Love a recipe that tries to manage expectations in the headnote.

Christmas salad is perhaps too elevated. "Cheery as Santa's chuckle" seems accurate tbh.

The Indifferent Stars Above is great! Very hard to put down.

bookshop.org/p/books/the-...

With all due respect to the Campbell’s Company, our tuna casserole recipe in later editions (1997 onward) is much better. It’s a little extra effort, but not as much as you might think.

Perhaps the most "ride-or-die" quality about apple dumplings: we've been telling people how to make them since 1931. All nine editions have this recipe, but you'll find it in the 2019 on page 688.

Our recipe pick for this week does not fall neatly in either category. We did not grow up eating apple dumplings, nor do we bake them when we're feeling low, but they are very old-timey and deeply comforting to eat. We tested the recipe ~8 years ago and have been making them ever since.

We talk about loving/hating grits, hot wet goobers, pouring peanuts in your Coke, and cod trauma so bad it has you reaching for the hakarl.

Plus, we share our picks for "ride-or-die" Joy recipes with a listener. Most of our answers are driven by the need for comfort, others by nostalgia.

Agreed! We really enjoyed talking with him.

Each week, we encourage our listeners to cook along with us from the 2019 edition. This week’s recipe = French Yogurt Cake on p. 734. A simple, tangy loaf cake that’s perfect with whipped cream and fresh berries, or compote, or your favorite jam (we think apricot is a winner here fwiw).

Thanks for the encouragement Drew ❤️

We did this with RG royal coronas and it was fantastic!

Double boiler/bain marie? Never seen a flared one like that 🤷‍♂️

First two are in Seattle

Really struggling with the opening comparison… any chance you can unpack @mikecaulfield.bsky.social ?

We have not tested this one personally… I’m leaning toward no.