Cynthia Nims: A Casual Culinary Chat About: Planning Social Gatherings.

Summary

The Joy of Cooking Podcast

Episode: Cynthia Nims: A Casual Culinary Chat About Planning Social Gatherings

Date: March 4, 2026
Host: The Joy of Creation Production House
Guests: Cynthia Nims (food writer & culinary consultant)
Hosts: John Becker, Megan Scott, Shannon Larson
Producer: Dirk Marshall

---

Episode Overview

This episode centers on celebrating social gatherings—how to plan them, make them memorable, and honor the culinary legacies woven through family recipes and traditions. Special guest, food writer, and cookbook author Cynthia Nims, joins the hosts to discuss everything from preserving family recipe boxes to practical hosting advice, reminiscing on beloved recipes and new traditions.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Kitchen Happenings, Culinary Memories, and Kitchen Tales

[00:38–10:09]

• The hosts share humorous kitchen tales, from John's "unhinged" hotel room service orders—“a comfort french fry addition, like your emotional support French fries” (John Becker, [02:09])—to Shannon's razor clamming adventure on the Washington coast and the joys (and challenges) of cleaning and cooking clams.
• Megan and John recount recent culinary travel highlights, such as unique cocktails at Bar Contra in NYC—including a “red hot poker” drink and a marigold flower-infused cocktail.

Notable Quote:
“I learned that it’s best to just stand back and let him spiral in that way than try to interfere because it’s just too frustrating. …We didn’t eat the french fries—they weren’t very crispy. The pizza was pretty good.”
—Megan Scott ([02:19])

---

2. Quick Recipe Spotlight

[07:36–08:32]

• Focus on the French Grated Carrot Salad from Joy of Cooking (p.125)—described as the “easiest, most delicious way of eating raw carrots.”

---

3. Guest Introduction: Cynthia Nims

[09:33–10:06]

• Cynthia is introduced, spotlighting her cookbooks ("Oysters", "Crab", "Shellfish", "Gourmet Game Night", "Salty Snacks") and Long Live the Recipe Box, a project devoted to preserving family recipe memories.

---

4. Cynthia’s Philosophy on Entertaining and Family Food Traditions

[10:09–16:01]

• Cynthia shares her recent menu for her sister’s birthday: classic deviled eggs (“nothing but … good Dijon mustard, a little bit of mayo … maybe a bit of pepper, and that's pretty much it”—Cynthia [10:46]), warm salmon-artichoke dip, and a homemade pear galette with caramel ice cream and caramel sauce.
• She discusses her approach to pastry: keeping dough simple, aiming for true browning, and the importance of trusting one's eyes and nose in baking.

Notable Quote:
“There’s nothing worse [than a pale, underbaked pastry]. So even myself, I’m like, Cynthia, just walk away. Five more minutes. Give it five more minutes.”
—Cynthia Nims ([14:40])

---

5. Personal Connections to the Joy of Cooking

[16:01–21:28]

• Cynthia owns four editions of Joy, including a 1946 copy—her mother’s first wedding present, now “well worn, well used,” with pages taped, recipes spattered, and cards added.
• The hosts reminisce on the tradition of taping and tucking in family recipes, turning the Joy into a hybrid recipe box and testament to culinary lineage.

---

6. The Long Live the Recipe Box Project

[21:28–29:41]

• Cynthia describes inheriting her mother’s accordion recipe file, which languished for years until “our fridge died and we had to reorganize everything”—prompting her deep dive and the “sparks of realization” about the stories and memories embedded in such collections ([23:35]).
• The project includes workshops, a newsletter, and live events, all aimed at helping others connect with their own kitchen histories.

Notable Quote:
“It took…our refrigerator died, and we had to reorganize everything…only then did I start to realize all the treasures, the memories that were in there, how valuable and touching it was to pick up a recipe card and know that my mom held it and she picked up a pencil and she had that piece of paper, and she wrote this down. So it’s a tangible thing I can hold…”
—Cynthia Nims ([23:54])

---

7. Why Family Recipe Collections Matter—And How To Use Them

[25:47–36:50]

• The conversation explores the meaning and modern value of handwritten recipes: as memory artifacts, aesthetic objects, and living guides for actual cooking.
• Hosts and Cynthia encourage reinterpreting retro recipes to suit contemporary tastes—embracing the story, updating ingredients, and, most importantly, sharing dishes (and their histories) with friends and loved ones.
• Ideas include framing cherished recipe cards, scanning them for digital preservation, or gifting handwritten copies to guests.

