Catherine, I am reading Wreck right now and seriously loving every word. I keep sending photos of the references to Buy Nothing Project to my friend who founded BNP in 2013. She is a huge fan of yours too! Is there a chance you'd send her a note or maybe even a copy of the book?
Catherine, I've been a regular reader since the early days of Ben & Birdy, when I was a teenaged college student learning to cook practical, satisfying meals. Here I am now: still reading your work, in my mid-thirties, a happily married parent to a six-year-old. My, how time has flown. I guess I'm just saying thank you for being my (parasocial) super cool big sis!
Thank you for the Thanksgiving content! I love your newsletter and Thanksgiving content. I also host and will do just about anything to lure the guests elsewhere while I'm whisking the fucking gravy. This year, I had my kids count out hundreds of tiny pompoms and put them in jars and they will run a guessing content for the guests. The prize for the larger jar is a turkey hat and the smaller jar prize is a baguette pen. How easy is that? (haha jk nothing is easy)
Ha ha ha! I mean, feel free! I always just find it too. . . unpredictable? Like you get these pockets of SAGE!!!!! and the rest of the stuffing is kind of bland? But maybe that's because I've always used the weird powdery kind!
Came to the comments to see if anyone had followed up on this! I’ll try dried this year—why not?! I’m only cooking for the five of us, which is both unspeakably bleak and also sort of relaxing? Loved seeing you last week and officially meeting Michael and Co.! xoxo
Can’t wait to do fish bowl under a sheet! We do a 4th round with teammates puppeteering someone on the opposite team. Kinda like what kids do (did?) for camp skits - stand behind someone and put your arms through as if your arms are theirs - then make them act out the clue! It’s hilarious and definitely breaks the ice 😆
Oh I love this. We add "Sheet, Face, Finger" to the first three rounds- the first being the sheet round described here, face being you get to only make facial expressions, and for finger, you're only able to act it out with your fingers. I can't wait to add puppeteering!
We play a version of Fishbowl but we call it Celebrities and instead of a word you write down a famous person. It's great for mixed age groups because you get a lot of Abraham Lincoln and LeBron James but you also get randoms that only the kids know or only the grandparents know and that's also fun (especially because the 50-somethings tend to know a bit of both of those, too, so we win!). Happy Thanksgiving!
Hi Catherine! I loved your talk at Porter Square Books. Based on your game recs, I think you would love the game First to Worst. https://dycegames.com/collections/first-to-worst It's a simple party game that had me and my friends cackling with laughter.
Also, I meant to ask at your talk if you've seen the show Dying for Sex. I read We All Want Impossible Things recently (after reading Sandwich last year) and found it very similar. I highly recommend it if you haven't watched it yet. It's both funny and devastating, and the acting is wonderful too.
Your last line made me well up … and I’m in Canada where thanksgiving is less of a big deal and long in the rear view mirror! Thanks to you for making feeding 20 people of varying dietary needs seem possible and even fun, and for making me appear a gifting genius many times over! Hugs to you and all your warm and fuzzy family, friends and felines.
Just finished Wreck. Laughed aloud (allowed!) and read bits to my beloved! Am now sharing with my daughter as we both loved Sandwich and recognized ourselves and each other in it...although we are not as funny!! So happy to have found your substack. Somehow it warms my heart to imagine you in Amherst as I lived there for7 years during my time at Hampshire and after working at Belchertown State School. With sprinting into Thanksgiving and the Holidays, Wreck arrived with perfect timing!
I make that same corn recipe - a dear friend answered my side dish sos call a few years ago when I was sick of bringing the same old… but her recipe calls it Corn Porn and doesn’t that just ratchet up the deliciousness???
I just read what I think is the exact same recipe in NY Times cooking and they called it "Christina Tosi's Corn Bake" and I have the same recipe from my step mom that she's been making for YEARS. I don't think anyone can claim it as their own, but I'm calling it Corn Porn from now on (it was previously known as Corn Souffle in my family la-dee-da!).
Catherine, I am reading Wreck right now and seriously loving every word. I keep sending photos of the references to Buy Nothing Project to my friend who founded BNP in 2013. She is a huge fan of yours too! Is there a chance you'd send her a note or maybe even a copy of the book?
Thank you, dear Tracey!
I just love getting your newsletter, Catherine. :)
xoxo
Catherine, I've been a regular reader since the early days of Ben & Birdy, when I was a teenaged college student learning to cook practical, satisfying meals. Here I am now: still reading your work, in my mid-thirties, a happily married parent to a six-year-old. My, how time has flown. I guess I'm just saying thank you for being my (parasocial) super cool big sis!
That's so incredibly lovely! A six-year-old. Sigh. xo
Please don't ever get it sorted. I'm here for all the things.
