The Only Link I Care About This Week
I found this article (but even more, the comment section) all at once fascinating, poignant, surprising and bolstering.
The Only Recipe I Care About This Week
I continue to hunt for recipes to fit the daunting task of cooking in summer heat in an non air-conditioned apartment. It seems that the leading resources are cold soups (which… I still have a hard time getting excited about) and grilling. If you have any recommendations, I BEG, please pass them along.
This week’s attempt: this BA chicken recipe.
Main wins:
Ignore the instruction to broil and fire up the grill.
Little to no chopping.
Leftover marinade/sauce to use for the rest of the week to dip sliced vegetables into and to slather over bread on a turkey sandwich.
Zhug-Marinated Chicken Thighs
By: Hana Asbrink
Recipe via Bon Appetit
INGREDIENTS
¾ cup plain full-fat Greek yogurt
½ cup Trader Joe’s Zhoug Sauce or homemade zhug
2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2 tsp. Diamond Crystal or
1¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt, plus more
1 lemon
1½–2 lb. skinless, boneless chicken thighs (I used bone-in, skin-on drumsticks thanks to the apparent run on chicken at my Trader Joe’s?)
½ small red onion, thinly sliced Vegetable oil or nonstick vegetable oil spray (for rack) 1 18-oz. package Trader Joe’s Pita Bread or Trader Joe’s Indian Style Flatbread (6 pitas or flatbreads)
1 lb. Campari or cherry tomatoes, quartered, halved if small
Freshly ground black pepper
Parsley and/or cilantro leaves (for serving; optional)
INSTRUCTIONS
Step 1
Mix ¾ cup plain full-fat Greek yogurt, ½ cup Trader Joe’s Zhoug Sauce or homemade zhug, 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, and 2 tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt in a medium bowl to combine. Finely grate zest of 1 lemon into bowl, then cut lemon in half and squeeze in juice of 1 half. Mix to combine. Cut remaining lemon half into 4 wedges; set aside for serving.
Step 2
Transfer ½ cup yogurt mixture to a small bowl and chill until ready to serve. Place remaining yogurt mixture in a large resealable plastic bag. Add 1½–2 lb. skinless, boneless chicken thighs, close bag, and turn chicken to coat. Let sit at room temperature 20 minutes, or chill, turning bag occasionally, up to 12 hours.
Step 3
Soak ½ small red onion, thinly sliced, in a small bowl of cold water 10–15 minutes. Step 4 Meanwhile, heat broiler. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil; set a wire rack inside. Coat rack with vegetable oil or nonstick vegetable oil spray. Remove chicken from marinade, letting excess drip back into bag, and transfer, skin side up, to rack; discard marinade.
I didn’t do this! Because I used bone-in, skin-on drumsticks, I served that alongside a greek salad I had made separately and then just had the flatbread as a side to scrape all the extra flavor into.
Step 5
Broil chicken until golden brown on top, 6–8 minutes. Turn chicken over and broil until golden brown on other side, about 5 minutes. Turn chicken over once more and broil until top is deeply browned and charred in spots and meat is cooked through, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest 10 minutes.
Or BBQ outside because the idea of turning your broiler on sounds like actual hell.
Step 6
Place one 18-oz. package Trader Joe’s Pita Bread or Trader Joe’s Indian Style Flatbread (6 pitas or flatbreads) on same wire rack and broil until toasted, about 1 minute per side. (Watch closely to ensure they don’t burn!) Transfer to a platter; tear into large pieces.
Step 7
Drain red onion and add to a medium bowl, along with 1 lb. Campari or cherry tomatoes, quartered, halved if small, and remaining 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil; toss to combine. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Step 8
Thin reserved yogurt mixture with water (about 2 Tbsp.) until it reaches a drizzle-able consistency.
Reading this now… completely skipped this step and it was fine. I don’t know if I would have wanted it to be more diluted tbh. Your call.
Step 9
To serve, slice chicken crosswise and arrange on platter with pita. Mound salad alongside chicken. Scatter parsley and/or cilantro leaves over (if using). Serve with yogurt sauce and reserved lemon wedges.
Plus a little more…
I’m typing this newsletter courtesy of the free wifi at Dune Coffee in Santa Barbara where, for the record, the temperature is currently 68ºF. Can you even believe? I’m almost crying.
I’m here for the weekend to be a part of a dear friend’s wedding. My writing efforts, at the moment, are solely focused on editing a speech that I’m very nervous to give, so I’ll be skipping right past Plus a little more… this week to work on that little ditty.
