Weekend Recs #14: Making new friends, easing into fall outfits, and Goodreads hot takes

Plus: Pumpkin muffins and a delicious novel full of rich people drama

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This is Weekend Recs, a weekly send of ideas and diversions for your downtime. Not subscribed yet? Here you go:

Hi friends,

I’m Nisha Chittal, and I’m excited to be guest writing Downtime today while Alisha is on maternity leave! A little bit about me: I’m a longtime journalist, currently the managing editor at Vox.com. I live in Brooklyn with my husband and one-and-a-half-year-old daughter, and in my free time, I love cooking, drinking natural wine, reading as much as I can, and perfecting my skincare routine.  I also write a bi-weekly(ish) newsletter of my own with links to good things to read and good things to cook, which I’ve been writing in various forms for nearly a decade. 

I’ve been a fan of Downtime since it first launched as Girls’ Night In years ago, so I’m excited to be guest-editing today! Thanks for having me, and have a great weekend.

Four ideas for your weekend…

• 📚 A delicious novel full of rich people drama

  • One of my favorite reads this summer was Jenny Jackson’s Pineapple Street, about an extremely rich old-money family in one of Brooklyn’s wealthiest neighborhoods. Once I started reading, I couldn’t put it down. 

• 📺 A show that combines wine, travel, and competition:

  • I just finished the new Apple TV+ series Drops of God and have been recommending it to all my friends and anyone else who asks. Based off a popular Japanese manga, it’s about a competition to inherit the $150 million wine collection left behind by a famous wine educator between his estranged daughter and his best student. The show travels back and forth between France and Japan, and is full of twists and turns that had me riveted until the very end. 

• 🌽 Recipes for leaning into fall and enjoying the last bit of summer: I’m still getting tons of summer produce in my CSA share every week, but also ready to lean into fall (which is always my favorite cooking season). So, if you’re feeling a bit torn between summer and fall right now, here are a few of my favorite recipes for both seasons: 

  • Summer: 

    • A famous plum cake: I love the story of how this cult recipe, first published in the ‘80s, was so popular that the Times reprinted it year after year by popular demand. After trying it, I can see why it was such a hit: it’s absolutely delicious, especially warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top. (Tip: I needed to give it 15–20 more minutes in the oven than what the recipe suggests for it to fully bake, but it was worth the wait). 

    • Shrimp scampi with tomato and corn: Quick, easy, and uses two of my favorite summer vegetables. 

  • Fall:

    • I love cooking with winter squash and pumpkin, so I can’t wait to make this spicy butternut squash baked pasta, coconut curry with pumpkin and lime, and pumpkin maple muffins. All three have been staples in my household every year come fall!

• 🧥 Transitioning your closet into fall

  • I’m ready for fall weather and the fun layered outfits that come with it (blazers! light jackets! long sleeve button downs!). I also love getting rid of stuff I no longer need, so naturally, I’ve already started the process of transitioning my wardrobe (especially important in my cramped New York apartment). I start by pulling out any summer clothes I don’t think I’ll be wearing again this year. Then I audit which things I want to store for next year, purging anything I never wore this summer (and thus probably won’t next year) or anything too worn out to hang on to. After putting together boxes to donate and boxes to store away, I peruse fall sales to pick up a few new things. I just bought this J.Crew jacket, this lightweight Everlane popover, and this Quince blazer that looks like it’ll be perfect for workwear.

Thanks to the supporting sponsor of this week’s newsletter, Hers:

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What paid subscribers got this week: A delicious and lively community thread rounding up all the recipes we’re excited to make this fall, from cozy skillet mushroom lasagna to an iconic apple cake.

If you’ve been enjoying Downtime, consider becoming a paid subscriber for many more perks, like the full version of every Friday newsletter, bonus posts, access to the comments, and more!

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A grab bag of links and reads worth sharing with the group chat.

Articles worth reading:

• Want to make more friends? Start a club [Vox]

  • I have a book club, a wine club, and briefly, a short-lived cookbook club, so I fully endorse this idea. 

• Outdoor Voices Founder Ty Haney Has Moved On. Mostly. [The Cut]

  • Remember when it felt like nearly everyone you knew was wearing those pastel color blocked leggings? This piece is a fascinating peek behind the scenes at why things went downhill, and what the founder is doing now. 

• Are You My Momager? [Bustle]

  • Millennial women are moving into more management roles and bringing more empathy and sensitivity to the job than previous generations—but that can be a double edged sword. 

• Pistachios Are Quiet Luxury  [TASTE]

  • A fascinating journey into how pistachio-flavored foods became a sign of luxury and sophistication. 

• Goodreads is terrible for books. Why can’t we all quit it? [The Walrus]

  • I’ve stuck with Goodreads for over a decade mostly because it’s the best tool for tracking what I’ve read, though I don’t use any of the social features or reviews. But this piece makes a strong case that the site has lost its way over time. 

🌼 And more fun fluff…

Almost too cute to eat. Image via @sibatable

Pesto….with butter? It’s Marcella Hazan, so I’ll give it a shot. // Two new cookbooks on my radar to try out this month: Dan Pelosi (aka @grossypelosi on IG)’s “Let’s Eat” and James Park’s “Chili Crisp.” // I can’t wait to read Zadie Smith and Lauren Groff’s new novels, both out this month. // These gold eye masks have become my favorite Sunday night ritual. They’re hydrating, cooling, and using them feels like a nice little recharge before the workweek begins. //

Links continued below…

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