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Day 9 – Holiday Candies

October 10, 2023 by Suzanne

Besides pie, another treat that reminds me of holidays at home is homemade candy. My mom’s side of the family made candy from scratch every year. Aunt Gale liked making chocolate-covered cherries (meh – maybe another reason I thought I didn’t like cherries) and divinity (also meh and so, so sweet). As I grew up, I discovered that these candies weren’t gross, but they did require a slightly more sophisticated palate than I had as a child.

What did not require a mature palate? Chocolate.

The day after our big family gathering on Thanksgiving, everyone went home and we continued to graze on leftovers because there was no room for cooking in the kitchen. It was candy day. Well, for us it was putting-the-Christmas-decorations-up day. Mom ran the show in the kitchen. I always listened for the exasperated sighs that told me her hands were getting tired, though, because they also meant she was open to my help. So I helped make at least one of the candies each year.

We made (among the occasional others):

My favorite candy was (and still is) the Martha Washington. I do love coconut. And while we dipped all the ones that were coated in chocolate with milk chocolate, I prefer dark. Very dark. The darker, the better. Which is how I make them today if I’m making them at my house.

The millionaires are Mom’s favorite. Many recipes that you find will have you melt down caramel candies to make the nougat, and that’s fine. You can’t really mess it up. But if you want something truly delectable, make your own caramel as directed in the recipe I linked above. You won’t be sorry.

Well, you might be. Because you will probably burn your hand at least once, especially the first time you make caramel (or toffee flakes, which is what you get when you accidentally cook it a little past the soft ball stage. Sorry, not sorry). In fact, if you don’t burn your hand, drop the wooden spoon into the hot, boiling caramel (risking burning yourself again), and yell, “Shit!” at least twice during this process, are you even doing it right?

But if you make it past this stage with minimal injury, you will have the satisfaction of enjoying homemade caramel, one of the most delicious pleasures that exist in this life. And while many recipes, including my family’s, will advise you to simply add a bit of food-grade paraffin (canning aisle) to whatever meltable chocolate you have to make it smooth and shiny, you really should try tempering some good chocolate for the coating at least once.

[Aside: Expect cursing during this step, too, especially if even one molecule of water gets near the melting chocolate.]

We haven’t made candy in the last few years. It makes a lot, and it ties up the kitchen for a long time. As we’ve all gotten older, it just seems to add unnecessary angst to our time together.

I miss it, though. Even the stressful parts. It was one of my favorite holiday rituals.

I’m talking about food, family, nostalgia, and all sorts of related things this month.

Posted in 31 Days, Food, Home, Nostalgia, Roots | 3 Comments »

Day 8 – Holidays With the Family

October 9, 2023 by Suzanne

(Picture blurry because I was shaking with excitement. That’s the excuse I’m going with.)

Before every visit to the farm, we always have at least one conversation about what we will eat. It starts with, “What sounds good?” and my answer – “Anything but liver or pot pie (which is an abomination)” or “Whatever’s on sale.” Steak is often mentioned with a certain amount of glee. I typically throw some sort of dumpling talk and a general disdain for any pork besides bacon into the mix.

When a holiday is approaching, the conversation definitely includes dessert.

Growing up, holiday desserts were a big deal. Our house was the gathering place for Mom’s side of the family, and everyone had their favorites. It was the only course of the meal that had its own table.

Mom would make at least three pies. The two standards were topped with gorgeous meringues – one chocolate and one coconut. The last pie changed every year – lemon meringue, apple, peach, or some other type. Aunt Gale would usually bring cherry and/or pumpkin, and a pecan pie always managed to show up from somewhere. There were also many dozens of cookies and sometimes fresh apple cake (with pecans, but I liked it better without them. Still do.).

It’s been a few years since Mom made pies. I miss them, but with her memory issues, she has a hard time focusing on the recipe long enough to make it and that’s frustrating for her. When only the five of us are there these days, I imagine it’s also disheartening to go to all that trouble for several things that won’t get fully eaten.

Could I make a pie for our holiday meals? Yes, I could. But which one? We all have different favorites, and we’d never be able to choose. Also…I have a confession.

I don’t like meringue.