One day, I’ll share my thoughts on bridesmaid’s speeches dos and don’ts. It may shock you, but I have thoughts. Wish me luck! Not that it’s about me. But this is my newsletter.
Dear Home Ec,
Thoughts on a good teacher bag with room for a laptop and some books?
- Professor H
I’m not a teacher, but it seems that everyone around me is. This really hit home the first year I had a full time job and would spend hours in the summer months, scrolling through Instagram from my cubicle, seeing the posts of all of my teacher friends, living their best summer lives foot loose and fancy free. However, I know that I could never be a teacher. I would instantly choose favorites, give them special treatment, try to become real life friends with them and then be incredibly dismissive to everyone else. Then again, the students seem like the least stressful part of being a teacher. From what I can tell, free summers don’t even come close to outweighing the stress that having to deal with the parent’s of your students brings. The stories I’ve heard… yikes. Don’t be that parent. Anyway, I digress.
Passing judgement on parents doing their best to raise the best humans they can is not why we’re here, as much as I would love it to be. We’re here to help a teacher in need.
When I think of teachers, one of the first things I think of is Teacher Style (another reason why I would be a terrible teacher). The art teacher. The science teacher. The english professor. The job titles alone conjuring a specific image in your mind without any other information. I think there is such an opportunity for teachers of the world to lean into an almost caricature of the teacher-persona that they want to paint. I spent years (YEARS!) of hours in the classroom as a child wondering what my teacher did after 4pm. What they wore. What they ate. What their girl’s nights looked like. How they vacationed. If they even existed! And I would take extreme note of the most minute details that would give me clues to their inner lives. The mysterious inner arm tattoo. The gym bag that sat next to their desk every single day that they never opened. The Rage Against the Machine motivational quote poster they chose to put on the wall. A toe ring! To this day, I wonder what skin condition one of my teachers had that I could never quite diagnose.
My point: can you imagine what sort of information a teacher’s bag/parcel/backpack conveys to young impressionable minds? My jaw drops and my eyes widen at the thought!
Below are MY suggestions. Ranging wildly in price and practicality.
Free promotional tote bag - Free!
This would be the most casual option and potentially a place of judgement for the teens of the world to pick on you, but I think there’s something simple and approachable about a teacher who lugs her things to and from their car every day in an NPR canvas tote that comes with your yearly donation.
Boat and Tote - $$
A classic. And customizable! Unfortunately, I am not able to get anything monogrammed, as my initials are offensive to not one, but two separate groups of people, however, according to my TikTok algorithm and this Harper’s Bazaar article, these classic bags are really having a moment
Streamlined Leather tote - $$$
We’ve all seen them. They’re all over (J.Crew, Madewell, Everlane, Parker Clay, Nisolo. A classic leather tote in a nice, adult color that, with wear and tear becomes better with age. A more feminine alternative to a briefcase, these can be easily transitioned from a long day in the classroom to your secret after work drinks with the cute history teacher you are most definitely madly in love with. Or at least, that’s the story, I would have written about you, if I was in your class.
A Backpack - $-$$$
The blend of style and practicality in my life cannot be overstated. None of the cute things matter to me if they are not, ultimately, practical. I wish I was a form over function girlie but, we all know I’m simply not. Sometimes, perhaps the best option in carrying all your things, supporting your shoulders and your back while also looking somewhat put together is an updated backpack. You can go a little more casual and sporty (Girlfriend Collective, Dare to Roam, Stoney Clover Lane) or a more classic (Clare V., Fossil, Madewell).
Grocery cart - $
Go with me here. Imagine the story you are telling your students when you roll up (literally) with one of these. You want to throw them off the scent of your inner life? You want to communicate a level of practicality and complete lack of cool that they will never try to sweet talk you by complimenting your style, all in hopes of getting on your good side to open up future conversations of turning in an assignment late? You want to set the bar so incredibly low on their perception of your level of pop culture, fashion and style awareness that they never even think to chat about it in class, therefore staying totally on task in class? Grocery. Cart. On top of that, no shortage of space for all your books, your lunch box, you probably very heavy lanyard of various keys. A dream!
To submit your very own question or concern to Dear Home Ec, simply reply to this email with your query and I will happily add you to the list.
Can we know what bag is chosen? Most importantly, if professor h chooses the grocery cart, can we please see a photo of that in action.
Mr. D Patton’s answer is that it is his birthday month and so it should last for 2 extra weeks