Cookin' a BlueSky account, a Substack, a podcast (about Sherlock Holmes), and an acorn squash soup. Only constipated in the sense that my creativity cannot leave my body fast enough, apparently.
I’m not cooking it yet, but I will be cooking an open house buffet for the Women’s National Book Association of New Orleans as a holiday party. I will be serving a high tea and my house cocktail, which I call « The Flannery » after Flannery O’Connor.
We will have a variety of cakes, finger foods, and fun.
For Thanksgiving, I will cook a small standard issue Thanksgiving dinner for my husband, our friend Bob, who has lived all over the world and speaks over a dozen languages, and me. My choices for that meal are entirely unexotic. But Thanksgiving is comfort food.
If you were in the vicinity, I would definitely invite you over.
I would love to have a better attitude. Right now, I don’t have one. Since I can’t have a better attitude, I may just have a better cocktail, write a better poem, and imagine a better day.
Chia seeds. I put those in my morning smoothie, or oatmeal, or yogurt. Along with collagen powder. Keeps me regular.
Also cooking up an essay, some new poems, and a fab new hairstyle. Just chopped 16 inches off my hair and donated it to a charity that makes wigs for kids with cancer.
I am eating childhood comfort food: popcorn, popped in olive oil in a covered saucepan I shake over a gas burner until the popping stops. I have upped Grandma's game: I order Mushroom Popcorn (popcorn comes in Butterfly and Mushroom shapes & you can order your preference from specialty farmers/retailers), do a couple of test kernels to make sure the oil is hot enough but not smoking, and when they pop put the rest in and shake shake shake. Leave the lid a bit ajar so steam can escape. When the popping stops, you have the best popcorn ever and WE NEED POPCORN to watch what's going to unfold.
That sounds delicious! Will have to look for Mushroom popcorn. I like stovetop popcorn, too. My favorite toppings combo = a bit of butter, grated parmesan, and a hint of truffle salt.
You mean besides the GOO? Yup. Ozempicity. And flying back from Dublin. Customs in Denver sucks. Dublin has some gorgeous stained glass. Found one church that was STUNNING. But the priest said some bs about women OBEYING(???) their husbands. I almost yelled WHAT!? Out loud. He said other bs then I looked at my husband who was smirking (he knows me well) and said OK IM DONE NOW. As we got outside I said “THAT PRE WOMENS LIB BULLSHIT IS WHY I LEFT 30 YEARS AGO AND NEVER LOOKED BACK!!” Then on a city bus back to the hotel a charming elderly woman sitting next to me said “you know he’s a good man dear. He knows how to use a knife and fork!!” Yes. Dublin was great. Check out the day trips and cool places in GET YOUR GUIDE (.com). Tons of great places to eat and things to see.
Was just there too, escaping *waves arms generally* all this stress. Delicious proper pints and the most comforting foods (and bookstores). Bookstores always help ❤️
One of my favorite dishes is simply a small bowl of rinsed blueberries topped with squirt can whipped cream. It now comes in flavors. Yum. Blueberries are a super fruit so no guilt. I have three knitting projects on the needles. Two of them are color work and new techniques. The challenge is good for my brain, as is getting help and support from my knitting friends. I'm spending the $ for good yarn finally. I am in the process of saying goodbye to my twitter friends and moving to Threads and Bluesky. I'm hoping my compatriots settle on one service just in the service of spending less time scrolling.
Recipes… considering my mom’s recipe for Spanish Rice was Minute Rice and Campbell’s tomato soup, I only got one good recipe from her: no-bake oatmeal-chocolate-peanut butter cookies. Mmmm
I love a chicken & stuffing casserole - boneless chicken breast or chicken tenderloin, cut up and put in a baking pan. Stuffing mix dumped in, add half the water the stuffing mix asks for, add a can of cream of whatever soup (cream of mushroom/potato/chicken all work) and mix it up.
Bake at 350 for about 35min - check to see if the chicken is done - if not, put it in a little longer.
So easy and tastes amazing.
