The November Edit

Our monthly recommendations for what to wear, watch, read, and eat. Plus, the first Big Salad crossword puzzle and a winter care package.

Hi! We’d like to welcome you to The November Edit. This is our first monthly issue — completely free, for anyone who would like to read it — full of bits and bobs.

First off, how was your month? For Halloween, I dressed up as a bacon-egg-and-cheese breakfast sandwich.

cupofjo

A post shared by @cupofjo

And an old boyfriend texted to say, “You’re bringing sexy BEC,” haha.

We’ve been lucky enough to interview some really fun people for Big Salad — like comedian Phoebe Robinson and chef Natasha Pickowicz — and we also started a little goof-around podcast. It’s been fun to play with audio, since we’ve never done that before. My whole life, I’ve spoken really quickly, so I’ve been trying to take notes from This American Life host Ira Glass — he pauses so beautifully, even within sentences! (Did you ever hear this Ira Glass ring tone? I want it on my actual phone.) Earlier this week, on our podcast, I interviewed 10-year-old Anton, about the pep talk he gives himself every morning and the best soundtrack to play in a car full of kids. His scratchy voice is the sweetest — I got a little teary playing it back. And my hilarious, makeup-genius, TV-writer BFF Gemma will be on the podcast soon — did you know she has a blend of Australian, English, Irish, and American accents? As Ira Glass would say, everyone has a story..…….and Gemma’s story…..…is coming up next…………………please stay tuned.

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We asked the Cup of Jo team what they’ve enjoyed recently, and here goes…

1. Reading a buzzy novel: “I stayed up way too late reading Isle McElroy’s People Collide, a novel where a husband and wife wake up to realize they've switched bodies. The premise might seem goofy — like Freaky Friday — but the couple’s relationship is nuanced and surprising. The novel’s “naturalness and ease with the most fundamental questions of existence make it a big project knocking around in a small package,” wrote the New York Times. —

   Joanna Goddard
   , founder/editor

2. Listening to a funny podcast: “When I need a laugh, I always turn to Normal Gossip. Each episode retells a juicy story about ordinary people no one knows. The fifth season just launched, and I can’t get enough of the low-stakes drama.” —

   Kaitlyn Teer
   , newsletter editor

3. Eating breakfast toast: “I recently discovered Good Culture cottage cheese (I buy the whole milk kind and share it with my one-year-old) and I AM HOOKED. I spread two heaping spoonfuls on a toasted slice of Dave’s Killer Bread with a drizzle of Graza olive oil and a sprinkle of Trader Joe’s Everything But the Bagel seasoning. It feels decadent, even when I’m eating it over the sink because #momlife.” — Maureen Heffernan, partnerships director

4. Wearing a red lip: “I've been searching for the perfect brick red lipstick for years, and Kosas Weightless Lip Color in Deep Talk is it. The shade is rich and warm, and the formula feels like satin. I use it to polish up my daily uniform (a T-shirt and maternity leggings), and it instantly makes me feel chic. ” — Jannelle Sanchez, editor

Your turn! What are you into these days?

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The inaugural Big Salad crossword just dropped! The first three readers to reply to this email with correct answers will receive a winter care package with a Big Salad pen, a Sally Rooney novella, and Sézane heart socks.

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Earlier this month, we shared three date outfits inspired by movies and TV shows, then asked readers which they’d wear. It was a toss up between a leopard print skirt à la Sharon Horgan in Catastrophe and a comfy sweater like the one worn by Billy Crystal in When Harry Met Sally. The sweater won out by the sliiiightest margin.

If you’d like to wear a cozy sweater on nights in or out, here are three we like:

1. To channel Harry Burns, pair a cable-knit with grey joggers.

2. For that “stick of butter” monochrome, tuck a cream top into cream pants.

3. And wouldn’t you feel sexy wearing a slip skirt beneath a cropped sweater?

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“I cannot stress enough that the answer to life’s questions is often in people’s faces. Try putting your iPhones down once in a while, and look in people’s faces. People’s faces will tell you amazing things. Like if they are angry, or nauseous or asleep.”

