Four Fun Things

My easy go to dinner: toss chicken thighs with salt, herbs, olive oil. some lemon juices or lemon slices…pop in the overn at 400 for about 40 min., till golden brown. Serve with steamed brocolli and a grain…rice, quinoa, farro.

Sheet pan gnocchi is a staple. Split a shelf-stable package of potato gnocchi between two sheet pans. Add sliced sausage, two choped bell peppers, a chopped red onion, a pint of tomatoes, salt, olive oil, and dried herbs like italian seasoning and garlic powder and onion powder. Bake at 400 for at least 30 minutes. The crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside gnocchi are the BEST.

Deb has a way with ground turkey. SK turkey chili (double it — it freezes well) and turkey meatloaf for skeptics are winter staples in our house.

Hi Joanna, have loved and followed cupofjo since Toby was tiny and use the archive for parenting, book recs, the COMMENTS obvs., relationship stories etc. Thank you for creating this wonderful space. Now let’s talk business: would ‘age gap in relationships’ be a topic of interest to anyone else but me..? Freakin’ out here. Just started relationship w/very young man. So many thoughts and feels.

The sheet pan gnocchi here is the easiest, most delicious thing. https://open.substack.com/pub/whattocook/p/a-back-to-school-meal-plan-with-5?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=foq6

My kids are grown now, but here are some family standbys. The first one was hard to find. I think it was published in Sunset magazine, years ago. https://netcookingtalk.com/forums/threads/wolf-creek-tavern-macaroni-cheese-tnt.11680/ The second, we still make all of the time. We usually just sort of butterfly each chicken breast, then cut it in two, rather than pound them. We don’t even measure any more, just set out three plates, put flour, S&P on one, crack eggs and quick whisk with a fork on the next, and breadcrumbs and Parm on the last. Leftovers warm up well on a sheet pan. https://barefootcontessa.com/recipes/parmesan-chicken

I carry a set of conversation cards in my bag and have used them in so many situations, whether it be with family, friends or anytime we start to fall into the familiar rut of telling the same stories over and over or if conversation is going in an uncomfortable direction and we just need the topic changed. I have used them so often that I have people asking me to pull out a card when they are bored. These are the cards I like best. https://www.conversationcards.biz/

This taco soup recipe is great for a slow cooker or for whipping up on a weeknight, but you MUST add a packet of Ranch seasoning alongside the packet of taco seasoning. I make it whenever I have 6+ people to feed because it’s easy to double: https://www.thepioneerwoman.com/food-cooking/recipes/a40410810/taco-soup-recipe/

My fun thing is this Reddit group, where people post pictures or descriptions and ask for book recommendations with a similar feel. I’ve never posted, but somehow my library list keeps growing from other people’s requests! https://www.reddit.com/r/BooksThatFeelLikeThis/

This is a regular fav of our family: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1023165-creamy-doenjang-pasta Such a comforting meal! Also love fried rice with ground beef flavored with some soy sauce, mushrooms, spinach, corn!

Don’t have the cards yet but I ADORE Esther Perel…she’s been my relationship fairy godmother for the past 10 years through her incredible books and podcasts.

Am I the only one who can’t find the broccoli Mac recipe ?

I don’t get the joke,that you call yourself as a author Maureen. Is it because you changed the names in the story for your friend also🤔?

I would love to read that google doc! Lol

Y’all!! What do you mean The Drama doesn’t come out until April 2026 (!!!) It is crueelllll to share a trailer for a movie that I can’t play hooky to go see right now.

Can’t recommend “Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)” enough – super cute and NYC-insidery! And so, so fun.

This was so fun to read! That looks like a great movie and the cards also look amazing! I’m sort of in a none recipe cooking mode lately. This season feels like A LOT and most of the time it feels like too much pressure to find a recipe, get the things, follow the steps. I’ve just been chopping up whatever vegetables I have and adding tofu or another protein and in the moment letting the universe decide on cooking methods, seasonings, sauces etc. It is a lot less stressful and very edible if not sometimes delicious.

