the saturday digest #8
holiday cookies, F52 cookbook club recap, and more
In this week’s roundup…
Find the latest community cookbook club events here! Tickets for my next cookbook club on December 8th from 12PM to 2PM (Coconut & Sambal + optional Cookie Exchange) will go out on Monday, November 18th at 12PM to paid subscribers and open up to everyone 24 hours later.
Cool girl holiday cookies
Cookbook Club x Food52 Recap with
Election results, acupuncture, movies, and San Francisco recommendations
Cool girl holiday cookies
With all due respect, traditional holiday cookies like sugar cookies, crinkle cookies, linzers, almond snowballs/moons, and shortbread are one note and boring. If the ingredients list is some combination of sugar, flour, butter and vanilla extract with no add-ons…sorry but I do not want to attend a cookie exchange and receive any of these. (A classic gingerbread cookie is an exception here, always good.) I want fun! Umami! Spicy! Salty! Earthy!
We should not restrict ourselves to “tradition” or “classics”. In my opinion, any cookie can be a holiday cookie if it is made with love, given as a gift, or shared amongst family and friends. Wow your loved ones with these cool girl cookies this holiday season:
Miso Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies by Buttermilk Pantry
Neapolitan Cookies with Thai Tea and Matcha by Ali Domrongchai
Sweet Corn and Corn Pops Cookies by Constellation Inspiration
All this to say that December’s cookbook club will have an optional cookie exchange component. I won’t hate you if you make a plain sugar cookie but you will be on my 2024 naughty list!
Cookbook Club x Food52 with Tenderheart with Hetty Lui McKinnon
I’m still elated and ecstatic from collaborating with Food52’s cookbook club to host Friendsgiving with the book Tenderheart by
. This was a full circle moment, as Tenderheart was the first book that I featured for cookbook club in my 1 bedroom apartment with 20 friends! Cookbook club has evolved in so many unexpected and beautiful ways. Not that my apartment isn’t the best space ever, but this time it was a level up on the ambiance front. Food52 knows how to host. The tablescape was dreamy, and their office space was airy yet cozy.Not different from other cookbook club events, the food was delicious and perfectly seasoned. As per usual, the people went all out with the food. Bobby and Jess of Velvet Turtle Events brought their photo booth to capture memories. It was such a joy to see both new and familiar faces. Thank you if you were able to attend this month’s cookbook club. Looking forward to next month on December 8th!
Other things to digest
ON THE ELECTION: Are you disheartened by the results of the election? As a Canadian, I can’t vote in the US, but what I will say is that we cannot and should not rely on the political system to improve our standard of living or make the world a better place. If you feel a way, please do something about it. Apathy is boring! Engage and participate in your community. Donate to an abortion fund and/or mutual aid fund, attend a protest, organize a bake sale, volunteer for a cause you feel passionately about, be kind to your neighbours.
LISTEN: The Interstitum by Radio Lab. The summary should really read white people discover a system in the body that Chinese people have been studying for over 400 years. Since spraining my ankle in September, I have slowly gotten back into running and compound lifting. I’m not 100% but I got acupuncture for the first time (not medical advice). I was skeptical at first, but it has definitely sped up my recovery time. New York Marathon 2025, here we come!
WATCH: Heretic (2024) by A24. As a non-religious (spiritual?) person who went to a Christian elementary school, Heretic was thought-provoking, chilling and fun. Without spoilers, it is a horror/thriller movie that touches on the concepts of belief in religion and religion as a marketing tool for control.
READ: 36 Hours in San Francisco via the New York Times. Do I miss San Francisco? Parts of it. Most days, the Bay was so beautiful it felt like I was on vacation. The article makes some excellent recommendations like biking around the city, BreadBelly, DaeHo, La Taqueria and the Mission. I’ll leave you with a list that my partner and I put together while reminiscing. I lived there 4 years, him for almost 7 years. Here are 90 bars/restaurants/cafes that we recommend in SF/Oakland. I’ll likely go into more detail at a later date!
Leaving you with some photos of San Francisco. The sunsets on the west coast are unmatched! Hope you have a lovely weekend :)
Still thinking about that deliciousness! Thanks for gathering us Steph ❤️