For non-food cooking, I'm doing my own audio recordings and serializing on my Graffridge Publishing Substack. Since my brain can't seem to hold the story long enough to get words out - reading my words has been comforting.
I'm still dealing with the impacts of Helene here in Western NC - my town, Burnsville, was one of the hardest hit.
I just got running water back at my house on Monday, 11/11. Six weeks/four days after the storm.
It's been really bad here. So many dead, so much destruction. Doing what I can to bring some light back into the world.
Life is cleaner, at least *chuckles*. I've been catching up on the non-essential laundry and scrubbing down the kitchen, bathrooms, and floors. When you have to travel to find clean water, fill the jugs and buckets, bring it home, lug it inside...you don't waste it on some things.
I think part of it is that I'm focusing on what I *can* control, and that's the cleanliness and organization of my home. There's so much out there that I cannot.
I'm also a firm believer that the only way we're going to get through any of this is by focusing on our communities. Those we live in, those we engage in (like here, online) and those we hold close (like online and distant friends).
The aftermath of Helene has really showed me the value and absolute gift of community - if not for the people around me - in person and online - this would have been a whole lot more difficult.
We all took care of each other - and we still are. Seeing how powerful that kind of connection has been during the storm's aftermath has me believing it will be our saving over the next few years.
The moon was divine. We went on a walk as it was rising above the clouds on the horizon. I pointed it out to two women with their children and got ooohs and ahhhhs in response.
Cookin' a BlueSky account, a Substack, a podcast (about Sherlock Holmes), and an acorn squash soup. Only constipated in the sense that my creativity cannot leave my body fast enough, apparently.
Love your menu, Laura!!! Love your attitude! Love your gumption!
I'm on Bluesky too! Loving it there. @tkeldridge
Love it!
You go Laura!
Also enjoying the tasty energy on Bluesky!
I’m https://bsky.app/profile/maredowell.bsky.social
I'm laughing at that last comment! You sound like you're very creative!!! And the acorn squash soup sounds good. I might have to try it!
Sherlock !! saved me when I was 16, maybe he will again...
Dearest and most fabulous E. Jean,
I’m not cooking it yet, but I will be cooking an open house buffet for the Women’s National Book Association of New Orleans as a holiday party. I will be serving a high tea and my house cocktail, which I call « The Flannery » after Flannery O’Connor.
We will have a variety of cakes, finger foods, and fun.
For Thanksgiving, I will cook a small standard issue Thanksgiving dinner for my husband, our friend Bob, who has lived all over the world and speaks over a dozen languages, and me. My choices for that meal are entirely unexotic. But Thanksgiving is comfort food.
If you were in the vicinity, I would definitely invite you over.
I would love to have a better attitude. Right now, I don’t have one. Since I can’t have a better attitude, I may just have a better cocktail, write a better poem, and imagine a better day.
I am guessing this will be the best line of the day, Anne:
"Since I can’t have a better attitude, I may just have a better cocktail."
Chia seeds. I put those in my morning smoothie, or oatmeal, or yogurt. Along with collagen powder. Keeps me regular.
Also cooking up an essay, some new poems, and a fab new hairstyle. Just chopped 16 inches off my hair and donated it to a charity that makes wigs for kids with cancer.
16 inches!!!! Dawn! How marvelous! How loving!
Wow, that's brave, cutting off your hair! I use flax seeds, but one has to grind them. Works perfectly.
My flax seeds came ground from Whole Foods. I ate some tonite for the very first time. With a little yogurt.
Just make sure you keep them refrigerated. They turn rancid easily. That's why I get them whole.
Thank you. I didn't realize that. I just now put them in the fridge.
Gring? What does that mean?
Chopping 16 inches--that doesn't sound so regular to me, but it does sound marvelous, and awesome, and impressive!
Like Rapunzel plus Mother Teresa! Nice combination.
Awesome donation!
This is the full story of my hair donation with before and after pictures.
https://dawnlevitt.substack.com/p/i-gave-away-a-part-of-myself-this
My brain is constipated. I can’t think of a thing. Literally drawing a blank and I cook a lot.
This week has been one helluva year.
