A Thing Or Two We’re Doing Besides Slurping Our Weight In Soup

Robes, shopping memories, and some tremendous Thingies from Val Monroe, the wise and warm force behind the How Not to F*ck Up Your Face newsletter—all coming at you on the podcast! If you have thoughts, we sure do cherish a voicemail: 833-632-5463 (< that’s 833-OFAKIND because never forget your roots).

erica’s things

• Throwing together a soup that looks extremely boring but isn’t. Double the beans and greens. If you want!

• Marveling at the absolutely delightful insanity of these Italian jacquard rugs.

• Losing it over this nineties crossword book. (See also: this eighties crossword sweatshirt.)

• Getting a weird amount of joy from this outdoor thermometer. Next up, a rain gauge?!

claire’s things

• Realizing I’ve been sleeping on the fact that one of the more interesting home-goods shops in the U.S. also has e-commerce. Need new knobs? How about a housewarming present? An off-registry wedding gift?

• Tapping into the magic of sweet potato butter, which has substantially elevated everything from my kid’s PB&J to my own cheese plate.

• Recommending Wahala to anyone who felt And Just Like That did not quite scratch the itch they were hoping it would.

• Being that person who asks a random coffee shop where they buy their paper napkins because, wow, aren’t these just so chic?

• Wishing I’d had this to read when I was struggling to decide if I wanted to be a parent

A Thing Or Two We’re Doing Besides Hanging With The Queen Of Hearts

Looking for some feel-good entertainment? A plan for dealing with the fraught nature of planning? A trip down scent-memory lane? We have podcast episodes ready and waiting. For many more thoughts, get that Secret Menu membership—this month’s newbie subscription dollars go to Plan C and its efforts to provide universal access to abortion pills.

erica’s things

• Experiencing a smidge less angst over February drear thanks to this emoji weather map.

• Tracking unprecedented levels of belt-bag innovation. Please see this and this!

• Anointing amatriciana my Winter 2022 comfort food. (It says “V-day” if ya ask me. Speaking of…)

• Raising the bar: Turns out, it’s possible to make Alice's Adventures in Wonderland even trippier.

• Having more fun with my knives.

claire’s things

• Pointing you toward something extra, extra special for your Valentine, Galentine, and Palentine chocolate needs. (Hurry, it's always sold out, but they just restocked.)

• Feeling simply devastated that I missed a gallery show of artist-designed toilet-paper holders. Thank goodness there are pictures.

• Sending some nourishment to a friend going through it.

• Praising a podcast that sits at the intersection of all my interests, both intellectual and inane. The perfect keep-you-company-while-you-do-chores listen.

• Remembering the absolute genius and joy of Wikki Stix. What. A. Product.

A Thing Or Two We’re Doing Besides Mending Our Sweaters

What’s been going on on the podcast lately? We have some top-notch recs—Thingies!—from Kelly Wright of Yuns and Harling Ross Anton of, well, the internet plus we’ve got an acknowledgement of how much we enjoy acknowledgements sections. If you’re scrolling through the archives, may this list of our top eps of 2021 be of service.

erica’s things

• Considering cutting out passages of this novel to read over and over (and over) again. I’d be remiss not to add: THE COVER.

• Surprising even myself with how much joy this Bi-Rite x Bittman citrus box delivered.

• Bragging about this chock-full-of-wisdom podcast Claire and I produced for Jenni Kayne Home. Guests include Leanne Ford and Sophia Roe, and the hits keep coming.

• Admiring this freakishly charming take on journaling that, sad for me, I lack the skills to execute.

• Remembering that, ah yes, this stuff makes nails look great without any fuss. It’s best layered haphazardly once-ish a week-ish.

claire’s things

• Reclaiming a moth-eaten favorite sweater thanks to these geniuses.

• Finding so much to love about the concept of a soup mother.

• Eyeing some very good options for an impending upgrade of Cam’s room and discovering plenty of things I’d like for myself (hi and hello) along the way.

• Stocking the freezer with Thin Mints and Tagalongs ℅ Troop 6000, repped by girls in NYC’s shelter system.

A Thing Or Two We’re Doing Besides Memorializing What We Wore—Or Aspired To—In 2021

Last year, we remembered what a joy it was to get dressed...at least some of the time. These are the 29 things that made us feel compelled to put on leaving-the-house clothes. Also: a podcast discussion of online shopping tips and a Secret Menu installment on the versatility of oversize men’s shirts.

our things

• Flagging a first “we can go places now?” purchase for when that time comes: a Flat Fifteen bag.

• Amassing a collection of perfect lil tanks that cut a cute figure under a sweater (they do that neckline-peeking-out thing) and are primed to take center stage come summer.