I know it’s beautiful and many people actually enjoy the taste. There’s nothing wrong with it…per se…and if I am served a piece of pie with meringue at someone’s house, I will gratefully eat it and go back for seconds. Because pie.

But it’s so…squishy? Spongey? One of my dastardly uncles called it calf slobber one time, and that was a little too close to what the texture seemed like to me for my comfort. *shudders*

Still, it doesn’t quite feel like a holiday without them, front and center, on a table full of other pies, cakes (oh gosh – Aunt Gale’s hummingbird cake), candy, quick breads with a ridiculous amount of pecans in them, fruit, etc. The table full of desserts meant ’tis the season and company’s coming.

What foods remind you of holidays?

I’m writing about foods that make me think of home this month.

Posted in 31 Days, Feast, Food, Home, Nostalgia | Leave a Comment »

Day 7 – On Telling MeMaw Your Favorite

October 7, 2023 by Suzanne

You know how, when you show appreciation for something or show someone how much you love it, you suddenly start getting a startling amount of those things as gifts? Now, this works out well when you hint to people who know how to pick out good coffee – like my sister – that it would be a stellar gift to receive. And it is pure delight, when you actually collect things like souvenir coffee mugs, to receive them when people return from their travels. But it also sometimes means you go from having one cute crystal pig wine stopper that you make the mistake of gushing over to receiving pig-themed items for years to come.

This is what happened when you told MeMaw Sharp your favorite dessert.

Almost every kid goes through an adventurous (relatively speaking) phase where they’re excited about trying new things. Every new thing they like is suddenly “the best” or “their favorite.”

I didn’t think I liked cherries when I was little. Aunt Gale’s cherry pie was very intense for a kid whose expectation when you said, “pie” was either chocolate or coconut cream. So when I tried MeMaw’s cherry cheesecake, I did not have high hopes. But it was delicious. I was over the moon. I immediately declared it the best thing I had ever eaten, in much the same way my sister praised the German chocolate cake (even though it had nuts in it, which we were generally opposed to as young girls).

Ah, the hyperbole of youth.

From that moment on, every time we had dinner at MeMaw’s house, the desserts were a choice between cherry cheesecake and German chocolate cake. You’re welcome, family. How any of us even like either of those things anymore is a mystery.

In fact, until recently, I hadn’t had a cherry cheesecake in years. Cherry is still not my favorite fruit pie, although I will no longer turn a slice down. Because pie. And really – because of the ice cream that I inevitably put on top of fruit pie.

But during my icebox pie phase that is still continuing from the summer, I tried to recreate MeMaw’s cherry cheesecake, and I was delighted to find that I still love it just as much as I did when I took that first bite.

My version doesn’t taste exactly like hers. I think she added lemon juice which I did not, and I definitely dosed mine with a healthy glug of Chairman’s Reserve. But it still hits my nostalgia receptor right on its synapse (don’t @ me if my olfactory memory science is off – you get the point).

Ingredients:

  • 1 premade graham cracker crust (or make your own like this)
  • 8 ounces cream cheese (or the lighter Neufchâtel works fine, too), softened
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1-2 tablespoons vanilla
  • A shot of spiced rum (or two half shots, as you will not use it all at the same time)
  • Your favorite cherry pie filling (canned or you can also make your own)

Steps:

  1. In one bowl, beat together the cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla, and half the rum.
  2. In another bowl (or, if you don’t want to wash the beaters after step 1, a quart-sized mason jar with a tight lid), whip the cream until soft peaks form (alternatively, shake the daylights out of the jar for about four minutes to yield the same results).
  3. Fold the results of steps 1 and 2 together until fully mixed and pour into the prepared pie crust.
  4. Refrigerate or freeze until set (four-ish hours).
  5. Add the rest of the rum to the pie filling and spoon it over the top.
  6. Enjoy!

The pie pictured above was made with a premade crust and canned pie filling because I threw it together in the middle of the week between work and choir practice and topped it during a short break from writing later that night. But when you have the time, I highly recommend making both from scratch. The pie, while already delicious just as it is, will be infinitely better.