We’ve made this twice over the last month – and it makes enough for 2 dinners and 1 lunch for 2 adults. It’s simple and so good. https://www.sproutedkitchen.com/home/2016/11/22/everyday-lentil-soup

Hawaj beef soup with a loaf of crusty bread!! Ultimate winter comfort meal. Make a large pot- the soup tastes even better the next day!

On the subject of gossip (stay with me here…..I promise this story gets to gossip, albeit a an historical subject). I have two conditions (hEDs and trigeminal neuralgia) which mean I get mouth sores A LOT. My whole life. Sucks. 3 weeks ago now I developed one on my tongue, right around Thanksgiving. Thought nothing of it, other than, well this sucks like usual. But the damn thing dogs not go away. Not with eliminating everything good from my diet, not with profuse use of magic mouth wash, not with acknowledgement of my stress level….. just got worse. By last week my whole damn mouth was on fire, sores all over the back of my throat too. Monday night I had a nightmare…..I was a medieval woman, accused of being a witch (was i a witch? Don’t know), and the medieval ducks drive a hot poker thru my tongue!!! Yes, that’s what tops mouth sore pain felt like actually. I woke crying in pain. And shaken. Talk about feeling PERSECUTED. (Context, I studied history, worked as an historian and taught history for a short time, still love history pod casts). So gossip……. this was the punishment for women gossiping, or at least the excuse given for this persecution for hundreds of years in Europe. Also for witchcraft, and for talking back to one’s men folk. My gosh, right?? OK, and now for the fun part. This damn mouth sore was so bad, I finally went to the doctor this week, and he diagnosed Coxsackie virus (hand foot and mouth, EWWWWW). When he said it, i must have made a face because he blurted “NOT COCK SUCKER!”. Thank goodness…. lol. I love my doctor so much ha ha ha ha ha ha. And then we chatted about how maybe it’s herpes, which there’s meds for, to which i blurted “let’s hope for herpes then!”

I’m not sure if anyone has already linked but Haley Nahman of Maybe Baby wrote a really great gossip explainer this week! https://haleynahman.substack.com/p/247-the-gossip-matrix/comments?utm_source=post&comments=true&utm_medium=web

We’ve been making this a lot lately and it feels related to your broccoli mac and cheese. It’s simple and delicious and easy to adapt! https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/cheesy-zucchini-chicken-and-rice-bake/

Soooo excited for that A24 movie (and the upcoming brat/charli xcx mocumentary they’re making too)! Somewhat Zendaya-adjacent fun tv recommendation: Heated Rivalry on HBO. Very steamy and fun! If you enjoyed the movie Challengers, this show is for you.

Looking forward to that movie as well as The Housemaid. I would say Orzo Chicken and Shepards Pie, both done stovetop initially and then quick finish in the oven are my go to with or without dinner guests. Plenty of riffs and easy ingredient lists. My weekly visit to the Library group serves my local gossip itch! I usually take notes ‘cause the tips are priceless.

A secret for all of you! I had a shower thought yesterday out of nowhere that one of my friends was pregnant. When I texted her today her response was “….are you psychic? I’m seven weeks and was just about to text you!!!’ Isn’t that cool?! Women always know, I swear.

I don’t remember half the people I’ve encountered so all gossip might as well be about unidentifiable strangers! Seriously, my friend will be like, “Remember this girl from college/our study abroad/book club? She’s cheating on her spouse/CEO of the world/an Olympian” and I’ll be like, “Oooohhh…” because I don’t know who we’re talking about, but I’m intrigued!

MINESTRONE SOUP! This recipe is so so so addictive (although, friendly tip, boil the noodles separately and then add them at the end – otherwise you get minestrone casserole). My close friends and I all make it when the weather gets cold and we text each other a photo of adding the Parmesan rind IYKYK

I have been cooking a lot from Donna Hay’s book The fast five and it’s full of quick easy flavourful meals that taste like they were more hard work than they were. And even my slightly picky middle kid has liked everything I make from there.

Niche non-gossip gossip. My cousin who I didn’t meet until I was an adult was at my house, saw one of my favorite books on my shelf, Alexander Chee’s How to Write an Autobiographical Novel – says, very offhand – oh, Alex? I went to school with him, he had a great car. We used to driver around in it. I was like, WHAAAT YOU MEAN THE CAR HE WROTE AN ENTIRE ESSAY ABOUT? Yep. I was beyond star struck.