— Amy Poehler

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We’ve been bookmarking the recipes in Big Salad issues. Which of these dishes would you most like to try at home?

1. Natasha Pickowicz: ”I brought this plum torte to Joanna’s house. It’s a NYT recipe by Marian Burros from the 1980s, and it’s their most re-published recipe ever. Probably because it’s so easy and so good.”

2. Samantha Irby: “I make the smitten kitchen digest mushroom marsala bake like every other week! Deb is a magician for real.”

3. Hopie Stockman Hill: “I adore Samin Nosrat as a human, a cook, and THE roast chicken authority. The thing I make most at home is her buttermilk chicken, the juiciest chicken that makes everyone happy.”

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Here are the links readers clicked on most in our first six issues:

1. This annoyingly sexist New York Times headline about a media strategist engaged to a law scholar.

2. A magical hair accessories shop in Paris where Becky Malinsky buys hair ties.

3. The game-changing $12 can opener that chef Natasha Pickowicz swears by.

4. A funny reel about English and French parenting differences.

5. The playlist that Hopie Stockman Hill and her sisters made for dinner parties — it’s upbeat, mellow, and exactly right for entertaining.

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From The Trees Witness Everything, via Poetry Is Not a Luxury.

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This month’s buzziest recommendation was, funnily enough, socks. “I LOVE a cherry red sock,” shared stylist Becky Malinsky. Says reader Kylie: “I’ve been spotting red socks on people — it feels like a Big Salad secret code, or maybe red socks have always been there and I’m only just noticing. Either way, delightful.”

Here are four good options:

1. Glitter Rib Crew, Gap ($5)

2. Slinky Ankle Socks, Madewell ($9.50)

3. Classic Cotton, Le Bon Shoppe ($12)

4. Cashmere Trouser Socks, J. Crew ($34.50)

Let’s show a little ankle!

(Note: If you buy something through our links, we may earn an affiliate commission or have a sponsored relationship with the brand, at no cost to you. We recommend only products we genuinely like. Thank you so much.)

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“I think there’s an important time in a woman's life when she stops trying to be sexy/pretty on Halloween and she starts dressing as pop culture characters. I didn't have fun with the holiday until I dressed like Doc Brown from Back to the Future. My friend Elizabeth went as the Empire Carpet Man (IYKYK) this year and she's my hero.” —

Claire Zulkey

on Hunter Harris’s Big Salad issue

In response to a

Colleen Crivello

essay we shared, called “11 Things I Learned About Dating in My 40s,” readers talked about how sex becomes better as people get older. “There’s a lot more experience and a lot less nervous fumbling,” said Kas. Replied Margaret: “Small sample survey of me and my friends: 💯🎉.” Wrote Hannah: “It is always better when everybody is more comfortable, right?”

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Our most popular posts on motherhood, design, style, food, travel, and relationships:

1. In Which I’ve Somehow Become a Sports Mom. This surprises no one more than myself. Plus, a

   Grace Farris
   comic and six words to tell your kids.

2. My Favorite Fall Outfits Are Black and White. Just add a red lip.

3. How to Be a Good Dinner Guest: Seven Rules.

   Jenny Rosenstrach
   has strong thoughts, and #2 was controversial!

4. The Beauty Products Celebrities Swear By. Editor Jannelle Sanchez put three products to the test and found a holy grail highlighter.

5. 12 Reader Comments on Books. A dozen great recommendations, including an audiobook that will make you laugh.

6. Do or Don’t: Randomly Stopping By Friends’ Houses. Do you stop by friends’ houses, and vice versa? Or does it sound like your nightmare?

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Hope your November is warm and cozy! Next week, I’ll be talking about my first dating experience after divorce. (Happy to say it has major rom-com vibes:) And later this month, we’ll send out the Big Salad gift guide, so email us with any quandaries.

Thank you so much for reading Big Salad. We’re so grateful you’re here. xoxo