recs from my girlfriends + a delicious mango pie

so into that #46

Hi! First of all, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MOLLY! Molly, you are the wind beneath the What To Cook sails and I, and everyone here, appreciate your diligent editing, whip-smart ideas, and everything you do to make this newsletter so much more than just a newsletter! We love you, Molly!

Over the weekend, I went on a trip with a group of girlfriends. We turned our phones off for almost the entire time and spent 72 hours chatting about absolutely everything. On the way home, one of my friends wrote up a list of all the recs/ideas we had shared since none of us had our phones with us to take notes! So this week’s So Into That includes that list. It’s a hodgepodge — from really delicious hummus, to shows we’re loving, to skincare (lots of skincare actually, because *mid-thirties*) — but everything’s been tried and tested by ladies I adore, so I thought it’d be fun to share!

FOOD + KITCHEN:

1. Little Sesame hummus (available online or at Whole Foods) is organic, small-batch-made, and comes in fun flavors like preserved lemon and caramelized onion. It also has no preservatives or bad ingredients. Their pita bread is apparently fab too, so that + a flavored hummus will be on my holiday appetizer list this year. Actually, I’m seeing now that they sell a holiday hosting kit! Brilliant.

2. We talked a lot about microplastics and what we’re doing in our homes to reduce ingesting them, and one easy change is to stop using plastic cutting boards and switch to wood. I remain obsessed with my Boos Block cutting board (I have it in the largest size). It sits on my counter all the time, so I never have to search for a cutting board. After I use it, I scrub it down with this foaming dish soap, then wipe the soap off with a wet sponge. The board is definitely an investment, but one that’s worth it, IMO. For cutting raw meat, a few friends recommend these dishwasher safe plastic-free boards.

3. I’m so into all of the What To Cook cookbook clubs that are forming across the country! Go to the comments section and scroll to find (or press command + F to search for) one in your area! I just saw someone add an Austin inquiry!

SKINCARE + HAIR:

1. My friend is obsessed with the Obagi Nu-derm Fx system and says to “mix your retinol in with step 5.” I have so many potions and get so confused about what I’m supposed to use when — I’m tempted to start over with this numbered system. Code OBAGI25 should work here!

2. Goop Microderm Instant Glow Exfoliator was recommended for beating dull winter skin.

3. My friends are all much better than I am at hiding from the sun. And yet… a few of them looked so sun-kissed and glowy! They swear by tan drops. They put their face moisturizer in their hands, drop a few tan drops in, rub it all together, and rub it into their faces.

4. La Roche-Posay face moisturizer is another of my recs! It is the best face moisturizer I’ve ever used, hands down. My face feels so moisturized but not greasy, and I wake up still feeling dewy.

5. The K18 hair mask must be having a moment because my friend Rachel recommended it when we were having a GOW last week, a couple friends swore by it over the weekend, and a sample of it just came in the mail!

6. Our friend walked out after her shower absolutely GLOWING and attributed the glow to Goop’s All-in-One Super Nutrient Face Oil.

7. My friend’s brows looked AMAZING and we immediately had to know why and how. She said she now has a brow lady. She goes to Carrie at HABIT waxing studio in San Francisco — if you’re in the SF area, tell her Whitney sent you! Our other friend’s brows looked amazing last time we saw her in September, and, per her rec, a few of us became Obagi eyebrow serum addicts. Our brows are looking *good* y’all. It’s pricy but Dermstore is having a sale — code OBAGI25.

CLOTHES:

1. One of my friends came to breakfast every morning looking like absolute royalty in a beautiful heirloom-quality If Only If nightgown. If you’re loving the concept a fancy nightgown but not the price of those, here’s a cute dupe!

2. Several of us were wearing Gap high-rise barrel jeans over the weekend. I have them in beige and get asked where they’re from every time I wear them.

3. Many of us were raving about the Le Bon Shoppe girlfriend socks.

FOR MEN:

• A few of our husbands use Huron shampoo and conditioner and we were talking about how it makes them smell like a character from a romance book!

• Huron’s cypress + vetiver eau de parfum was another recommended “hot guy” scent.

GOOD SHOWS/MOVIES:

• “Shrinking” on Apple TV is a hilarious show in which a grieving therapist — played by Jason Segel — tells his patients what he actually thinks and gets way too involved in their lives.

• “Lonely Planet” on Netflix is a romantic drama about a novelist (Laura Dern) who finds unexpected romance at a writer’s retreat in Morocco. My friends could not stop talking about Liam Hemsworth in this movie.

• “Tell me Lies” on Hulu follows the tumultuous and often toxic relationship between two college students as they navigate love, betrayal, and the complexities of trust over several years. It’s SEXY. But so, so toxic. So good. But sort of bad? It’s addictive — just watch it.

• "Disclaimer” on Apple TV is a thriller series that explores the blurred lines between truth and fiction as a journalist investigates a controversial author whose past may hold dark secrets.

• “The Diplomat” on Netflix. This one’s apparently a can’t-stop-watching political drama with lots of intriguing plot lines and relationship drama. I’m filing it under “shows to watch with George.”