Notable Quotes:
“It’s the whole collection…at one point [my mom] thought, well, maybe someday I’ll make this banana pie with mini marshmallows. So, yeah, I tend to keep even the goofy recipes. …It definitely is a time capsule of different sort of…cooking times.”
—Cynthia Nims ([41:05])

“I love the idea of writing a little recipe card down and, like, offering that to your guests when you’re having a dinner party…”
—Shannon Larson ([36:50])

---

8. Practical Advice for Easy Social Gatherings

[45:04–52:12]

• The panel addresses a listener’s question: “I haven’t entertained much and I want to bring friends and new neighbors together but need ideas for a simple gathering. Every time I start, I get overwhelmed.”
• Strategies discussed:
  • Opt for make-ahead dishes (lasagna, baked pasta, shepherd’s pie, hearty soups)
  • Snack-based “grazing” tables (dips, cheeses, salumi, breads)
  • Build-your-own and “choose-your-own-adventure” meals (chili with toppings, baked potato bars, ramen, hot pot—though with proper rules!)
  • Outsourcing items (store-bought desserts, playlists, cocktails) to lower pressure

Notable Quotes:
“It doesn’t have to be perfect. It doesn’t have to be like Instagram worthy. …You can just put some like, yummy sweet and sour meatballs and some macadamia nuts and some pineapple and some coconut shrimp on the table. And everybody was so…And booze. And everybody was so happy.”
—Shannon Larson ([48:33])

“Let it be a really comfortable, casual evening … People sort of—their shoulders go down, they relax a little bit…”
—Cynthia Nims ([50:16])

---

9. This Week’s Joy Scouts Recipe: Roasted Mushroom Lasagna

[52:12–53:58]

• Highlighted as a perfect make-ahead, celebratory meal: “a honkin’ huge lasagna” (Megan Scott [52:43]).
• It’s a white lasagna with bechamel and roasted mushrooms, flexible for a variety of mushrooms and great for freezing and reheating.

---

10. What’s Everyone Cooking (and Excited About) Lately?

[54:59–57:46]

• Shannon: Grilled chicken & halloumi salad, Valentine’s Day cookies.
• Megan & John: Testing potato and Hatch chili chowder (with a tip about milk curdling from acidity in canned chilies).
• Cynthia: In “seafood mode” for events in Bellingham—“I’ll be eating a lot of delicious…oysters…just hanging out in Bellingham and enjoying that really, really cool city.”

---

11. Preserving Legacy, Generational Handwriting, and Recipe Humor

[37:31–43:32]

• The hosts and Cynthia muse on the evolving nature of handwritten recipe cards and cursive reading, share stories of humorous/retro recipe names ("Nippy Dip," "Marymount Frankfurters," [39:58–40:29]), and acknowledge the charm in “the fluffs and the jellied this and gelatin that.”

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the power of family recipes:
  “It’s a tangible thing I can hold. It literally connects me to my mom beyond even just the food and the memories.” —Cynthia Nims ([23:54])

• On easy hosting:
  “Choose one thing to outsource.” —Megan Scott ([49:22])

• On make-ahead meals:
  “Lasagna stays warm. Stays warm. You don't have to worry too much about it.” —Megan Scott ([45:58])

• On classic comfort food:
  “I'm so excited to go over on Friday night and eat, like, a bowl of classic chicken—whatever classic chicken is.” —Shannon Larson ([30:10])

