We all have stories to tell

Let's Get Lost, Issue #30, Nov 23,2024: Do you have a story to tell? 5 Holiday pies, Apple cinnamon streusel muffins, Fish and grits, Apple almond turnovers + 3 ways to enjoy short, cold days

I started this newsletter in February of this year with a healthy amount of fear and trepidation and it’s grown to a community of 4500 people. Over the past 9 months, I have interacted with many of you on a much more personal and intimate level than I ever would have expected.

This is astounding and wonderful to me.

And also, last week, I mentioned that I’ve been trying to believe that in our deeply fractured country (and deeply fractured world), the majority of us still have more in common than what separates us. I want to believe this. But damn it’s hard.

Over the past couple of weeks I have really, really wanted to retreat. To take cover. To say fuck it and let the world burn.

But I also know that’s not me. If you’re reading this right now, that’s probably not you either. Or, at least that’s not the you (me) that you (I) want to be.

I know in my bones that what I really need is to gather my community. I need to connect. I need to stand up for people and ask them to stand up for me. I suspect, so do you.

When I look out across my country, there are very few things I feel certain about right now, except one: we all have stories to tell. And, because I am a food writer and recipe developer, I want to tell these stories through the prism of food.

Food is an enormous part of our individual and collective history and the impulse to forge social connection through food is as ancient as humanity itself. But it’s even deeper than that, isn’t it?

The stories of who we are, where we are from, the baggage we carry with us, and the truth about how we treat ourselves, our planet, and our neighbors are all intertwined with the fundamental life-giving, joy provoking, pleasure seeking impulses to eat and share what we eat with the people we love.

How strange and profound and mysterious. If we are paying attention, these interactions will change us.

So. If I want to learn more about people and find some common ground, one way to do that is to step into their kitchens. Or to simply invite them over for dinner. So in the coming year, that’s what I’d like to do.

Next year, Steve and I will travel to Southern California, San Antonio, Louisiana, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Colorado, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Iowa.

Do you live in any of these areas? Do you have stories and recipes to share? Would you like to connect?

Yes??? Please reply to this email or send one directly to rebecca@rebeccablackwell.com.

No matter where in the world you call home, I am glad you’re here.

I hope you’ll join me next year in the pursuit of inspiration and insight from other cooks and bakers from across the country, and maybe even across the world. I don’t know where we’ll end up together but I think there will be good food made by good people, and I think (I hope) we’ll be better for it.

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Last weekend, we made our final move for the year and towed our little home on wheels from Saint Louis to Colorado where we’ll stay through the holidays. As we wrap up another year of travel, here are a few of our favorite places from this year.

1.) Seattle, Washington. We started the year in a suburb of Seattle at Lake Pleasant RV park which is built on a nature preserves in the middle of suburbia. The park is the best of both worlds - a quiet little forest surrounded by all the conveniences of a city.

2.) Zion National Park. We’ve spent a lot of time in Utah over the past few years but had not visited Zion until this year. Like the state’s other National Parks, Zion lives up to the hype. We found a great boondocking location near the little town of Hurricane that was quiet and peaceful and just down the road from the entrance to Zion.

3.) Downstream Campground in North Dakota. This is a gem of a campground that’s right next to the Missouri river and relatively close to Roosevelt National Forest. It’s a great place to visit if you’re into water sports or looking for a quite place to get away.

4.) Door County, Wisconsin. This year’s visit was our second to Door County and we love it there so much we plan to return again in 2025.

5.) Mill Creek Campground on Table Rock Lake in Missouri. We loved everything about this campground. Almost every space has a view of the lake and we were lucky enough to snag a site where we could hang our deck over the water.

6.) Bryson City, North Carolina. This was our second visit to Bryson City and like Door County, it’s one of the places to which we will return many times. Bryson City is a great little town and our RV park was located less than a mile from a trailhead into the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, where we hiked almost every day.

If you want to see where we’re heading next year, here’s our 2025 travel itinerary.

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It’s pie season!

I vote that we start every holiday with dessert because, I mean, that’s what we’re there for anyway isn’t it? 😉

If your upcoming Thanksgiving holiday means pie baking, here are my 5 favorite recipes:

1.) Chocolate Almond Pie. This creamy, fudgy, intensely chocolate pie studded with roasted almonds and a hint of bourbon is for serious chocolate lovers only.

2.) Black Bottom Banana Cream Pie. This creamy pie with chocolate custard, rum custard, and bananas in a shortbread cookie crust has been a favorite recipe in our family for many years.

3.) Coconut Cream Pie. This is easily at the top of my list of all-time favorite desserts. If you are a fellow coconut cream fan, you might want to also check out this recipe for coconut cream cake.

4.) German Apple Pie. This is one of the easiest and creamiest apple pies I've ever baked. It’s a true crowd pleaser and requires minimal effort to make. But also, this salted caramel apple pie is crazy good so don’t ask me to choose a favorite.

5.) Poached Pear Frangipane Tart. Topped with red and white wine-poached pears, this stunning Pear and Frangipane Tart tastes as impressive as it looks. Also, the red and white wine poaching liquid turns into the best sauce ever for topping ice cream or profiteroles.

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The rest of this issue, which includes 3 recommendations for enjoying these cold, dark winter days, plus new recipes for Apple cinnamon streusel muffins, Fish and grits, and Apple almond turnovers is for paid subscribers.

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