• Tying on this wee scarf, which warms your neck without needing to be squished into a coat and never gets caught in a gust. A dream!!

• Snoozing in a cheeky number.

• Swooning over the perfect bridal looks at Kamperett.

• Stocking up on Deiji Studios for summer.

• Lighting up over Rachel Antonoff’s prints—the food ones specifically. Olives on a skirt, prawns on PJs!

• Experiencing a sudden yearning for colored-glass jewelry and blaming these clear earrings, this amber pendant, and this color-shifting ring.

• Noticing the lampshade trends—patterns, pleats!—coming for hats...and liking that far more than anticipated.

• Committing to little bags and eyeing these. And, ok, these, too.

• Having more FUN with a robe than previously thought possible.

• Finding a perfect jean short after years of trial and error—size up once or twice, unless you’re doing hot pants summer.

• Rocking an anklet with those denim shorts.

• Pondering whether matching sandals are over now. These! These!

• Landing on a signature sunglass frame...if that’s a thing? Sure, it’s a thing.

• Nodding, nodding: Yes, Ring Pop jewelry is a natural extension of the color-happy look happening just about everywhere else.

• Wearing these three days in one week and planning to repeat as necessary for as long as this humidity sticks around.

• Resenting the look of the Apple Watch slightly less thanks to the best band around.

• Deciding it might finally be time to become a house-shoe person.

• Wondering if this is when it’s time to succumb to the penny loafer trend.

• Feeling like you could plan everything you wear for the rest of the year around these earrings.

• Apologizing to everyone who hoped the tie-dye trend was done because these strongly suggest otherwise.

• Stocking up on a very good tee.

• Trusting these geniuses to make some magic out of jewelry collecting dust.

• Wrapping up an extended search for cozy boots that aren’t Uggs with a shearling-lined Wallabee.

• Finding a regular degular pair of jeans that look and feel good. No small miracle.

• Adding to the very short list of appealing lingerie lines.

• Discovering the unmatched luxury of a cashmere socks. These are great and are regularly on sale.

• Applauding all the colorful and FUN beaded jewelry that’s happening—some highlights here, here, and here.

podcast

Online Shopping Tricks ‘n Tips...and Ending Vacation Early

How do we wrap up vacation? How do we shop for clothes on the internet? Well!.

secret menu

It’s Really So Good: Oversize Men’s Shirts

The return of in-person interactions has brought about less social dread than I anticipated but way more Kilimanjaro-size piles of clothes on the bed. It’s hard remembering how to get dressed. What I would do well to remember before dismantling my closet as a daily practice is that oversize men’s-style shirts—sleeves rolled, collar splayed, tuck frenched—are a consistently correct answer, one that solves for what has quickly become my chief fashion anxiety of late: feeling overdressed. Big button-downs are a safe haven, trusty fallbacks that have served me in nearly every stage of my personal style (including and especially during pregnancy and breastfeeding). They look great with jean shorts, gold hoops, and ballet flats, all staples of my summer wardrobe. They work in fabrics for every season and occasion—silk, oxford cotton, flannel, linen! And between Kahlana Barfield’s truly inspired take on the theme, Lucy Chadwick’s long-running dominance of the sport, and Phoebe Philo’s imminent return (what cuffs!), they feel very fashion right now. Some of my current favorites are from the shirting experts at Alex Mill; this particular style is begging to be thrown over your bikini for Italian Riviera vibes. So’s this one from AYR, in a cut people swear by. If you aren’t already in possession of a perfect denim or chambray version, that’s a problem worth rectifying. And for those with a knack for thrifting and vintage, the category is downright rife. Perhaps you could set an alert for Tom Ford tuxedo shirts on The RealReal, peruse Charvet on Ebay, or cruise Etsy for some classic Ralph Lauren? If the hunt is not your thing, keep an eye on the picks from the experts at Na Nin and Desert Vintage. Have fun. Go big—as in, a size or two bigger than you think, even. And direct your post-pandemic angst somewhere other than your outfit. —Claire
 

There’s more where this came from in our Thursday Secret Menu emails—join the fun.

A Thing Or Two We’re Doing Besides Salivating Over The Best Food We Made Last Year

You know, 2021 definitely wasn’t our best year in cooking (hello, burnout), but these 20 recipes won our hearts...against all odds? A food-related podcast and a taste of Secret Menu follow!

our things

• Suggesting that you need neither a pressure cooker nor salmon to take advantage of this A+ recipe, which is really all about the outstanding sauce.

• Roasting daikon in curry powder and instantly regretting not roasting more daikon in curry powder.

• Fulfilling a decades-long dream of drinking tikka masala sauce as if it were soup.

• Putting pepper and cheeeeeese in oatmeal.