---

Important Timestamps

• 00:38 – Opening banter; kitchen tales, room service ordering
• 03:45 – Razor clam foraging story
• 07:36 – Recipe spotlight: French grated carrot salad
• 09:33 – Cynthia Nims introduction
• 10:13 – Cynthia’s birthday dinner menu and philosophy
• 12:37 – Pastry dough tips: browning and flakiness
• 16:01 – Relationship with Joy of Cooking, cookbook legacies
• 21:28 – Long Live the Recipe Box: origins and mission
• 25:47 – The meaning of recipe boxes (artifact and food)
• 33:48 – Digital vs. analog recipes; value of handwritten cards
• 36:50 – Sharing recipes as party favors
• 45:04 – Listener question: simple gathering tips & planning
• 52:12 – Joy Scouts recipe of the week: Roasted Mushroom Lasagna
• 54:59 – Hosts’ cooking plans for the week
• 57:02 – Cynthia’s upcoming seafood adventure
• 57:55 – Cynthia’s links: Instagram, Substack, longlivetherecipebox.com

---

Ways to Connect with Cynthia Nims

• Instagram: @cynnims
• Newsletters: Seafood Savvy and Long Live the Recipe Box on Substack
• Website: longlivetherecipebox.com

---

Episode Takeaways

This episode warmly affirms that at the heart of all great gatherings—and culinary legacy—is connection: to place, to people, and to the past. Whether by updating an old recipe, outsourcing a task, or simply breaking bread over a pot of chili, the hosts and Cynthia remind us that hospitality needn’t be intimidating. Instead, it can be as simple as honoring the traditions we inherit, sharing stories, and—above all—having fun.

---

Next Week: The hosts will discuss all things cheese (episode 11 referenced). Listeners are encouraged to call in with kitchen questions or stories at 503-395-8858.

Transcript

[Cynthia Nims]

Sa.

[Shannon Larson]

Welcome to the Joy of Cooking podcast. Each week we set the table for a discussion about recipes and stories from the authors of the Joy of Cooking, Kitchen victories and misadventures, and what we're cooking and eating right now. We're glad you joined us at the table today. I'm Shannon Larson, home cook, Joy of Cooking user and fan and razor clam enthusiast.

[Megan Scott]

I'm Megan Scott, co Author of the 2019 edition of the Joy of Cooking. I'm a food editor by day and avoider of dish duty by night. And I am the proud owner of a giant cabbage.

[Shannon Larson]

Congratulations.

[Megan Scott]

Thank you.

[John Becker]

I'm John Becker, 4th Generation Co author and steward of the Joy of Cooking, America's oldest family run cookbook, and I cannot be trusted with a room service order.

[Megan Scott]

Facts.

[Dirk Marshall]

Yeah.

[Shannon Larson]

Was that too much?

[Megan Scott]

Tell them what you ordered.

[John Becker]

Well, I was just not familiar with the place we were ordering from, obviously because we were traveling. Was a pizza on the menu that, oh, this sounds. This sounds pretty good. Had no idea how many people it served. It could have been an individual pizza, could have been larger. Did not know. So we ordered that pizza, ordered a salad, and then that's when. That's when things started to go, oh, no astray. I was just like, oh, well, we should probably get a side of broccoli rabe.

[Megan Scott]

I mean, that was fine.

[John Becker]

That was fine. And then I was like, still, I'm not feeling like this is going to do what needs to be done, so whatever that means. So it was just put an order of fries on there. So it was just like a really unhinged order.

[Megan Scott]

A comfort french fry edition. Like your emotional support French fries.

[John Becker]

Exactly, yeah.

[Shannon Larson]

Did you get dessert too?

[Megan Scott]

No, no, that was it.

[Shannon Larson]

French fry dessert.

[Megan Scott]

I've learned that it's best to just stand back and let him spiral in that way than try to interfere because it's just too frustrating. And it was fine. We didn't eat the french fries. They weren't very crispy. The pizza was pretty good.

[John Becker]

I try to do do right by those french fries.

[Shannon Larson]

Well, but you ate your greens.

[Megan Scott]

We ate our greens. We had the broccoli. Rob.

[Cynthia Nims]

There you go.

[Megan Scott]

Did you eat razor clams recently?

