Hello and welcome to another edition of our weekend hang. I’m doing a deep kitchen/cupboard clean in anticipation of the busy cooking/baking season ahead and I think we’re going to see One Battle After Another. I want to get started on fall cleanup in the yard while the weather is nice too. October is extra busy for us, so I’m also hoping to just chill a bit as well.

I hope that you’re taking care out there! Big hug :)

5 Things I’m Reading:

1. Rainn Wilson: What I Learned at a Fire Ceremony With King Charles via The New York Times (gift link)
2. The Perils and Cost of Caring About What Other People Think via The Broad Place on Substack
3. The Life and Death of the American Foodie via Eater
4. What Happens When You Just Stop? via Lion’s Roar
5. We Need To Rewild The Internet via Noēma

5 Things I’m Enjoying:

1. The return of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City. I need at least one goofy show to fully turn my brain off, and I truly think that SLC is the top dog in the Real Housewives universe right now. Apparently John Oliver thinks so too lol.
2. Lilith Fair: The story behind the iconic ’90s music festival
3. On Instagram: telling someone in the 90’s about 2025, a dog meeting some horses, and just delighting in Morgan Johnson’s posts/meme dumps.
4. Denmark’s ambitious plan to boost plant-based foods
5. I think I’ve mentioned it a couple times already, but Aran Goyoaga’s The Art of Gluten-Free Bread arrived this week and I’m so inspired by this epic book! Getting my list of ingredients together to order so that I can get going on sourdough, focaccia, pizza dough, cinnamon bread, and more.

5 Questions:

1. Is parchment paper really necessary if you have good bake ware?
   If you don’t mind the cleanup, parchment is not necessary! Most of the time I prefer to roast vegetables on naked baking sheets because the browning is so much better. There are rare cases where I find parchment helpful in retaining moisture, like these carrot fries. Also, sometimes you’re just dealing with something really messy and don’t want to clean up a huge mess later! I used to use parchment constantly and called for it in my recipes often. I’ve tamped down my use quite a bit over the last couple years though.
2. Any suggestions for a good Canadian-made protein powder?
   Niyama is excellent!
3. What oil would be the best sub for the coconut oil in your tempeh bacon?
   Any typical cooking oil is fine! Avocado or olive come to mind. Back when I was working on my cookbook (which is where the recipe is from), coconut oil was truly the cooking medium du jour, so I was using it in everything. I honestly barely use it now! If I’m making something that would benefit from the coconut flavor, certain baked goods, or a batch of chocolate magic shell, it is handy. Beyond that, I don’t use it much.
4. What books are you looking forward to reading this fall?
   I finally finished Isola recently and loved it SO much–the ending was incredibly satisfying. So I’m considering other books by Allegra Goodman. I’m also looking at Elif Safak’s There are Rivers in the Sky. My pal Jess recommended Nature and the Mind by Mark Berman, so that’s been on my list. And I’m currently working through Trouble Boys: The True Story of the Replacements.
5. Have you tried CBN gummies to help you sleep?
   I have and they weren’t a great fix for me unfortunately. While I would sleep using CBN products (usually just a dose of it in oil), I always woke up with bad headaches. The best thing for me lately is only going to bed when I’m truly tired and avoiding stimulation/screens from dinner onward. Also not getting hung up on the idea of 8 hours a night has been helpful.

5 Seasonal Recipes:

1. Chopped Apple, Kale & Parsnip Salad
2. Vegan Butternut Squash Zuppa Toscana
3. Maple Mustard Tempeh
4. Oven-Roasted Cabbage Wedges with Caper Raisin Relish
5. Vegan Apple Crisp Muffins