• Utilizing this method of roasting a whole cauliflower with much success (and a lot less fuss than some of the alts). One note: Throw the greens in the pan alongside it!

• Putting together a simple and satisfying meal that requires two skills: the ability to set a timer and to boil water.

• Jumping on the air-fryer bandwagon with glee (nudged by the discovery that the Instant Pot transforms into one). Second to chicken wings, brussels sprouts are where the method shines, and you can adapt pretty much any roasting recipe.

• Tackling—quite successfully!—an ingredient that’s always seemed intimidating: baby artichokes.

• Doing so little but achieving so much with this shrimp recipe. (You could sub out the greens for rice or really anything that’ll soak up the sauce.)

• Feeling pretty damn self-satisfied after whipping up tamago.

• Putting veggie scraps to extremely satisfying use.

• Pleasing a crowd with a pretty asparagus presentation.

• Nodding fervently at the notion that “cabbage can be a star” (and nominating this gingery concoction as a dressing for your slaws, too).

• Contemplating keeping hard-boiled eggs in the fridge always just to make this sauce/dressing/condiment.

• Giving Lipton a run for its money with this extremely good vegan onion dip that serves as a nice hummus alt.

• Wondering why homemade ice-cream cake is not more of a thing. A (very easy) hit!

• Unlocking the secret to shucking oysters with ease: grilling ‘em first. (Put this on them after—and on many other things also, probably!)

• Remembering that an all-time favorite salad comes via a pasta chain in St. Louis (iceberg optional).

• Becoming those people who fire up the Weber in a puffer with the newfound knowledge that grilling pizza is at least six times easier than it sounds like it’d be.

• Tucking into this Instant Pot miso risotto at the end of the week and barely remembering what it’s like to have Friday-night plans.

podcast

What Healthy Comfort Food Means to Julia Turshen. And a Snack Taste Test!

If you’re not already a devotee of Julia Turshen and her cookbooks ,well, consider this your initiation into the fan club. We’re talking with her about “healthy” and “comfort”—loaded food words, for certain!—and because we’re geniuses who knew this topic would make us hungry, we’re starting things off with a snack taste test.

secret menu

Chews You can Use: Affogatos

When having people over for dinner during those pandemic valleys when it feels responsible to do so, I can’t be bothered to think about dessert. It just feels so...fussy, all of a sudden. Like, can’t we just relish the joy of being in one another’s vaccinated company without having to think about *courses*? But should the mood strike once the plates are cleared, I know I always have ingredients for an affogato, which requires the exact-right amount of effort: dumping a shot of espresso over a scoop of vanilla (HDVB ice cream, obviously, or Talenti gelato if you’d like to hew Italian) in a cute cup, and calling it a day. I’ve got those Nespresso pods raring to go, but a stovetop (Alessi?) Moka would serve you well here, as would instant espresso, possibly a decaf version so as not to eff with the sleep hygiene of your guests. 

And you can always zhoosh if you so desire—doctor up the ice cream with olive oil and sea salt, add a big ol’ dollop of barely sweet whipped cream like they do at Caffè Panna, or sub the coffee for matcha as is the 29B Teahouse way. For me, the point here is something a little special with absolutely no effort: just the power of two really good ingredients combined. The only twist on the classic that I’m really compelled to DIY is Eric Kim’s take that he calls an affogato Americano, which is fast-food coffee and soft serve united for something that sounds plenty worth the highway exit. —Erica
 

Chews You Can Use: The Recipes that Made Whole30 Manageable

I did Whole30 in January 2021 and have a lot of mixed feelings about it, many of which I spoke to at the top of this podcast episode. I’m hesitant to endorse it, but I did find benefits: I did not discover any food sensitivities (to cop a favorite line from the Poog podcast: I tragically do not have a gluten allergy), but I was reminded that what I consume impacts my mood and energy levels immensely, something I’d lost sight of. I did find enough recipes to make it manageable, and I’m even keeping some of them in the regular rotation. My caveat here is that the world of Whole30 recipes is littered with cringey blog titles and outdated aesthetics, so suspend your judgment if you can. This tikka masala soup spoke to the part of me that questions why the ratio of sauce to chicken is not more generous when ordering Indian takeout. I made double batches of this orange hoisin sauce to freeze and found it goes just as well with shrimp as with chicken. I also used Whole30 as an excuse to finally get an air fryer—specifically the lid that transforms your Instant Pot into one—and was impressed by how nicely green beans, brussels sprouts, and potatoes played with it. I’ll never go back to cooking buffalo wings any other way. And, speaking of: I was highly suspicious of this buffalo chicken chowder but have made it multiple times now and am wondering what other dishes deserve to have blended cashews mixed into them. This coconut cauliflower soup had already been a staple and played a big role, along with other “regular life” meals that happened to be compliant, like roast chicken and frittatas. The final takeaway I’ll offer is not a recipe so much as a confession: I’d been needlessly turning up my nose at cauliflower rice for years (along with zoodles, which do deserve my scorn, it turns out), only to discover that there’s a reason it’s become such a thing. It’s quite nice, especially mixed with sauteed onions or a squeeze of lime. —Claire

There’s more where this came from in our Thursday Secret Menu emails—join the fun.

