Issue 9: All aboard the meal train

The easiest focaccia, healing witches, and every holiday market we could find

First Night at Home by Phoebe Wahl

After my second child was born, I ate well. One friend regularly dropped off treats that I would eat standing up at the kitchen counter, with my hand protecting my baby’s head from cake crumbs as she napped in the carrier. Another friend, knowing my love for our local bakery, texted to let me know about the warm loaves of sourdough bread sitting on my doorstep with a package of salt-flecked French butter.¹ A third friend delivered frozen quiches so we would be prepared for any unexpected guests. We were rich in roast chicken, smashed potatoes, and herby sauces.

After my first child was born, we didn’t eat nearly so well. We had moved to the area a short COVID year earlier, and I hadn’t made friends with other parents yet. Now that was a time of bad soup, made from the dregs of the refrigerator produce drawer.

In between, I’d participated in a meal exchange program with a few friends. We each made a meal to share and brought our packed containers to a friend’s house to swap each Sunday evening. For the four meals we brought, we’d receive four in return. I would put the Tupperware away in the fridge and actually feel prepared for the week ahead, fortified by Thai curries, butternut squash pasta, sausage meatballs, and lentil salads. I ended up stepping away from the exchange in the throes of first trimester nausea, figuring that no one else would be interested in surviving on Annie’s Mac and Cheese, but for those months, it was a gift.

This fall and winter, I’ve participated in meal trains for several friends after their births, and after each, I’ve felt warm and hopeful.² A network of meal trains proposes a universe abundant in generosity, even when the news suggests otherwise. In this season of life, I’m ready for every meal train invite with the following menus:

Julia Turshen Is the Patron Saint of Meal Trains: Turkey-ricotta meatballs, washed greens, Caesar dressing, yogurt cake

Crudités Plus: Focaccia, Zahav hummus, sliced carrots and cucumber, salami (a particular treat if the recipient avoided cured meat during pregnancy)

Very Good Soup: Curried lentil soup, pasta e ceci, broccoli & cheddar

Stock the Freezer: Black-bean empanadas and peanut-butter oatmeal chocolate-chip cookies (a pint of ice-cream would be a thoughtful addition here)

Condiment Party: Marcella Hazan’s tomato sauce, Via Carota salad dressing, peanut sauce

-Maddie

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What We’re Reading

The Mushroom Issue! (Credit: Studio Anorak)

[Ashley] - I grew up with The Polar Express displayed on the coffee table every Christmas. We would read the book as a family every Christmas Eve, ring the bell, and watch for Santa in the night sky. (Blinking red airplane lights came in handy when trying to spot reindeer noses). To this day, there is something awe-inducing in witnessing a child’s imagination and their ability to see the magic in the everyday.

[Genevieve] - Witches Heal: Lesbian Herbal Self-Sufficiency by Billie Potts. It lives on a nearby shelf in my home for easy access. I’m not one to shy away from modern medicine, but we could all use balance. Chapters like ‘Alternate First Aid’ and ‘Abortifacient Plants’ will be valuable to have on hand when we revolt, take to the woods, and burn down this patriarchal society to start anew…

[Maddie] - We’re new subscribers to Dot Magazine, “The Happy Mag for Preschoolers”. It’s a pint-sized quarterly with issues like “Dogs”, “Laughter”, and “Friends”, all featuring super charming activities and vibrant, Christian Robinson-esque illustrations. The same team also publishes Anorak for grade schoolers and Chew for budding chefs.

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Our Picks

Maple snow taffy (Credit: Fare Isle)

Maybe Black Friday and Cyber Monday hit hard, maybe you’ve clicked through too many gift guides this year – we’re keeping things low- or no-cost this week.

[Ashley] - As a massage therapist, I learned colon massage as it relates to adults and constipation. I never realized it would come in handy as my daughter’s tiny intestines grow and she tries new food. Tummy upset is so sad in the littles and the ILU massage works like a charm. My fried chicken wrap was not sitting too well yesterday and my two-year-old daughter helped me perform the massage on myself. 10/10 technique on her part.