(Looking forward to getting some ideas though!)
I just lost my whole screen, I was laughing so hard at your first line, Kim B!
My work here is done.
heeeee!
The darkest of dark hot chocolate, from scratch waffles and knitting socks. A tich of BritBox too.
Waffles!
Praise the gods!
Banana waffles using buttermilk for the batter.. ummm
Nice!
darkest of dark chocolate !!
I am eating childhood comfort food: popcorn, popped in olive oil in a covered saucepan I shake over a gas burner until the popping stops. I have upped Grandma's game: I order Mushroom Popcorn (popcorn comes in Butterfly and Mushroom shapes & you can order your preference from specialty farmers/retailers), do a couple of test kernels to make sure the oil is hot enough but not smoking, and when they pop put the rest in and shake shake shake. Leave the lid a bit ajar so steam can escape. When the popping stops, you have the best popcorn ever and WE NEED POPCORN to watch what's going to unfold.
Lord, Ruth Ann, you are brilliant!!!
That sounds delicious! Will have to look for Mushroom popcorn. I like stovetop popcorn, too. My favorite toppings combo = a bit of butter, grated parmesan, and a hint of truffle salt.
Oh! Delicious, Lisa!
Ever try onion powder and ground thyme? Great taste and less salt required.
Thank you for telling me about Mushroom Popcorn.
Popcorn! The key to happiness! xo
You mean besides the GOO? Yup. Ozempicity. And flying back from Dublin. Customs in Denver sucks. Dublin has some gorgeous stained glass. Found one church that was STUNNING. But the priest said some bs about women OBEYING(???) their husbands. I almost yelled WHAT!? Out loud. He said other bs then I looked at my husband who was smirking (he knows me well) and said OK IM DONE NOW. As we got outside I said “THAT PRE WOMENS LIB BULLSHIT IS WHY I LEFT 30 YEARS AGO AND NEVER LOOKED BACK!!” Then on a city bus back to the hotel a charming elderly woman sitting next to me said “you know he’s a good man dear. He knows how to use a knife and fork!!” Yes. Dublin was great. Check out the day trips and cool places in GET YOUR GUIDE (.com). Tons of great places to eat and things to see.
Was just there too, escaping *waves arms generally* all this stress. Delicious proper pints and the most comforting foods (and bookstores). Bookstores always help ❤️
Revolutionary Feast
It starts, as these things often do,
with aprons tied like battle flags,
flour-dusted hands lifting wine glasses
high in quiet toasts to rebellion.
The kitchen, warm as a hearth
and sharp as a general’s tent,
fills with whispers, laughter,
the clatter of knives against cutting boards—
a rhythm, a code, a call to arms.
Someone sets the turkey aside,
its carcass a pale monarch dethroned,
and leans in to rewrite history
on the back of a recipe card.
“Pass the cranberries,” someone says,
but it sounds like, “Pass the match.”
Outside, the men in their flannel complacency
watch football with the same blank fervor
they bring to voting booths and boardrooms,
unaware of the rising yeast of insurrection
proofing in the oven.
The women—unassuming as yeast,
unyielding as cast iron—
layer pies with whispers of revolution,
slice apples into sharp crescents,
smuggle rebellion into gravy boats
and stuffing bowls, fragrant with sage.
“Don’t forget the rolls,” someone says,
and it sounds like, “Don’t forget the rules
we are about to break.”
By dessert, the plan is set.
Pumpkin pie slides onto plates
as easily as grievances tumble
from lips that have tasted silence too long.
Each bite is a pledge, a promise:
no more thankless carving,
no more waiting to be served.
The feast ends. The women rise,
aprons discarded like old loyalties,
knives glinting as they return to their sheaths.
And the men, still clutching their beers,
wonder only vaguely why the world
suddenly feels so unstable.
In the aftermath, the kitchen is spotless,
the revolution invisible,
except in the echo of clinking glasses
and the faintest taste of freedom
lingering on their tongues.
Just lovely! Thank you for sharing.
OH! THIS IS WONDERFUL, GLORIA!!!
Banana pudding!