A Thing Or Two We’re Doing Besides Relishing Home Hacks

Behold: 26 improvements and small victories that made us happier at home last year—and some podcast + Secret Menu content in the same vein. If you enjoy this Secret Menu fix and want in, new subscriber money for January goes to GLITS, which supports the health and rights of transgender sex workers.

our things

• Drinking out of a perfect glass.

• Appreciating these construction tips as much as the women giving ‘em.

• Developing a soft spot for extremely focused home retailers. First up: lighting supplies. Next: shelving.

• Assembling the ideal wine rack, which you can put together in all sorts of ways and expand over time, too.

• Accepting a deep affection for these food-storage containers after struggling to find them anywhere for weeks. Their sell: a small fridge footprint (what a turn of phrase!) that makes them ideal for soups, leftover grains, all that.

• Feeling like a wifi wizard after hooking up this magical device that makes it go further and faster. Truly life-changing.

• Existing one roll of double-sided tape away from giving a lampshade a wallpaper glow-up.

• Guffawing at the beauty and thoroughness of this plant-care site.

• Ceasing to feel shame about not knowing how to sharpen a knife; this wonderful $10 tool asks so little yet gives so much.

• Hydrating from a glass filter pitcher that looks good on the table and refills like a breeze.

• Locking away a few things.

• Wading through a trove of design-forward and actually doable DIY furniture projects.

• Sourcing expert answers to questions like “But what’s a good printer?” and “Which is the best podcast-editing software?”

• Stashing a smart, single-cup coffee solution at the in-laws’ so nobody has to make a whole pot of decaf just for one.

• Grasping at straws—er, starches—that might diminish the amount of sand that enters the house post-beach.

• Clocking a major milestone: a muggy afternoon in the backyard with zero (zero!!) bug bites. Thermacell, take a bow.

• Replacing a stained, fraying, always-askew kitchen rug with something that’s truly made for the task.

• Making two laundry-related recommendations: this app (which comes in handy when deciphering, say, Japanese care instructions) and this stain remover.

• Using an ~alt~ toilet paper that feels way better than you’d expect such a thing to.

• Seriously leveling-up the old Zoom appearance, no ring light required.

• Wondering which of life’s problems this couldn’t solve.

• Upgrading to this mini steamer situation.

• Approaching this pillow (and its potential to help a creaky, side-sleeping neck) with much skepticism…but, well, taking it all back.

• Begging a wall outlet to work harder (please and thank you!).

• Realizing a knife rest is, in fact, a thing. Why must spoons get all the pampering?

• Acquiring a very clever divided hamper situation.

podcast

Flea and Wedding Registries (Slash Stuff We Want in Our Kitchens Forever)

What would we register for if we were getting married sometime soon? What would we buy if we just really wanted a tablecloth or new drinking glasses? Oh, we have thoughts. And, speaking of wish lists, how exactly do we get our hands on Flea’s Bees honey from the Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist?

secret menu

What do you both have over your bed, and do you have suggestions for searching for this piece?

Claire: When I was a kid, my mom had a strict rule about not hanging anything over our beds that could injure us if it fell down while we were sleeping. I used to think this was a universally acknowledged precaution but eventually realized it’s just heightened levels of earthquake-awareness brought on by growing up in Southern California. Anyway, I’m 37 now, and though I no longer listen to everything she says, I do generally take a safety-first approach to life and interior design. Hanging a quilt is an obvious way around the you’ll-die-if-it-falls-on-you conundrum, and as discussed in a recent installment of this newsletter, there are so many good ones around these days. I also love the idea of a really giant canvas or framed artwork as a sort of headboard stand-in. Meaning: Lean it against the wall behind your bed, and you’ve got the tremor-proof equivalent of hanging art above your bed. It’s nice if the piece is as wide as or wider than your bed, but truly not necessary—the more important thing is that a decent amount of it is visible above your bed, so it works best with a low bed frame (or no bed frame at all). The other nice thing about this approach is that the art doesn’t have to be perfect or even particularly special—it just has to be suitable background imagery. At some point, I was pulling this off using a framed museum exhibition poster that I’d found on the street; if you don’t feel like waiting for the perfect trash-day discovery, hunting (with much patience) on eBay or Chairish is the appropriate alternative. Perhaps a piece like this? These days I have something a lot more sentimental: a slice-of-tree-trunk-as-headboard that my dad made for us when they had to cut down the tree that we’d gotten married under in my parents’ backyard. I mean! Can you even? Because I certainly cannot. 

