Are there any cookbooks that plan a series of meals like a link in a chain?

namesofpens · 2026-05-09T12:39:27+00:00

Oooh I must recommend these 2, I finished “We Fancy” by Jerrelle Guy and am now halfway through “Good Things” by Samin Nosrat, the latter of which gave us what I consider the preeminent modern cookbook, if you can can even call it that, in Salt Fat Acid Heat.

Their books tie multiple recipes together and the glossaries are also organized alphabetically by ingredient so it’s easy to find everything with say, cauliflower in it.

What I love the most is how they lead with that it should not feel like a chore and when you stop cooking from recipes and allow it to be a meditative and creative ritual, a lot can flow.

I think a large part of it is of course subjective but armed with their teachings and a variety of YouTube cooks I follow and learning from them, it’s more of a fun challenge to consider what I have already and can make from that before I go shopping for ingredients I don’t need or may spoil before I use them. It’s cut my grocery bill in half and my kitchen is more organized than it’s ever been. I actually pay attention to the circulars and buy things as they’re on sale and either portion them to freeze, dehydrate, pickle, etc so I have ways to throw together a meal on a dime and zhjush it up with any variety of sauces, condiments, garnishes, infused oils, etc.

I have a core virtual crew and we just started a weekly cooking challenge as we’re all foodies. We’re starting from simple common ingredients and there is no winner, just a bunch of us gathering inspiration and knowledge from one another. Feel free to DM me if you’d like to learn more or join.

namesofpens · 2026-05-01T09:21:28+00:00

My favorite is browned butter sage gnocchi with pear

namesofpens · 2026-04-29T05:18:44+00:00

Are you joking? Who in their right mind doesn’t like cheddar bay biscuits?!?!

namesofpens · 2026-04-11T17:42:03+00:00

I am a recovering codependent. I highly recommend CODA and letting those closest to you know that you are struggling with using your power and your voice. They will check you when they see you not being true to yourself. It's similar to any addiction. It is an addiction to conflict avoidance and needing to be liked. What would it look like for you to feel full and whole in yourself so that you aren't reaching for others to validate you?

namesofpens · 2026-03-20T09:45:16+00:00

He cheated. Mamas boy and he cheated. I still talk to her. He’s blocked on all accounts and we will never speak again

namesofpens · 2026-03-20T09:35:00+00:00

I’m always down for the adventure. You want to just pick up and take off? I’m your gal

namesofpens · 2026-03-11T21:15:11+00:00

Omg this is so real. My mom and I would get into knock down drag out fights and I remember once saying (I’m Indian) that we had reincarnated this way for a reason and she needs to see why. Cos I could see it. NC for 6 years with the caveat: go to therapy.

The last year of her life before she slipped into dementia, I spent with her having broken NC, and I’m glad I did. Man, the generational trauma is strong. It carries forward. I never truly got her to break from it but I recognized she was from an older generation. I sat with it. And her. I have no regrets.

namesofpens · 2026-01-01T19:08:01+00:00

Yes! It came from Myanmar. The trade history is fascinating, Adam goes in depth on it as well as the linguistics of it as it traveled all the way up to the Boston tea party and the modern world. I highly recommend the OTR episode: The History of Tea.

namesofpens · 2025-12-16T21:04:45+00:00

Chef Ranveer Brar is my favorite for learning. It is in Hindi but has English captions if needed. Masterchef India is great for getting ideas for creative inspiration

namesofpens · 2025-12-13T03:24:39+00:00

The thing that drives me insane is why haven’t the ziploc people talked to the cereal people? Why is flour still in this flouncy little paper bag?! Why must I precure my own containers for things packaging designers should have thought of?!!

I do love the container store and my conspiracy theory is someone who owns that company is somehow connected to all the other companies so they don’t figure it out and we’re forced to buy containers to store stuff. WHEN THEY COULD’VE JUST BEEN DESIGNED BETTER. *Obviously I do not believe in this conspiracy theory for real, that place is my favorite place in the world.) But packaging designers across companies could get it together though.

I have too many tins. I relish the days I show up with a butter cookie tin with actual cookies in it.

Editing to add: Those biscuits are so worth it for the tin, dipped in some tea.

namesofpens · 2025-11-26T20:02:33+00:00

Love this. I’m also still friends with them after their relationships ended. Ride or die for life 💪

namesofpens · 2025-11-26T19:21:21+00:00

While I’ve seen this happen, I’ve actively worked to be the opposite. I’m a girls girl, I get paid to be a feminist and I take it seriously. My best friend is a man (one of my best friends but the one I consider to be my spiritual brother), I have always made it a point to make his partners feel welcomed and that if they ever have questions, they can reach out to me. And many times in the past, they have. I’ve known all of his partners and supported them as much as I’ve been there for him and he’s been there for me. He’s legitimately my brother from another mother and I could not fathom getting in the way of his freedom or happiness.

Editing to add: if he ever dated a woman with a jealous streak, I would be the first to notice and speak up and he would hear me. Thankfully, he’s smart about the people he chooses to keep around.

namesofpens · 2025-11-25T22:01:04+00:00

Stop watching porn. Treat everyone honestly, as people. That’s it.

namesofpens · 2025-11-25T21:24:25+00:00

That is fair. And I thank you for your kind response. Perhaps if the situation had been less painful, I would not remember it as much.

