One Year! Sew y Rite?
It’s been nearly a full year (December 15th 2020) since I published my first WSG. There have been interviews, travelogues, recipes, remembrances, and shopping guides. It’s a thing that shows up every two weeks (for the most part) in your email and if it didn’t show up nothing would really change for you. If I stopped writing WSG, nothing much would change for me. So why write? So why write. Sew y rite.
I write because I can. I write what I write because I hope to connect with people and connect people to people in a positive way. I’m tired of the hype and the slick nature of what we see on our screens. So, I write seeking a kinder, gentler place that we can all be proud of. The culture of mean and anti-intellectualism in this country is disturbing to me and I don’t understand it. It’s not something that should be political, intellectual curiosity. And don’t be an asshole should be a thing we all can believe in. Not. Political.
But, I digress. I think I write because I can be my best self on paper. I think I write because I have a crap memory and have kept a journal on and off since second grade. I think I write because I am a sap and super nostalgic and like to pinpoint milestones. I think I write because of the instant gratification of words in a row that mean something, like the color in front of me on a canvas, tweeks my brain in that way art does. I think I write because I love words and their histories. And as anyone who writes can admit, we write to achieve something that isn’t there to begin with and we might just hit on it one of these days. Maybe it’s like golf? The one gorgeous drive or money putt keeps us coming back despite the repeated shanks and duffs? Anyway. I have really enjoyed the past year and plan to keep going for a while.
See the first edition WSG and the interview with Claire Messud!
I’ve spent the past few days at my studio in the SOWA art district in Boston. The buildings have an open house for ten days (?!) and all we artists sit in our studios like puppies at the ASPCA waiting for adoption. It’s sort of sad sitting there, or painting, etc for twelve hours a day hoping someone will come by and engage us (or buy something?). But, it’s also super fun. Like the puppies at the ASPCA we are stuck in our studio-cage together and have nothing to do but roll around in the wood chips barking and chasing each other. (quick plug for studio mates Katie Southworth and Sharon Schindler) Yikes, I have got to get out more. But, that’s my point. As a visitor, the SOWA district art extravaganza is super fun, so please come and check it out if you’re nearby. Literally thousands of artists. Don’t forget to go to the studio buildings, and not just the market place. We puppies are waiting for your attention at 450 Harrison Ave.!
Have you done any shopping yet? I have to start paying attention to my kids’ lists. They get annoyed if I go too far off script as far as gifts go. If I go rogue. That’s a funny thought, Mom Goes Rogue and Dumps Kids’ Holiday Lists For Own Ideas: Pays for It. Really entertaining would be publishing my kids’ lists. They remind me a bit of the old Neiman Marcus Holiday catalogue. Remember the super crazy ideas in the beginning for those “Dallas” type patrons? You’d wonder if anyone bought the His and Hers matching crystal jet skis. Or the solid gold Rolls Royce. The 2021 Fantasy Gifts this year include a 30.86-carat Mughal Heart Diamond, which comes with a bonus of naming the stone via the Gemological Institute of America ($6.1 million), a Roaring '20s party by Bronson Van Wyck for 20 people at the Apollo Theater ($395,000) and a ski trip with international champion skier Lindsey Vonn for six people ($235,000) (according to RetailDive.com). After that there are some snazzy, but purchasable items like cashmere socks etc.
Well, that’s what my kids’ lists are like. I always tell them: No ask. No get. What's the worst that happens? You get the answer “no?” So, they take that advice to heart. Nowadays, they write their lists online, but we've been getting the lists since they could write. I have them all. I don’t print out their online lists though. But, maybe I will. I could launch into the sad realities that our kids won't write or receive keepsake love letters like we did but, not today.
A Recipe You Won’t Hate Revisit from WSG 1:
Popovers! From Martha Stewart
3 large eggs, room temperature
1 1/2 cups whole milk, room temperature
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons coarse salt
Vegetable-oil nonstick cooking spray
Directions Step 1
If eggs and milk are cold, before combining, submerge whole eggs in warm water 10 minutes and heat milk until just warm. Preheat oven to 450 degrees with a nonstick popover pan on rack in lowest position.
Step 2
After you have combined eggs and milk in a large bowl, whisk together until very frothy. This should only take about 1 minute. Have the flour and salt measured out and ready to go.
Step 3
Add flour and salt to egg mixture. We tested out a blender and an electric stand mixer when making the batter, but concluded that whisking by hand produces the most tender, airy popovers.
Step 4
Whisk flour and salt into egg mixture just until batter is the consistency of heavy cream with some small lumps remaining. See those air bubbles? They are what will cause the popovers to rise.
Step 5
Remove popover pan from oven and coat with cooking spray. If you prefer a standard muffin tin, only coat (and fill) the outer cups; they get better circulation in the oven. (Also, reduce baking time by 5 minutes.)(eh, I don't really agree...but, you can try both ways and see what you think)
Step 6
Fill popover cups about three-quarters full with batter. Bake 20 minutes, then reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees. Continue to bake until golden brown and dry to the touch, about 20 minutes more.
Step 7
Popovers lose their crunch if they linger in the pan, so turn them out on a wire rack immediately and poke a small opening in the side of each with a paring knife to let the steam escape. Serve right away.
I need to go decorate the railings of my house before I head to the studio. I hope the past two shopping editions were helpful. Send me your holiday traditions!!! That’s next on my list to write about!!! Please? Thank you!
FYI: Instagram: @womenssurvivalguide and @Kimdstockwellstudio for further entertainment
