Hello gourdgeous
— let’s squash November
November is upon us! My initial gut reaction when I began writing this newsletter was, “where did October go?”. That seems to be a shared thought. We’re heading into such a special time of year that is always gone before we know it. Holiday travel + plans and end of the year work deadlines begin to saturate the next 2 months. Let’s start to chew over what we may want to cook for the festivities around the corner! With that, the November newsletter will be focused on Thanksgiving - a curated menu, playlist, and some holistic thoughts as we enter the holiday season.
Festive Fall
Ways to use herbs + spices this Thanksgiving:
— stuffing (coming soon!)
— warm spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice) with squash
— rosemary, sage, thyme, and bay leaf in the turkey
— nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, and allspice for a homemade chai
— roasted sage with squash is DIVINE
— any herbs + carrots, such a hearty cozy combo
EAT
November mood board
— apple crumble (coming soon!)
— [dirty] chai tea latte
— potential November intentions: Go for a scenic drive to see all of the leaves changing before they’re all on the ground. B/GNO. Hike. Hot tub night with friends. Movie night with homemade cookies. A walk in your neighborhood. Rainy night grabbing drinks at a cozy bar. A big bowl of pasta.
What I’m cooking ✨THANKSGIVING EDITION✨
Breakfast:
Pumpkin Pancakes/Waffles (vegan)
4 types of frittata (DF options)
Hors d'oeuvres:
Veggie Pizza - a dear friend makes this for our friendsgiving every year and it’s such a fun appetizer
Parmesan-Scallion Pastry Pinwheels - a kid favorite that adults also enjoy
Spinach Artichoke Dip
Ricotta Toast with Honey Roasted Grapes
Chrissy Teigen’s Secretly Spicy Deviled Eggs
[God Bless] Carbs:
Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes (no meat to make it vegetarian) - these are the holy grail for me every Thanksgiving. I will shout this recipe from the rooftops.
Southern Mac & Cheese (vegetarian) *if you like it a little spicy, use pepper jack cheese and smoked paprika plus more hot sauce
Pumpkin Mac & Cheese - FANTASTIC
Easy 1-Pot Mashed Potatoes (vegan)
Roasted Garlic Mashed Cauliflower - so good even diehard potato eaters love it
Mashed Potatoes (not vegan)
Stuffing - my aunt’s family recipe that is 75 years old, coming soon!
Veggies on veggies on veggies:
Brussel Sprouts with Maple Syrup + Goat Cheese
Charred Carrots w/ Herb Drizzle
Cinnamon Pecan Roasted Butternut Squash
Green Beans with Chanterelles and Cipollini
Beet Slaw with Pistachios and Raisins - can also make with yellow raisins or currants
Delicata Squash + Pomegranate Salad
The Main Event:
Perfect Roast Chicken — in case you aren’t turkey people; you can’t go wrong with Ina Garten
Mushroom Wellington (vegetarian)
Sauce-y:
Drinks:
Espresso Martini
— Add 1.25 oz espresso, 1 oz vodka, 1 oz Kahulua, and 0.5 oz Bailey’s (DF version available) to a cocktail mixer. Shake and bake baby; cocoa or cacao on top!
Fall Mule
— Add 2 oz vanilla vodka and 0.5 oz lime into a mule mug, top with ginger beer, and add a cinnamon stick before drinking.
Cinnamon Maple Whiskey Sour
— Add 2 oz bourbon, 1.5 oz lemon juice, 0.5 oz maple syrup, and a pinch of cinnamon to a cocktail mixer. Shake, shake, shake, then sip.
Sweets:
Apple Spice Loaf (df, can be made vegan)
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookie Skillet (v)
Apple Crumble - coming soon!
Pumpkin Spice Flourless Brownies
Additional ideas:
For Each Season’s ‘Thanksgiving Recipes’ Pinterest Board
Turkey leftovers?? Make soup!
LISTEN
Thanksgiving Playlist for your time spent cooking, in the background when hosting, or as you do dishes after a wonderful day spent with loved ones.
Thanksgiving Playlist
Fall Playlist:
— When you want moody, walking on crunchy leaves, falling asleep to the rain, crisp air mornings with sunny day vibes.
REMINDERS
Food is to be enjoyed!
The holidays are such a fun, playful, and inspiring time with food but can also be a point of stress or trigger for some individuals. I want to recognize that I think our modern society has a lot a lot of unhealthy habits with food. I do not turn a blind eye to that. The balance of enjoying food and taking care of health is often stigmatized in certain social circles and can be such a sticky canvas to navigate. Here are some intuitive eating reminders I give myself + clients during the holidays. Please remember that you know your body best, what season of life this is for you [aside from the holiday season we are in!], and what decisions are best for you in your food journey.
SLEEP
There is research showing that foods high in tryptophan make us sleepy. One of those foods is turkey! If you’re wanting to combat the sleepiness, go for a walk with friends + family after your Thanksgiving meal! If you’re wanting to capitalize on the tryptophan tonic, go to sleep shortly after ;)
REFLECT
“What God ordains no man can stop”
“My own expectations are the heaviest weight I have ever carried.” - Louise Kaufmann
— Whooooooweeeee this one hits home.
“Don’t let anyone dim your light”
— The older I get the more I understand that every person is so unique, there’s no carbon copy of anyone, and how each person has so much to offer the world, relationships, and their community. It’s an ironic conundrum learning to embrace yourself. The concept of individuality goes hand-in-hand with acknowledging that comparison being the thief of joy. You are on your journey, not someone else’s - why would you spoil yours by trying to fit it or pave it through expectations for someone else? Seth Myers says it much more eloquently than I can.
COMING SOON
— apple crumble recipe!
— my aunt’s 75+ year old family stuffing recipe
— London city guide coming this month to Substack [for paid subscribers]
— hydration guide coming soon to Substack [for paid subscribers]. An early edition was accidentally sent out [oops, that was me] and unfortunately still needed revising, so that has been taken down for the time being.
Enough from me!
Making the most of each season,
Mads