Also, if you’re on the fence between refrigerator or freezer, it basically comes down to time (freezer is faster) and texture. Do you want the first serving to have the consistency of thick pudding or ice cream? I am Team Ice Cream, so I put mine in the freezer to set, but kept it in the fridge after adding the cherries because they get real weird in the freezer. I have, however, combated this phenomenon before by stirring them right in with the cream cheese /whipped cream before pouring it into the crust, and then you can just keep it frozen. It neither looks nor tastes like MeMaw’s at that point, but it is still glorious.

What was your favorite childhood dessert?

I’m writing about all sorts of foods I grew up with this month.

Posted in 31 Days, Food, Home, Nostalgia | Leave a Comment »

Day 6 – First Friday Five

October 6, 2023 by Suzanne

I am so excited to share some of my favorite latest foodie reads/listens with you today. I found something inspiring in each one of them, and I hope you do, too!

  • A Table in Venice: Recipes From My Home by Skye McAlpine – This love story of Venice and its vibrant smorgasbord of flavors was a joy to read. There are a lot of recipes in here that I have absolutely zero interest in making myself (looking at you, duck and fish recipes), but I did enjoy learning about them, and the pictures are so beautiful. It makes me want to bake, and I heartily approve of the habit of decadent pastries for breakfast. Also, I’m 100% on board with any cookbook that has multiple recipes for risotto. This is one I want to add to my own collection.
  • A Literary Tea Party: Blends and Treats for Alice, Bilbo, Dorothy, Jo, and Book Lovers Everywhere by Alison Walsh – I need this book, too, if for no other reason than it has given me some great ideas for my Alice-in-Wonderland 50th birthday party in a couple of years. As the title suggests, it has decadent recipes for all types of tea parties, only with a literary twist. I was especially fascinated with the section on making your own tea blends – perhaps I’ll give that a whirl at some point. 
  • Giada’s Italy: My Recipes for La Dolce Vita by Giada de Laurentiis – I like the way the recipes are divided up between amazing things that don’t take a lot of time to make and more complicated recipes that are definitely worth the effort but maybe something to save for when you have a whole afternoon and easy evening. This book works really well with my own eating rhythms and rituals, so I think it’s another one I’m going to need to buy. I’m most excited about trying the apricot mostarda as a delicious addition to my next antipasti plate.
  • Go-To Dinners: A Barefoot Contessa Cookbook by Ina Garten – I looooove Ina Garten. I love her signature kind of pickiness (“If you can’t make your own ___, store-bought is fine”), but I also appreciate how much she has mellowed over the years, and that really shows in this cookbook. It still contains well-tested recipes with high-quality instructions (e.g., notes that “The batter will look curdled” are much appreciated for second-guessers such as myself), but with a more relaxed feel. She still includes some of her more finicky tastes but also gives alternatives. The recipes in this volume are easy; in fact, some are just assembly and require no cooking at all. I love the different boards (i.e., breakfast board, dessert board, etc.) she includes. The recipes I’m looking forward to trying the most are the potato fennel soup, chipotle cheddar crackers, and easy eggs in purgatory.
  • Wiser Than Me – Julia Louis-Dreyfus interviews Ruth Reichl. I did not even get past Julia’s introduction before I was tearing up. I knew it would be special. I grew up in a family that built memories around food, but it was Ruth Reichl who actually inspired me to write down my own. I don’t remember which of her memoirs I read first (see below), but it was my first experience of food writing. Combining food and story in such a tangible way forever changed the way I see both. I may never meet her (and if I ever do, be prepared for me to never shut up about it), but I am so grateful for the impact she has had on my life, and I highly encourage you to start with this interview and then proceed to read everything she’s ever written.

I don’t remember if it was in Comfort Me With Apples or Tender at the Bone where Ruth Reichl shared Danny Kaye’s lemon pasta, but I have been playing around with my own version of it ever since. Here is how I make it (currently).