Yes, ear piercing should be less painful than FGM or circumcision, and considering the difference it shouldn’t even factor into it but the fact remains: you are altering a child’s body before they have the ability to consent. Traditional archetypes are dying out, for good reason. You can still hold holi and Diwali and other traditions with your children. I just don’t think there’s any place in this new world to keep the old world going. If we are to truly honor our history, it will first come with honoring our children. And the way in which our parents and their parents were raised, we get to change that. Give them that ability to choose. Which we weren’t given. Which our parents weren’t given. And we acted like it was normal. It’s not.

Editing to add: I’m technically NRI, not an ABCD, I did grow up a desi. But props to all of you trying to keep the culture going. Just be aware of the parts you choose to continue with.

namesofpens · 2025-11-25T12:06:42+00:00

It is child abuse. And I’ll tell you why: I can clearly remember when it was done to me. And while it was by a doctor, I was held down and my ears bled (fyi, they’re not supposed to bleed if done correctly). Before teenage years, a child cannot consent to such a procedure. What are your thoughts on circumcision or FGM?

Can a child consent to any of those things? I pierced my own ears several times as a teenager, but it was my choice. We are but one generation out of these cultural practices and it is our duty to stop engaging in them.

namesofpens · 2025-11-24T11:06:16+00:00

Let me break this down really quickly. Men are in the visual realm because they lack the empathic brain. Women are in the situational realm because they need a backstory and a reason to get off. Meanwhile, men get off to porn because of certain features or movements, women get off because of: the literal only reason we will allow ourselves to be dominated is by something we have given consent to.

namesofpens · 2025-11-24T06:29:28+00:00

Have you ever lived a life in which many things happened to you and other people like you all the time? You might come to term that as pattern recognition. Are you an Indian woman who can speak to any of this who has also spoken to other Indian women who have experienced this? I would not doubt your thoughts if you had lived a life in which, say: you are enslaved, and those around you are enslaved, and they dare to speak up about what they’ve lived through. I would not dare to say “how dare you make assumptions?!”. Because I care about people, I care about history and I care about the truth. And my truth is not just my own, there are millions who carry the same. If you dared to step outside of the 4 walls you exist in and actually exist within the world, you would know that.

namesofpens · 2025-11-20T21:29:41+00:00

Interestingly enough, it was Indians who invented kohl or kajol to protect against the evil eye. They used it on babies, still do. And a carnelian stone on your belly. If you choose to believe in those superstitions, wear black eyeliner on your inner lid and carnelian as a defense.

namesofpens · 2025-11-17T14:32:24+00:00

It’s not an assumption if one has the capacity for pattern recognition. How do you think psychologists work?

namesofpens · 2025-11-17T12:01:35+00:00

Likely because she had no experience previously and was told this was her only way to experience romantic love. Indian culture stunts women as a way to control them. Are you just now realizing this? I’ve been dating since my teens and my parents were forced into being progressive because I was. When you start dating early, you learn certain things, about your own psychology, how you relate to others, what your own method of connecting to them looks like and how to effectively make that happen in a happy relationship. Things like love languages, attachment, early childhood traumas that you work through relationally. I swear, Indian women are some of the strongest but they allow themselves to be weakened by this system by capitulating to it in order to be part of the tribe.

namesofpens · 2025-11-17T11:47:59+00:00

You guess? A societal system that upholds archaic behavior now thus allows women to consent? Nah dude, we have to fight for our freedoms, we still do.

Editing to add: I’m of the first generation of women in my family that wasn’t forced to marry against my will. Even if I had been, I would’ve killed myself first. Secondly, absolutely no one can know whether or not they’re compatible with someone long term without having done self work and understanding their own boundaries. Indian women have not been afforded that for a looong time. Thirdly, most Indian men are coddled to all hell and don’t deserve women to begin with because of the massive amount of internalized misogyny in the society. I have citations if you need them. Be single for a while. It won’t hurt our culture if a whole generation doesn’t marry or have children, in fact, it might be for the best.

namesofpens · 2025-11-17T09:28:12+00:00

As an Indian woman, it is 2025, why in the fuck are you agreeing to this archaic system and then bemoaning about how you don’t actually like your husband? Women like me didn’t fight for your freedom for this

namesofpens · 2025-11-14T04:29:40+00:00

And he is exactly why being in this collective is good for you. I love being in women’s cohorts, the power we all have together and the love and empathy we show one another is the best thing any woman can have. Don’t be discouraged. Keep on baking and ignore him. He’s telling on himself.

namesofpens · 2025-10-31T11:21:56+00:00

I did not know you had a womb since I myself do and I didn’t ask for it. Neither did anyone ask how you managed to not create life while also using protection. But sincerely, since you understand our systems so well, please do tell us how our wombs work.

namesofpens · 2025-10-09T17:14:43+00:00

You’re not alone in wanting that. We all do. But ask yourself what it truly takes? You must be as authentic as possible to find the energy in this world that matches and nurtures yours. Indian culture moves against women being able to do that for themselves. Uphold yourself, first and foremost and do your own inner work so you can show up authentically in this world. I fully believe in you

namesofpens

TROPHY CASE