Back to school vibes
Minus the school part
Even if you’re not a student, September has an irresistible everything-is-new, back-to-school energy. My house is stocked with pumpkin-spiced everything, I have the insatiable urge to buy a new planner from Alchemy, and this morning I had a cortado instead of my usual iced latte. That’s right — it’s officially fall in my books.
It’s like the temperature dropped 30 degrees, and suddenly I’m ready to do all the things I said I’d do this year…nine months in. Yes, that’s right, I saw a primary care physician (thanks to OHP, which I am grateful for/worried about every day), started going to the gym, and am taking meaningful steps toward long-term goals. Please hold your applause.
If you see me and my dented laptop in a brewery or coffee shop on Williams, it’s because I started working on my first novel after an eight-month hiatus. Like every other Substack Writer, I’ve always wanted to write a book, but didn’t have an idea or time or energy. But an idea came to me last October on an airport shuttle in Charlotte, and now my freelance schedule certainly allows the time for an hour or two of daily writing. I’m still in the early stages of the book, but I can tell you that it’s about New Jersey and intergenerational trauma. My novel seeks to answer some of life’s most pressing questions, like: Who are we if not the stories we tell ourselves about ourselves? If those stories aren’t true, who are we? And, most crucially, would going to law school solve all my problems?
I’m actively looking to join or put together a remote or Portland-based writing group. If you or someone you know is interested/fits the bill, let me know! And if you want to know more about my novel, ask away (but I may not answer).
As usual, if I’m not writing for myself, I’m writing and editing for brands. And when I’m not doing that, you can find me in the kitchen. Here’s what I’ve been up to this month.
What I’m Cooking
One thing about me is that I’m going to eat the same thing over and over until I’m disgusted by it or it goes out of season, whichever comes first.
I started the month strong with more Cava-inspired bowls with rice, tomato, cucumber, pickled red onions, Greek yogurt, and feta. Usually, I go for chickpeas, but one week I only had white beans, and it was a revelation. I also made a big batch of cashew pesto, which was a nice addition.
Imitation meat has come a long way since I first became a pescatarian in 2013. Recently, I’ve been making vegan bulgogi with lightly salted cucumbers or garlicky green beans, and it rules.
This is embarrassing to admit, but I don’t really know how to roll a wrap. But between Caesar wraps and breakfast burritos, I’m making some progress.
Airfryer nachos were big for me this month, and I pretty much always have the toppings on hand (black beans, cheese, lettuce, bell pepper, etc). I added Taco Bell Medium hot sauce to the lineup, and it made a big difference. I can’t help but wonder how much better these would be if I could get my hands on some Diablo sauce (they don’t sell it at my Safeway, and we don’t go out for food often).
I’m not going to include a picture of raw fish, but my father-in-law came to town and stocked our freezer with line-caught Alaskan salmon. I slow-roasted a filet with rosemary I picked off a bush on Mississippi, because abundance really is everywhere.
Sometimes I Go Out to Eat
We don’t usually go out to eat much, but we enjoyed some really good meals while my father-in-law was in town. Mike, Han, and I feasted at Eem, and, naturally, I didn’t take any pictures. But the crudo was bright and fresh, the mushroom fried rice was so much better than it should be, the wings almost got me to eat chicken for the first time in a decade, and the cauliflower in the brisket curry soaked up the flavor without getting soggy.
The three of us also went to Por Que No, which has a huge back patio, and was perfect for a warm but not hot evening. I love that their rice and bean bowl comes with chips!
September also marked the anniversary of Hurricane Helene, and what would have been our wedding day if things had been different. Grief is weird, so we saved up all month to treat ourselves during a hard week.
We picked up our monthly pastry at JinJu, ordered takeout pizza from Lovely’s (we had a gift card!), and went to Estes for Italian food.
What I’m Baking
I had two fun orders on commission this month. First, I made funfetti cupcakes with Italian meringue buttercream for Alchemy’s first birthday party.
I also baked a bunch of goodies for Rachel’s bridal party to snack on after her wedding, including New Jersey-style crumb cake, my sourdough brown butter chocolate chip cookies, and blueberry scones with Orange sugar. Using leftover blueberries from the scones, I made myself a blueberry marble cake with a crumble topping.
I made two sourdough challahs for Rosh Hashanah, one plain and one chocolate. I used the chocolate loaf to make French toast.
After setting the intention to make my Grandma Susi’s apple cake, I not only followed through but also published the recipe.
Finally, I made chewy Earl Grey sugar cookies, because if I don’t have a mid-day sweet treat, then what is it all for? Maybe that’s a question my second book will seek to answer. 😉