Ingredients:

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • Juice and zest of one lemon
  • As much minced garlic as you want (normal people would suggest something like “2 cloves” but that just doesn’t seem like enough to me)
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 pound pasta (I like orecchiette or shells, but a flat pasta like fettuccine is traditionally what is recommended for cream sauces)
  • ½-1 cup grated Parmesan cheese (Who am I kidding – I grate a bowl of Parmesan to stir into the pasta dish and snack on the chunks that didn’t quite get grated while cooking. I don’t measure it. Buy a block of good Parmesan and just use it all. Save the rind to make soup stock.)
  • Fresh herbs such as parsley or basil for serving

Instructions:

  1. Put a large pot of water on to boil. Salt generously.
  2. In a large skillet (I use a 10- or 12-inch), warm oil, butter, lemon juice, and zest on medium heat until butter is melted. Add garlic and cook for about 2 minutes.
  3. Reduce heat to the low side of medium and add cream and pepper. Stir occasionally throughout the cooking process.
  4. While the cream sauce thickens (keep stirring occasionally), add pasta to boiling water. Allow to cook until al dente (8-10 minutes, depending on the type of pasta).
  5. Drain the pasta and add it to the skillet with the cream sauce. Add cheese and stir to coat.
  6. Sprinkle with fresh herbs to serve.

One of my favorite things about this recipe is that, on days when I want this but am not doing dairy, I just leave out the butter, cream, and cheese. If you do it this way, you don’t need to substitute other ingredients but wait to saute the garlic with the oil and lemon until after you add the pasta to the pot of water, as that part of the process won’t take as long without the cream. It’s not quite as decadent as the creamy version, but it’s still delicious. You can’t mess it up.

I hope you have a good weekend and get time to enjoy some of your favorite recipes!

I’m writing about the food that reminds me of home – both past and present – this month.

Posted in 31 Days, Books, Food, Friday Five | Leave a Comment »

Day 5 – Dad and His Grill

October 5, 2023 by Suzanne

I realize the picture above may not automatically match the post’s title in everyone’s mind.

But in our family, you can use the grill for just about anything. Never one to waste an opportunity to plan ahead or cook in bulk, Dad cooks a lot when he goes to the trouble of firing up the grill. He will grill lots of meat that we will eat at the upcoming meal, and that will be the priority, of course. He may also grill some vegetables for the meal or make veggie packets to place on it that will steam perfectly in the residual heat.

He also cooks the bacon and sausage that he uses for breakfast almost every day in bulk. Taking the pre-cooked bacon out of the freezer and just warming up what the two of them need gets the everyday breakfast he makes for himself and Mom on the table without a lot of fuss. He “accidentally” (thinly veiled fib) makes extra when he knows I’m coming for a visit so that he can sneak a bucket of bacon or sausage in the to-go cooler when I leave.

I use these particular reserves in different ways, though.

For supper at the farm, meat is the star of the show. It’s the main course. There are usually 2-3 veggies or other sides, plus a salad, to go with it. This is what constitutes a proper meal there.

When I’m at home, however, most of the meals I cook don’t have meat at all. And when a meal does contain meat, it may be part of the main dish, but it’s rarely the centerpiece. Sometimes, it’s little more than seasoning.

When I returned from my visit to the farm on Labor Day weekend, I brought about as much meat back with me as Mom and Dad eat in a week. I, on the other hand, spent the next couple of days using it to cook big-batch meals so that I could freeze portions of them to eat throughout the month. A month later, I still have a couple of portions left in my freezer.

The meals I cooked included:

  • Spaghetti with spicy marinara and bacon
  • Steak, sweet potato, and kale stir fry
  • Orecchiette with bacon alfredo
  • Ginger fried rice with steak, bacon, scallions, and carrots
  • Warm corn, green bean, carrot salad with steak
  • Sausage and broccoli stir fry

Most stir-fry meals are pretty straightforward – you can tell most of the ingredients by just looking at them. And almost all of mine start with a saute of garlic, onion, and ginger. Here’s how I made the sausage and broccoli stir-fry pictured above (6 servings).

Ingredients:

