Hello
What a month! Since my last dispatch, we have visited California for a week and dipped our toes in the Pacific, before making our way to Washington DC where we immediately launched an intensive housing search. I’m happy to report we’ve found a home and will move in the next few weeks. Hooray!
A lot of people have asked how I’m dealing with the stress of moving, but honestly I don’t find this limbo period – when we are without all our belongings – very stressful. The worst part for me is when all the boxes arrive and we have to organize everything into a new space. As someone who thrives on order and regularity, I find that kind of mess and chaos very unsettling. Happily, we still have a couple months until our household goods arrive from Vietnam :)
In the meantime, I’ve been relishing the fall season this year. I don’t know if it’s because this autumn is particularly beautiful, or if skipping the seasonal change last year has made me more appreciative than ever, but I can’t stop marveling at the tawny colors, the light, the sky, the crisp air. I feel so alive in this climate!
Here’s what else I’ve been up to…
What I’ve been eating
–I don’t have much of a sweet tooth, but I do love savory baked goods. Anything buttery, cheesy, spicy, seeded, and / or crumbly is my weakness… which is why I am so excited about Dorie Greenspan’s new cookbook, Baking with Dorie! The savory recipes like the pear and blue cheese tart, cottage cheese biscuits, and cheddar-scallion scones will be staples in my kitchen, and I can’t wait to sample some of the sweet treats too, such as the luscious Lisbon cake on the cover. PS If you have a copy, be sure to check out the acknowledgements page. I’m proud to say I helped inspire this book :)
–I’ve long considered Stouffer’s mac and cheese the ideal macaroni and cheese, with its generous velvety coating of sauce. It’s only fault is the small portion of the box – but now you can make vats of it at home with this recipe from Eric J. Kim. (New York Times)
–Who’s ready for Thanksgiving? At our family feasts, we’ve always had two kinds of stuffing: bread dressing made from stale loaves, and sticky rice stuffing studded with chestnuts, char siu pork, shiitake mushrooms, and bits of fatty Chinese sausage. My family’s recipe is unpublished, but this one from Epicurious is similar. How about you? Are you team #cornbread, #bread, or something else? (Click on the button below and let me know!)
What I’ve been reading
–I have a notorious black thumb, but I loved all the succulents everywhere in California and according to this article, they’re easy to grow. Dare I attempt an indoor succulent garden?
–Last year Kazuo Ishiguro recommended The Fortnight in September, published in 1931, as one of his favorite uplifting books, calling “delicate,” “life-affirming,” and “magical.” I’m reading it now and while I’m still waiting for some of these qualities to appear, it’s certainly charming and very soothing.
–I talked to the Storytime in Paris podcast about my love of socks, my biggest difficulty learning Vietnamese, and my new novel.
–Traditional recipes are often rethought, recreated, and redefined – sometimes this makes traditionalists mad. Chef Sara Jenkins offers her thoughts on pasta carbonara and the thorny problem of authenticity.
–If you’ve ever wondered what our life is like as a State Department family, this article by a former Foreign Service Officer spills the dirt.
A bientôt!
I can’t believe Thanksgiving is the week after next! Given our current circumstances, I’m not sure if I’ll be able to bake my annual feast of pies but maybe I’ll find a way. (I missed it last year.) Here’s to a bountiful season of gratitude, and may your gatherings be safe, vaccinated, and well ventilated!
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XO Ann
Great newsletter! (as always). Can't wait to get my hands on Dorrie's book too. And to be home long enough to use it.
Definitely team “something else”. A friend served a jambalaya stuffing in her Cajun turkey that was sensational. Not too long after, my mother-in-law gave me a bunch of old Bon Appétits. There in the November 1987, issue was the recipe…we’ve used it every year since. The stuffing uses one pound of crabmeat, andouille sausage, tomato, peppers, and rice. I always make a double recipe to use in the turkey soup I make later from the turkey carcass. It’s divine.