We’ve been nestling into sweaters, blankets, and warming meals this week here in Boston, in the face of very chilly temperatures (from what I hear, many places around the U.S. are doing this, too). Last week I made so many soups (too many) as a fall transitional meal, but this week (and on the weekends in particular), I’ve jumped right in to hearty baked dishes that come together pretty quickly and then spend some time in the oven.
The other thing I’ve noticed this week are a lot of articles popping up about gift lists and what to buy for others for Christmas. This feels particularly exhausting this year… the idea of hunting and racking our brains for ideas of what to buy for someone, when that’s exactly what none of us (or our planet) need: more stuff simply for the sake of more stuff. Especially for adults — if you don’t know what to get for someone who has specialized interests or tastes, it’s OK to opt out of the gift-buying frenzy. I’ve been mulling over the idea sharing some cards or something written with individually curated lists of things I think they might like: books, recipes, podcasts, TV shows.
Here’s what else I’ve been up to this week:
What I’m Reading this Week
15 Things I Wish Someone Had Told Me Before I Started Cooking [Cup of Jo]
This book has been out of print for a long time, but it’s excellent. The fact that it’s being re-released is great news! The Last Course: The Desserts of Gramercy Tavern.
A good article from one of my favorite weekly newsletters: Life Learnings from 13 Years of Brain Pickings.
Can’t wait to check this out: Women on Food by Charlotte Druckman.
A token word that only conveys pandering.
This is something I talk about with my clients so often: the downsides of bringing an overly virtuous lunch to work.
Time lists their top 10 fiction books of the 2010s.
TV and the portrayals of wealth in the shows we watch.
This list of dietitians to follow.
What I’m Cooking this Week
Weekly Menu Plan (in case you need ideas or inspiration):
Sunday: vegetarian lasagna (from Alison Roman’s new cookbook, Nothing Fancy)
Monday: Leftovers (this was intentional because it was Veteran’s day, I was home with the kids all weekend and didn’t want to fuss with cooking)
Tuesday: Creamy rigatoni with butternut squash and pine nuts (from Cook’s Illustrated) with a kale slaw salad
Wednesday: Quick carrot dahl over rice (from A Modern Cook’s Year cookbook) — I’ve found I really like dahls as a way of preparing red lentils (here’s another one of my favorites)
Thursday: Leftovers
Friday: Out with some of my dietitian friends
Saturday: Sage chicken with creamy potatoes and cauliflower (from the Super Simple cookbook)