[Shannon Larson]

Yeah, I finally went clamming for the first time after too many years here in the Pacific Northwest. Friends of mine rented a house on the Washington coast and a few of us, eight of us were up there and they've been clamming for years and years, and they said it was the best year they've ever had. Like, the weather was perfect, which Is crazy in January. And we got 91 razor clams. What for? Yeah, there was a lot, and we were, like, close to the limit a lot. And it was, like, super easy. We could have kept going, but we were like, this is plenty, and that's a lot of cleaning. But it was so fun. And our friends made the best clam chowder I've ever had in my life. And razor clams are really good. If you don't like clams. I just feel like I'm excited to talk to our guest about this. I feel like they're like meteor or like they're not fishy at all. They're so, so good. But the cleaning part is not my favorite.

[Megan Scott]

I don't think I've actually ever cleaned a razor clam.

[Dirk Marshall]

It's.

[Shannon Larson]

Once you get the hang of it, it's not bad, but catching them is really fun. It's hard work, but it's so fun. I want to go all the time now.

[Megan Scott]

Did you use the plun. The plunger thing?

[Shannon Larson]

Yeah. Clam gun is what it's called. And then we had, like, one person on the gun and one person ready to dig. And it was, like, really exciting when you got a whole one sometime accidentally crashed or cracked their shells or whatever. But I loved it. It was great.

[Megan Scott]

Did you try the salt thing?

[Shannon Larson]

No. We talked about it, and then we decided it felt a little bit like cheating and maybe like torture for them. So we went full on. We're just going to dig into wet sand for a couple of hours.

[John Becker]

But yeah, you don't want to season those clams when they're live.

[Shannon Larson]

It was so fun, though. I highly recommend anybody who's able to. To do that or has interest. It's also really fun if you're into mushroom hunting like I am, because you're looking for their little air bubble things. And so that was my job on the beach, was I was finding them and I was like, pointing them out to people so they.

[John Becker]

They would grab them for the gun operator.

[Shannon Larson]

For the gun operator and the digger. So we had, like, stations. It was perfect.

[Megan Scott]

Assembly line. Yes.

[Shannon Larson]

But I really loved it. Highly recommend.

[Megan Scott]

Fun.

[Shannon Larson]

Yeah, I want to do that next year.

[Megan Scott]

Next year?

[Cynthia Nims]

Yeah.

[Shannon Larson]

What about you two? You've been traveling a lot.

[Megan Scott]

Yeah, we've been gone. We were gone for 10 days, and I'm so glad to be home. Yeah, I'm so glad to not be eating out every meal. It gets old. I mean, it's n for a while and then it's really old and I'm getting Old and I can't do that anymore. It feels bad. But we had some really awesome food and I wanted to just talk about. I had a couple of really amazing cocktails in New York that were so fun. We went to a bar called Bar Contra and the reason we knew about it was because the. He's not the owner of the bar. Right. But he did the bar menu. I can't remember. Yeah, something. Someone we have been following for a really long time. Dave Arnold, who has a podcast called Cooking Issues. He is like a bartender extraordinaire and he has had a few different bars in New York and this is the latest one. But he's always doing really fun, interesting things with cocktails. And so they have on their menu a red hot poker drink. So it's like a. So back in the day, like hundreds of years ago, they used to have. They would. You would literally put a red hot poker in the fire until it was red, then plunge it into your drink like rum. Rum based punch to heat it up in the winter. And they have kind of a. I don't know what it's rigged to, but it's like an electric version of a red hot poker that they stick in your drink to heat it up. It was called the Bishop's Wife and it was like cognac and Demerara and Fernet Branca Menta. And it was so good. And it was also like 18 degrees in New York. So it was perfect cocktail. Yeah, 18 degrees, yeah. But that was an excellent one. And then I had one called the Marigold and it had nitro muddled marigold flowers in it. So they take liquid nitrogen and pour it over the marigold and then it freezes and they muddle it and then add the rest of the ingredients and it turns the drink this beautiful like sunset color. It was just a really cool experience. We sat at the bar so we could watch them. Yeah, it was, it was great.

[John Becker]

I had a great time there. Their non alcoholic stuff is on point as well.

[Megan Scott]

Yeah. What was your highlight from that trip?

[John Becker]

From the trip? Well, I don't know.

[Megan Scott]

Or what did you want to talk about? Sorry, I like, I like.

