A DIY Dessert Dish Clock: How is it possible that people this creative exist in the world?
Is gussied-up bacon having a moment? Ina Garten included those maple-y carmelized bacon bits in her last book and I just came across Chocolate (!) Bacon (!) on Susan Spungen's blog. Wow. Just wow.
Speaking of Susan Spungen (aka Martha Stewart Living's onetime seminal food director), check out her entertaining manifesto What's a Hostess to Do? which I've already practically memorized.
This. It's not a want, it's a need.
I could not be more excited to read Meg Wolitzer's new novel The Interestings. (If it's even only half as good as The Wife, I'll be way psyched.)
Be prepared to weep: My friend Laurie Sandell (from the "Loserati" chapter in my book) wrote a Modern Love essay for the Times about motherhood that will knock you out. And she's not even a mother. Yet.
I think this lunch packing app has the potential to change your life as you know it.
For those of you who know me personally, make sure you are sitting down for this declaration: I've seen Matilda and it's about 8,000 times better than Annie. Call TicketMaster NOW.
A big huge thank you to Linda M. and her book club of over a decade: Karen, Gina, Jennifer, Jenny, Emily, Denise, little Margaux (!) and the others I didn't get a chance to talk to directly. Linda was nice enough to a) Select Dinner: A Love Story for their book club pick and b) let me call in to talk about it. If you are reading DALS for your book club, get in touch! In case you can't tell, I never get tired of talking about this stuff.
Seared Steak Fajitas from the ridiculously likable Sarah Carey. ("Let's not call it burnt, let's just call it a reallyreallyreally nice char.")
For those of you who are like me and enjoy discussing dinner over morning coffee, I'm speaking here on April 18.
We finally bought a wine refrigerator.
A perennial source of stress in my house: Food in the Car.
My Bon Appetit editor Carla is writing a new column for BA called Cooking Without Recipes. It's gonna be good, trust me.
Lastly, some very exciting news: As of right this very moment, you can head over to Design My Meals where my two pals out in Silicon Valley Cara & Carla (different Carla) have archived over 200 DALS recipes (and thousands of others from the blogosphere and beyond) so that you can be more organized about your shopping for the week. (Isn't that nice of them?) Among a million other things, DMM lets you search for a recipe by course, by special diet, by blogger, by what's in your CSA box, etc. and drag those recipes onto a your own customized calendar. Then (sound the trumpets!) based on your lineup, the system generates a shopping list for you. Ready to join? Here's where to sign up.
From Andy:
If you have an e-reader and you like George Saunders, beautiful illustrations, and fables narrated by animals, then check out the story Fox 8, which will cost you only 99 cents and which our eleven year old read and devoured and when I asked her tell me what she wanted to say about it, she just said: "There are no words to describe it. It's funny, but sad. It kind of has a weird vibe, since it's told from a fox's point of view.” She means "weird" in the best possible way.
A pretty stunning piece about music and teachers -- and life, really -- in last week’s New Yorker. (Also, kudos to the person who came up with this title.)
This incredibly well-reported piece, by Mark Mazzetti, about one of the more compelling, Jason Bourne-ish news stories in recent memory. I will be buying his book about the CIA, The Way of the Knife.
As a dog owner and lover of John Jeremiah Sullivan's writing, this piece about animal consciousness.
Two things, courtesy of my excellent work friends, Kendra and Kaela:
The graphic novel, Hilda and the Bird Parade, which I promptly went out and bought for the kids and which they both devoured and which has amazing artwork and a girl heroine with blue hair and a sidekick named Twig who is a baby fox with antlers.
Dorothy Parker gin, from New York Distilling Company. This was a birthday gift that I'm pretty sure I was supposed to savor. One week later, it is disturbingly close to empty.
A pair of these, which Abby forced me to buy, and which, I have to admit, make me happy when I put them on.
Have a good weekend.