Erica: At my house, this felt like the perfect opp for a lone wall of wallpaper. Don’t sleep on those by Josef Frank, Voutsa, Studio Four NYC, Cole & Son, and Flat Vernacular.
 

There’s more where this came from in our Thursday Secret Menu emails—join the fun.

A Thing Or Two We’re Doing Besides Tightening Our Ski Boots

Greetings from our last newsletter of the year! We hope you’re getting some end-of-2021 time to do, well, something you want to do. If you miss us already, we have a podcast episode on pillows and obligations just waiting for you.

erica’s things

• Getting back into blush. More specifically: this blush.

• Mulling wine, grilling chestnuts, and becoming a character in a Christmas movie (sadly, one without a Netflix production budget).

• Zeroing in on any corner of my house that might accommodate a corduroy pillow. Also: HELLO, this community dye bath concept.

• Popping by to see Lumin Wakao’s paintings over ‘n over again.

• Going absolutely nuts for these embroidered skiing animals and this real-life skiing animal.

claire’s things

• Talking everyone’s ears off about a time-management book that is nothing at all like what that descriptor probably conjures for you.

• Leaning into all the laughs the internet is willing to give me these days.

• Practicing my best J.Lo pout with the help of Lip Cheat in Iconic Nude—what a name, what a product.

• Wondering if princesscore is a subset or spawn of cottagecore—these mirrors, this molding!

• Changing lives.

A Thing Or Two We’re Doing Besides Wrapping It Up

What do dumplings, tights, and Zicam have in common? They all fight cold...and they’re all co-stars of this week’s podcast episode. Oh, and something we keep meaning to say: Six-month and one-year Secret Menu gift subscriptions are available for the most discerning on ya list.

erica’s things

• Sourcing gift-wrapping guidance from the best in the biz.

• Refusing to imagine anything that says “Y2K fashion revival” more loudly than a custom bejeweled hair claw.

• Letting Nicola Yoon grab me by my feelings, as she’s known to do.

• Dipping into a trove of $200 original art.

• Taking my love of stollen absolutely as far as it can go. Bless you, Molly Yeh.

claire’s things

• Living my coziest life in these, which are currently in rotation multiple times a week.

• Showing up for pretty much any content that delves into the “Made in China” vs. “Made in America” narrative.

• Adding a slice of bread to the cookie tin, per some stay-fresh storage recs from an expert.

• Only sharing these beauties with you because I already snagged the one I want.

A Thing Or Two We’re Doing Besides Fortifying Ourselves With Art

On the podcast docket today: Charitable giving and Hallmark holiday movies you can only watch on YouTube. All of this comes care of Caroline Moss, the host of the much-loved Gee Thanks, Just Bought It! pod who we absolutely love chatting with. If you’re hoping for more gift ideas from us, maybe a Secret Menu subscription is what you’re missing? This month’s new subscriber funds go to Children of Promise, NYC, which supports kids impacted by mass incarceration.

erica’s things

• Chewing on all the ~themes~ in this book, which is more hopeful than the title and description let on.

• Tucking into this Instant Pot miso risotto at the end of the week and barely remembering what it’s like to have Friday-night plans.

• Begging for a whole photo book of these Dennis Rodman images. The Valentino cape one!!

• Eyeing a slew of 2022 calendars—I hope this says something promising about the year ahead??—but this one most of all.

claire’s things

• Acquiring a very clever divided hamper situation. (Thank you for understanding my need to believe that this will change my life.)

• Adding something special and stupidly simple (and GF!) to the holiday-cookie program.

• Reconsidering glass bricks.

• Delighting in Ruth Reichl’s newsletter, which has all the things: gift recs, condiment endorsements, archival clippings, and, perhaps most charming of all, old menus.

• Urging New Yorkers to get themselves to this wonderful show—a solid reminder of the value of seeing art in person.

A Thing Or Two We’re Doing Besides Searching For Our Seed Beads

If your brain needs a bit more OOO, there’s a podcast episode jam-packed with randomness just waiting for you. And if the holiday weekend has you planning for some end-of-year downtime, all our book recs are at the ready.

erica’s things

• Counting on Farmer’s Fridge for reliable, surprisingly fresh airport sustenance...from a vending machine. Get the pineapple coconut chia pudding thing, even if you aren’t big on chia pudding.

• Having the urge to paint some floors, motivated entirely by this brilliance.

• Determining that the natural progression of the grandmillennial aesthetic is plastic-covered pillows.

