Sidesgiving
Mac and cheese, fried cauliflower worth the waitlist, and pumpkin whipped cream
We are back! I hope you had a relaxing weekend and have good things ahead, especially if you’re celebrating Hanukkah. This is my last week in Queens as we are moving back to Brooklyn next week. The month has flown by and I’m really grateful for the extra family time and support during a busy period of life. To wrap up the week of Thanksgiving, I made a donation to the Mann-hatta Fund, which supports Native Americans living in New York City. Join me if you’d like!
Now, let’s dive in.
Something to cook:
On Monday, Oset hosted Natalie and me for a weeknight dinner party in her gorgeous new apartment. She set out lactaid at my place setting (so thoughtful) and kicked things off with crispy smashed potatoes with sour cream and pickled cauliflower from Adeena Sussman. The main course was a pink pasta from Susan Spungen with raddicchio and goat cheese (SO good).
My parents cooked up a storm for the long weekend, starting with cranberry banana nut bread and a cranberry crumble cake for breakfasts and snacking (the cake would work with blueberries too).
On Friday, we had a Sidesgiving to have some of the dishes we didn’t get to have on Thanksgiving day itself. The menu was so good and the undisputed star of the show was The Kitchenista’s mac and cheese, which was even better the next day. We also made our favorite onion stuffing, this salad for some much needed brightness, and green bean casserole. We also had some wines from Kita and Camins 2 Dreams, two projects by Native American winemaker Tara Gomez.
For our dessert, we made pumpkin fudge torte, which we first tried last year. It’s so good and rich and the pumpkin whipped cream is incredible the next day in coffee (you’ll have leftover).
Something to order:
My parents got off the waitlist at Pecking House, a reimagining of Peking House, a Chinese restaurant in Queens. Eric Huang took over his family’s restaurant during the pandemic and now makes delicious spicy fried chicken and cauliflower with various sides. It’s takeout/delivery only and definitely worth joining the waitlist—they deliver to most of Queens, Brooklyn, and Manhattan. You get an email the week of to place your order and I’m so glad it overlapped with our stay.
On Friday, Erika, Leah, Dale and I went to SoJo Spa Club in Edgewater, New Jersey. It was my first time there and I loved it. There’s so much to do (I couldn’t even count the saunas) and it was very clean and relaxing (they check vaccines at the door and I left my phone in a locker). Plus, the outdoor infinity pool with skyline views is very cool. There’s a food hall with pretty good food for all kinds of vibes. I got the veggie burger with yuba and yuzu mayo and a green juice (for the spa vibes) and they also have ramen, salads, and smoothies.
On Saturday night, Leah and Erika went to pick up Eddie’s and we had a little DIY sundae bar with their out of this world hot fudge and homemade whipped cream. Coffee chip is my forever favorite flavor.
I was missing Brooklyn and hopped on the E to the G to see Tilden and get some lunch. We walked over to Cafe Rue Dix, a French and Senegalese restaurant in Crown Heights for a cozy meal of fataya, Senagelese empanadas, with their signature hot sauce and a sandwich. The hot sauce is so good and they also have a great tea and coffee selection. Head next door to Marché Rue Dix to shop beauty and bath products, jewelry, and more. I replaced my Luv Scrub, featured on last year’s gift guide.
Dale was in Manhattan and rerouted his trip home to pick up Scarr’s for all of us. My parents had never tried it (and they loved it) and the jalapeño pie was incredible (call ahead for pies). They also make a great vegan Caesar salad.
Something to read:
Quick shopping interlude: Today is the last day for a discount on the Meal Prep Class Pack Erica and I offering next year. It’s 10% off the package, which is already heavily discounted and it makes a fantastic gift! Use code SMALL to support our small business and get cooking. This is the only discount we will offer so get on it!
Also, nearly everything in my gift guide has some kind of sale running today (we try not to pay full price in Q4). Check it out if you’ve got some gifts to get.
Would you try a Hanukkah latke board? It seems a little gimmicky but also fun?
Christine Clark’s guide to the Burlington Farmers Market
Why did Hanukkah become the Jewish Christmas?
How the real story compares to the House of Gucci movie (Adam Driver and Lady Gaga were fantastic)
Reminder to boycott Wirecutter and support the Wirecutter Union!
Why you should get a booster (I got mine last Tuesday and was pretty tired for about 24 hours. It wasn’t as bad as the first two doses).
‘Am I even fit to be a mom?’ Diaper need is an invisible part of poverty in America
Why you’ve never heard of the six Chinese men who survived the Titanic (the answer is obviously racism and racist American immigration laws)
Alicia’s luna de miel in Montreal sounds absolutely lovely.
Let’s talk about Instagram engagement
All our questions about Princess Switch 3: Romancing the Star
Since the next newsletter will come out in December (how!) we are going to do our annual soup round up! This is a fun TNHS tradition where I share all your favorite soups to get us through the winter. Especially with holiday gatherings and busy weeks, having soup in the fridge or freezer (my mom freezes soup in talenti containers which is brilliant) is a gift to your future self. Make soup, drop some off with a sick friend or at a community fridge. To make this work, please reply with your favorite soup du jour and I’ll share them next week!
Thursday’s edition for paid subscribers will include the return of Recommendation Station (send me your questions), our personalized Q&A column, and some thoughts on gratitude, especially as it plays out on social media. You can also gift a subscription for the holidays!
Thank you for reading and I hope you have a great week ahead!
xo, Abigail