Three Things

BBQ chicken sandwiches, culinary intelligence, a joyful summer novel

Good morning, friends, and let me start this missive with my most heartfelt thank-you to the Dinner: A Love Story community. It’s hard to overstate how much all of your messages meant to me last week after sharing my news. I have read every single note and eventually I will try to reply, but please know that each one tethered me to the land of the living, to quote a favorite book, and reminded me, yet again, of how much there is to feel grateful for. On the topic of gratitude! I have relocated for a few weeks up to the Hudson Valley where we have rented the most delightful cottage, seemingly built from the studs for the sole purpose of relaxing and recovering. There is something beautiful to look at from every seat in the house — as I type this, I’m sitting at a backyard picnic table with a view of nothing but trees, a pond (!), and a field of goldenrod. Plus, would you look at that stack of cookbooks!? Canal House! Maida Heatter! Bombay Kitchen! Buvette! Renée Erickson! You know how …