It’s been a month since my last little roundup of F U N and I can’t even believe that it’s already Thanksgiving which means the year is basically over which is WILD.
I recently shot some videos with Gozney! They make killer pizza ovens and they’re so fun (and easy!) to use and the ovens themselves are gorgeous. I made a Chicago Deep-Dish Pizza AND roasted a chicken in the oven with roasted mashed potatoes and roast gravy. Check them out, they’re so fun!
With the holidays are coming up, I’m sure you need gift ideas and are currently being bombarded by gift guides from e v e r y o n e. Welp, I’m not different, although this list is fairly short and has just a few things that I love and (personally) would be stoked to receive.
(unless otherwise noted, none of these are affiliate links)
A subscription to FARIDEH IS THE BEST (aka this substack)! Subscribe someone that you love that loves cooking and recipes and watching a weirdo cook. Or gift it to yourself! You deserve it!! OR consider it a gift to ME! I’m a firm believer in paying people for their work, and dang, THIS IS A LOT OF WORK! So feel free to support me as a gift for everyone so that I can keep doing this next year.
Everyone needs socks. These from Philip Huang are so cute and made with sustainable plant-based and mineral dyes. I’ve also received socks from here before and these NASA ones are very cute (Mom: please buy for me).
Personally, I’ve been toying with the idea of getting a tabletop fire pit for my roof and this one from Williams-Sonoma looks cute, but idk, maybe I should get this one from Solo Stove which looks super rad. Thoughts?
Did you know that the reason that I even moved to NYC was to work at Saveur Magazine? I have almost every issue and was super bummed when they stopped printing issues during the pandemic. Well, that’s all about to change because Kat Craddock recently bought the publication and IS BRINGING PRINT BACK THIS SPRING (just in time for their 30th anniversary!). I love Saveur and have been doing some work with them again and it’s just so exciting and you should subscribe! Speaking of, I forgot to mention that I recently wrote about pumpkin spice for them and developed a pumpkin spice snickerdoodle recipe! The cookies are GOOD and you should definitely make them.
Get yourself a Gozney pizza oven! (that link IS an affiliate link, FYI…but I wouldn’t be recommending it if I didn’t truly believe that it is the best outdoor pizza oven on the market!) They’ve got a great sale right now on their Dome and Roccbox ovens, plus their accessories. It’s honestly never been a better time to get yourself a pizza oven, and then watch my videos and make my recipes using it! I’ve taken the Roccbox on (car) camping trips and tailgating and can confirm it roccs (sorry).
COOKBOOKS! They always make great gifts! You might remember that Jon Kung, Natasha Pickowicz, and James Park all did videos with me here to promote their cookbooks, so check those out. Other books I love and that you should buy (or gift): Yewande Kemolafe’s book, My Every Day Lagos; Yossy Arefi’s book, Snacking Cakes; any one of Andrea Nguyen’s many books on Vietnamese food; Ben Mims’ book, Sweet and Southern; the Win Son Cookbook from Trigg Brown, Josh Ku, and Cathy Erway; or Cook Real Hawai’i from Sheldon Simeon.
Highly recommend getting a puzzle — as a gift, or just to do with your friends and family while you watch movies.
And lastly, take some time to donate some money this holiday season (if you can!). Below are some places that I love to support. Comment below and let us know other places to donate this season.
Reading Partners (I've volunteered with these guys for the last 5 years teaching kids to read)
CHiPS (I also currently volunteer with them weekly in their kitchen)
I hope that you enjoy the holidays this year and take some time for yourself in all of the chaos. Read a book, eat some snacks, go on a walk, etc.
Thanks for being here and don’t forget to become a paid subscriber so that I can continue making fun recipes and videos for y’all in 2024.
Jingle bells!
Get yourself a solo stove (wood burning), burns through wood fast but that's what you need for social cooking engagements. I have the larger one but even the smaller one, keeps things cozy and smoke free for a wood experience.