What weโre eating and reading this week:
The Zebra Cookies! Have they taken over your instagram feed like theyโve taken over mine? Well either way, they should be on your holiday to-bake list, whether itโs for the swap, the office party, or a weekend activity with the kids that checks the Holiday Baking Project box. I had to hand these over to Andy for his office party, but thereโs another batch in my very near future.
Have a sentimental attachment to a New York restaurant? Iโll bet this guy has drawn it. (#greatgift)
The New York Timesโ 10 Most Popular Recipes of 2018. Iโm all over the Francese.
When your mom is not just a Tiger Mother, but theeee Tiger mother. (Why does it make me so happy to read that Amy Chua is addicted to TV.)
Read of the Week: Ariel Levy profiles Julia Louis-Dreyfus.
Can you imagine how delicious this Moose Mountain Coffee Cake would be on Christmas morning with a great cup of coffee?
Iโm on the โThe Impossible Jobโย podcastย talkinโ โ what else? โ family and food.
Can someone please make me a persimmons parfait?
Book report: I think Iโm the only one who didnโt love The Witch Elm (itโs gotten nothing but excellent reviews so ask around before you rule it out entirely) but I loved every word of Michelle Obamaโs memoirย Becoming;ย And for graphic novel fans:ย Killing and Dying,ย aย collection of stories that are quietly, beautifully haunting. Itโs one Iโll re-read often.
Under the category of Vegetarian Comfort Food: Five-ingredient Green Curry.
Iโm the Expert. But my Kids Love My Husbandโs Cooking. (โIf I wanted [my kids] to remember my cooking, I had to slow down, I had to repeat, I had to make food that they could count on. Like their daddy did with pasta.โ I love Amanda Hesser so much. And now I really want to try that pasta.)
As you guys know, Iโve been helping out over at Cup of Jo, so I want to send you over there for a few fun things: Hereโs 21 Completely Subjective Rules for Raising Teenage Girls (by me) andย hereโs the the companion story for Boysย by Catherine Newman.
Also on Cup of Jo: Why I Keep Running (Even Though I Dread it.)
Lastly, Iโm announcing the winner of the giveaway on Monday, December 17! Still time to check out my holiday gift guideย and enter in the comment sections.
Have a great weekend.
Iโm about 200 pages in to the Witch Elm and am feeling like itโsโฆ.OK. Iโve never read her before but I know a lot of people love her. At this point, Iโm committed but itโs MUCH slower than Iโd like!
Iโm with you on the Witch Elm . . . not sure Iโm going to finish it.
I didnโt like the Witch Elm either! I so wanted to like it but I just couldnโt root for a single character. I loved all of her other books though.
that is how I felt, exactly. I didnโt know who to root for.
Oh my gosh! Jenny, I still love you, butโฆ Witch Elm is my favorite read of 2018 (except, to be honest, Emily Millerโs translation of The Odyssey). My 2017 favorite read was Salt Fat Acid Heatโฆ
I know, itโs a controversial opinion! Iโm sorry! Itโs my first Tana French, and at least I know not to give up on her. I know sheโs the master. If you have thoughts on another one of her books that will 100% sell me on her, please let me know. I want to love her!
Iโd recommend Faithful Placeโalthough it is also unsettling in terms of who to root for, who to root against. Are you watching My Brilliant Friend? Iโm not, but I loved the series of novels on which the show is based. A number of my friends gave up, depressed because all the characters are so flawed. But on my view thatโs a strength. (Not to get off-topic, but kind of like Madame Bovary or Crime & Punishment). But letโs talk about something more relevantโcanโt wait to make those zebra cookies, even if Iโm normally the most pathetic cookie-baker in my extended family!
You should start with the first book In the Woods. While they donโt have to be read in chronological order, each book takes a character from the previous book and makes them the focus. Theyโre all really good, although Broken Harbor was my least favorite.
In the Woods, for sure. Has been my favorite book for years. But, Iโm with you on the Witch Elm โ Iโve been halfway through for months and not sure Iโll finish it.
In the Woods, for sure. Has been my favorite book for years. But, Iโm with you on the Witch Elm โ Iโve been halfway through for months and not sure Iโll finish it.
Loved that article with Amanda Hesser! I struggle with the same thing โ remaking recipes enough that my kids can depend on them; not the my-kids-eat-obscure-seafood part ๐
Yeeeeeah, the Witch Elm was my not-favorite. I did finish it, and Iโm glad I did. Tana French can write the hell out of a twist ending. But the first 200 pages just dragged. Still love In the Woods the most.
Gotta chime in here in re: The Witch Elm. Itโs sitting next to me, and I have NOT yet started it yet, but based on how much I loved her other novels (even those that moved much more slowly), I know I will love it. Should you be in the mood for some really excellent thriller type novels, I cannot recommend Sharon Bolton (sometimes S.J. Bolton) enough. She has spoiled me for all future thriller/crime novelists.
The Witch Elm. Uuuuggghhhhh. Itโs an 18-disc audiobook. They donโt find the skull until disc 7 or 8. Toby is the worst. I just couldnโt. I gave up.
Hi from Alexandria, VAโฆI love Tana French and was so excited for The Witch Elmโฆand I also did not love it. Not sure whyโฆI have loved every other one. None of my friends have read it yet, so I have not heard any other feedback yet.
In the same sort of writing style, I loved Missing, Presumed, by Susie Steiner.
Happy Holidays!
Hello Jenny! I just wanted to say thank you for your Zebra Cookies recommendation. I made them yesterday and they turned out perfect. My kids loved these cookies very much!
Merry Christmas, Jenny!
I loved and enjoyed this article. Thanks for sharing the useful content.