I would say long time no talk, but it has only been four weeks since my last newsletter went out, and in student time, that’s like four days. Nonetheless, long time no talk and welcome back to Claudia’s Newsletter (still trying to think of a catchy title). One of my beloved uncles has been pestering me to post, and another one of them mentioned my “blog” to me on Thanksgiving, so this one goes out to them. Thank you for your support, Uncle Michael and Uncle Paul.
It only makes sense to write about food during this time of year — Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday because it’s the only day of the year when it’s socially acceptable to grace a glazed spiral ham with your presence and pick at it for about an hour while playing charades with your cousins, and before you know it, six slices are missing. (Sorry, fam. It was me.)
Now that I think about it, November was full of lots of good food! And because my target audience (my uncles, I guess) loves to eat, here’s the stuff I consumed in November.
Cooking Up a Storm with Al Roker
First up is an inedible food item: Al Roker’s Thanksgiving podcast series. On Thursday evenings I like walking home from work — it’s about forty-five blocks — and podcasts make the journey go by quickly. I listened to two episodes of this series a few weeks before Thanksgiving, and it really got me in the spirit. Roker talks to some of the greatest food people out there (think Ina Garten and Sohla El-Waylly) about iconic Thanksgiving dishes and how to make them shine. Even though the holiday has passed, it’s still worth a listen since a lot of those recipes reappear on dining tables in December anyway.
Making milks!
Okay, my older relatives (those uncles, ahem) are going to roll their eyes at this one, but it’s so much fun and so easy. Just soak 1 cup of the nut of your choice in warm water (ideally overnight) and blend with 4 cups of water. Then all you have to do is strain (I use reusable mesh veggie bags because I couldn’t find nut bags — yes, nut bags) and store in the fridge. Here’s me and some homemade oat milk. You can use the pulp in baking projects, oatmeal, or smoothies!!!
Queen’s English
Went to DC again to see the show Matt directed this semester — Cabaret! It was amazing! Anyway, we ate at this little Cantonese place called Queen’s English in Park View/Columbia Heights, and it was also amazing! Had caviar and duck for the first time, and the vibe was so cozy. I know ~vibes aren’t the reason we go out to eat, but it’s always nice when the ambiance lives up to the menu. Anyway, pics are on the ’gram.
The Resurrection of @claudeata_
If you live under a rock did not know, I resurrected my Instagram food account/diary/personality after a hiatus in October. Ate lots of pasta this month, made sheet pan nachos FOR MYSELF, baked the best holiday cookies ever from Claire Saffitz’s Dessert Person, and started posting reels. You’ll love it, I promise.
Ooni Fyra pizza oven
Last Christmas, we got my dad the gift of his dreams — a portable pizza oven. Since then, we (actually it’s just been me most of the time) have been experimenting with a number of different pizza dough recipes and haven’t found the perfect one yet, so, if you and your Italian-American family want to share your secret recipe with us, you know where to find me. While my sister and I were both home for Thanksgiving, we made sure to break out the Ooni. I topped mine with chili flakes and honey, and Maura used…ketchup.
Kalustyan’s
Finally, this month I crossed off one item on my NY Bucket List: “Go to Kalustyan’s.” Kalustyan’s is a specialty grocery and spice store in Kip’s Bay that has been around since 1944. I bought some tea, molasses for the aforementioned cookies, and a plush little samosa! It was wild, and I highly recommend you pay them a visit the next time you’re in town. You could spend at least two hours there going through every case and shelf. Did you know there are over five types of feta cheese in the world? And like a billion types of flours?
PS: As always, thank you for reading! Please feel free to give me a like or leave a comment if you enjoyed — it helps me decide what I’ll write about next. <3
Your kitchen cabinets are nicer than mine. Don’t tell your aunt