The February Edit

What we watched, cooked, bought, and loved this month. Plus, Joanna's favorite things and four funny Australian TV shows.

Hi! How was your February? Although this month has been a comedy of errors for our family, we’ve published some of our favorite Big Salad issues yet:

• Abbey Nova’s jaw-dropping garden makeover

• a peek into Simone Kitchens’s charming Cleveland home

• Joanna’s Paris travel guide with two hyper-specific itineraries (and Airbnb recs)

• and, most recently, The Heartbreak Issue with novelist Dolly Alderton

Coming up this Friday, I’m sharing the outfit I’m planning to wear on first dates (I’d love your input!), plus six funny things I noticed on Hinge (it’s wild out there).

Finally, thank you to four wonderful publications that interviewed me this month: New York Magazine, Morning Person, Rich Text, and Passerby. I loved chatting!

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We asked our Big Salad team and friends about what they’ve enjoyed recently (and please share your recs in the comments)…

1. Wearing: “I wear pajama sets every night, and these are so lightweight and pretty. Also, how cute is this robe?” — Joanna Goddard, founder

2. Cooking: “I’m convinced that a classic three-bean chili is the best family dinner of all time. Always a crowdpleaser, one-pot, easy to customize. This is a vegetarian version, but I also like to make it with ground turkey.” — Jenny Rosenstrach, food columnist

3. Styling: “We have a whole drawer full of cloth napkins, and I love these Hay outline napkins.” — Simone Kitchens, journalist

4. Moisturizing: “I’ve tried every body lotion, and nothing beats this drugstore stuff, especially in the winter. Also, their Super Bowl commercial was really funny.” — Maureen Heffernan, partnerships director

5. Giving: “My friend gave me a tin of Louis Sherry chocolates, and it’s the best gift idea, ever. The artwork on the tins are made by designers like John Derian. Now I’ve repurposed mine as a jewelry box.” — Abbey Nova, design historian

6. Watching: “I’m watching Mr. and Mrs. Smith, and I’m hooked. No spoilers, please, because I haven’t seen the movie and genuinely have no idea how the show is going to end!” — Kaitlyn Teer, newsletter editor

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Question: I’m traveling to Miami for the first time this April, and I’d love some recommendations on things to do. Please tell me about your city! I want to cut through Google searches and go straight to your favorites. — Gina

Joanna’s answer: Oooh, fun question!!! I love Miami — we used to go for romantic getaways and stay at The Standard, which is off the main drag (so no fratty vibes) and has a giant pool that’s as warm as a bathtub. For dinner, the Mandolin Aegean Bistro feels like you’re in Greece. Plus, here’s what Big Salad readers had to say:

“Miami is famous for its Cuban sandwiches (bread filled with ham, roasted pork, Swiss cheese, pickles, and mustard, then pressed flat, hot and crisp). Years later, I still think about the sandwiches I had there.” — Jeanne [Ed. note: Here’s a guide to Miami’s best Cuban sandwiches.]

“For a beach day, I’d recommend grabbing picnic food at Rosetta Bakery. Española Way is a great spot for dinner (a pedestrian street with lights strung between palm tees). We stayed at The Plymouth and found it so charming.” — Rachel

What would you share? We’d love to hear more ideas!

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The links that Big Salad readers clicked on most this month:

1. This funny Taylor Swift/Travis Kelce video by author Tessa Bailey, whose romance novels are “five pepper emojis,” according to Abbey Nova.

2. The lamp that journalist Simone Kitchens says looks good in every home.

3. In our Paris travel guide, comedian Tatty Macleod shared the difference between French and English waiters.

4. The reality TV show that broke novelist Dolly Alderton’s heart.

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During our interview, English novelist Dolly Alderton shared her party strategy…

On setting the mood: First, I turn on low lighting and queue up a Motown playlist.

On food and drink: No starter besides crisps and olives, then a carb-y main, more wine than you’d think, and fabulous non-alcoholic options. Quite a few of my friends don’t drink, and it elevates the evening if there’s a proper non-alcoholic option. [Ed. note: We like these, recommended by

Catherine Newman

.]

Dessert: I usually set out chocolate bars, but last week, I served Nigella Lawson’s Iced Berries with Limoncello White Chocolate Sauce. You get frozen berries from the supermarket. Then you heat up double cream and white chocolate, and pour it over the frozen berries. The berries melt slightly, and it’s the most delicious thing you’ve eaten in your whole life.

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Big Salad issues have taken us all over — from Santa Fe to London to Paris. So, we’re wondering, where would you most like to go?

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Colin from Accounts

After Abbey Nova shared her love of the show Fisk, a slew of recommendations for Australian television followed, including Deadloch and Boy Swallows Universe. Says Amelia: “The first episode of Colin from Accounts is as perfect as a sitcom can be.” Laura wrote: “LOVED Offspring. I named my daughter Zara, wormed into my brain while watching that show,” and Cheryl adds, “I fell in love with this family and did not want them out of my life!”

Then, the following week, a reader named Rasheeda seconded Simone Kitchens’s appreciation for gentle TV: “I used to watch creepy shows — think Mindhunter and True Detective. But during pregnancy, I couldn’t take that kind of suspense and instead got obsessed with the British home reno show Grand Designs. That’s the shit I can deal with now: Will they go over budget? Can they make the curved windows? Will they build a house from larch wood?” Adds Georgina: “There’s an IG account called nocontextgranddesigns that shares quotes taken from the show out of context — it’s hilarious.”

nocontextgranddesigns

A post shared by @nocontextgranddesigns

(Opening photo by Farmgirl Flowers. Miami photo by Denys Kostyuchenko / Unsplash. Bryce Canyon photo by Drew Hays / Unsplash. 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.)

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1. This Colorful Family Home Is Filled with Books. Plus, two dogs and two cats.

2. A Week of Outfits: Jeanelle Teves. The Bugaboo executive talks about meaningful jewelry and fun workwear.

3. I Kept Wondering: Do I Drink Too Much? “A chicken recipe calls for a half cup of red wine, but you never have leftover wine,” writes

   Catherine Newman
   .

4. I Made My Husband the Hero of My Memoir; Then My Marriage Ended. You never know what’s happening in someone else’s relationship.

5. Four Fun Things. Including a four-ingredient pasta and a flower arranging trick.

6. What Clothes Make You Feel Sexy? Nine women share their go-to outfits.

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Thank you so much for reading Big Salad. We love having you here. Coming up in March, we’re asking three therapists everything we’ve ever wanted to know about therapy (send your burning questions here!), including do they have favorite patients, and if so, is it us?