#97: the alison roman digital universe, blending friend groups & yoghurt sauce
sent from madison's iphone with love
madison:
Hi! My name is Madison and I am a NYC-based writer, marketing professional, and founder of the Substack newsletter
. Outside of writing, I enjoy dancing, cooking and eating, reading, and - despite how “online” my newsletter material can get - being outside! Another thing that I love to do is talk about the things that I love, so without further ado, let’s get into my recommendations.
there she is!
this is the online bit:
★ The Alison Roman Digital Universe ★
One of the first recipes I ever cooked for my family all by myself was Alison Roman’s iconic Chickpea Stew (known many places online as “The Stew”). It was a delicious, nourishing, and approachable dish that made for an excellent entry point into cooking. Since then, I’ve been an Alison Roman devotee. I can’t get enough of her cooking content and, lucky for me, there are many avenues to consume it. She has a YouTube series called “Home Movies” in which she cooks up recipes alongside her delightful charm and quick wit. She has a Substack newsletter called “
” in which she publishes recipes alongside thoughtful, well-written stories. And most recently, I’ve become obsessed with her podcast series, “Solicited Advice,” in which she gives advice to live and recorded callers. Alison has taught me as much about how to cook and entertain, as she has taught me about how to be a grown-up (the topics aren’t so dissimilar). I’d follow her to the ends of the earth.★ The “You’re Wrong About” OJ Simpson Trial series ★
2023 was the year of podcasts for me. In addition to “Solicited Advice,” “You’re Wrong About,” hosted by Sarah Marshall, has become another one of my favorite shows. On “You’re Wrong About,” Marshall provides a deep dive into a commonly misconstrued individual, event, or idea from history with an expert. The show’s magnum opus, in my opinion, is her multi-part series on the OJ Simpson trial from 2021, which came recommended by Eliza McLamb on another one of my favorite podcasts “Binchtopia” (recommendation inside a recommendation).
Marshall does deep background research on all parties involved in the OJ case and takes many welcome tangential detours as she recounts the timeline of the murders. While much true crime content can feel sensational and insensitive to me, Marshall approaches this case with the sense of care and nuance it deserves, touching deliberately on the interlocking systems of racism, misogyny, domestic abuse, and celebrity worship at play. The only downside of the whole series is that it was never fully finished; however, with nearly ten hours of audio on the trial, I still think it’s well worth the listen.
★ Fan edits ★
As a former One Direction stan, I want to make it clear that fan edits are nothing new to me. I scrolled through Harry Styles Vine edits with glee during passing periods in middle school. But lately, fan cam creators have been elevating their craft to an unprecedented level, spurring many on Twitter to suggest we start a fan edit Oscar’s. This has undoubtedly been driven by the influx of Challengers edits that have hit my timeline since the film’s release last month - all of which I’ve been eating up. Some of my other favorites revolve around the Mad Men and Succession universes. Sally Draper set to Ethel Cain’s “American Teenager,” Kendall Roy set to the Glee cover of “Rose’s Turn”?? Fan edits are so incredibly niche, that bringing them up with a decidedly offline person would definitely cause some confusion and embarrassment. I’m grateful for the opportunity to yap about them here.
this is the irl bit:
☆ The Rachel Incident by Caroline O’Donoghue ☆
One of my favorite books I’ve read this year is The Rachel Incident by Caroline O’Donogue, which follows Irish protagonist Rachel Murray and her best friend James bumbling through their twenties and becoming increasingly involved with figures in their life they shouldn’t. The characters are lively and colorful, the writing is sharp and hilarious, and I adore how the story centers best friends helping one another through life. It’s like if a Sally Rooney book were a tad less sad and a lot more dynamic. This feels silly, but after reading many “vibes” based contemporary novels earlier this year, it felt good to read a story with a more traditional, linear plot. Bring back plot-based books.
☆ Making yogurt sauces ☆
It’s dawned on me that amateur home cooks - and people just trying to cook to survive - are eating food that is much too dry. Sheet pan dinners are great - toss some chicken, chickpeas, and vegetables on a sheet pan with olive oil and spices and roast to your heart’s content, it’s a great dinner option. But serving oven-roasted protein and veggies alongside a carb or starch will result in mouth dryness and gumminess. Enter: the homemade yogurt sauce. More home cooks should be making sauces for their food, and there’s no easier sauce to make than a yogurt- based one. Just combine Greek yogurt, lemon juice, and salt, and bam, you’ve got a delicious sauce to drizzle over or dip your protein and vegetables into. Other great yogurt sauce combinations include: Greek yogurt + grated garlic + salt and pepper, or Greek yogurt + miso + black pepper. Get creative!
☆ Blending your friend groups ☆
Since moving to NYC, one surefire way I’ve been able to meet new people is by infiltrating the friend groups of my friends. I’m not doing this without their blessing of course - I’ve been lucky to have friends open up their friend groups to me with joy, inviting me to occasions in which it makes sense to allow people outside their inner sanctum. I don’t see the benefit in being rigid about friendship structures. Friendships are among the most fluid of relationships - friends come and go with greater quickness and ease (most of the time) than family and romantic partners. Whether you’re a member of a tight-knit friend group or the infiltrate-e - don’t be afraid to let the lines blur, if the person and group make sense.
ciao angels!
I love Alison Roman so much