Twice in one week! I usually send this newsletter out once a week and on Tuesday you got my November/December teaching schedule. But I made such a good dinner last night from a mixture of leftovers and wanted to tell you about it. Which also got me thinking of a story from a few years ago. So here goes nothing!
I don't usually comment, but wanted to write about this post and your newsletter in general. I am so grateful for the perspective that you are providing about home cooking, how to meal plan (loosely and lovingly), providing insight into diet culture and, most importantly, eating for JOY. I am amazed and grateful that someone who is such an exquisite cook (I have ALL of your books) can make cooking so fun and accessible. Thank you so building this community!
thank you for this great story, reminder and encouragement, julia. once in a while i even have a small jar of something unlabeled and after giving a sniff and still not remembering or knowing what it is, i toss it in with leftovers. it's always good.
One of my absolute favorite things about your body of work is your a) acknowledgment that home cooking results in leftovers and b) acknowledgement that leftovers can sometimes be tiresome.
Am I going to have this exact scenario in the future? Likely not, but your encouragement and confidence will lead me forward! I made the mashed cauliflower and lettuce soup last week - so easy yet so transformative. It's another way for me to make home cooking sustainable. Thank you!
OK, so tonight is gonna be a big experiment... left over corn, leek & potato soup mixed into left over Ribbolata (not sure how you spell it).... may need to add cheese!
And this is what I love SO much about you, your calm and fun energy, your recipes, generosity, and writing! ❤️ This post encouraged me (I leaped for the Subscribe Me button!) to become a paid subscriber, made me smile, and filled me with so many creative ideas! As to leftovers, no matter what, my 84-year-old Mom always exclaims, “It’s still good.” She’d be so proud of you! :)
I love how you encourage us to have fun and be creative-- it’s not about the perfect meal. It’s using your instincts and whipping something up that is unexpected yet delicious. Thank you for encouraging this kind of mentality!
Your creativity always inspires me! As someone who cooks & bakes daily, I always have leftovers in the fridge. Sometimes, I repurpose them into entirely new meals, other times I’m excited about the leftovers as they are (and they’re always better after a day or 2!). Thanks for the gentle reminder that delicious food is simple, accessible, and doesn’t require laborious or heroic efforts.
What a great illustration of improvisation and creative thinking. No shade against recipes (I love them!), but I think when you approach cooking in the way you've described here, you can end up surprising and delighting yourself and the people you're sharing food with. It's empowering and so fun to go off script sometimes. These kinds of ideas make this newsletter and community unique and valuable.
Also, I feel seen - I often use a mixing bowl for one purpose (like tossing veggies with spices and oil to roast) and then using the same bowl to make salad or sauce with an extra little flavor boost, but I didn't realize other people did that! I'm glad you shared that pro tip; it can make a big difference. Thank you, Julia!
I've created jobs for myself in and around food for over 20 years and am also a passionate home cook. But I am very bad at this part of cooking. My food shopping tends to be recipe focused so I don't have a lot of "extra" stuff lying around. Leftovers sure, but I would like to be better at having a more stocked fridge and pantry with things that I like, not just that I'm going to use in the next week. I don't have a lot of condiments or sauces, being vegetarian I feel like they are not always useful and end up dying a slow death in my fridge. I am the person who is more likely to do a quick shop rather than create something from what I have.
I don't usually comment, but wanted to write about this post and your newsletter in general. I am so grateful for the perspective that you are providing about home cooking, how to meal plan (loosely and lovingly), providing insight into diet culture and, most importantly, eating for JOY. I am amazed and grateful that someone who is such an exquisite cook (I have ALL of your books) can make cooking so fun and accessible. Thank you so building this community!
thank you for this great story, reminder and encouragement, julia. once in a while i even have a small jar of something unlabeled and after giving a sniff and still not remembering or knowing what it is, i toss it in with leftovers. it's always good.
I must admit that I look forward to your emails more than any others I get.
One of my absolute favorite things about your body of work is your a) acknowledgment that home cooking results in leftovers and b) acknowledgement that leftovers can sometimes be tiresome.
Am I going to have this exact scenario in the future? Likely not, but your encouragement and confidence will lead me forward! I made the mashed cauliflower and lettuce soup last week - so easy yet so transformative. It's another way for me to make home cooking sustainable. Thank you!
OK, so tonight is gonna be a big experiment... left over corn, leek & potato soup mixed into left over Ribbolata (not sure how you spell it).... may need to add cheese!
And this is what I love SO much about you, your calm and fun energy, your recipes, generosity, and writing! ❤️ This post encouraged me (I leaped for the Subscribe Me button!) to become a paid subscriber, made me smile, and filled me with so many creative ideas! As to leftovers, no matter what, my 84-year-old Mom always exclaims, “It’s still good.” She’d be so proud of you! :)
This is brilliant!! Thanks for sharing!!
I love how you encourage us to have fun and be creative-- it’s not about the perfect meal. It’s using your instincts and whipping something up that is unexpected yet delicious. Thank you for encouraging this kind of mentality!
Your creativity always inspires me! As someone who cooks & bakes daily, I always have leftovers in the fridge. Sometimes, I repurpose them into entirely new meals, other times I’m excited about the leftovers as they are (and they’re always better after a day or 2!). Thanks for the gentle reminder that delicious food is simple, accessible, and doesn’t require laborious or heroic efforts.
i keep a bag of soft tiny street tacos on my counter. it's amazing how many good leftovers can be
stuffed into those and nuked in minutes, with or without cheese melted on top!
What a great illustration of improvisation and creative thinking. No shade against recipes (I love them!), but I think when you approach cooking in the way you've described here, you can end up surprising and delighting yourself and the people you're sharing food with. It's empowering and so fun to go off script sometimes. These kinds of ideas make this newsletter and community unique and valuable.
Also, I feel seen - I often use a mixing bowl for one purpose (like tossing veggies with spices and oil to roast) and then using the same bowl to make salad or sauce with an extra little flavor boost, but I didn't realize other people did that! I'm glad you shared that pro tip; it can make a big difference. Thank you, Julia!
I've created jobs for myself in and around food for over 20 years and am also a passionate home cook. But I am very bad at this part of cooking. My food shopping tends to be recipe focused so I don't have a lot of "extra" stuff lying around. Leftovers sure, but I would like to be better at having a more stocked fridge and pantry with things that I like, not just that I'm going to use in the next week. I don't have a lot of condiments or sauces, being vegetarian I feel like they are not always useful and end up dying a slow death in my fridge. I am the person who is more likely to do a quick shop rather than create something from what I have.