how to help after helene, adam brody (duh), and september smut
so into that #42
Hi! How are we doing? I can’t stop thinking about the devastation that has unfolded in my home state of North Carolina — and throughout Florida and many other states in the Southeast — over the last few days. As with all natural disasters and crises, it feels bizarre to operate business and life as usual when so many people are struggling to find safe drinking water, food, baby supplies, and beds.
If you are looking for ways to help those affected, here are some ideas:
I’ve started a fundraiser for World Central Kitchen — an organization that provides food and water to areas in need — via Instagram. So far we’ve donated more than $7,000 through it! Visit my IG profile to contribute (you have to be using the Instagram app, not website, to do so fyi), or donate directly through their site.
Here’s a comprehensive list of other organizations actively providing relief throughout the region.
If you live on the East Coast, check your local news. Many restaurants and businesses in nearby-ish cities (like Charleston, SC, where Molly lives) are collecting necessities to deliver via U-Haul trucks.
Buy a book (stock up on What To Cook for holiday gifts?! buy one of the romances I share below??) through Sassafras Bookstore located in Black Mountain, NC, to help them stay afloat while the entire town is shut down for rehabilitation.
Phewww, 44-year-old Adam Brody is the tall drink of water we millennial women didn’t know we desperately needed. Proof? This reel that took me 2 seconds to make has gotten 2.6 million views lol. Nobody Wants This is romcom gold — an emotionally available, kind, hot rabbi meets an oversharing podcaster at a party and hilarity and off-the-charts chemistry ensue. That first kiss!!!!! Also, George, if you’re reading this, you deserve to know that multiple people have messaged me to inform me that you have Adam Brody / Rabbi Noah vibes! Way to go, babe!
Athleta’s Friends and Family sale is almost over! My favorite Athleta buy this year has been the Elevation high-rise flares. They feel a bit more cool than my usual Salutations (which I wear anytime I go for a hike or work out), and they come in both tall and petite — very helpful when flare shopping. I’ve rounded up my other Athleta favorites here!
My friend Sarah of Broma Bakery has an absolutely gorgeous sweets cookbook coming out next Tuesday! Her recipes are insanely good and perfectly tested, and the photography is SO beautiful.
Gap is also having a big sale and they have a lot of VERY COOL denim for fall/winter. I tried all of these on, and they all rock. The beige high-rise barrel jeans are especially nice.
My big kids (5 and 4) each have their own very unique and specific fashion sense, and, suffice it to say, we do not share the same sense. But I recently got Mattis some “baggy” jeans and striped tees from Gap that he absolutely loves and wears constantly. He looks like a precious little skatepark kid from the 90s, and I’m very into it. They’re also on sale right now!
Emily Oster is one of the only people in the “parenting expert” space I listen to. The info she shares is no bullshit, no fluff — I adore her. She recently launched a new podcast called Raising Parents in which she dives into the data — as is the case with all of her content — in order to (try to) answer questions like “have we forgotten how to discipline?” and “are we over-parenting?” (PS, Emily was my first guest on So Into That last November; here’s our chat in case you missed it!)
From Molly: I recently bought some very cute, very affordable holiday jams for my kids. Tbh, they’re not the best quality pajamas I’ve ever purchased, but my boys could not care less, they’re just pumped to be wearing ghosts and turkeys for the foreseeable future (we’re a holiday-pajamas-year-round kinda fam). Caro tagging on here: SAME. I just got my boys these monster jams, and I think these construction site Halloween jams are absurdly cute.
Also from Molly: Shout out to the Gruffalo Tonie, who has shaved about 20 minutes of reading aloud off my nightly to-do list this week!! It’s been awhile since I got my big boys (6 and 4) a new character for their Toniebox, and I forgot how into it they get. On the flip side, from Caro: My kids listen to the Paw Patrol Tonies every single night to fall asleep! I buy them new ones all the time but nope — Chase and Marshall are it for them! If you are new to Tonieboxes, they’re little speaker boxes that kids can put characters on top of and they play stories! They’ve been a nonstop hit in my house since Mattis was about 2 1/2. So to sum things up: Tonieboxes continue to be bedtime gold!
According to this comments section, you guys are jonesing for delicata squash recipes! And so am I — it’s full of vitamin A, its skin is edible, and it’s very easy to slice. It’s my fave fall squash by far. If you’re new to cooking with delicata squash, here’s a visual of how to cut and cook with it:
And here are a few dinners to make with it:
This week’s sheet-pan miso maple mustard chicken, sweet potato, and brussels — swap the sweet potato out for a delicata squash!