[Genevieve] - As I write this, I’m watching the tiniest snowflakes drift to the ground outside my window. Annoyingly cute, I know. There’s not enough snow to accumulate yet, but as soon as there is, I’ll run outside and make Maple Snow Taffy. As a kid in New England, I spent my childhood pouring hot maple syrup into cups of (relatively clean) packed snow and eating it immediately. It’s a small joy.

[Maddie] - My toddler learned about “Christmas guy” from his classmates this year, and now he’s telling us everything he wants from Santa. In response to the deluge of requests for toy trucks, I’ve been borrowing a phrase from Claire Mazur — “I’ll put that on the list of things I know you want.” It’s been a handy tool for acknowledging his wants, while putting them into a bigger context. Now to find a better organizing solution for all the toy vehicles we do have!

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Working Together

This week, we’re supporting Angel Food East and Columbia County Recovery Kitchen, two organizations that prepare and deliver meals to people who need them. Meal trains at scale!

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In the Neighborhood

We live in the Mid-Hudson Valley and we’re keeping tabs on these (mostly family-friendly) events near us. If there’s another event you’d like us to share, please send it our way.

Hudson Winter Walk (Credit: The Foundry)

Sundays until March - Long runs with Return Run Club, Hudson

Weekends through Sunday, December 15 - The Nutcracker at Orpheum Performing Arts Center, Tannersville

Weekends through Sunday, December 22 - Cannonball Factory Holiday Market, Hudson

Now through Sunday, December 29 - The Polar Express on Catskill Mountain Railroad, Kingston

Now through Sunday, December 29 - The Wonderland of Lights, Rhinebeck

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Thursday, December 5 - Holiday Market at The Junction, Roscoe³

Friday, December 6 - Snowflake Festival, Kingston

Friday, December 6 - Horses After Dark, Egremont, MA

Friday, December 6 - Tree Lighting, Red Hook

Friday, December 6 - Holiday Open House, Woodstock

Friday, December 6 and Friday, December 13 - Wreath + Sip at Cooper’s Daughter, Claverack ^

Saturday, December 7 - Winter Walk, Hudson

Saturday, December 7 - Hawthorne Valley Yuletide Fair, Ghent

Saturday, December 7 - Wintermarkt at the Vanderpoel House, Kinderhook

Saturday, December 7 - Sounds of the Season: Home for the Holidays, Staatsburg

Saturday, December 7 - Friends of the Red Hook Public Library Book Sale, Red Hook

Saturday, December 7 and Saturday, December 14 - Saturday Morning Family Performance Series, Rhinebeck

Sunday, December 8 - Holiday Market at Rose Hill Farm, Red Hook

Sunday, December 8 - Union Street Brewing Co. Winter Market, Hudson

Sunday, December 8 - Unicorn Bar Queer Holigay Market, Kingston

Sunday, December 8 - Holiday in the Village, Saugerties

Sunday, December 8 - The Rock and Roll Playhouse at Bearsville Theater, Woodstock

Wednesday, December 11 - La Leche League Columbia Greene meeting, Hudson

Friday, December 13 - Saturday, December 14 - Caroling to the Cows at Churchtown Dairy, Churchtown

Friday, December 13 - Sunday, December 15 - The Nutcracker at Ulster Performing Arts Center, Kingston

Saturday, December 14 - Sunday, December 15 - Craft Feast at Stissing House, Pine Plains

Sunday, December 15 - Catskill Mountain Music Together Holiday Sing Along, Kingston

Sunday, December 15 - Authentic Parenting Workshop (Free), Virtual

Saturday, December 21 - Olana Winter Solstice Celebration, Hudson

Starting January 9 - Prenatal, postnatal, and toddler yoga at Sadhana, Hudson (10% off with code FRIENDS10)

^ = for adults

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As we find our rhythm, please reply with what you want to see in our emails. We have toddlers, we’re used to tough feedback.

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1. Happy cows may come from California, but the happiest cows must be from Normandy.

2. See: the Benjamin Franklin effect

3. Go to the Holiday Market at The Junction if only to experience the tamales from the new Sueños Catskills, a Tamale Project by David Perez.