Welcome new subscribers! Quite a few of you are joining us for the first time so I thought I’d take a moment and explain how these missives work. I’m So Glad You Asked is a reader supported newsletter written by yours truly. At the end of every month I share all of the things that I’ve loved lately. I also write the occasional personal essay and short story. And I have an ongoing series in which I’m teaching everything I know about writing novels. I don’t presume to think that all of you are interested in all of those things. So choose your own adventure. If you’ve missed any of these essays, or simply want to catch up, you can read what’s interesting to you at ariellawhon.substack.com. Now, on to the best of August…
August in Tennessee is like taking a long, hot stroll across the vast expanse of Satan’s armpit. (Minus the hair and what I imagine to be a very brimstone-tinged level of body odor). Muggy. That’s the word they use here. But I grew up in the southwest, so I call the heat “oppressive” and “cruel” and “unnecessary.” The humidity is drinkable. True story: last week I went out to weed my much-neglected garden and within five minutes was soaked to the skin. Five minutes after that, the skies opened and a surprise thunderstorm soaked me again before I could run the hundred feet between my pepper patch and my back door. Twelve mosquitos feasted on me during that time. I feel harassed by my own back yard and haven’t been out there since. God knows what’s happening to my tomatoes. Alas, I made the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad decision to plant my garden in such a place that I see it every time I stand at my kitchen sink and do dishes. Now I avoid doing the dishes too. Things are devolving.
All of the boys are back in school. The two oldest are safely ensconced at different colleges and the two youngest are in high school. I’ll be honest: it’s weird. No one told me that when your kids start leaving home, they don’t leave one at a time. It feels as though they leave all at once because the ones still at home are busy (band, baseball, work) and are rarely here in the evenings. My husband and I ate dinner alone three nights last week. We didn’t hate it. But it’s taking a minute to adjust. For the first time in twenty years, we have a spare bedroom. I’m learning to cook a reasonable amount instead of for an army. This is what has surprised me most however: both of our college kids are in campus apartments and both of them text me regularly to get their favorite recipes. It is too hot for soup right now, but that hasn’t stopped either of them for asking for the recipe for Garbage Bean Soup. (Weird name. Great Soup. Short story: it’s basically an Italian minestrone with garbanzo beans. But they couldn’t say garbanzo bean when they were little, so it turned into “garbage bean.” You know how it is with kids. It stuck). Since I’m feeling a bit shmoopy at the moment and because I miss my kids, I’ll share the recipe below. DO NOT MAKE IT UNTIL OCTOBER. It will raise your core temperature by three degrees and you will curse me. I’m tired of being cursed, tbh. First the freckles, then the bum knee. Keep your curses. Save the soup for colder weather. But do make it eventually because it is A++
Speaking of food, I made Pinterest board a while back called Dinner Winners. Every single recipe on that board is something that I’ve cooked dozens of times and is loved by all of the people in my house. These are the recipes my older boys request when they come home from school for the weekend and the ones my younger boys text me from school and request. So I thought I’d share the whole thing with you in case you also need dinner inspiration. In particular, I highly recommend the Drunken Italian Noodles, the Firecracker Salmon, the Italian Arrabiatta Sauce (I add ground beef because my people always want protein), the Korean Ground Beef and Rice, the Midnight Pasta, and the Crockpot Italian Beef Sandwiches.
Quote of the month:
“All the meaning in life comes from the things that give you wrinkles.”
— Helen Andrews
I say it all the time because I have to remind myself, but I refuse to hate myself for the great privilege of growing old. We went to a funeral for a dear friend two weeks ago. She would have turned 50 on the 28th. Her first grandchild was born two days ago. I know that she would give anything to be here and hold him. I know that she wouldn’t care about wrinkles or spare tires or gray hair or any of the things that we are taught to despise about ourselves. She would just want to be here with her beloved husband, her five children, and now her grandson. So I look in the mirror every day and I repeat the mantra: I refuse to hate myself for the great privilege of growing old. Say it with me if you need to.
What I (tried) to read and love this month:
Austen in August. I have a confession to make: I’ve never read Jane Austen. Not a single book. I haven’t read most of the classics, though, so this isn’t a surprise. Mostly I blame this on an unconventional childhood and a downright bonkers education. But also, there are millions of books and so little time and Pride and Prejudice has never made it to the top of the pile. When I confessed this fact to dear friend, he suggested we remedy this by doing an experiment. We’d read Pride and Prejudice together during the month of August and report back. Listen…I wanted to. I just…never thought about the book when it wasn’t in front of me. Putting this in print feels like anathema, like I will get excommunicated from the publishing industry altogether. My only comfort is that my friend also didn’t finish. I am determined to finish the book eventually. But if I know anything about the reading life it is that sometimes you try to read the right book at the wrong time. August of 2023 was simply the wrong time for me to try that book.
What I’m excited about right now:
We are remodeling my office. When I say “we” I of course mean “he.” My husband is a contractor by trade so mostly I am instructed to “help by watching.” In a departure from my typically risk averse self, I picked a beautiful navy color for all of the bookshelves. It’s dark and moody and absolutely beautiful. The perfect setting for long stretches of writing. I’ll give you a tour once it’s finished.
I’m going to Ireland in a few days! I’m taking my husband with me and we’ll be meeting up with some good friends for the adventure. If you’d like to follow along, I’ll be sharing some of our travels on Instagram. I’ve never gotten to take a research trip before so I am unreasonably excited about the whole thing. Have I overthought every single item in my suitcase? Absolutely. Am I still only taking a carry on? Also, yes.
Here’s that recipe I promised:
Garbage Bean Soup:
1 pound Italian sausage
1 chopped onion
3 cloves garlic, chopped
8 cups water
1 (28 oz) can Italian style tomatoes, undrained
1 can fire roasted tomatoes, undrained
5 tsp Better Than Bouillon
4 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1 can garbanzo beans, drained
1 (8 oz) package spaghetti noodles, broken
Shaved Parmesan cheese
Crusty French Bread
In large Dutch oven brown sausage, onion, and garlic: pour off fat. Add remaining ingredients except spaghetti, cheese, and bread. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered one hour. Stir in spaghetti. Bring to a boil again. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered ten more minutes or until spaghetti is tender. Serve with parmesan cheese and French bread.
Looking forward to Ireland photos
The recipes were an unexpected surprise. Pinned a few myself.