  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
  • Several cloves of garlic, minced
  • Sesame oil
  • Olive oil
  • Red pepper flakes (to taste and optional…ish)
  • Soy sauce (optional but recommended)
  • Salt (especially if you don’t use soy sauce) and pepper
  • Large bag of frozen, chopped broccoli (of course, you can also use fresh, and admittedly the texture is better, but frozen is sooo easy)
  • 1 quart (or about 1 1/2 pound) ground sausage, browned
  • 2 cups rice
  1. Steam rice according to package directions or according to how Woks of Life does it. Or if you want leftover rice you can freeze for up to 3 months so that it’s ready next time you want to make fried rice, bake a big batch of it (a winter freezer staple of mine, because I do not turn on the oven in the summer).
  2. If using frozen broccoli, microwave in a bowl for 4 minutes (or steam in the bag according to package directions, if that’s what you bought) and pour off the excess water.
  3. Generously coat the bottom of a large skillet or wok with equal parts sesame oil and olive oil. Warm oil on medium-high heat and add onion, garlic, and ginger. Cook until soft. Add red pepper flakes and stir to mix.
  4. Add sausage to skillet to brown (or if pre-browned and frozen, to thaw and warm throughout).
  5. Add broccoli and stir together with sausage, allowing everything to finish heating evenly (shouldn’t take more than 2-3 minutes).
  6. Remove from heat. Add pepper and either soy sauce or salt to taste.
  7. Serve sausage/broccoli on top of rice.

Do you like to grill? If so, what do you make?

I’m writing about the food I grew up with this month. Click to see the whole list!

Posted in 31 Days, Food, Nostalgia, Roots | Leave a Comment »

Day 4 – The Family Coolers

October 4, 2023 by Suzanne

This cooler is currently sitting in my apartment. Actually, there are two of them. They’re identical – right down to the Terry name written on them in permanent marker right under the handle – and neither of them is technically mine. I’m usually pretty good about taking the one I have with me to the farm every time I go, but I guess I missed one of them at some point. No worries. Dad knows they’ll eventually show back up. They always do.

They’re the family coolers.

These coolers have gotten a lot of use over the years. When Tammy and I were growing up, they were mostly used for transporting food that needed to stay cool from the house to a potluck through the Texas summer heat. They were also useful when we had to drive anywhere and wanted to have sandwiches or snacks along the way.

My first memory of using the coolers was on our trip to Colorado to see my Aunt Vicki. The cooler sat in the middle of the backseat, and I was tasked with keeping it from falling to the floor or shifting around too much (why this was important is less clear to me – I suspect it may have just been something to occupy my attention during the long drive). It was probably filled with a mix of our go-to favorite sandwiches and snacks:

  • Bologna and cheese on Mrs. Baird’s white bread (with Miracle Whip)
  • Tuna or chicken salad sandwiches (also with Miracle Whip…usually on white bread but sometimes on wheat for the grownups)
  • Carrot sticks
  • Celery sticks
  • Cucumber slices
  • Cherry tomatoes
  • Vienna sausages (still in the can but also in the cooler because they’re “better cold”)

Eating the same type of food anywhere except our kitchen table always elevated it to something special. It made it seem like a treat to us but also must have saved our parents a lot of money on food while we were away from home. Double win.

Now the main thing we use these coolers for is transferring food from the farm to our own homes. Every time I visit, for example, Dad takes the opportunity to make steak, and he always grills more than we can possibly eat while I’m there. We also make extravagantly larger portions of sides, even though there are really just 1-3 more people for each meal.

When we were growing up, this simply would have meant we had lots of leftovers for later in the week. What it means now that there are just two of them there most of the time is that the leftovers come home with us.

I mean, I will take leftover steak (or potatoes…or green beans…or bacon…) that I neither had to cook nor buy. I will take that every single time.

Thus, there is usually one of our coolers in my apartment, a constant reminder of one of the specific ways our parents show us that we are loved.

I’m writing about food and home and how those two concepts intertwine this month.

Posted in 31 Days, Food, Fun, Home, Nostalgia, Roots | Leave a Comment »

Day 3 – Weekly Cooking Rhythms

October 3, 2023 by Suzanne

When we were young, and Mom and Dad were both working, we did the three-meals-a-day thing. Mornings started early, so we would typically eat a bowl of cereal or toast – something that could be prepared quickly. Once they both retired and could get up whenever they wanted, their eating schedule quickly morphed into what it is today – two meals a day and snacking whenever they feel peckish. 

I also go by this routine most days. I get up too early to eat a real breakfast during the week, as eating too early tends to nauseate me. So does eating a regular meal too late in the day. It’s a delicate balancing act and the main reason I’m a big fan of snacking throughout the day rather than eating a lot all at once. Lunch is usually my biggest meal during the work week, though, and it often consists of warming up leftovers or eating somewhere on or around campus. 

