a little of this, a little of that

xooxoxox

Hey friends, how’s everyone doing? How’s your nervous system?

Can I show you something? Here’s a page of my mom’s illustrated notes she took during my cooking class last weekend:

I was thinking, out loud, through the answer to a question someone asked during class and I guess I said “welcome to my brain.” With this in mind, I thought today I’d share a few things I’ve learned/thought about this week:

1. This episode of Vibe Check was really good and nuanced and, most importantly, introduced me to The Forestry and Fire Recruitment Program, which provides career support to formerly incarcerated firefighters and those currently incarcerated in California’s Conservation Camps. Worth supporting!

2. I’ve loved

   Jessica Yellin
   ’s newsletter
   News Not Noise
   for a long time and have really appreciated her thorough, sound coverage of the fires (and…just everything). She’s huge so you’re probably already familiar with her and her newsletter, but if you’re not…now you are! I appreciate having access to information that feels trustworthy, not fueled by anxiety, and isn’t trying to sell me a bunch of things.

3. Much less serious but I think still worth mentioning: if you stir a little crème fraîche into tomato sauce (my fave is Rao’s Marinara), you’ll have instant vodka sauce that is sooooo good (and no actual vodka required). I did this this week with some leftover pasta Grace had cooked and I was so happy.

4. For a delicious meal, grill some steak, thinly slice it and put it in a bowl with a splash of soy sauce and a spoonful of BBQ sauce, stir it together and serve with rice and whatever vegetables you have kicking around. I had this for lunch this other day and Winky was very curious…

   

5. Grace and I have been doing a lot of movie nights, which means that more than ever I am making food that can be eaten out of a bowl with a spoon on a comfy couch. This is a long way of telling you that I made a fish pie the other night and cut the steam vents to look like a fish which confirmed to me that a content life is really made up of a gazillion tiny sweet moments.

   

   I don’t have a formal recipe for the pie but I can tell you what I did: I diced a potato and a carrot and boiled them, cooked some frozen cod off in our air fryer, mixed the cod with the vegetables and some peas, plus crème fraîche and some seasonings (salt, pepper, a little nutritional yeast, garlic powder, sweet paprika, and a tiny bit of dried dill). I put that all in a pie dish with a Pillsbury crust and baked it in a 375ºF oven until browned which was maybe like half an hour? I put the pie dish on a foil-lined sheet pan to catch any drips because I hate cleaning our oven.

6. I am so excited for my class that’s coming up this Sunday. It’s my first “Kids Cooking Hour!” class of the year (these are geared towards kids, are just an hour, and are only $25). For this class we’re going to make the easiest, simplest turkey chili (which could easily just be bean chili if you’re vegetarian or vegan) and cornbread muffins. Simple stuff! These classes are always so fun. A portion of proceeds will be going to Willie Mae Rock Camp. You can sign-up for class here and class FAQs are here. If you (or a young person you know) want to attend and money is a barrier, just get in touch. I know someone who can hook you up (it’s…me).

   

   ««« SIGN UP HERE!!!! »»» ««« SIGN UP HERE!!!! »»» ««« SIGN UP HERE!!!! »»»

7. Some books I’ve finished recently that I really liked include Loved and Missed by Susie Boyt and The God of the Woods by Liz Moore. I absolutely LOVED The Safekeep by Yael Van Der Wouden (and shout out to my BFF Cleo for recommending it and The God of the Woods to me!). I’ve added these three books to my ongoing list of favorite books over on bookshop.org page which I’m trying to stay on top of adding to!

8. Speaking of Bookshop.org, they’re currently offering all my newsletter readers 15% off of WHAT GOES WITH WHAT through the end of January when you use the code: LOVEBOOKSELLERS.

9. If you want a SIGNED copy of WHAT GOES WITH WHAT, including any personalizing you’d like, those are available through my favorite local bookstore Oblong Books — just head here! And if you want to get your sweetheart(s) a copy for Valentine’s Day, just order by January 31st and then I can sign it and they can ship it to you in time for the holiday! Actually, speaking of Valentine’s Day, I have a question for you….

Okay friends. That’s it for this week! I cannnnnnnot wait to share next Tuesday’s recipe with you. It’s so good. Until then, take really good care. And maybe see your little one in class this weekend? xoxooxxo Julia