Weekend Recs #30: Fun ways to reflect, lazy cooking, and Barnes & Noble

Plus, a strong recommendation for a snack-adjacent kitchen gadget.

This is the Friday post featuring a curated roundup of what’s on my radar this week. Paid subscribers get access to the full Friday post, plus bonus posts and subscriber chats. Subscribe for $5/month here.

Happy first Friday of 2024! I hope you’ve had an easy start to the new year. I always feel like this first week of the year is slow to get going; I’m still sitting in the stupor of being happily lazy on the couch over the holidays. I spent most of January 1st organizing everything in sight in our home. (I don’t know who needs to hear this, but please clean out that one Tupperware of leftovers that’s been hiding out in your fridge untouched for a few months. And chuck that one condiment you’ll never use. For us, it was a tube of cilantro paste?!). After that hurricane of cleaning, I feel mostly ready to get back to work. :)

Today’s issue is packed with bits like…

• A holiday gift that’s brought me so much delight

• How to do a closet cleanout

• My hot take on Barnes & Noble

• The book I can’t put down right now

• A clever way to reflect on your year that feels like a hack

• The easiest grocery shopping tip I’ve used this week (and will use again)

• The TikTok that soothed me most this week

Let’s get to it!

This Week’s Recs

📘 Reading…

The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride. This book was first recommended by Thao Thai in a past post, and I can’t put it down. I love how Ron Charles put it in his review for The Washington Post: “We all need this vibrant, love-affirming novel that bounds over any difference that claims to separate us.” That’s the perfect word for this book: love-affirming. It feels right for right now. The book is set in 1930s Pennsylvania and centers around the denizens of Chicken Hill, a place where Jewish immigrants and African Americans live together. The opening scene features a murder mystery vibe, but don’t let that fool you. The rest of the book so far is lively and funny despite some grim circumstances.

📺 Watching…

I’ve just started Slow Horses on Apple TV, a spy drama about MI5 misfits and rejects who are on a mission to “save Britain from sinister forces.” The cast is fantastic. Gary Oldman! Olivia Cooke (from House of the Dragon)! I wasn’t familiar with the show’s star, Jack Lowden, but he shines as well. Fun fact because I love celebrity gossip: *The* Saoirse Ronan is his significant other (and they are allegedly engaged). After I went down a Google rabbithole on the matter, I found this incredible tidbit: Saoirse “does not use social media, finding it ‘too stressful.’” A queen. Ahem. But back to Slow Horses. Who else is watching?

jack.lowden

A post shared by @jack.lowden

🛍 Buying…

I didn’t buy it technically, but my husband gifted me this $21 popcorn maker for my birthday last week. While we typically eschew kitchen gadgets due to a woeful lack of counter space, this one’s a keeper. The best part is its ease of use: you don’t need any butter or oil to pop. Just pour in some kernels, and you’re ready for a night in with The Crown. You can see it in action on my IG here. This product is certainly not a “need,” but if your favorite snack is popcorn, it’s a game-changer.

👩‍🍳 Cooking…

It’s my first week back on “cooking duty” in our home after a few months off. To say I’m a bit rusty in the kitchen is an understatement. To ease back into both working full-time and being our home cook this week, I’m leaning into these super simple recipes and a hack, if you will…

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