[John Becker]

In preparation, I wrote down everything we had and now I don't know what to choose first. But I think that the sneaker beverage hit that we had was like a. It's a Lumi tea, so it's black lime gets simmered for a while. I think he told us it was like half an hour, just simmered with some water. And then you, you add A sweetener, maybe honey, maybe. Maybe sugar. And. Yeah, just let it cool down. I mean, I'm sure it's definitely served warm, but this was ice, and it was really, really refreshing and delicious. And I can't wait to make it, you know, with.

[Megan Scott]

Yeah, we have a bunch of dried limes. I think that we haven't really been 100% sure how to use. Yeah, we'll try that. And then we didn't make our recipe of the week because we were. We were traveling. But it was the easy. It's one of the easiest recipes in the book. The French grated carrot salad on page 125. It's really just grated carrots and a little oil and lemon juice and Dijon, a pinch of sugar, a little bit of salt, and that's it. And it's the easiest, most delicious to me way of eating raw carrots.

[Shannon Larson]

And it's a good season for raw carrots, too. I love winter carrots.

[Megan Scott]

Oh, they're so good. Yeah. Although we're not doing the CSA this winter, like we have been, so we're not drowning in carrots.

[Shannon Larson]

We're not doing the winter csa. I was like, this is. There's just too many turnips, and I like turnips, but so many.

[Megan Scott]

And then the rutabagas and the. Yeah, there was a lot of that. So.

[Shannon Larson]

But I go to the farmer's market every other weekend.

[Megan Scott]

That's nice.

[Shannon Larson]

I'll get most of our veg from there.

[Megan Scott]

So. Yeah.

[Shannon Larson]

But, yeah, the carrots this year are great.

[Megan Scott]

But if you have a lot of carrots you want to use and you're not sure how to use them or you don't want to make something that's time consuming, the French grated carrot salad on page 125 is the perfect recipe to try. Hey, Joy of Cooking listeners, did you know the same family that taught America how to cook also taught California how to make world class Chardonnay. The same joy and passion for life that inspired Irma Rombauer to write the Joy of Cooking inspired her great nephew, Kerner Rombauer to establish Rombauer vineyards. Founded in 1980 in the Napa Valley. Rombauer has been producing acclaimed wines from California ever since. While they're famous for their iconic California Chardonnay, Rombauer crafts a diverse collection of delicious wines that bring joy to your table. Ready to taste the legacy? Visit rombauer.com joy or use code joypod. All caps for 15 off your order. That's R-O-M-B-A-U-E-R.com joy or code joypod all

[Dirk Marshall]

caps must be 21 to enjoy.

[Megan Scott]

This week, we would like to welcome Cynthia Nims to the table. Cynthia Nims is a food writer, culinary consultant, and lifelong Northwesterner. She has written several cookbooks, including Oysters, Crab, and Shellfish. Those are three separate books, Gourmet Game Night and Salty Snacks. Cynthia launched her latest project, Long Live the Recipe box, in late 2024, which is devoted to helping people preserve rich connection and memories through cherished recipe collections. Her newsletters, Seafood Savvy and Long Live the Recipe Box, are available on sumpstack. Welcome to the show, Cynthia.

[Cynthia Nims]

Thank you so much. It's awesome to be with you guys.

[Megan Scott]

What have you been cooking this week that you're excited about?

[Cynthia Nims]

Well, this weekend we celebrated my big sister's birthday here at the house. So just dinner at home, which always makes me happy. I just love the opportunity to celebrate around the table at home and sort of, you know, just create the kind of menu and experience that you really want to have. So that was fun. I started off with some sort of retro snacks for our sort of gathering and mingling part. Really super basic, but delicious deviled eggs, which you can hardly go wrong with literally nothing but. Well, I just add good Dijon mustard, a little bit of mayo to the right consistency, maybe, you know, a bit of pepper, and that's pretty much it. And those never last long. I remember once I was writing a recipe for deviled eggs. I think it's actually in one of these books. And when I got to the part about what the yield is, like, how many people does a dozen deviled eggs serves? And I'm like, one sometimes. It kind of just depends because there's. I just think it's really easy to eat deviled eggs.