• Resurfacing the very best eggnog recipe in all the land. If you feel like gifting it, maybe drill a hole through nutmeg and tie it to your vessel like we do at my house?

• Requesting a gift certificate from Hanukkah Harry

claire’s things

• Mowing through The Just Enough Family. Someone on Twitter called it a Jewish Succession, which is not wrong.

• Announcing that I was going to take the year off from dried-orange ornaments...until I saw our tree without them. They’re really just so easy and worth it.

• Ruining myself for all other socks after treating myself to a pair of cashmere ones. These are great and on sale.

• Feeling extremely seen by this thing from Wendy MacNaughton that is basically a five-minute guided meditation–meets–drawing class.

• Applauding all the colorful and FUN beaded jewelry that’s happening—some highlights here, here, and here.

A Thing Or Two We’re Doing Besides Giving Our Knives A Rest

Are you in the mood for a *guest* Thingies episode with the highly experienced recommender David Cho? Are you seeking last year’s gift guide eps (here and here) to solve remaining holiday-shopping headaches? Do you want something to listen to while you bake a pecan pie?? What can we say: We’re people-pleasers.

erica’s things

• Marveling at this solar oven, brought to my attention by a guy who identifies as a guerilla grazer.

• Seeing the impact of Alanis absolutely everywhere I look.

• Begging a wall outlet to work harder (please and thank you!).

• Getting real “Holly Golightly circa 2013” energy from this protagonist.

• Feeling in my heart that a pressed-flower silhouette is a perfect gift for someone. Just need to sort out who…

claire’s things

• Inviting fellow Paul Simon fans to set aside the Malcolm Gladwell of it all (a lot to ask, I know) and dive into Miracle and Wonder.

• Spending my weekend proselytizing about the salami cotto sandwich at & Sons Buttery. It’s a destination sandwich for sure.

• Realizing a knife rest is, in fact, something I’ve been missing from my life. Why must spoons get all the pampering?

• Admiring Mason Saltarrelli’s work, and especially his Paper Fables—available for $333 each, via IG only!

• Adding to the very short list of lingerie lines that I like.

A Thing Or Two We’re Doing Besides Going Hard At Hanukkah

Pals, gift guides one, two, and three are at your service! (Those links will take you straight to the recaps with all the recs if you’re looking to cut to the chase and get shopping.) If you’re craving more still, that’s what signing up for Secret Menu is for.

erica’s things

• Begging one of our best celebrities (Natalie Portman? Rashida Jones?) to wear this latke headband—an art piece!!—somewhere, anywhere.

• Approaching this pillow (and its potential to help my creaky, side-sleeping neck) with much skepticism…but, well, I take it all back.

• Envisioning the boundless potential of beeswax name candles.

• Enjoying my first bites of the New York Public Library’s menu archive (that I landed on while googling “nineties Applebee’s menu”).

• Getting excited about a Sephora gift set. I didn’t know that was possible at this juncture!

claire’s things

• Celebrating (Taylor’s Version) by, yes, consuming allllll the Jake memes (congrats on some of your finest work, internet) and also by refreshing myself on the particulars of how we got here. Revenge in all its forms!

• Taking the liberty of editing some of Cam’s books to be more gender-inclusive. (Surely there must have been some female dinosaurs, no?!)

• Keeping my freezer stocked for cozy season with the very best frozen dumplings around.

• Finding a regular degular pair of jeans that I feel good in. No small miracle.

• Extending the feeling of marathon magic for as long as possible with the help of a really moving story.

A Thing Or Two We’re Doing Besides Warming To An Oven Hood

Should you already be anxious about holiday presents on November 8, our first gift-guide podcast of the season is here! We’ve got another round coming on Thursday in partnership with MoMA Design Store, and our last installment lands next Monday. (Does a clearly laid-out content calendar relieve your stress at all??)

erica’s things

• Gobbling up the food histories in the @wrightkitchen IG highlights. May I direct your attention to the Oreos one? The drama!

• Freaking over an oven hood.

• Proposing an ideal car-trip audiobook.

• Relishing my entrée into owl TikTok.

• Becoming one of those people who fires up the Weber in a puffer now that I know grilling pizza is at least six times easier than it sounds like it’d be.

claire’s things

• Appreciating that the market for holiday-scented candles has expanded to include Chanukah. Mover over, pine and fir, and make way for holy oil and latkes!

• Spreading the word about SOW and their open call for young BIPOC creatives far and wide.

• Returning to an old favorite workout I’d lost touch with over the pandemic that turns out to be way more doable from home than I’d imagined.

• Wrapping up an extended search for cozy boots that aren’t Uggs with a shearling-lined Wallabee.

