The Spicy Margarita of Our Dreams
It's Cocktail Hour. Sit down and enjoy one. You'll thank me. Plus, Rebecca Makkai's new novel, some cute lambies, Shrinking, and 2 perfect dinners to make next week.
Happy Friday, y’all! We made it to Cocktail Hour.
And it’s an exciting one.
First, I’ve been busy with deadlines for The New York Times for the past few weeks, and this week they published my story about two refugees' hard-fought journey from Africa to owning the successful Detroit restaurant, Baobab Fare. Mamba and Nadia are the most lovely couple, and I’m so glad I got to tell their story to the wider world.
Second, I’m celebrating starting a new job tomorrow. For the first time since 2019, I’m going to have a place of employment to show up at. I’m going to have to put on hard pants and actually be a person in the world, not just report for duty to my attic office.
My job is something completely new and wild: I’m going to be the part-time General Manager of a restaurant/bar here in Detroit, a place that I love.
I’ve known the owners for several years, and I talk to them frequently about small business issues. They keep me grounded in my reporting and coverage of the headwinds and challenges facing restaurants and the hospitality industry.
Did you know that these firms actually employ 46% of all private-sector workers? It’s true.
Anyway, my friend texted me, asking for my help finding a new General Manager because hers had just quit. I thought about it and realized, I have most of those skills. I’m good with people; I’m good with money; I’m good with a spreadsheet. And I like to throw a party.
So I told her I could come in, part time, and help bridge her until she finds the right permanent candidate. Starting tomorrow morning at 9 a.m., I’ll be responsible for things like running payroll, handling reservations, booking and managing events, scheduling and so much more. I’m actually very excited.
This is going to exercise the non-writing/creativity side of my brain that has been fallow. Plus, I’m getting some on-the-job training. I’ve always imagined owning a bookstore/bar, but I have no idea if I’d actually like the work. It’s been years since my restaurant days. This will help me determine if owning a bookstore/bar is really a possibility or just a nice fantasy for the times when the words won’t come. Sort of like The Bestie™’s plan for us to raise alpaca as our Plan B.
In my mind, this is my hot-girl summer. A return to my early 20s when I was working at Angelo’s Pizza in Denver and going to university. It was one of my favorite times in my life because I had enough work to keep me accountable but plenty of time for adventure, idealism and joy.
I see myself going to work and then taking my book and thermos to Lake St. Clair Metro Park to soak in some of that Michigan summer that is, truly, perfection. (This Colorado girl says begrudgingly.) Or early morning walks with the #bougiebull before heading to the restaurant. And because I’m working mornings, this promises all the fun of a 20-something summer (booze, friends, sun, freedom) but without the downsides (coke, late nights, hangovers, drama).
And while I continue to ponder my long-term plan, this puts me back in the world, getting new experiences and learning again. Which is what any good writer does: Collect new experiences.
At the very least, I should have some excellent stories to tell.
I’m still going to be writing Bar\Heart, don’t worry! I may be more erratic with the midweek love letter, but I’ll always be here on Fridays with a cocktail.
(And for my editors who may be reading: I’m still writing for you, too! This might even make me faster. I’m way better when I have too much to do rather than too little!)
So in honor of that, let’s make the Jalapeno Cilantro Margarita I’ll be drinking all summer thanks to my new gig. And hopefully I’ll eventually get the real recipe out of them. For now, this is what I’m starting with. It’s a work in progress based on many Google searches for recipes. So if you try it, send me your notes!
Jalapeno Cilantro Margarita
2 oz. tequila
½ oz. orange liqueur, such as Cointreau or Grand Mariner (sweeter)
½ oz. jalapeno-cilantro simple syrup
1 oz. lime juice (roughly the juice of one lime)
Tajin chile-lime seasoning
Salt
Instructions: Make a batch of salt and Tajin seasoning. (Make enough to last all summer. Or at least this week.) I’m starting with, roughly, a one-to-one ratio of flaky salt, like Maldon, to the Tajin. I may adjust for taste. Make a batch of jalapeno-cilantro simple syrup.
Rub the rim of your glass in lime juice, then roll the edge in the Tajin salt mix. Add ice to the glass and set aside. Add tequila, orange liqueur, jalapeno-lime simple syrup into a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake, shake, shake until cold (~20 seconds). Strain into your cocktail glass. I hate the shape of a margarita glass – too awkward – so I usually use half-pint jar or an Old Fashioned glass. (They look like this.) Garnish with jalapeno strip.
Jalapeno Cilantro Simple Syrup
1 c. water
1 c. sugar
3 jalapenos, sliced open
1 bunch cilantro leaves
Instructions: Add water, sugar and jalapenos to a pot and bring up to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for about 10 minutes. Add cilantro. Let everything sit and infuse for about an hour. Strain the syrup into a bottle and refrigerate. It will last 2(ish) weeks in the refrigerator. (But why would it?!)
WHAT I’M READING: I Have Some Questions by Rebecca Makkai
I suggest drinking your spicy margarita with Rebecca Makkai’s new novel, I Have Some Questions for You. I did. You won’t be able to put your drink or your book down. Seriously, I devoured this in two days.
The general premise is that a successful podcaster goes back to teach a two-week seminar at the New England boarding school she attended. She tasks her students with finding a topic for their podcasts, and one chooses to investigate a murder that happened 20 years earlier. When our protagonist was a senior. There is a man in jail for the crime, but did he really do it?
