Happy Friday, Everyone. I wanted to use todayโs round-up to give you an update on a few things Iโve been working on over at Cup of Jo. As most of you know, Iโve been logging some time in Brooklyn with the COJ team, and in addition to being right next door to my favoriteย seafood market everย (the place opened the year I moved to Brooklyn more than two decades ago), itโs given me the chance to work on some pretty great stories. For starters, Iโm writing an advice column called โBurning Questions,โ which aims to answer all your most niggling food quandaries. (How to find a good restaurant when traveling? What store-bought vegetable broth tastes the best? What on earth does one do with kohlrabi? You get the idea.) Look for that launching in the next week or two. Iโve alsoโฆ
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โฆorganized a Brownie Mix Taste Testย with baker extraordinare Jerrelle Guy.ย (I was shocked by the winner)
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And I rounded-up six spritzesย you would be wise to experiment with this summer. (Yes, I did read the Timesย spritz takedown and the subsequent backlash. But: onward.)
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And this was pretty awesome: I interviewed Crystal Dunn, who is a defender on the U.S. Womenโs National Team competing in the World Cup. We are of course very into it in our house and I hope you are all too. (Next game against Spain on Monday at noon ET.) Note: I love the โBeauty Uniformโ series over at Cup of Jo because they approach beauty in the most holistic way โ itโs never just about what eyeliner youโre wearing, itโs about your definition of beauty and what makes you feel beautiful. Dunn was amazing on that topic, so please read. Also of note, she eats the same thing for breakfast every morning: a veg-packed omelet and English muffin.
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I assigned this piece, Life Advice for my College-Bound Daughter to Elisabeth Egan and itโs currently my favorite thing on the internet. Number 30: ย โTry to resist the urge to โbrandโ yourself, which is so much less rewarding than establishing a meaningful, nuanced identity. For instance, Daddy went for Deep Philosopher during our first semester of college; I went for Cheerful GirlโฆTwenty years into our marriage, we still bump up against these boxes, which are empty and take up more room than they deserve. Worth noting: we didnโt find each other until weโd stepped out of them.โ
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Lastly โ and this is not a Cup of Jo thing โ but I just wanted to make sure you knew that the wait is over!ย Fleishman is in Trouble, by every writerโs favorite writer, Taffy Brodesser-Akner,ย is finally here. I am loving and savoring every page, and it appears Iโm not the only one. Pick up a copy for the beach or the plane or the weekend hammock.
Lastly lastly, there is more news that I am so excited to announce, hopefully next week โ check back for details!
Happy Weekend!
(Photo illustration by Maud Passini for Cup of Jo. Food illustrations by Alessandra Olanow; Brownies by Christine Han; Crystal Dunn by The Players Tribune; College Daughter by Daniel Douglas)
I canโt wait to read Taffyโs book! Have you read Normal People? Itโs my favorite book of the past few monthsโฆ And I canโt wait to meet (and read) Paper Wasp by Lauren Acampora
I read Normal People (and her first novel, Conversations with Friends) earlier this spring and agree with you 100%.
https://www.amazon.com/Normal-People-Novel-Sally-Rooney/dp/1984822179
I โve read about your daughters baking and cooking. Would love to see an advice column geared towards โwhat to teach your children about cooking and feeding themselves before they head off to college.โ
Hello! I would love any and all advice on getting pizza dough to do anything. I have tried all kinds and all kinds of methods, but fall short every time. Or get holes or it is super uneven.
Thank you!
Sometimes the best questions are answered like this. Thanks for your effort to make choosing even broth easier.