Heart Eyes, Vol. 10: Fire Relief, Jasmine Guillory, and Apples & Onions
Boy, if there was ever a time for this:
This week was a long and harrowing one for so many people where I am. Everyone's either living through or closely following the North Bay fires; even safely across a body of water, the air feels like a Mad Max movie and we're cooped up inside for the foreseeable future, just when a nice walk would probably do us all good. Whether you're here or not, the good news is: the week is just about over, and this is a perfect reminder to hug your loved ones if you can. And maybe refresh that emergency kit, while you're at it.
Where To Donate: Northern California Wildfire Relief
As I said this week has been a tough one here in Northern California, what with us being on fire and all. My family is safe and my parents' house was never really in danger, but some people I know have lost their homes, and others are still on alert and tracking every shift of the wind—and they're just a few of the many thousands affected. We're not new to wildfires in California, but the number of acres burned, buildings destroyed, people displaced, and businesses closed indefinitely is hard to get my mind around; this is going to change the North Bay for a long, long time. If you're looking for ways to donate money, time, or supplies, here are some of your options.
What To Read: Jasmine Guillory's Tinyletter
Can I tell you a secret? The idea for Heart Eyes did not appear in my mind, unbidden, like the apostle Peter and the sheet full of unclean (OR ARE THEY) critters. (Boom! Book of Acts deep cut!) It came from someone else's Tinyletter, fellow Oaklander Jasmine Guillory's, which arrives in my inbox every Friday and brings me an unreal amount of joy every single time—so much so that I promptly ganked her format. I mean, just a little. But I was reading her newsletter and thinking "I love this so much; why don't I have one of these?" and then suddenly I was quietly tacking a recipe onto the end of everything. She writes about everything I want to hear about: books, articles she's read, her week, sometimes the news, often makeup I may or may not try, and then always something to cook or bake. (Next on my list: find a way to file or tag her emails by recipe. This is going to turn into a Smitten Kitchen spreadsheet situation, isn't it?) It is, without exception, a delight, and I look forward to the day when I run into her on the street here in Oakland and get to compliment her lipstick, which I know in advance will be flawless. Even better: today is her birthday! Happy birthday, Jasmine Guillory! As a gift to her but mostly to yourself, may I recommend subscribing?
What To Cook: Apples & Onions
This season is giving me such menu confusion. Eighty-degree days make me feel like I should still be leaning hard into late-summer vegetables while they're still around, but early sunsets and cooler evenings have me eyeballing recipes I haven't seen since Daylight Savings began and am truly not quite ready for. (I made a big pot of mushroom-farro soup this week, and it felt all wrong, though not not delicious.) To get my head on straight, I'm employing one of my mom's favorite back-pocket dinners, which I especially like at this time of year: Apples & Onions. It's barely a recipe and not even really a meal on its own; I usually eat it with sausages, either on the side or sliced and sauteed with everything else. I've also been known to add shredded cabbage to the mix, and my mom sometimes adds a diced potato along with the onions. You can and should figure out your own version; it's delicious, and especially good for any night where the plan for dinner is to not plan for dinner.
Apples & Onions
(adapted from my mom)
1 TBS olive oil
1 onion, yellow or red
1 apple
Slice your onion and chop your apple into cubes of between half an inch and one inch. Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium-low heat. Add the onions, season with salt and pepper to taste, and let them cook. I like my onions cooked to the point of non-recognition, so I wait until they're good and soft before I add the apples; if you like them with a bit of body, you might add them sooner. Cook until the apples are tender; you can cover the pan for a while to speed up the process and keep things from drying out. That's it! Congratulations: you've made apples and onions.