OOOOOOOOOOOOOhhhh!!! Sing to me Loma!
Yes!
yummmmm
One of my favorite dishes is simply a small bowl of rinsed blueberries topped with squirt can whipped cream. It now comes in flavors. Yum. Blueberries are a super fruit so no guilt. I have three knitting projects on the needles. Two of them are color work and new techniques. The challenge is good for my brain, as is getting help and support from my knitting friends. I'm spending the $ for good yarn finally. I am in the process of saying goodbye to my twitter friends and moving to Threads and Bluesky. I'm hoping my compatriots settle on one service just in the service of spending less time scrolling.
Just to share … I wrote about not letting anyone dim your light today if anyone needs a boost. https://open.substack.com/pub/preble/p/rage-against?r=davcl&utm_medium=ios
Loved that. Thank you.
Recipes… considering my mom’s recipe for Spanish Rice was Minute Rice and Campbell’s tomato soup, I only got one good recipe from her: no-bake oatmeal-chocolate-peanut butter cookies. Mmmm
Laura, that is not a "good" recipe-----the no-bake oatmeal-chocolate-peanutbuttercookies has to be a GREAT recipe!
Can you give it to us?
Your mom may have even been a better chef than mine...
Likewise 😂
"Uh, is anybody else constipated?"
I lol'ed. My recipe for you is Culturelle!
You teach me something new all the time, Claire!
The only one who is constpated is the orange menace with his incessant imbibing of 🍔
actually Everyone Says he's incontinent
I love a chicken & stuffing casserole - boneless chicken breast or chicken tenderloin, cut up and put in a baking pan. Stuffing mix dumped in, add half the water the stuffing mix asks for, add a can of cream of whatever soup (cream of mushroom/potato/chicken all work) and mix it up.
Bake at 350 for about 35min - check to see if the chicken is done - if not, put it in a little longer.
So easy and tastes amazing.
For non-food cooking, I'm doing my own audio recordings and serializing on my Graffridge Publishing Substack. Since my brain can't seem to hold the story long enough to get words out - reading my words has been comforting.
I'm still dealing with the impacts of Helene here in Western NC - my town, Burnsville, was one of the hardest hit.
I just got running water back at my house on Monday, 11/11. Six weeks/four days after the storm.
It's been really bad here. So many dead, so much destruction. Doing what I can to bring some light back into the world.
Thank you, TK!
I can't imagine (or maybe I don't want to). I hope life gets better soon.
Life is cleaner, at least *chuckles*. I've been catching up on the non-essential laundry and scrubbing down the kitchen, bathrooms, and floors. When you have to travel to find clean water, fill the jugs and buckets, bring it home, lug it inside...you don't waste it on some things.
I think part of it is that I'm focusing on what I *can* control, and that's the cleanliness and organization of my home. There's so much out there that I cannot.
I'm also a firm believer that the only way we're going to get through any of this is by focusing on our communities. Those we live in, those we engage in (like here, online) and those we hold close (like online and distant friends).
The aftermath of Helene has really showed me the value and absolute gift of community - if not for the people around me - in person and online - this would have been a whole lot more difficult.
We all took care of each other - and we still are. Seeing how powerful that kind of connection has been during the storm's aftermath has me believing it will be our saving over the next few years.
YES!!!
Fucking A, as we say in the North.
I hate cooking and view it as an oppressive patriarchal chore. This evening I have had a glass or Prosecco & some bruschetta at a woman owned bistro.
Then, on the way home I purchased some nutritious prepared meals to go at my local family owned grocery.
Check out the super moon 🌚 tonight, it is known as the Beaver 🦫 moon. Very auspicious.
The moon was divine. We went on a walk as it was rising above the clouds on the horizon. I pointed it out to two women with their children and got ooohs and ahhhhs in response.
Divine!
I like the way you handle things, Nancy!
😊
The day after the election, I made Marissa Rothkopf’s Undebatably Gooey Chocolate Chip Bars. Which are long gone. But highly recommend for comfort.
Nancy, ya know Marissa Rothkopf is a genius!