ahead and putting glue to paper. Jared and I are going to hang our vision boards inside our closets and I’m excited to look at mine everyday. In cutting and tearing out images, I was reminded of how much I love collaging. I want to do it more throughout the year. A huge thank you to everyone who came and to Anna and Common Mollies for hosting us.
ICYMI I shared some big news with paid subscribers on Friday! Living together is going very well and we successfully navigated our first Ikea trip this weekend.
I can’t write this without saying Abolish ICE! They are killing people with impunity and it’s horrifying and dangerous and disgusting. ICE was created after 9/11, it can absolutely go. And it needs to.
Now, let dive in.
Something to cook:
Jared made us pasta with pesto, string beans, and potatoes, a hearty Italian dinner that brought brightness to a long Monday.
On Tuesday, I came home from yoga to cabbage trio of braised cabbage, roasted cabbage, and coleslaw, which was a fun seasonal winter meal. I made us quesadillas for some balance. Apparently 2026 is the year of cabbage, which sounds like a recession indicator, so we are on trend.
We had dinner at Leah and Erika’s and they made a sheet pan dinner with broccolini feta and tomatoes. It was delicious over orzo with butter and lemon and didn’t create too many dishes, ideal for a weeknight.
The Traitors is back, hurray! Alyssa and Brandon hosted a group and had us pick teams so we can see who wins amongst our group of viewers. They did a breakfast for dinner theme in a nod to the iconic breakfasts and made shakshuka with baguette and fruit salad. I can’t wait for this week’s episode.
After work on Friday, we had to rush to see a (long) play and there wasn’t much time to eat. Jared made us spaghetti with Rao’s and we shared a bowl of it before getting on the subway. It was so thoughtful and preferable to my original plan of eating several spoonfuls of peanut butter and finding dinner at 10 pm.
For all my vision board creators, I made cookies, the same chocolate chip cookie recipe Julia introduced me too back in 2017. Made the dough in advance and don’t forget the flakey salt.
Something to order:
I love having an excuse to go to Clinton Hill and I was meeting Emily for a drink. Ivy told me about the aperitivo hour at Aita, which goes till 6:30. You get a spritz from their long list of naturally colored aperitifs and all happy hour drinks come with free snacks. It’s a cozy space and was great preparation for my Italy trip in April
I can’t recommend Common Mollies enough as an event space and bar! I’ve had birthday parties there, I watched Zohran win the election there, I’ve done trivia. It works for everything. Check them out if you’re hosting something soon, they are so kind and easy to work with.
After vision boards, Tilden, Gill and I got dinner at Good, Thanks. We split red curry mussels, whipped ricotta, fries, a caesar salad, and mushroom pasta. We discussed our sorority shutting down and the past almost 11 years since we graduated.
IKEA is a physical marathon (I walked almost 7,000 steps) so we had to fuel up. I tried the vegetarian version of their Swedish meatballs, which are poetically called plant balls. I haven’t had a real meatball in so long, but they were enjoyable with lingonberry jam.
My parents graciously lent us the car for IKEA and when we brought it back, we joined them for dinner from Paratha Wala. We got a bunch of parathas, chana saag, saag paneer, dal, and samosa chaat to share. The best part: my parents placed the order so we had to make no decisions after a day navigating IKEA.
Something to read:
On Quakerism and trying to use anger for good. I wasn’t familiar with Benjamin Lay, what a story.
I read the 20th anniversary edition of Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Eirenrich. Originally published in 2001, the journalist attempts to survive on minimum wage jobs in three cities across the country. She works as a house cleaner, a waitress, a feeding aide, and more. It is incredibly challenging in all the ways and her account is extremely salient today, as the affordable housing and cost of living crises have intensified.
Mamdani’s connection to the Jewish socialists of New York
Are contemporary fridges the problem or is it us? I’ve always lived in apartments with old, normal, fairly small fridges. I sometimes wish for an ice dispenser but maybe the simple ones are better.
A fun Heated Rivalry Chat from You've Got Mail
If you’re watching Traitors, the Vulture recaps are a must. Michael Rappaport has got to go
Renée Nicole Good, grievability, and our death-soaked feeds by Sarah Thankam Mathews
I love Chrissy Hennessey’s goal to make in 2026
How seed savers are working to preserve Palestinian cuisine around the world
The news is terrible, so how do we not feel terrible all the time?
It takes a village to love an elder by Courtney Martin
Lastly, Alex Mill is having an extremely good sale right now, which is rare. I got one of my favorite sweaters during this sale last year and it’s held up very well.
Take care this week! Eat some cabbage and make a vision board if you’re in the mood. Stay gentle and thanks for being here!
xo, Abigail