Hey Folks! Welcome to this month’s round-up. We hope you had a lovely Thanksgiving and are, like us, already entrenched in full-on holiday mode as December rolls around the bend. We both enjoyed very brief but lovely jaunts to our Old Kentucky Home for the holiday, and even if Zelda only spent 6 hours of actual Thanksgiving at home, and Scout an only slightly better 12, it still warmed our Southern hearts immensely to get a dose of family and old friends and the comforts of home (namely, beers from here and cookies from here). Now we find ourselves back in Brooklyn, where the temperatures have taken a distinct turn for the wintry, prompting us to bust out the layers and the hot chocolate mix. This past month has been a steady descent into the cozy, as we bundle up and hunker down for another New York winter, and December promises more of the same, with an extra dose of holiday cheer.
What We’re Doing: We dug a little deeper this month, exploring what it takes to become a true New Yorker and the truths we all hide as we pretend we have our shit together. This month was also about friendship, from the things you can only share once you get past the 10 minute mark with somebody you trust, to the joy of celebrating the holidays with friends who have become family. We also logged a lot of screen time, learning valuable life lessons from “Steel Magnolias” and rounding up some of our favorite Thanksgiving specials. And in Just Folks, we took a look back at what we’ve learned thus far, while adding new faces from Mississippi, Texas, and Georgia.
What We’re Listening To: Our November playlist went old-school, with some of our pre-1965 favorites to groove on through the stormy weather. From Ella, Billie, and Etta to Frank, Buddy, and Elvis, we picked some of our favorites from the greats, with a dash of Edith Piaf thrown in for flair and some Ink Spots and Al Bowlly to throw it really far back. And in other things we’re listening to, Zelda is one of the many folks to recently hop on the Serial bandwagon. We both tend to love anything Ira Glass does (including commencement speeches), and this new project out of WBEZ Chicago is, quite simply, awesome (not to mention incredibly addictive).
What We’re Watching: The holidays are a time for food, family, and television specials — check out our favorites here! Scout’s been enjoying some quality time with Netflix while she waits for a new job to begin. Into British period pieces with addictive soundtracks, amazing cinematography, and Cillian Murphy? Peaky Blinders is for you. (Two series, twelve episodes, an easy two-day watch.) Post-Apocalyptic sci-fi with a side of teenage angst more your speed? Scout’s addicted to The 100. (The first season is only 13 episodes, perfect for a weekend binge.)
What We’re Reading: We love this United States of Thanksgiving story from the New York Times, and we heartily agree with Chris Gadansky’s definition of a Kentucky Thanksgiving: “If Derby pie is missing? No one in Kentucky wants to live in that kind of world.” We also love this New Yorker review of our lady crush Amy Poehler’s new book and this delightful Love Actually guide to London, courtesy of Buzzfeed. This extremely helpful guide courtesy of Yes and Yes has us ready to face the winter, and this post over on the newly launched Sonima made us feel much better about our confused lives.
What We’re Drinking: Colder weather means hotter beverages, and we’ve been repping our hometown hardcore with the Good Earth blend from Hillbilly Tea and Kentucky Dream coffee from our friends at Heine Brothers (the latter is conveniently available for delivery right to your doorstep, wherever it may be). When the sun goes down and the party cups come out, we’ve been loving Southern brewery Westbrook’s Mexican Cake beer, which, as we discovered at Zelda’s house-warming party this month, pairs excellently with Ghirardelli brownies straight from the pan.
What We’re Eating: This month, we are all about these chai sugar cookies courtesy of our homegirl, T-Sweezy. Bakers gonna bake bake bake bake bake, y’all. And in a more festive vein, we’re loving Zelda’s pumpkin chiffon or, if you’re a pumpkin-hating weirdo (cough Scout cough), check out her list of pies that will spice up your Thanksgiving, or your life in general. (P.S. Want even more Zelda in your life? Check out her Guide to Hosting the Ultimate “Gilmore Girls” Thanksgiving over on Buzzfeed for a holiday menu fit for Stars Hollow!)
What’s On Our Wishlist: Glad you asked! To kick off December and all its festivities, we’re taking a break from our regularly scheduled programming next week to bring you the Official Z&S Holiday Gift Guide! Three days of awesome items found by us for you to give to all the special someones in your life. There’s cool Southern stuff, cool New York stuff, and just plain cool stuff. Check in Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and let the shopping begin!
Zelda & Scout 