Weekday dinners are typically salads, sandwiches, or snacks. Popcorn and a glass of wine, a handful of nuts and crackers with a piece of fruit – anything that’s quick, easy, and on the lighter side. The other night I had a carrot cake cupcake (sans icing because it was super sweet and cream cheese is not a friend to the lactose-averse) and a mug filled with dry Cheerios. Not my finest culinary moment, but sometimes you just do whatever gets the job done.

When I am working and going to various meetings during the week, it doesn’t make sense to add cooking to the to-do list on those days. But I do like to cook. That’s what Saturday and Sunday are for, which is one of many reasons that I guard my weekends so carefully. A good weekend at home yields food for the whole week to come.

Saturday mornings start with a hearty breakfast (after I have nursed my first cup of coffee or two and eased into the day…maybe started a load of laundry or read for an hour…). Sometimes there are multiple courses. I would make a great hobbit. Lunch is typically a big-batch meal. I eat one portion and divide the rest into containers that I can just grab for lunch as I head out the door the following week. If it’s a recipe that especially makes a lot (like 7-8 servings) I package half of them up and freeze them for a later date. This comes in handy when I have busy weekends when the cooking doesn’t happen. Supper on Saturday is often spent with friends, but if I’m at home I’ll cook another meal that I know will leave me with more leftovers (this is often when I make soup) so that I can enjoy a little variety during the week. 

On Sundays, I usually eat breakfast for lunch after church. It’s my favorite meal to make and I’m hardly ever home to do it at the traditional time, so I take full advantage of my days off. If it happens to be a time of the year when it’s not 10,473 degrees outside, I may bake something in the afternoon. Sunday supper is usually eaten early (around 4-4:30) so that it has plenty of time to digest before I try to go to sleep. Because Sunday is comfort food night. For me this usually means carbs. Big bowl of pasta and sauce, creamy risotto, pizza. If I haven’t had my fill of breakfast yet, I’ll eat biscuits and gravy or oatmeal, or I’ll bust out the waffle iron for a real treat. It’s my favorite meal of the week.

When I make waffles, I always make extras, because I know I will want more at a slightly later date (i.e., the next night). Here is my current go-to recipe, which serves 3 people (or me, 3-4 times).

Dry ingredients:

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 hearty pinch of salt
  • Coconut flakes (technically optional, but I don’t understand why you would want to leave them out)

Wet ingredients:

  • 1 stick (i.e., 8 tablespoons or ½ cup) of butter (unsalted, or if you only have salted, leave salt out of dry ingredients), melted and cooled, plus a little more for the waffle iron
  • 1 tablespoon sugar (not technically a wet ingredient, but it just works better if you mix it with the butter early on)
  • 1 ¾ cup unsweetened coconut milk (you can use the full-fat canned coconut milk if that’s what you have – and you really should try it in this recipe at least once – but I usually have the less intense stuff in the carton on hand, so that’s what I use most often)
  • 1 healthy dose (about 2 tablespoons, probably) vanilla extract
  • 1 large egg (optional – see note at the end)

Toppings:

  • Maple, chocolate, or caramel syrup
  • Peanut or sunflower butter
  • Jam or preserves
  1. Preheat waffle iron.
  2. Mix (sift, if you’re fancy) dry ingredients.
  3. Mix wet ingredients in a second bowl.
  4. Pour those two bowls together and stir/whisk thoroughly.
  5. Brush waffle iron with butter.
  6. Pour batter into iron, releasing when it stops steaming. Repeat until you’re out of batter.
  7. Serve with your topping(s) of choice.

I like my waffles on the crispy side, but if you want more fluff, try adding up to ¼ cup more coconut milk, adding an egg to the wet ingredients, or whipping the batter a little longer right before pouring it into the iron.

This month, I’m writing about the food I grew up with as well as the food I make today.

Posted in 31 Days, Food, Home, Lush, Roots | Leave a Comment »

Day 2 – Foodie TBR

October 2, 2023 by Suzanne

You didn’t actually think I’d skip the TBR because it’s a series month, did you? Of course, you didn’t. A good chunk of the list still fits the theme of the series, though. This month’s TBR is definitely food-heavy. 