I used to love cooking and I got burnt out on it and now I hate cooking so, happy to have handed the baton to you for a while Jo! hahaha

Some good movies coming this spring! Project Hail Mary in March, this Zendaya movie above looks great and is coming out in April, then Devil Wears Prada 2 in May!!!

In defense of gossip!! Traditionally, gossip is viewed as a female (read: frivolous) form of conversation, and is therefore looked down upon, when it is really just another way to exchange information. In a patriarchal society where women are not given much space to participate in conversation around “serious” topics (politics, current events, etc), I don’t think we should be so quick to poo-poo our traditional form of exchanging information! Sometimes it can be overly salacious and leave one feeling icky, but it can be equally celebratory or even benign, and it often brings women closer! Long live gossip!

This isn’t really gossip, but it makes me laugh: My dear friend’s college roommate is a famous Hollywood type’s big sister, and when said Hollywood type started dating Harry Styles my friend HAD NO IDEA WHO HE WAS.

You give me hope as I currently hate cooking:) Maybe someday

A top ten recipe in our house is https://www.kevinandamanda.com/italian-sausage-tortellini/ With some extra broth, you can make it a soup! It’s perfectly versatile, so simple and delicious.

The deck of question cards reminds me of Priya Parker’s “magical questions.” She would be a *fantastic* interview/collab! :)

I distinguish between newsy bits, which might include things like, “Did you hear, Sally’s son is engaged!”, and gossip, which I define as talk that casts the subject in a bad light — talk that slanders or puts down. I try to avoid gossip but am all in on newsy bits.

I just ordered the conversation cards! It’ll be fun to play over holiday dinner with my two college kids.

This easy sheet pan meal is a regular in my house – Crispy Gnocchi With Sausage and Broccoli by Ali Slagle (NYT Cooking). https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1025733-crispy-gnocchi-with-sausage-and-broccoli?algo=cooking_search_relevance_metric_ios_and_web&fellback=false&imp_id=6691377949640574&req_id=5274289323445110&surface=cooking-search&variant=0_relevance_reranking Also the Chile-Garlic Steak and Zucchini by Christian Reynoso (NYT cooking). It has kind of a pasta salad vibe at room temp the next day for lunch – add a pita! https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1027271-chile-garlic-steak-and-zucchini

The gossip part reminded me of this post about how, when poet Andrea Gibson was sick, their partner asked friends to bring their problems so Andrea could feel like they could reciprocate when people came to support them: https://andreagibson.substack.com/p/my-friends-have-so-many-issues I also highly recommend Come See Me in the Good Light, the documentary about their cancer journey.

Is gossip still gossip if you don’t know or know of the people involved? Isn’t it then just telling a story? ☺️

Thank you for this balm on a rainy winter Thursday. Jo, I’m curious whether Freddy’s approach to cooking has changed or informed your approach to food these days? Cooking lights me up creatively, and I get a lot out of cooking for others, but I’ve also come to appreciate how different people connect with food and how many “ways in” there are. I find joy in bringing a meal together around a specific ingredient that is in season or pulled from the pantry (which made me think of Freddie and the shrimp!). Other times, I relish tackling a complicated recipe, which I came to understand from a food-avoidant-capenter-partner that this could be reframed as a “PROJECT” we could do together. And more recently, I am finding joy in the imperfect and the impromtpu, like inviting folks over for potato chips and olives in pyjamas (which reminds me of you, Jo). Thank you for all that you do. xxx

We are from Southern Oklahoma, Land of Tex-Mex Abundance, and going out to our fave local Mexican spots costs around $100 (once you throw in a couple “sloppy beers” and queso) so I’ve learned how to make my favorite fajitas at home! We use – two chicken breasts, bell peppers, onion, broccoli florets, yellow squash, zucchini, Kinder’s ‘The Fajita Blend’ seasoning, and the secret ingredient is…. fresh pineapple! Cook it up, add your favorite tortilla and any other toppings and Bam! The best fajitas I’ve ever had. In the comfort of my own home. With the Sopranos in the background. *It might sound like a lot of produce, which is notoriously expensive right now, but you can buy frozen to cut costs. obviously use whatever your family likes and cut the rest!*

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqGO9pSckU0 My whole family cheers when they know we’re having “Taco Insides” for dinner. These One-Pot Burritos from RecipeTinEats are on the weekly rotation with zero complaints. They’re only in her print cookbook (not the website) but the video above does a good job of helping anyone estimate. The rice measurement is 1 cup and the broth is 2.25 cups. We use those crispy tortilla chip shells with iceberg lettuce, because the dream of the 80s is alive in our house.