[Megan Scott]

Yeah, absolutely. Yeah.

[Cynthia Nims]

And I also did a warm dip, like, you can never go wrong with a warm dip, like an artichoke kind of dip, right? With cheese and all that good stuff. And I added salmon to it. So of fun. And then my sister's request, I mean, and then we also had some dinner, too, but her request for dessert, you know, for the quote unquote birthday cake, was a galette. And she sort of let me left me open to decide what that would be. And being the season it is, I went with pears. And I just, you know, just a really simple pastry with a little extra butter for a little bit extra flakiness. I added literally nothing to the Bartlett pears. I just peeled them and laid Them in there in. In generous slices so they'd hold their shape more than sort of melting into each other. But served it with some homemade caramel ice cream.

[Shannon Larson]

Oh, my God.

[Megan Scott]

Oh, man.

[Cynthia Nims]

And then made a little caramel sauce to drizzle over. And I think there are a few things in life that make me happier than just the simplicity of a good caramel sauce.

[Megan Scott]

Yeah.

[Cynthia Nims]

So that was kind of fun. It was a fun way to sort of cap off that meal. And I've just not stopped thinking about the combination of pear and caramel this time of year. It was just super delightful.

[Megan Scott]

Do you have a Go to pastry dough recipe?

[Cynthia Nims]

It's just the one that I sort of picked up at cooking school. I can't tell you what it is right off the top of my head, but it's, you know, flour, butter, water. I skip the egg yolk. I mean, sometimes, you know, there'll be an egg yolk in a pastry, but I. I'm just. Yeah, it's just. I just keep it nice and simple.

[Megan Scott]

Do you have any. Do you do any tricks for getting flaky? Are you like a real flaky dough person, or do you get the butter a little smaller so it's more of. Not crumbly, but not as flaky?

[Cynthia Nims]

Like sandy kind of. Yeah. I think earlier on, I just thought that we were supposed to really blend it in thoroughly and get it to a sandy texture. And I think it's. In more recent years, honestly, from, you know, PI divas like Kate McDermottermot and stuff, who make us feel okay about having larger pieces of butter in the dough. And so I like to try to hit a happy medium where you feel like there's good distribution, but you see some nice pieces, and then you can, you know, I didn't do it this time, but you can sort of, you know, even just layer it up a few times instead of just rolling it out as. As we do, you sort of take a couple hints from the sort of puff pastry school and you can just layer it up a little bit, especially when there's larger chunks. And, yeah, I think it's just delightful. That simple combination can create something really delicious. And one of the things I'm really adamant about is keeping the pastry in the oven longer than I think a lot of people do. I want to see, like, honest to goodness brown on the full surface and not any hints of still any sort of just pale pastry, because that's what really assures both a crispiness and a flakiness. But also that the Bottom of the crust is likely gonna, not be, surprisingly, still a little soggy when you're.

[Megan Scott]

Yeah, no, no soggy bottoms.

[Cynthia Nims]

Yeah, exactly. There's nothing worse. And so I even. Even myself, I'm like, cynthia, just walk away. Five more minutes. Give it five more minutes.

[Shannon Larson]

I think that's something to remember, especially with baking and, like, desserts, people want to follow the recipe to a T most of the time. And it's like, trust your gut if you need to. Like, it's okay to, like, trust your eyes.

[Megan Scott]

Yeah. And I love. I like baking things a little dark, too. I just feel like the flavors, like, you get a little more of that. I guess it's not so much for, like, pastry dough is not really caramelization, but you get that browning reaction that just tastes delicious.

[Cynthia Nims]

It's a toastiness, for sure. And I think also it's trusting your nose a teeny bit, too. Like you. It smells different at that extra five to 10 minutes or whatever it might be. And I remember even again, sort of just evolving as a food writer, you know, I used to write, you know, bake until golden brown, and now golden brown isn't enough for me. You know, I want it, you know, bake until deep brown and, you know, rich brown, and. And I. I have never been disappointed. I have never wished that I cooked it less. So that was kind of part of the fun of that galette was just, again, super simple things, but done with just a little extra thyme, a little extra butter, a little extra caramel, and it all was pretty delicious.