I typically lean toward the “eating and reading don’t mix” side of things. I prioritize the safety of my books (and, more importantly, books I’ve borrowed from friends or the library) over any hunger pangs I may feel while in the midst of a really good story. If I’m holding the book in my hands, I will go for hours without any sustenance beyond coffee, water, or tea. 

An unhelpful relative once remarked that reading was a good diet plan for me (PSA: Let’s not say things like this to a child. Actually – let’s not say these things, regardless of the age of the other person. Let’s mind our own business and also stop perpetuating diet culture.). 

My fairly recent (i.e., within the last few years) embrace of audiobooks allows me to be a little more flexible in this area. I don’t have to worry about getting crumbs or other food-and-drink residue on the pages if I’m listening. Most of my reading is still pretty old-school (i.e., physical book in hand), though. 

So any time I have a long reading session planned, the menu looks a lot like snacks I can pick up and eat with one hand that don’t leave a lot of residue behind. This may be why one of my favorite suppers is just snacks. I associate it with those glorious nights of reading.

Here are some of the things I’ll be reading during such nights this month.

Book Clubs

Three of these can count for this month’s Girlxoxo key word reading challenge (keywords – darkness, take, and of), so I’m pretty set for success there!

Seasonal Reads

The cooler weather isn’t the only reason I love October. It has the contrasting feel of cozy and spooky as it gets darker earlier outside while warm clothes and blankets start making an appearance again. Gonna cuddle up with a cup of tea and these books this month.

  • Holly Horror by Michelle Jabès Corpora – The first bedspread I remember from my childhood that was uniquely mine was Holly Hobbie. So…a haunted Holly Hobbie story? OMG YES. I’m super hyped about this new series.
  • The Enchanted Hacienda by J.C. Cervantes – A cozy magical realism story that Jenny Lawson describes as “…like Practical Magic and Encanto had a baby.” Sold!
  • The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna – I actually read this one this past weekend, and it definitely lived up to the hype. I read it in one sitting. Thanks to everyone who recommended it to me!
  • The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods – Recommended by someone with infallible taste (i.e., very similar to mine) in books. It’s got mystery, books, mystical elements…I’m already hooked.

Foodie Books

And, of course, I’d never feel as if I’d explored a topic thoroughly if I didn’t also read extensively on the subject. This month, we are continuing with the Friday Fives, but they will specifically be food-oriented. I’ve been reading cookbooks, food memoirs, and foodie fiction even more than usual in the past few months. I’ll also be including a few articles and other types of media (I’ve just started The Bear on Hulu) in the mix. This is my current list of books I want to read next on this broad subject, but I’m sure I will add cookbooks or substitute others that grab my attention as the month progresses.

Where do you land on the snacks-or-no-snacks spectrum while reading? Feel free to share your favorite book-friendly refreshments in the comments.

I’m writing about the intersection of food and home this month. Click to see the full list!

Posted in 31 Days, Books, Food, Resolutions | Leave a Comment »

We Have Food at Home: 31 Days of Exploring the Tastes I Grew Up With

October 1, 2023 by Suzanne

Food tells the story of place. As I’ve been reflecting on the concept of home this year, I have been delighted to discover how many memories and experiences that mean home to me come with a menu. I (and a lot of the important people in my life) echo Julia Child’s sentiment – “People who love to eat are always the best people.” The scents, the tastes, the ambiance created around a table full of friends and/or family – I’m not sure I could really explore what it means to be at home without talking about these things.

While the bulk of the actual writing for this series will all happen this month, I’ve been outlining these posts since June. I’ve had a lot of fun revisiting old recipes and seeing if they taste the same as I remember. I’ve also found a lot of joy in reading cookbooks, food memoirs, and foodie fiction to find new things to try (my favorites of which I will showcase during Friday Fives).

Full disclosure – this may read like a food blog this month. I am pretty stoked about that myself, as I looove food blogs. When a person generously shares the food they love with the internet, I don’t just want the recipe. I do want to hear the story behind their favorite soup and the beloved person it reminds them of. Or, at the very least, I want to hear what makes their particular spin on lasagne noteworthy. I want to know the special place this dish holds in their life. If you want that, too, then you’re going to love this series. 

