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Hello there Reader, Thanksgiving doesn't have to leave you cursing like a sailor. (Although, if you ever heard Mama Leite muttering in Portuguese while wrestling a 22-pound turkey into submission, you might think otherwise.) As someone who's hosted more holiday dinners than my youthful countenance would suggest―some of which ended with me hiding in the basement, clutching a bottle of wine, and questioning my life choices―I've learned a thing or two about keeping my sanity intact. The One will back me up on this, especially after That One Year We Shall Never Speak Of Again when I nearly burned down the house. But I digress. What I've learned is mastering Thanksgiving is all about strategy. And, unlike how I usually cook―which The One likens to a tornado in an apron―this requires that dreaded word: planning. Allow me to share with you my hard-won five-day plan that'll keep you from ending up in the fetal position behind the washing machine. (Not that I know anything about that.) My Free Foolproof Five-Day Countdown
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Hi Reader, The windows were fogged, the air thick with the smell of onions and olive oil, when The One wandered into the kitchen and said, “Did you set off the smoke alarm again, or are we having soup?”“Caldo,” I corrected, because some habits are eternal.There’s something nearly spiritual about stirring a pot of soup in January. Maybe it’s the quiet choreography of it—the slice, the sizzle, the slow surrender of vegetables into something far greater than themselves. Or maybe it’s just the...
Hi Reader, The idea hit me somewhere between a second cup of coffee and a mild identity crisis: I was going to start baking bread again.The One looked up from the crossword, sighed, and said, “Do I need to clear counter space or buy fire insurance?”Fair question. My early attempts could’ve doubled as medieval weaponry. There was one loaf that clanged when it hit the cutting board.But that’s the thing about bread—it forgives. It’s a slow teacher, a quiet companion that rewards patience more...
Hi Reader, Every January, I find myself in a sort of culinary limbo—caught between the glittering madness of the holidays and the quiet murmur of a new year. The fridge looks like it’s survived a small war: a spoonful of cranberry sauce, a nub of cheese that could qualify as a fossil, and a wilted sprig of rosemary that’s seen better days.That’s when The One wanders in, holding a mug of coffee and arching an eyebrow. “You’re reorganizing your life again, aren’t you?” he says, gesturing toward...