Heart Eyes, Vol. 214: Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret and Quick Asparagus Dishes
Friends! Hello. Happy Friday. It is Friday, right? Because I was also pretty sure yesterday was Friday, and was in for a rude awakening when I figured out the truth. In any case, I feel a bit turned around in time these days anyway. Almost summer, already? But not really? Our long winter and chilly spring have me more than ready for the change of seasons, but perhaps not remembering what that exactly means. I guess I’ll find out when it gets here, and in the meantime, hooray for the weekend. Whatever you’re up to and whichever way you’ve decided is up, I hope it’s all just right. I think you’re doing great.
What to Laugh and Cry about in the Theater: Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret.
Oh, friends, I have so many feelings about the very existence of this movie, and 99% of them are positive: I love seeing a book I read and re-read adapted so lovingly to the big screen, I love this joyful and empathetic and clear-eyed representation of tween girls, I love that we’re talking about periods when some girls in this country may soon not be allowed to talk about periods (there’s that other 1%), I love that Judy Blume waited 53 years for an adaptation that would do her book justice—which, by the way, I believe this one does.
Mostly, though? I just think it’s just a delight: thoughtful and funny and tender and so, so recognizable. Margaret (Abby Ryder Fortson) is perfectly observant and hopeful and trying her best, her mother Barbara (Rachel McAdams) is so kind and real and also trying her best, her grandmother Sylvia (Kathy Bates, come on) is exactly the right kind of loose cannon (but with love). It’s the kind of movie that I think will make a lot of people feel seen—perhaps even more than the novel, since the movie is a bit more intergenerational. It’s a smart move that acknowledges the likely age of the audience and also broadens the perspective of the story in a really lovely way.
I saw it with a friend and my mother saw it with her friends, and we all loved it, and what better recommendation can I give? Maybe you’ll love it, too.
What to Cook: Quick Asparagus Dishes
I recently learned that the Germans have a specific word for asparagus season, because of course they do. Spargelzeit! “Asparagus time”! Apparently it’s a big deal! We’re currently right in the heart of our own spargelzeit and I feel especially compelled to celebrate it this year since our rainy spring seems to have drowned much of the strawberry harvest. With that in mind, here are a couple of quick, delicious asparagus recipes I’m revisiting lately:
Narjissiya with Asparagus, Halloumi, and Sumac (unlocked Times link)
This is a very easy, very quick recipe that I’m happy to say I’ve succeeded in making even easier and quicker…by absolutely half-assing it. (This is why you come here, right? For the world-class cooking tips?) I definitely use store-bought pita chips, for one thing. As much as I love halloumi—and it is delicious here!—I tend to use feta, which means I skip the cheese-browning step and instead toss it in with the asparagus and egg mid-sautee. And I’ve stopped assembling both the salted yogurt and the sumac oil, and instead 1) spread some yogurt over the bottom of my serving bowl and sprinkle it with salt, and 2) drizzle the final dish with olive oil and a heavy sprinkle of sumac. The whole thing is a glorious, delicious, multi-textured mess anyway, and this way it’s a five-minute glorious, delicious, multi-textured mess, and a dish I keep coming back to.
Asparagus with Chorizo and Croutons
I’ve been making this oldie-but-goodie from Smitten Kitchen for over a decade now, and it never gets old. How could I ever fall out of love with a six-minute dish of asparagus, crispy croutons, a bit of spicy sausage, and white beans, with a few almonds for extra crunch? Deb will try to tell you you have to eat it straight out of the pan, but I assure you I’ve nuked day-old leftovers of this in many a work kitchen and it still does the job. Though, if you have the time, a fresh batch might be worth six minutes of your day.