• Asking if these aren’t the most darling (and giftable) pen cups imaginable?

A Thing Or Two We’re Doing Besides Dinner-Party Dreamin’

Here comes a podcast episode that will make you want to go to a department store and an art exhibit—well, we think! Coming up next week: that holiday gift-guide content. If you want more, more, more on that front, it could be the time to subscribe to Secret Menu. This month’s new-member fees are headed to Radical Monarchs, an activism org for girls of color (that’s run by work wives, even).

erica’s things

• Determining that this food is, yes, just what I want to eat. Extra lemon on everything, please.

• Contemplating what I love more: the woven art or the wavy frames.

• Feeling like I could plan everything I wear for the rest of the year around these earrings.

• Practically ruining myself for all other fall foliage after seeing this.

• Finding precisely what I want from a store right now in Big Night. If you’re in NYC, go, go!

claire’s things

• Learning some manners.

• Apologizing to everyone who hoped the tie-dye trend was done because these have me convinced otherwise.

• Finding a lot of delight in Lydia Ricci’s convergence of miniatures, scrap art, and wry humor. (Also very much a “you may also like” re: this week’s podcast guest.)

• Stocking up on a very good tee.

• Wondering which of life’s problems this couldn’t solve.
  

A Thing Or Two We’re Doing Besides Loafing Around

If the weather has you in the mood to bake something, hit play on this week’s podcast episode—maybe as you preheat the oven?—and you’ll get a butter-sculpture primer for good measure, too. For more food fodder: our past interviews with Amanda Hesser, Julia Turshen, Lani Halliday, and Vanessa and Kim Pham. And don’t forget: We’re working on this year’s gift guides and want to know who you need help shopping for! Just reply to this email, tell us your woes, and we’ll get to work.

erica’s things

• Discovering a context in which I care about Marvel.

• Enjoying everything about the Saint Heron Community Library (the UX of the Q&A included).

• Getting some really good energy from my butter dish. It just has the right attitude, you know?

• Directing anyone who’s done multiple rewatches of Drop Dead Gorgeous here—and not just because I really need to talk about this show with people.

• Cracking up, oh, every other page while reading this.

claire’s things

• Wondering if this is when I finally succumb to the penny loafer trend.

• Seriously leveling-up my Zoom appearance, no ring light required.

• Soaking up the wisdom of older generations via this (Lois Lowry!!) and this (Sonoko Sakai!!)—and just generally applauding a turn toward celebrating aging.

• Welcoming a new entry to my placemats-as-decor mood board.

• Attempting to winnow down my wishlist from Pedersen + Lennard—the birdfeeder, the balance bike, the grilling caddy?!

A Thing Or Two We’re Doing Besides Going Hard At The Frosting

Today’s podcast ep is a dive into content so good we can’t help but share it: We explore Sesame Street’s social media and talk with A.J. Daulerio about his recovery newsletter The Small Bow and podcast Really Good Shares. In unrelated news: The holidays are (apparently! somehow!) around the corner-ish, and so are our gift guides. We’re taking your requests for ideas for the hardest people in your life to buy for. WBASAP to this email with your challenges and anxieties, and we’ll add ‘em to the list. We promise to keep the supply-chain chatter to a minimum.

erica’s things

• Developing a thing for oil paintings that look like they could be made of frosting. See: here and here.

• Eyeing this while caffeinating with this.

• Challenging you to find a more epically outrageous—and damn charming—soap.

• Soundtracking a slow weekend morning with this album.

• Signing up for this bottle-reusing situation at my local wine shop. More of this sort of thing, please!!

claire’s things

• Speaking of frosting: Feeling very inspired by these color palettes.

• Leaning hard on Kinto for all our kid-friendly dinner- and drinkware.

• Telling floral arrangements to move over—I’m all about floral interpretations now. And floral humans.

• Putting this on salad, using it as a dip for pizza, veggies, chips...perhaps slathering it on a roast chicken next? (See also: maybe the best mustard I’ve ever had.)

• Finding one of those “fall asleep fast!” tricks that actually seems to work for me: Breathe in for 4 seconds, hold for 7 seconds, breathe out for 8 seconds. It’s that simple, but should you need an explainer, here’s one.

A Thing Or Two We’re Doing Besides Booting It Up

A podcast episode about potty-trained cows and discontinued frosted lip glosses of the early aughts? Oh, you know us. If you want a better way to keep tabs on the various stuff we throw at you—namely, all of the recommendations we share in this newsletter—Secret Menu members can now search the archives of the last two years. Soon, we’ll be dishing up the hits from all the way back to 2012 when we started sending this thing.

erica’s things

• Flipping over this sand art (and this sand artist).

• Flagging so many ways to put my past-their-prime scallions and scoops of leftover rice to good use.

