What to do when everything is wrong
The virtues of list-making, entertaining your way through heartbreak, and comfort foods for the distraught soul
I have bad dreams. Running from the mafia, packing for the impending apocalypse, working the line with a menu I don’t know, and performing in a play when I haven’t learned my lines are my top four categories of stress dream, and I have at least one a week. But opening my eyes Wednesday morning felt not like waking from a stressful dream but into a living nightmare.
When things are feeling particularly hopeless, as they are for so many of us right now, I like to get super specific about what I can do to wrestle a little joy out of my reality. I write those things down on a list and keep it close at hand. Here’s the list I’ve been working on this week. It still feels awful to think about the election and the next four years of Trump’s America, but focusing on these real, practical things helps at least a little.
Color with Hazel
Ride my bike
Make soup
Tidy up
Cry-sing very loudly in the car or shower
Practice yoga
Volunteer
Learn French (so I can move to Canada, bien sûr!)
Watch Danny Gonzalez videos with Byrd
Read (I’m currently reading The Playground by Richard Powers, which is proving to be perfect for escaping this world for a bit.)
What do you turn to when the stress feels overwhelming?
Despite the bleakness of this week, I’m excited to share a holiday entertaining package I’ve been working on for Simply Recipes. Come On Over: How to Feed the People You Love This Holiday Season is a collection of insights and recipes from three of my favorite cookbook authors, Julia Turshen, Abi Balingat, and my beloved Dan Pelosi. It might seem a little trivial right now when there are bigger fish to fry, but feeding people and entertaining are absolutely on the list of things we can do to find joy when life feels helpless, so hop on over to Simply Recipes to read about Julia Turshen’s musts for last-minute entertaining, why you should keep a few solid N/A options on your bar cart, and 3 easy, crowd-friendly dessert recipes from Abi Balingat.
The shortened days and horrible election news have conspired to make me crave the coziest comfort food, and luckily, I have a few new recipes to share if you’re in the same boat.
French Onion Beans—This easily-vegetarian send up of classic French onion flavors relies on creamy white beans for the primary protein. Topped with gruyere and buttery breadcrumbs, this one-pan wonder is a bit like cassoulet but without all the hard work (or meat).
Cabbage Au Gratin—Can cabbage save us? Maybe not, but I still love her, especially when cooked in cream and cheese and topped with, you guessed it, buttery-ass bread crumbs.
Brunswick Stew—Hosting a bitching session with a dozen of your closest comrades? Fire up a cauldron of Brunswick stew, a VA/GA classic that’s versatile, affordable, and easy to make. This particular recipe, which I developed for The Kitchn, uses leftover pulled pork BBQ—a great trick if you find yourself with a leftover barbecue situation on your hands, but I really love Brunswick Stew made with rotisserie chicken, and I have it in the fridge much more often.
From now until the New Year, I’ll be sharing some of the gift guides I’ve been working on for Eater, The Kitchn, and Cubby. Up first: The Best Dutch Ovens for Soup Season, Tested (for Eater). TL;DR: get a Le Creuset if you have the funds or a Great Jones if you’re trying to save some money. In the guide, I review the Dutch Baby from Great Jones, which is my go-to soup pot, but the Duchess is another excellent, more affordable option from GJ.
Until next time…
xox
SG
Thank you for having words when I have none. 💕 reading this was the warm hug I needed.