I hate the headlines and the weather
Soup, pizza and breaks from doomscrolling
Hi friends,
What a week, huh? I’ve been sad, I’ve been angry, I’ve been worried, I’ve been anxious, I’ve been tired and all the things in between. Unlike in 2016, I wasn’t super shocked, but that doesn’t make it better. In the midst of all of this, New York was once again engulfed in wildfire smoke, a striking reminder of what’s at stake and what will not get addressed (at the federal level). As
reminds us, the climate fight is not dead.The next four years are going to be different and very hard, there’s no getting around that (and so many places around the globe are grappling with similar issues). We will work to protect the people endangered by Trump’s policies, and we will stay/get involved in our communities (beyond any election cycle or administration). In the context of this newsletter, I’ll share ideas on the above alongside our usual recipes, reads, and recommendations. This week, I hope something below inspires you to put down your phone for a few minutes and get in the kitchen. Other moments of respite might be found in a hot shower, a book, a park, a song (I’m writing this at a coffee shop that played Maroon and Ribs back to back and it was powerful) or in motion. It won’t fix everything but living in a state of fight or flight (more on the stress cycle here) for the next four years is not the answer.
Now, let’s dive in. I’ll be back later this week with our gift guide!
Something to cook:
On election eve, Isa and I made
’s creamless tomato soup with salted honey cheese toasts. The soup gets its creaminess from cashews (which you don’t have to soak) and was so comforting. And the cheese toast is delicious: broil bread covered with cheese and drizzled with honey and then sprinkle it with flakey salt. The recipe makes a ton (it’s in her cookbook) which meant we both had leftovers for the next few days, which proved helpful.
I had leftover string beans from Birds of a Feather and made them into fried rice (this is my forever base recipe and it is very flexible). I added broccoli and stirred in basil at the end because I had some.
I also made some soft scrambled eggs with parmesan cheese which I had with wilted spinach and sourdough toast. Burlap & Barrel sent me some pumpkin spice (thank you!) and I added a sprinkle to my coffee grounds for a delightful fall cup.
My grandma is in town (a bright spot if there ever was one) so we had an early Thanksgiving with only the good stuff: the sides. My contribution was Dan Pelosi’s pumpkin cardamom crumb muffins for breakfast the next day. They’re so good. I halved the crumble and and added some oats. Other menu highlights included cranberry banana nut bread, this kale salad, caramelized onion stuffing, and The Kitchenista’s mac and cheese (recipe on her patreon). Tilden brought a delicious flourless chocolate cake with whipped cream (she used vanilla bean paste in the whipped cream, so good)
Something to order:
Dale and I had election night pizza from Williamsburg Pizza. The grandma pie is good in good times and bad.
Angela and I grabbed dinner on Wednesday at Birds of a Feather, which is reliably so good. We got scallion pancake, cucumbers, sesame noodles, string beans (they can do a veg version), and rice. It was delicious and flavorful and vegetable forward, exactly what we needed.
After dinner, Julia and I gathered friends at Reclamation for an open house. We talked about what happened and we didn’t. It was nice to be together.
Amy had a lovely birthday party in the backroom of Fini Pizza, a great party space. It was so nice to be around friends and celebrate her. We had pizza (their white pie with lemon is fabulous), caesar salad, and Italian ice.
Something to read:
Have you made dense bean salad?
On Election night, Dale and I watched the Martha Stewart documentary before the results came in and it was fantastic. I loved her style and truly believe she would have been successful in any career.
wrote more about the doc here.Why nurses are going from the ER to the med spa
How to Deal With the Worst-Case Scenario
Meet Rome's Reigning Queen of Pajamas from
’s Abortion, Every Day newsletter is a must read in navigating the years ahead (she’s been covering the issue for years and distills the headlines in a clear headed and empathetic way that fits the stakes). Here’s her post election issue, It’s Not Okay, and here’s a post election Q&A that covers a potential national ban and more.Creating an energizing "menu" for the winter blues
An election watch party with Hell Gate, a New York news-and-culture cooperative.
A post election reading list from
My sister was right: the Perfect Couple, the book, was better than the TV (and I liked the TV show)
Yes, And can be a life philosophy and I loved reading about
’s missed flight that turned into attending a stranger’s wedding in Mexico’s newsletter last week was a great mix of action, emotion, and comfort.Thanks so much for being here and please take good care!
xo, Abigail
I also hate the headlines and the weather.
Do you know that we prep for election night like Super Bowl Sunday at the pizzeria?!