Ha ha ha ha! Sob! Thank you!
Thank you for the Thanksgiving content! I love your newsletter and Thanksgiving content. I also host and will do just about anything to lure the guests elsewhere while I'm whisking the fucking gravy. This year, I had my kids count out hundreds of tiny pompoms and put them in jars and they will run a guessing content for the guests. The prize for the larger jar is a turkey hat and the smaller jar prize is a baguette pen. How easy is that? (haha jk nothing is easy)
Niiiice!
I always love your gift guide. Along those lines, have you played the card game Dutch Blitz?! It's our new large group favorite, so fun!!
Lovvvvve Dutch Blitz!
Wait! Why no fresh sage in the stuffing! I'm in for all the random things, but to read this possibly crucial information 3 days before Thanksgiving?!
Ha ha ha! I mean, feel free! I always just find it too. . . unpredictable? Like you get these pockets of SAGE!!!!! and the rest of the stuffing is kind of bland? But maybe that's because I've always used the weird powdery kind!
Came to the comments to see if anyone had followed up on this! I’ll try dried this year—why not?! I’m only cooking for the five of us, which is both unspeakably bleak and also sort of relaxing? Loved seeing you last week and officially meeting Michael and Co.! xoxo
Can’t wait to do fish bowl under a sheet! We do a 4th round with teammates puppeteering someone on the opposite team. Kinda like what kids do (did?) for camp skits - stand behind someone and put your arms through as if your arms are theirs - then make them act out the clue! It’s hilarious and definitely breaks the ice 😆
Oh I love this. We add "Sheet, Face, Finger" to the first three rounds- the first being the sheet round described here, face being you get to only make facial expressions, and for finger, you're only able to act it out with your fingers. I can't wait to add puppeteering!
Ha ha ha! I feel like it really should just be ONE FINGER!
Ha ha ha!
We play a version of Fishbowl but we call it Celebrities and instead of a word you write down a famous person. It's great for mixed age groups because you get a lot of Abraham Lincoln and LeBron James but you also get randoms that only the kids know or only the grandparents know and that's also fun (especially because the 50-somethings tend to know a bit of both of those, too, so we win!). Happy Thanksgiving!
Another excellent version!
I’m reading Wreck—this cranberry cheesecake referenced—is that a real recipe and if so, where do I find it!?!
Oh ho! What a great question! It's this https://www.kimscravings.com/easy-cream-cheese-pie/ and then I top it with cranberry sauce from the above recipe! xo
I’ve already shopped for Thanksgiving but this is definitely getting made this holiday season!!! YUM. Thank you!
Ps LOVING Wreck. I want to be friends with Rocky and also be exactly the kind of mother she is.
Hi Catherine! I loved your talk at Porter Square Books. Based on your game recs, I think you would love the game First to Worst. https://dycegames.com/collections/first-to-worst It's a simple party game that had me and my friends cackling with laughter.
Also, I meant to ask at your talk if you've seen the show Dying for Sex. I read We All Want Impossible Things recently (after reading Sandwich last year) and found it very similar. I highly recommend it if you haven't watched it yet. It's both funny and devastating, and the acting is wonderful too.
That looks so fun! It looks like the game Priorities, which looks like the (out of print) game Who Nu, which is a favorite of ours!
Your last line made me well up … and I’m in Canada where thanksgiving is less of a big deal and long in the rear view mirror! Thanks to you for making feeding 20 people of varying dietary needs seem possible and even fun, and for making me appear a gifting genius many times over! Hugs to you and all your warm and fuzzy family, friends and felines.
Thank you, dear Hazelcat!
I finished Wreck last night! SO GOOD!!!!!!
Thank you so much!
Just finished Wreck. Laughed aloud (allowed!) and read bits to my beloved! Am now sharing with my daughter as we both loved Sandwich and recognized ourselves and each other in it...although we are not as funny!! So happy to have found your substack. Somehow it warms my heart to imagine you in Amherst as I lived there for7 years during my time at Hampshire and after working at Belchertown State School. With sprinting into Thanksgiving and the Holidays, Wreck arrived with perfect timing!
I would be grateful if you would help extend the Thanksgiving holiday to the relatively unknown day of pie Friday.
https://links.peterwyro.com/pie-friday
I make that same corn recipe - a dear friend answered my side dish sos call a few years ago when I was sick of bringing the same old… but her recipe calls it Corn Porn and doesn’t that just ratchet up the deliciousness???
I just read what I think is the exact same recipe in NY Times cooking and they called it "Christina Tosi's Corn Bake" and I have the same recipe from my step mom that she's been making for YEARS. I don't think anyone can claim it as their own, but I'm calling it Corn Porn from now on (it was previously known as Corn Souffle in my family la-dee-da!).