[Megan Scott]

And one thing we ask all of our guests, what is your relationship with the Joy of Cooking?

[Cynthia Nims]

I have sort of, I guess, multiple sort of versions of that. I have four copies of the Joy of Cooking. The oldest of them is a 1946 issue of the book that was my mom's. And in the front of it, she wrote later in life. I don't think she wrote it at the time that they got it, but later in life, she wrote that it was the first wedding present she and my dad were given when they got married. So that's a treasure. And there is no binding on it at all. There is some hunks of the threads are still attaching parts of the sections together. It's well worn, well used. There are the appropriately spattered pages around the pies. And the upside down cake got a lot of views. And like many old, beloved cookbooks, especially, I think Joy mom also taped recipes on the inside and back, you know, front and back inside covers. So she made it Sort of a recipe box too, almost by adding other recipes to it. So I think that's, you know, I just love everything about all of those things about that particular book. And I think that's such an interesting testament to certainly not just in my mom's kitchen. I know this is true in a lot of people's kitchen, that the Joy was such a go to and has been such a go to cookbook that if we have other recipes we love, we might as well put them in Joy because it's already right there and we're already pulling it off the shelf all the time anyway. So let's add these other things that we got from that magazine or a new recipe card someone gave us. So, so that's fun. And then, you know, the little free libraries around town. One day on a walk. My prize for going on a walk one day was finding a copy of the 1951 edition that was. Was in pristine condition. So that was. I'm like, who would have parted with that? And I love that it's in such great shape, but I almost wish that it was sort of mucky in some areas. And I knew, you know, I could tell sort of what the previous owners had really loved cooking from that. I have a 1975 edition that actually my husband got from his mom in the 80s. So that's kind of interesting. And that's a nice, like, part of his, you know, his mom is a great cook and my husband's not much of a cook, but it was her part of her sort of kitchen legacy was giving a copy. And then, of course, I have one of yours. I was down in Portland shortly after it was released and got a copy of the 2019 at one of the events in Portland. So I've got a bunch. As a food writer, I have long treasured Joy as a resource and a sort of a reference, whether it's for something that, you know, I want to cook. It's like, oh, you know, I haven't made a, I don't know, particular kind of stew in a while, and I'll just go get. Get some ideas or when I'm doing research like I did recently, I mean, I'm. I just live a retro life. I'm always, always looking for sort of some of these beloved recipes. And I was writing about tuna noodle casserole a few months ago, and so I, I compared the older, like, 1946 maybe version, and you're. You had a. An older, slight, you know, updated one with some, you know, sort of commentary about changes in the 2019. So I love it for. I don't know, it's just a wealth of information, ideas, and inspirations.

[John Becker]

That's quite a. Quite a few.

[Megan Scott]

Yeah.

[John Becker]

No, I think four copies is definitely above and beyond.

[Megan Scott]

Yeah. And I love. I love the one. I do love the ones, too, where people have stuck other recipe cards or just handwritten recipes in there or things they clipped out of magazines or newspapers.

[Cynthia Nims]

Yeah.

[John Becker]

I actually came across, like, on my phone, I came across a picture of a 1943 edition that we. We had found, like, at a beach house that. That was completely. I mean, like. Like yours. Binding was completely gone. And this person had. I mean, it was more than a recipe box. It was. There were more clipped things than. I think there were pages in the book. And it was all held together with, like, and, you know, a struggling hair tie,

[Cynthia Nims]

an overburdened hair tie trying to hold it all together. That's great.

[Megan Scott]

You know, we're big fans of Rombauer Vineyards. They're sponsoring today's episode, actually. But honestly, their wines are fantastic, with so many joy of cooking dishes. My current favorite is their Sauvignon Blanc with our Khao Soi Gai recipe. That bright, crisp wine cuts right through the richness of the curry. It's perfect.

[John Becker]

Oh, absolutely. Being Oregonians, we take our Pinot seriously. We're excited about their new Pinot Noir, which pairs beautifully with our chicken jambalaya. The wine has enough body to stand up to all those bold creole flavors.

