A DIYย Dessert Dish Clock:ย How is it possible that people this creative exist in the world?
Is gussied-up bacon having a moment? Ina Garten included those maple-y carmelized bacon bits in her last book and I just came across Chocolate (!) Bacon (!)ย on Susan Spungenโs blog.ย Wow. Just wow.
Speaking of Susan Spungen (aka Martha Stewart Livingโsย onetime seminal food director), check out her entertaining manifesto Whatโs a Hostess to Do? which Iโve already practically memorized.
This.ย Itโs not a want, itโs aย need.
I could not be more excited to read Meg Wolitzerโs new novel The Interestings. (If itโs even only half as good as The Wife,ย Iโll be way psyched.)
Be prepared to weep: My friend Laurie Sandell (from the โLoseratiโ chapter in my book) wrote a Modern Love essay for the Timesย about motherhood that will knock you out. And sheโs not even a mother. Yet.
I think this lunch packing appย has the potential to change your life as you know it.
For those of you who know me personally, make sure you are sitting down for this declaration: Iโve seen Matilda and itโs about 8,000 times better than Annie. Call TicketMaster NOW.
A big huge thank you to Linda M. and her book club of over a decade: Karen, Gina, Jennifer, Jenny, Emily, Denise, little Margaux (!) and the others I didnโt get a chance to talk to directly. Linda was nice enough to a) Select Dinner: A Love Story for their book club pick and b) let me call in to talk about it. If you are reading DALSย for your book club, get in touch! In case you canโt tell, I never get tired of talking about this stuff.
Seared Steak Fajitas from the ridiculously likable Sarah Carey. (โLetโs not call it burnt, letโs just call it a reallyreallyreally nice char.โ)
For those of you who are like me and enjoy discussing dinner over morning coffee, Iโm speaking here on April 18.
We finally bought a wine refrigerator.
A perennial source of stress in my house: Food in the Car.
My Bon Appetit editor Carlaย is writing a new column for BA called Cooking Without Recipes. Itโs gonna be good, trust me.
Lastly, some very exciting news: As of right this very moment, you can head over toย Design My Mealsย where my two palsย out in Silicon Valley Cara & Carla (different Carla) have archived over 200 DALS recipes (and thousands of others from the blogosphere and beyond) so that you can be more organized about your shopping for the week. (Isnโt that nice of them?) Among a million other things, DMM lets you search for a recipe by course, by special diet, by blogger, by whatโs in your CSA box, etc. and drag those recipes onto a your own customized calendar. Then (sound the trumpets!)ย based on your lineup,ย the system generates a shopping list for you. Ready to join? Hereโs where toย sign up.
From Andy:
If you have an e-reader and you like George Saunders, beautiful illustrations, and fables narrated by animals, then check out the storyย Fox 8, which will cost you only 99 cents and which our eleven year old read and devoured and when I asked her tell me what she wanted to say about it, she just said: โThereย areย no words to describe it. Itโs funny, but sad. It kind of has a weird vibe, since itโs told from a foxโs point of view.โ She means โweirdโ in the best possible way.
A pretty stunning piece about music and teachers โ and life, really โ in last weekโs New Yorker. (Also, kudos to the person who came up with this title.)
This incredibly well-reported piece, by Mark Mazzetti, about one of the more compelling, Jason Bourne-ish news stories in recent memory. I will be buying his book about the CIA, The Way of the Knife.
As a dog owner and lover of John Jeremiah Sullivanโs writing, this piece about animal consciousness.
Two things, courtesy of my excellent work friends, Kendra and Kaela:
- The graphic novel, Hilda and the Bird Parade, which I promptly went out and bought for the kids and which they both devoured and which has amazing artwork and a girl heroine with blue hair and a sidekick named Twig who is a baby fox with antlers.
- Dorothy Parker gin, from New York Distilling Company. This was a birthday gift that Iโm pretty sure I was supposed to savor. One week later, it is disturbingly close to empty.
A pair ofย these, which Abby forced me to buy, and which, I have to admit, make me happy when I put them on.
Have a good weekend.
What a trove of links! Youโll love the Wolitzer, Iโm 200 pages in and wish work would just stay out of my way so I could finish!
Is Fox8 only a kindle book. I donโt have an i anything, but I really want it!
Lucy โ Fox 8 is only available as an ebook, yes. Sorry!
Happy Friday โ what a great lot of suggestions ๐ Thanks and cheers!
Thanks for all these great links. Very informative.
One of my all time favorite cookbooks is Pam Andersonโs โHow to Cook Without a Book.โ Fine Cooking has a similar feature. So, Cooking without Recipes is sure to be a favorite of mine.
Thanks for the links!
i loved that modern love column. when i read it last week, i thought โwow, she is going to be a fantastic mother.โ
I second your Matilda recommendationโฆwe were in NYC a few weeks ago and saw it when it was in previews with our 8 and 9 year oldsโฆwe all loved it!!
Run, donโt walk to start reading The Interestings! I canโt put it down,Iโm ignoring my family except for meal time. It is filled with entertaining characters, exciting story lines and an emotional roller coaster!
That Modern Love article was definitely a heart-squeezer. I hugged my two-year-old a little tighter after reading it.
The Family Dinner Conference looks so wonderful but itโs a bummer itโs on a weekday when so many moms and dads work. Maybe next year!
Side note, I made the pork ragu tonight (not the first time) and there was a lot of moaning at my dinner table. Thanks ๐
Were you at the Palisades Mall (Nyack) on Sunday? in โฆ. Restoration Hardware?
Ok, two posts in to adoring you all and youโve made me want to cook and cook and cook and, youโve made me cry with the NYT link. This is going to get awkward. Will be talking about DALS like the crush I donโt realize that I have.
Thank you.
Laurieโs Modern
Love piece is beautiful.
Itโs fantastic she too will be a
Mom.
Gail โ Ha! No, I wasnโt at the Palisades Mall this weekend. Havenโt been there for over a year I think! Love that I have a potential doppleganger out there, though. Thanks!
Thanks for the links! I love the dessert dish clock. Would be amazing in my mostly white kitchen ๐
I used the pizza dough to make a grilled pizza yesterday and it was awesome! Itโs quick and easy and you donโt have to turn the oven on and heat up the house!