Next Stop...

Sri Lanka! Plus, soup season, and very good pizza

Jan 27, 2025

Hi friends,

First off, some housekeeping: Tomorrow, I leave for Sri Lanka with Earthfoam (client) and a wonderful group of journalists! I’m beyond excited and mostly packed. The next newsletter will be on February 10th and I’ll be sharing updates from the trip on Instagram and here when I get back. I can’t wait to travel somewhere I’ve never been and get to learn more about how Earthfoam’s mattresses, pillows, and toppers are made. It’s been lots of preparation to get to this point and I am so grateful that this is part of my job.

Second and more important, Nana Joyce is still at 65% of her GoFundMe Goal, can we help increase that? I donate every time I share this, btw.

Now, let’s dive in.

Something to cook:

I did not grocery shop before the trip and was extremely fortunate to get a package from Pacific Foods—they sent me some soup and it came in very handy. I had the tomato soup with cheesy salted honey toast, a

Caroline Chambers

creation (top bread with cheese, drizzle with honey, top with flakey salt and broil) and I brought cans of harissa lentil soup to work with crackers. Can you easily make soup at home? Of course, but something that’s not in the cards.

Amy is known at the office for her immunity cocktail, with ingredients sourced from the deli around the corner, and Angela and I decided to try it out. Here’s how you make it: Pour a ginger shot into a cup full of ice and add sparkling water until it’s 2/3 of the way full. Add a packet of raspberry emergen-c and stir to combine. Top it off with additional sparkling water. It’s a surprisingly tasty combination and feels like it’s doing something.

Ice, ginger shot, and raspberry emergenc combined to make an immunity cocktail — Immunity cocktail via the deli

I’m continuing to make the most of sumo season. On Sunday, I woke up early and made a coffee. Then I sat on the couch, read, sipped my coffee, and ate a sumo orange. Great start to the day and a reminder to lean into small joys and pockets of sunshine, especially now.

I really love my East Fork mug and after this moment of Zen, I peeled off my grown out manicure. We contain multitudes.

I made a microgrocery run and made rice and beans bowls with rice, smashed and seasoned black beans, cabbage, cheddar and scallions. Rice and beans are al

Something to order:

I worked from my parents’ house and they got Tacombi for lunch, which is always a good idea. My order is an avocado tostada and a sweet potato black bean taco, with some guac and chips to share

These colors are especially needed in January

Our dad took Leah and me to see Maybe Happy Ending, which was great (it’s sad and beautifully staged and the lead’s Grub Street Diet is delightful). After the show, we walked across the street to The Long Room for a late dinner and a drink—it was way too cold to walk further and the menu had a nice variety, including grilled caesar salads.

Dale picked up Scarr’s on Friday, always a good way to end the week. I love their classic slice but the margherita is very good too.

Less than two weeks ago, Hillary texted me from Milkflower to recommend its neopolitan pizzas. On Saturday, we got lunch there (I love a semi spontaneous plan). The pizza is excellent, as are the starters and vegetables. We got ricotta with fresh figs, grilled zucchini and eggplant, and three pizzas that quickly disappeared, white pie that included cheddar. It can get busy at night so go for lunch if you can.

Tilden and I went to Huda, a Lebanese restaurant in the neighborhood. The food and service were great and there’s a nice mix of lighter veggie dishes and heartier fare. Get the smashed cucumbers with labne and mint, the Rakakat, filo rolls with Syrian cheese (our fave), and the crispy potato. They have a good cocktail menu and Lebanese wines by the glass.

All the major food groups, plus dipping sauces!

Yesterday was a big day for sports (go birds!) so Dale and I picked up food at Clara’s. I love their mushroom quesadilla and the wings are his favorite.