Hi COJ team, just a note that the More to Love section below posts has not been formatting properly on my phone, so maybe others are having the same issue. Some of the photos and titles end up overlapping.

This concept reminds me of how we would “chase with compliments” during a pre-game in college. Instead of following a shot with a sip of soda, we’d say something kind like, “Your eye makeup looks really good tonight,” or “You are a really good dancer!”

We appreciate you Joanna 🤎

That’s so funny, I find gossip so uncomfortable. But that is very thoughtful you wrote that up and changed the names.

This is clearly a different recipe than the one Joanna used, but this one-pot broccoli mac and cheese is a go-to for our family. https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1022725-one-pot-broccoli-mac-and-cheese Sometimes I leave out the broccoli / roast it separately / add peas instead etc etc. It’s so good!

This soup is EVERYTHING. So easy, subtly versatile, comforting, pairs well with any carb. https://www.newyorker.com/culture/kitchen-notes/the-many-lives-of-roberto-a-soup Also, would LOVE a copy of the gossip doc ;)

Caroline Chambers beef basil bowls with coconut ginger rice has been an almost weekly meal for us. I use ground turkey or tofu crumbles (husband can’t do beef). Leftovers are delicious for breakfast the next morning. Her substack is amazing, she provides entire meals, substitutions for every ingredient and measurements in the directions (I wish all recipes did this!). https://whattocook.substack.com/p/beef-basil-bowls-with-coconut-ginger?utm_campaign=posts-open-in-app&triedRedirect=true

I haven’t listened for a few seasons, but I’ve enjoyed the “Normal Gossip” podcast.

Highly recommend the Normal Gossip podcast. It’s third hand gossip. Gossip is usually disparaging and feels yucky, BUT! when you don’t know names and you can focus on scandalous behavior…pure gold. And I love knowing how other people react to the same story. This podcast has me simultaneously clicking my tongue and shaking my head, gasping in astonishment, and/or shrieking with laughter. Loved the episode about a long-running Bunco group that featured Lindy West! There’s also a great episode about a contraband electric teapot circulating among performing staff on a cruise. Here’s the Lindy West one: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4Zm4UEETLuzOR9PxNUzRH3?si=j6Of-O_ESnqrfLZRKNkPLQ

For anyone who loves gossip…the Normal Gossip podcast is hilarious. Each episode they tell an anonymized gossip story from average people. It regularly has me laughing until I’m crying, and the guests are the best part.

I really love the Where Should We Begin cards. They’re great for quiet introverts like my husband and me, who default to silence when we don’t have something specific we want to talk about, or if we’re tired and lacking bandwidth for spontaneous conversation. We pull them out when it’s just the two of us and also for gatherings with friends. I always feel like I learn something new about the people I play with and sometimes even unearth a memory from the depths of my own brain!

The two dinners that are on high rotation at our house are the NYT sheet pan chicken shawarma (we double the recipe because it’s that good and tuna (or salmon) cakes (recipe by Budget Bytes). Both are incredibly easy to do on a weeknight and the payoff is huge!

Wait but how do we do the broccoli mac & cheese? I need that one-pan magic in my weeknight life! (Also big hugs and hoping food and casual gossip soothe your soul while stress simmers behind the scenes!)

This is my latest addition to the dinner lineup: https://pipingpotcurry.com/moong-dal-chilla/ So tasty! I use red lentils instead of yellow split mung beans.

Ooh, I like the idea of changing the names and choosing old gossip to share. That way people stories are shared (isn’t the greatest value of gossip learning from these?) but privacy is protected and damaging effects are mitigated!