• Shaking my head that I didn’t know about this tool to check if a name is available on all the platforms ‘til now.

• Guffawing at Olivia de Recat’s Accidental Portrait Contest, which you need to see to believe relish.

• Coveting platters—these platters specifically.

claire’s things

• Alerting my fellow popcorn fanatics: This stuff is the real deal.

• Apologizing because I know, I know, it’s too early, but they will definitely sell out, so: quilted cowboy-boot Christmas stockings?!?!?!

• Consuming every possible piece of content related to Gillian Laub’s Family Matters project—the book, the exhibit, the moving video of her parents seeing the book for the first time…

• Feeling smarter, more plugged-in, and (let’s be honest) cooler just having this show up at my door. 10% off your first month’s subscription with the code WINETIME! #SPONSORED

• Acquiring a genius playhouse, especially perfect for a city kid.

• Assuming hiking is the new tennis now that everyone is making cute boots for it like these and these.

A Thing or Two We’re Doing Besides Musseling Through It

After you listen to this week’s podcast episode, please email us, DM us, call us at 833-632-5463 to tell us about your favorite Michigan Star restaurant (or anything at all, truly). Should you be interested in more from us on a weekly basis, Secret Menu’s waiting for you: New-member money this month goes to RIP Medical Debt, which uses donations to buy and relieve large bundles of medical debt—a real stroke of genius.

erica’s things

• Reading a memoir that got me out of a book rut.

• Grinning at absolutely everything associated with the launch of Chez Diane.

• Coming back to this piece a few times over the past few weeks. (Sidenote: “Oddkin” would be a good restaurant name.)

• Leaning hard on this for all the stuff ‘bout to be roasting in my oven.

• Acquiring my very first lawn (slash beach slash camping) game. A real crowd-pleaser!

claire’s things

• Eyeing Folio with much interest—small, local bookstore vibes...but on the internet.

• Making my hair infinitely more manageable thanks to a defrizzing treatment from this guy.

• Sending a plant subscription to someone with a much greener thumb than me.

• Learning the wildly useful term BEC, which, as it turns out, stands for more than just a breakfast sandwich.

• Cracking my knuckles and bookmarking the Toy Matrix in anticipation of gifting season.

A Thing Or Two We’re Doing Besides Hankering For Fresh Notebooks

If you want to know the best bloody mary mix and the best stain remover to use when you spill said cocktail on yourself, we have a Thingies episode full of our very favorite products waiting for you. Should you want to catch up on past installments, have at it.

erica’s things

• Cackling over billboards.

• Starting a phone note for “Best NYC Food Under $10,” starring Chang’an Spicy Tofu from Xi’an Famous Foods and Nasi Lemak from Kopitiam. Recommend eating either on a park bench on a perfect fall-ish day.

• Fighting the urge to buy all the school supplies, and this and this aren’t helping.

• Wanting to hire someone just so I can post on this job board.

• Contemplating the effect of Barbie's Dreamhouse on my psyche.

claire’s things

• Drowning out toddler noise with some very good tunes to work to.

• Placing this (cordless!) beaut at the top of my wish list...now just gotta pick a color.

• Falling for a crew of remarkably charming teens with the extremely heartthrobby D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai at the center.

• Using an ~alt~ toilet paper that feels way better than you’d expect such a thing to.

• Feeding my unquenchable thirst for gossip with Heirmail.

A Thing Or Two We’re Doing Besides Setting The Table For Takeout

A couple pressing questions posed in this week’s podcast episode: Were you allowed Lucky Charms as a kid? And when did you get your first period (you know, if you’re a person who gets a period)? If you have queries for us to answer, why, just go ahead and reply to this email.

erica’s things

• Spicing up my mid-morning tea with the most deliciously peppery powdered chai.

• Always opening emails from Jake Gyllenhaal (ok, fine, Jake Gyllenhaal’s production company that has a genuinely good newsletter).

• Trusting these geniuses to make some magic out of jewelry collecting dust. I went from a bracelet + ring I never wear to a pair of earrings I’m ‘bout to wear a ton.

• Keeping my eyes peeled for “Freestyle Canoeing” hats after catching this.

• Awaiting a friend’s review of The Expert with bated breath: Pretty tempting to book an hour with Leanne Ford or Lynn Kloythanomsup for advice on how the eff to arrange your living room, no?

claire’s things

• Upgrading my mini steamer situation.

• Taking in some sporty eye candy.

• Eyeing Sitdown for my next hosting stint—looks so chic and easy.

• Admiring the work of a woman whose Wikipedia page must be among the very few that describes its subject as “a mathematician and quilter.”

• Thinking a lot about how much these belong in someone’s kitchen or nursery or something? Just so good.