The September Edit
Eight fall recommendations, including a gripping novel, a scent that smells like a walk in the woods, and a casual wedding dress.
Hi! How is your September going? We had fun celebrating Big Salad’s first birthday and published a few exciting issues, including:
the best thing a guy said to me on a date, plus our favorite issues from our first year, including home tours and a bookstore proposal
the parenting tip from Bess Kalb that I can’t stop thinking about
a giveaway of my 13 favorite things, including Sally Rooney’s new novel, the perfect shoes, and vegetable candles
Coming up this Friday, we’re chatting with my friend Gisela Gueiros about parenting twins and the best way to hang art at home. It’s going to be good!!!
We asked the Big Salad team and some friends about what they’ve enjoyed recently (and please share your recs in the comments)…
“When working from home, I couldn’t bear the jackhammering of a construction project across the street. So, I ordered the widely beloved loop earplugs, and they’ve saved my sanity.” — Joanna Goddard, Big Salad founder
“Also, this pine diffuser makes our apartment smell so good (alt caption: tell me you have teenage boys without telling me).” — Joanna
“Last week, I tried this butternut squash orzo salad, and HOLY MOSES is it good. It’s crunchy, tangy and sweet and full of nutrient-packed ingredients like kale and pumpkin seeds. Plus, with leftovers, you have lunch for the rest of the week. Pro tip: double the dressing.” — Jannelle Sanchez, Cup of Jo editor
“I like layering a jewel tone between earth tones — it reminds me of the flash of red or gold you see when a bird takes flight. This Jo Gordon hat keeps me warm as the days get colder, and my Mimi Berry bag is bright and cheerful.” — Erica Kim, professor
“Chelsea Bieker’s latest novel gripped me with its unforgettable opening: ‘The world is not made for mothers. Yet mothers made the world. The world is not made for children. Yet children are the future.’ And her depictions of early parenthood — like the gauntlet of bringing a toddler to the post office — ring so true.” — Kaitlyn Teer, Big Salad editor
“I am searching for a runner for my front hall, and I have 10 bookmarked on Kilim.com — I forgot what an amazing source it is for all kinds of rugs, from vintage to contemporary. The only reason I haven’t yet ordered one is that I love all the options too much.” — Jenny Rosenstrach, cookbook writer
“Rachel Antonoff’s clothes have a sense of humor. They’re fantasy-fulfillment garments that actually work in everyday life, especially if you are a children’s book author and comedy writer whose job is to delight small children while feeling cool.” — Bess Kalb of
“I bought this joke book for my toddler, and she loves reciting them over dinner. During circle time at school, she recently told one to her class: Why does Humpty Dumpty love autumn? He had a great fall!” — Maureen Heffernan, Cup of Jo partnerships director
A tour of Anne Helen Petersen’s book-filled cabin, from our anniversary recap.
This cotton sweater, which Bess Kalb always steals from her husband.
The perfect loafers from our giveaway of my favorite things.
What’s the Halloween scene where you live? We asked
about what’s changed since her move from the suburbs to a NYC high rise. “If you want to be a trick-or-treat apartment, you sign up in the building’s lobby,” she told us. “Then the kids in the building know which doorbells to ring as they go from floor to floor. The block we lived on when we were in the suburbs was famously fantastic for trick-or-treating. Kids came from all over to walk up and down our street — that was really fun, even when our kids were in college. Empty nesting has nothing to do with celebrating Halloween!” Here, our Big Salad team shares what candy we’re most looking forward to…
“I’m stocking up on Halloween Reese’s, like ghosts, witches, bats, you name it. The chocolate-peanut-butter combo is better without the ridges.” — Joanna
“Hershey's cookies 'n' creme bars. The minis taste better than the full-size ones, and I eat them by the handful.” — Jannelle
“Milky Way Midnight — I love that it’s dark chocolate, unlike most candy bars. I don't give them out to trick-or-treaters, but if I see the small ones I always buy them for myself.” — Jenny
What treats do you give out on Halloween? And what do you save for yourself?
After our interview with writer Bess Kalb, Sarah commented: “I want to wholeheartedly recommend her memoir, Nobody Will Tell You This But Me. I laughed, I cried, it lingered. It seems like a book this community would enjoy.”
On my post about the best thing a guy said to me on a date, Emily replied: “When I first met my husband, I wasn’t sure I wanted to date him (he was ‘too nice’), but then I read something on Cup of Jo about marrying the person you want to watch TV with — and it was like a lightbulb went off. I was like, that’s the dude I definitely want to watch TV with! We’ve now been married for seven years and have two kids.”
Finally, we received an astounding 3200+ comments on our giveaway of 13 favorite things. Said Lauren: “May the odds be ever in all of our favors (because I'm rooting for you, fellow Big Salad readers, as much as I’m rooting for me).“ Added Gabrielle, “Call us ‘The Croutons!’”
How Dreamy Is Simone Kitchens’s Santa Fe Wedding? Including her everyday uniform and the lamp that works in every home.
Four Ways I’ve Learned to Deepen Friendships, although the last one might be controversial.
Stella Blackmon Knows the Best Snack to Serve at Parties, plus the shoes she swears by for trips.
Very Low-Key Fall Checklist. Finding the best chocolate chip cookies, for one.
What Have CoJ Readers Taught You? My list is long…
My #1 Dating Rule and what I realized when I started dating after divorce.
5 Home Decor Ideas I Love, including the (surprising) big color for fall.
Four Fun Things, like the #1 question to ask men in your life.
Morning Cookies for the Backpack = a way to make weekday mornings easier.
(Opening photo by Laura Austin/Stocksy. 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 and use ourselves. Thank you so much.)
Thank you so much for reading Big Salad. We love having you here.
Without any evidence whatsoever, every time I go to place a library hold for a book recommended here and there are already multiple requests, I assume they're other CoJ readers who beat me to it. I think: "Okay, you cuties - you got there first. I respect that."
Can’t say I didn’t fan-girl, fat-thumbs-a-keyboard when I saw the mention and pitch for Croutons as this community name. 🫠