• “Bad Monkey” on Apple TV is a dark comedy about a disgraced former detective (Vince Vaughn) who finds himself embedded in a murder whodunit.

• “The English Teacher” on Hulu is another comedy... it follows a teacher juggling his own beliefs and principles with modern education and challenging coworkers. It kind of gives me 90s sitcom vibes.

Excerpted from “AMRIKAN: 125 Recipes from the Indian American Diaspora”. Copyright © 2024 by Khushbu Shah. Photographs © 2024 by Aubrie Pick. Used with permission of the publisher, W.W. Norton & Company. All rights reserved.

Earlier this month I (finally!) got my hands on food writer and journalist

Khushbu Shah

‘s gorgeous debut cookbook — Amrikan: 125 Recipes from the Indian American Diaspora — and I haven’t been able to get her Mango Pie out of my head since! A Michigan native and daughter of Indian immigrants, Khushbu (who was both the youngest person and first person of color to hold the title of restaurant editor at Food & Wine mag!) was raised on her mother’s Indian-American home cooking, and her cookbook shares many of the delicious recipes that defined her childhood — mango pie included.

What to Cook is a dinner newsletter, but I know that many of you are also into baking (especially around the holidays!), so I was THRILLED when Khushbu agreed to share this very doable and delicious recipe with us today. This pie would be fun and unexpected for a Thanksgiving spread — I’m always drawn to tart desserts like key lime pie at the end of a rich meal — or, of course, to celebrate Diwali, which kicks off today. Khushbu writes in a style I know you’ll love and this homemade pie is really very approachable, so if you’ve been too intimated to bake a pie in the past, I hope you’ll give it a go. (Unless you’re sure that you hate baking — in that case, forward this email to someone you know who loves to bake and go buy yourself a store-bought pie!).

Congrats on your beautiful cookbook,

Khushbu Shah

, and thank you for sharing this recipe with us! You can follow Khushbu on IG or through her lovely Substack,

Tap Is Fine!

Keep reading for the pie recipe, but first…

I also asked if Khushbu would be into giving away a copy of her new cookbook and she said she’d give away TWO! To enter to win¹ a copy of Amrikan, tell us in the comments what YOU are so into right now. It can be anything — a book, a product, a way of thinking, a recipe. We’ll pick two random winners on Friday, November 1. Good luck and thanks again, Khushbu!

PS, congrats to Carly, who won the free copy of

Julia Turshen

’s What Goes With What earlier this week! We are on a cookbook-giveaway ROLL.

Serves 12-16

By Khushbu Shah, edited to suit WTC style

Tools:

• Medium bowl

• 9 x 13-­inch baking pan (if you’re making 1 large pie) or 2 (9-inch) pie pans (if you’re making 2 pies)

• Parchment paper, if using the large baking pan

• Saucepan

• Blender

• Silicone spatula

Ingredients:

Graham Cracker Crust:

• 3 cups finely ground graham cracker crumbs (about 24 sheets)

• 1/2 cup sugar

• 1/2 teaspoon ground black cardamom

• Pinch of salt

• 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted

Filling:

• 1/2 cup cold water

• 2 (3/4-­ounce) envelopes unflavored gelatin

• 1 (30-­ounce) can mango pulp (like this!)

• 1 (8-­ounce) block full-­fat cream cheese, at room temperature

• 1/2 cup condensed milk

• Whipped cream for topping (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

To make the crust, combine 3 cups finely ground graham cracker crumbs, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 teaspoon ground black cardamom, and a pinch of salt in a medium bowl and stir to evenly combine. Pour in 1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) melted butter and mix again so that the butter is evenly distributed and the mixture starts to clump together. If you’re making 2 pies, divide the mixture between 2 (9-inch) pie pans and use your fingers to press down on the mixture to create an even and compact crust that runs up the sides of the pans. If you’re making 1 large pie, line a 9 x 13-­inch baking pan with parchment paper so that it overhangs the sides of the pan (this will make it easier to serve), then press the crumbs into an even layer across the bottom of the pan. 

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes (you might need a few more minutes if using the 9 x 13 pan). The crust should be golden brown but not too dark—­like it spent time in the sun but wore lots of sunscreen. Let cool completely.

To make the filling, pour 1/2 cup cold water into a saucepan and sprinkle 2 (3/4-ounce) envelopes unflavored gelatin over the water. Let it sit for 5 minutes, then place the saucepan over medium heat and stir until the gelatin is fully dissolved. Let the mixture cool. Transfer the gelatin mixture to a blender, along with 1 (30-ounce) can mango pulp, 1 (8-­ounce) block full-­fat cream cheese, and 1/2 cup condensed milk. Blitz until well combined and there are no cream cheese chunks.

Divide the mango mixture between the pie crusts or pour into the 9 x 13 pan and use a silicone spatula to make sure the filling is even and smooth. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours until firm. (I prefer to refrigerate it overnight.) Serve chilled, garnished with whipped cream, if you so desire.

• NOTE: You can freeze leftover pie in an airtight container for up to a month.

mango pie by khushbu shah

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1. You must be at least 18 years old, a paid subscriber to What to Cook When You Don’t Feel Like Cooking, and live in the U.S to enter to win.