I also invite you to share any stories in the comments that come to mind when you read the posts. I want to hear which foods have impacted your life. And if you have some recipe (restaurant, cookbook, etc.) that you think I really must try, I am all ears!

[Aside: if you’re one of those food blog haters who just want the recipes without having to endure the arduous struggle of scrolling to the end to get to them, this may not be your favorite month on my blog. See you in November.]

If you’ve been here a while, you know how my 31-days projects work. I’ll post something new every day and index the links here. Enjoy!

Day 2 – Foodie TBR
Day 3 – Weekly Cooking Rhythms
Day 4 – The Family Coolers
Day 5 – Dad and His Grill
Day 6 – The First Friday Five
Day 7 – On Telling MeMaw Your Favorite
Day 8 – Holidays With the Family
Day 9 – Holiday Candies
Day 10 – My Love of Cranberry Sauce
Day 11 – Breakfast and Brunch
Day 12 – What I Want in a Restaurant
Day 13 – Friday Five – In Praise of Perfect Evenings
Day 14 – Sauces
Day 15 – Baking Season
Day 16 – Soup Season
Day 17 – Spice of Life
Day 18 – Cereal and Snack Cakes
Day 19 – Salads
Day 20 – Free Friday Five
Day 21 – My Charcuterie Journey
Day 22 – Potlucks
Days 23 & 24 – A Warm Beverage
Day 25 – Sandwiches
Day 26 – Gross Things That Make Me Happy
Day 27 – The Last Friday Five of the Series
Days 28 & 29 – Favorite Takeout
(Day 30 – skipped)
Day 31 – The Paprikash (Month in Review)




Posted in 31 Days, Epic Meal Planning, Feast, Food, Home, Joy, Nostalgia, Resolutions, Roots | Leave a Comment »

To Sarah on Her Birthday

September 30, 2023 by Suzanne

Besides my sister, there is only one friend I grew up with about whom I can say we are even closer today than we were back then.

That friend is Sarah.

We went to school together in Childress, and we hung out at school (and outside of it, too, when I was allowed). Even then, she was perpetually cool and always up for an adventure. We had very different experiences growing up, but Sarah has always been someone who can be trusted with my hopes and dreams (even when those dreams are a romance novel I wrote in 6th grade).

(Photo credit – ? Did Stephen take this picture?)

Years went by, and we saw each other around Denton occasionally, but then she invited me to a book club at her house. A chance to reconnect – and over books?! Of course, I’m in! I’m so glad she thought to include me, because the book club is wonderful, but even more than that, because she reached out, today I get to count her among my closest friends.

One of my favorite things about Sarah is her encyclopedic knowledge of so many fascinating people and things. I loooove learning new things, and I always learn something new around her. Without Sarah, I would not know…

…what deep listening is.

…that Booked Up (RIP) ever existed or half as much about Larry McMurtry (also RIP) as I know now.

…about Julia Louis-Dreyfus’s podcast Wiser Than Me. I’ve only listened to her interviews with Jane Fonda, Isabel Allende, and Ruth Reichl (three people, by the way, who would be in my top ten most coveted interviewees if I were to host such a podcast), and I’m hooked.

…and so much more. Sarah has a way of recommending things to me that she knows I’ll love. She’s an incredible listener and has an amazing memory. I can listen to her for hours.

(Photo credit – Kara Dry)

She is the first person I performed with at a Spiderweb event. In fact, she’s the first person I performed with (outside of church, if you count that) since grad school. I love collaborating with her; I think we work together pretty well.

Sarah is generous with her knowledge, her time, her home, and her coffee.

And her pets.

She’s one of the only people who has a standing invitation to my parents’ farm “whether I come with her or not,” according to Dad.

Sarah, I love you, and I’m so proud of you and all you have accomplished. You inspire me and feed me and love me so well, and I’m lucky we’re friends.

Also – shameless plug – everyone go to Molten Plains Fest in December. This is the second year Sarah and Ernesto have organized it, and it’s going to be AMAZING.

I love you, friend, and I hope your birthday (and every day) is fantastic.

(Photo credit – Ellie Alonzo)

Posted in Books, Bookshops, Denton, Home, Joy, Lucky, Music, Nostalgia, Roots, Spiderweb | 2 Comments »

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