Joan Niesen

1 week ago | joanniesen.substack.com | Joan Niesen

Lately: I can’t get enough of Samin Nosrat’s buttermilk-brined roast chicken recipe. Here in D.C., we had a solid two-week period where I was able to get outside and grill, and I loved having marinaded, grilled chicken around for sandwiches and salads. Then it got cold and rainy, and that’s been the status quo for a week — so I’m roasting chickens like it’s January. … I’m also making what may be my favorite Smitten Kitchen recipe for dinner tonight: southwestern pulled brisket.

2 weeks ago | joanniesen.substack.com | Joan Niesen

Lately: You don’t hear from me for weeks, and then I’m like, “hey, I’m moving to St. Louis,” and now here I am three days later being like, “no, really, read more about St. Louis, okay?” That’s what that is: I’m asking you to read this essay I wrote for , an online literary magazine about the Cardinals. Did you make it here without subscribing? Let’s fix that. My first month of college, I was paralyzed with homesickness for St. Louis.

3 weeks ago | joanniesen.substack.com | Joan Niesen

Lately: There’s more going on than I care to type, which is why I’ve been absent for so long. (Sorry!) The essay below should give a clue about at least part of what I’ve been up to. I also caught a stomach bug — or had an allergic reaction to an antibiotic, or both. That happened while I was spending a weekend with my cat in a hotel. Do not recommend. March had some high points, but as its final hours tick down, I say good riddance. Did you wind up here without subscribing? Let’s fix that.

1 month ago | joanniesen.substack.com | Joan Niesen

Lately: Lately, huh? I have no idea what I’ve been doing lately besides scurrying in circles, working and trying to organize my life. I haven’t baked anything but bread in weeks, which depresses me. I’ll have to make something this weekend. Drop suggestions in the comments, please. … Oh, also, I’m trying a new format for these monthly emails full of links. I got tired of bulleted lists, and looking back over past newsletters, I realized they didn’t do much to make me want to read or click.

1 month ago | joanniesen.substack.com | Joan Niesen

Lately: We went to Savannah over President’s Day weekend (a fact that will become abundantly clear if you keep reading). While there, we managed to escape the tourist-y downtown for almost all of our meals, venturing to the Starland neighborhood and feasting like kings. Some recommendations: Smol Bar, Late Air, Two Tides, Brochu’s. … It’s finally warming up in D.C. after the longest, coldest winter I’ve ever experienced here, and last night I fired up the grill for the first time since November.