Sheet-pan chicken and squash — the pomegranate seeds are a true treat.
Sheet-pan harvest bowl with cranberry vinaigrette — I <3 this vegetarian meal that Grace Elkus shared with us back in January.
Harissa roast chicken and sweet potato bowls — Swap out the sweet potato for delicata squash. I love the simplicity of this recipe.
Tandoori-spiced chicken and potatoes with peanut chutney and kale — Swap in delicata squash for the potatoes, these flavors would be delicious with it.
For a simple side, just roast it per the instructions in my IG video above, and top it with pomegranate seeds, goat cheese, and microgreens (or finely chopped parsley).
If you’re new here, I used to read *literature* and then I started reading pretty much exclusively romance books and my life got so much better. It’s Xanax in a book!
Play Along by Liz Tomforde — The fourth in a series about professional athletes. Very smutty, mildly idiotic, very fun to read.
Cash by Jessica Peterson — Yes, I read a romance book in which the main character shares a name with my child. I can’t help it, I read everything by Jessica Peterson, and I have no regrets! *Extremely* smutty cowboy romance, giddyup.
Big Fan by Alexandra Romanoff — I’ve already talked about how much I love this book here but I’m still not over it. Smart political consultant meets the boyband crush from her youth. Charming, sexy, smart! I even got the t-shirt!
Avalon Tower and Vale of Dreams by C.N. Crawford — The first two books in a three-book series (the third comes out in March and I’ve already begged the author to send me an Advanced Reader Copy). Forbidden romance, human versus fey, I LOVED THESE. Favorite fantasy romances I’ve read in a long time! If you’ve never given fantasy a shot, here’s how I always convert people. Did you like Harry Potter? Do you like romance? If yes to these questions, you will love fantasy romance books.
What are your favorite fall-feeling books?! I love The Ex Hex (but did not enjoy the sequel) and The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches.
I came across this quote back in the spring when we were planning my book tour and added it as a note in my phone. I was so nervous when all the details were coming together. Would anyone show up?! Would people have fun?! Would I choke on national television?! This quote serves as a great reminder that everything is terrifying the first time we do it: first day of school, first date, first time on Good Morning America… then slowly but surely we become masters of the things that once terrified us. What’s the latest thing you were terrified of, but overcame? Let’s celebrate each other!!!
We are always scheming up new perks for paid subscribers, and we’re so excited about this one! As an *internet person,* I get sent a lot of fun things — makeup, kitchen tools, books. On the first Wednesday of every month, I’m going to send a big box full of cool things brands have sent me to ONE paid subscriber randomly selected from the subscriber list.
This month: two hot fall cookbooks (only because I got two copies!) including ’s latest NYT bestseller, a lime squeezer from my friends at Siete, a burger press from my pals at Weber to make the perfect smashburgers, four pretty nail polishes from my girls at Olive and June, the best smelling body wash from Primally Pure, and a bottle of my fave Kosterina (code CARO15) olive oil. $175+ value!
First up, October’s winner: !! (Natalie, we’ll email you to arrange for delivery!)
PS, I got this idea from , whose newsletter I love reading for home, fashion, and general adulting inspo.
What to Cook launched in December 2020, meaning there are more than 175 recipes in the archives! Here’s what we cooked this week last year, and the year before that, and the year before that.
one-pot cheesy pumpkin pasta, 2023
Savory pumpkin goodness!! You guys have reported over the past year that this one is a huge hit with your kids.
mushroom-leek galette, 2022
Jenny Rosenstrach’s guest post from my maternity leave with Cashy! A perfectly simple and elegant fall meal.
30-minute al pastor enchiladas, 2021
A big skillet full of cheesy enchiladas — what more could you ask for, really?
… to access all past recipes plus ten weekly meal plans (and a new one each month)!
Editor + contributor: Molly Ramsey
I was nervous about the first time doing things by myself with all 3 kids... the first bedtime alone with all 3, the first school drop off with all 3, the first stretch of solo parenting for days with all 3. But it's all been just fine, and none of it is intimidating anymore!!! Challenging at times yes, but not scary!!
I got to “Smut I Read in September” and said out loud “did we just become best friends? YUP”. Came for the delish food, stayed for the smut recs.