10 Things I’ve Learned Writing This Column
It’s hard to believe I’m saying this, but today marks the last time I am officially writing this food column for Cup of Jo. I say “officially” because I plan to still contribute now and again, I’m just pulling back in order to focus on some upcoming personal projects, so I won’t be chiming in every Wednesday, the way I have been for almost seven straight years. SEVEN YEARS! How lucky I am to have been a consistent part of this wonderful community for that long — I’m so grateful to all of you for reading, for teaching me so much, for reminding me that every single person on earth seems to have a strong opinion about Trader Joe’s. To mark the occasion, I wanted to round up my most memorable moments…
1. Most Satisfying Thing In General: Giving Other Food Writers a Platform
This has been the best part of the job by far — finding and introducing you to food writers and cookbook authors. The Cup of Jo community is powerful and engaging and food writers are always thrilled to be part of it through their recipes. To name just a few memorable cameos: Yasmin Fahr’s Sausage Meatballs with Halloumi and Tomatoes (above; Bee Wilson’s Magic One-Pan Pasta; Sohla El-Waylly’s Chickpea and Chard Stew, Hetty McKinnon’s Cabbage Carbonara, Leah Koenig’s Chicken Soup; Odette Williams’s Pasta with Vodka Sauce; Dan Pelosi’s Pastina for a Bad Day. The amount of talent out there will never not amaze me.
2. Most Visited Recipes, Personally Speaking
I don’t just write this column, I use it. Like constantly. There are some recipes I return to more than others, though: Brooks Reitz’s Lazy Man’s Ratatouille, Priya Krishna’s crowd-pleasing Matar Paneer, Andrea Nguyen’s Tofu Bánh Mì. If I hadn’t already memorized my Smashed Pea Toasts with Ricotta (above), Roast Chicken and Pan-Fried Fish Sandwich, they’d be on this list, too. And every time a dinner-party host asks “Can you bring dessert?” I head to the comments section on this post for inspiration.
3. Most Visited Recipe, Most Recently: Sara Forte’s Blackened Salmon with Tropical Pico
Have you made this yet? I mean, it’s a perfect recipe. I only just wrote about it in May, yet it’s graced my table at least a half dozen times since, including this past weekend. Tip: I often pick up pre-made mango salsa to fast-track the pico.
4. Most Visited Recipes, by the Numbers
But forget what my favorites are, here are three posts that were hugely popular strictly by the numbers: Taste Test: What’s the Best Vanilla Ice Cream (that surprised me), Ali Stafford’s Same-Day Peasant Bread (I remember this one blowing up the internet), and Five Recipes Worth Memorizing, including my go-to tofu prep and all-purpose salad dressing.
5. Most Controversial Moment: How to be a Good Guest
I had no idea I’d be poking such a bear with the topic of “fashionable lateness.” Lesson learned: Most of you do not want dinner guests showing up 15 minutes late, even if they text ahead to let the host know.
6. Second Most Controversial Moment: The #1 Thing I’d Tell New Parents About Family Dinner
I stand by it to this day: If you have a kid under age three, don’t bother.
7. Most Fun to Write: The Basics
In pursuit of the new and the novel, it’s easy to lose sight of the fact that people don’t necessarily need to know how to de-bone a sea trout — most cooks just want to make a good dinner every night and have a pleasant time doing it. Writing about basic, real recipes has always been my wheelhouse, so it makes sense that they’ve been the most fun posts to write. I’m thinking: The Only 5 Salad Dressings You Need; 9 Easy Family Meals We’ve Loved to Death (that was hilariously fun); How to Upgrade a Regular Green Salad; an ode to Frozen Vegetables and one to a humble head of cabbage. In the sweets department, it was my Old-School Chocolate Mousse (above), plus my Crisp for All Seasons and Dorie Greenspan’s Everything Cake, both of which could be categorized as a “one recipe fits all.” I also think I need to make that mousse this weekend.
8. Most Viral: A Potato Salad Trick
I’ve always believed that if I can give readers even the tiniest way to make their lives better or happier, then I’ve done my job. There was never a more clear (or tiny) example of this than the time I told people “When making potato salad, toss your potatoes in the dressing while the potatoes are still warm and therefore optimally absorbent.” It’s the most popular post I’ve written on Cup of Jo.
9. Most Impactful Comment: “Eat less meat,” instead of “Eat no meat”
More specifically, in response to my book The Weekday Vegetarians, a Cup of Jo reader wrote something like “It’s a better approach to convince more people to eat less meat, than to convince fewer people to eat zero meat.” I wish I could find the comment and the reader who said this (is it you?) so I could thank them for every one of the 100 times I repeated it at a book event or in an interview. So well said, and so true.
10. Most Emotional: Secrets for Stress-Free Family Dinners
I remember when Joanna asked me to write this story — an evergreen topic — and I thought, I’ve written about family dinner for a dozen years now, how am I going to come up with something new? But I had never written about the topic as an empty nester looking back, and it surprised me how easily the words came, and how emotional it was to write the story and realize I was the “Perspective Person” now. Eras end. Kids grow up. And I’m so lucky I’ve been able to write about all of it here on Cup of Jo.
Did I miss anything? Thank you for reading, everyone. You can always find me on my newsletter, Dinner: A Love Story. And I can say with great confidence that you are in excellent hands with my successors: Alex Beggs, Christina Chaey, Kelsey Miller, and many other talented writers Joanna has lined up for 2025. I, for one, cannot wait.
P.S. An ode to rituals (the first time my byline ever appeared on Cup of Jo) and how to get your kids to talk at dinner.
(Photos: Chocolate mousse, Yossy Arefi; Bread, Alexandra Stafford; Family dinner: Chelsea Cavanaugh)