The novel is written as an intimate letter to someone – but you don’t realize who until halfway through the book – as Bodie tells the story of what is happening in her life now and what really happened then. She interrogate her memory, trying to unravel the mystery of who really killed Thalia and why.
Definitely get this one on your library holds now.
MUST HAVE: Two Perfect Dinners
I had insane luck cooking this week, so I thought I’d share two recipes that were fantastic.
First, we made Crispy Sheet Pan Noodles with Glazed Tofu. It’s crispy and umami and easy. Perfect for a Tuesday night. The only thing we’d do differently is saute or caramelize the bok choy in a pan instead of in the oven. They just steamed, rather than getting really charred.
Last night, Friend Shana and The Consort came over for dinner and we made Creamy One Pot Mushroom and Leek Pasta that everyone declared was a keeper. All you do is sautee your leeks (we only had onions) and mushrooms and then add the pasta and stock. Cover the pot and let cook for 10-ish minutes. The key is to use a wide pan – we used a 12” cast iron – so that the mushrooms caramelize. If the pan is too small, there isn’t enough surface to really get the crispness you want. Also, it calls for 3 cups of mushrooms; we used 4. That was the correct life choice.
Bonus: I also made Nigella Lawson’s Guinness Chocolate Cake for dessert. Well, past Amy made this cake, much to the pleasure of Current Amy.
Last month, when I got inspired, I whipped this up and then decided it was too much for just me and Lovey. Instead, I baked two loaf pans and froze one. I even labeled it so I wouldn’t forget! That meant when I was scrambling to throw together dinner, I already had dessert waiting for me. And it was excellent. I just let it thaw naturally and then frosted it.
Make one this weekend and freeze half. Future You will thank Past You.
Also: If you’re not using the New York Times Cooking app, you should be. It is easy to navigate, lets you import recipes from other websites (or even your mom’s recipe cards), and will build grocery lists for you. Seriously, it’s worth every penny. #notanad
3 Things I’m Reading on the Interwebz
“The Battle Over Technos Origins” by T.M. Brown in the New Yorker
A shiny museum dedicated to the music genre has opened in Frankfurt, Germany, and many techno pioneers feel that Black and queer artists in Detroit have been overlooked.
“I didn’t Really Want to Go on the Goop Cruise” by Lauren Oyler in Harper’s
Last summer, I got an email from my editor asking, sneakily, among the how are you’s, “Have you ever thought about writing on wellness??” She was looking for someone to go on “the Goop cruise.” Like most female writers, I had thought about writing on wellness, mainly in terms of the free stuff I could get to do so. And for name recognition and potential hate-read appeal, a Goop assignment is the ne plus ultra of wellness writing. I don’t know anyone who uses the Goop skin care products, much less reads the graphomaniacal website or attends the “In Goop Health” summits, but I had a hunch that the products, the actual Goop, were nice.
“The Blessing Room” by Jane Ratcliffe in her Substack newsletter,
This is a gorgeous, lush essay about love and change. This is the context; you’ll want to read the whole thing.
From when I was nineteen until thirty-three I was dating then living with then married to the love of my life. I thought our divorce would be more than I could bear. Luckily, that wasn’t true, but it did wall off a piece of my heart—and leave me with a skewed sense of myself that I carried for decades. But as it turns out, healing can stretch over years and years and miles and miles. Self-perceptions can change in an instant. And we can get to know ourselves anew.
WHAT I’M BINGEING: Shrinking on Apple TV+
Friend Shana gave the best recommendation of Shrinking: “I’m jealous because you don’t know what you’re about to start. I wish I could go back.”
She’s not wrong.
(By contrast, The Bestie recommended a show that, in the first episode involved killing animals. It was very off-brand for her. But she swears she’s going to write a recommendation for us – some day.)
Anyway, Shrinking wasn’t on my radar mostly because the title did nothing for me. It seemed bland and didn’t really convey what it was about. I needed the nudge from Shana to give it a go. Then I couldn’t stop myself.
Harrison Ford is excellent in his role as a cantankerous therapist. Jason Segel is perfectly cast as, Jimmy, the schlub-getting-his-life-together with the twist that he’s simultaneously trying to do that for others. Jessica Miller is hysterical, as always, as their friend and colleague, Gaby. And Christa Miller makes you want to love her character, Liz, even though she’s the annoying in-your-business neighbor. (Seriously, I want to be friends with her. Liz, call me. And bring Gaby. ) And Luke Tennie comes in as Sean, a vet with PTSD being treated by Jimmy. Who comes to live with him. Hijinks and vulnerability ensue.
It’s charming and sweet, without being saccharine, dealing with loss and identity and parenting and life. It’s everything. Prolly gonna go rewatch it this weekend. You know, after work. :-)
YOUR WEEKLY CUTE CRITTER: Nieces and Lambies!
These are my Montana nieces snuggling up to some recently-born lambies. They were out in the fields last weekend helping my parents during lambing season. The girls even helped a ewe give birth. Unfortunately, her babies were born sick and didn’t make it. But the next day, two more were born. It’s the circle of life.
I know it’s part of farm life, but my heart was never strong enough for it; I’m glad to watch from the sidelines. But these two are going to be some strong girls who believe that you can teach both business and compassion in agriculture.
Alright. That’s it for this week. See you on Tuesday with a big list of books that I can’t wait to read.
Cheers!
Congrats on the new gig! 🥂 I like to imagine having a bookstore/bar/coffee shop, too.
HAHHAA that picture of me is crazy. I'm not sure if I look sophisticated or drunk?