[Megan Scott]

If you want to try these pairings yourself, head to ronbauer.com joy or use code joypod all caps for 15% off. That's R O M B-A-U-E-R.com joy or

[Dirk Marshall]

code joypod all caps must be 21 to enjoy.

[John Becker]

Speaking of people collecting things in their joy of cooking, could you run us through the Long Live the Recipe Box project? What inspired you to start it?

[Cynthia Nims]

Sure. There's a couple of different sort of stages of evolution in this project. It officially started, like you mentioned earlier, at the end of 2024, when I sort of decided that this was a thing and I was going to give it a name. And that's the. That's when Long Live the Recipe Box really started. But, you know, it truly goes back to being a kid growing up in a kitchen with a mom who loved to cook and my older sister loved to cook. So we spent a lot of time cooking. So I just, you know, was ingrained with the joy of. The joy of spending time in the kitchen. I kind of appreciated it when I was a kid, but I didn't realize how important it was until much later in life. And my. My mom passed away in 2001, and because I'm the food kid in the family, of course, I. I brought home my mom's. She had a big accordion folder that was made for recipes. So, you know, it was upright, and it had sections for all the different, you know, types of recipes. And that was a fixture in the kitchen. She really didn't have very many cookbooks, so she had joy. She had the. The New Better Homes and Gardens cookbook. She had one cookbook of, like, recipes for Navy wives or something like a military family. And then she had this big folder. So I remember that so, so well. But when I brought it home after my mom passed away, I just put it up on a shelf. I put it on a shelf above the fridge in the kitchen. I didn't think about it for a while. I thought of it. I mean, I cherished it. I thought of it as a memento of hers, and it represented her in her life. But it didn't occur to me how much of my life and, you know, how many memories and treasures were in there that I could really appreciate. It took, you know, like, our refrigerator died, and we had to reorganize everything around it. So I took the folder down, put it on the kitchen table, and I finally looked into it. And only then, this is like, maybe 2017ish, 16, 17. Only then did I start to realize all the treasures, the memories that were in there, how valuable and touching it was to pick up a recipe card and know that my mom held it and she picked up a pencil and she had that piece of paper, and she wrote this down. So it's a tangible thing I can hold. It literally connects me to my mom beyond even just the food and the memories, you know, the recipe that's on there. So fast forward, I started doing some workshops, and because I wanted to share this with people, I wanted people to not just leave these treasures gathering dust on the shelf so that they could, you know, realize all the value that's in there and the beautiful things that they can share with their family and friends. And so I started doing workshops, which was super fun. And then it just sort of evolved. And over time, like, what more can I do beyond the workshops? And I don't know. And it's just taking on. I. You know, I kind of feel like it's taking on a life of its own. Like, I'm along for the ride to see where this goes. Because I'm not sure what all this project is going to be. I do, as you mentioned, I do have a newsletter. I've done some really interesting, like, talks lately and events at stores or I did an event at a museum this fall, like Thanksgiving weekend, talking with people about treasured recipes. And there's just so many interesting ways to connect with people about this topic. And I get extraordinary satisfaction from all the conversations, hearing other people's stories at the events. People bring cherished family, you know, cookbooks or notebooks that have handwritten recipes in them or any number of things in the. It's such rich conversation material. The stories that get shared, it's. It's just. It's super rewarding. And I have yet to know exactly what all is going to come of it. But I can't say how much I enjoy just helping encourage other people to do this and seeing sparks of realization when they start to really put the pieces together and realize how much more is in there than just a list of ingredients and what to do with them.

[Megan Scott]

As you're talking to people about these recipe boxes and recipe cards, are you finding that people want to appreciate them as. As an object and the memories that they have or are people are also starting to cook with them?

[Cynthia Nims]

Yeah, I think that's an interesting point. It can be a little bit of both. Sometimes it's more of the physical artifact, the memory that that holds. And there's some interesting ways to preserve that beyond the cooking of whatever's on the recipe card or piece of paper, scrap, whatever it is. And that can be, you know, any number of things. People I've seen, I've known people, especially if it's one that's got the particularly beautiful. Like, it's a really great example of mom's beautiful handwriting. And that's a favorite recipe. I've known people to like, blow it up and have it framed and it becomes a, you know, something that they hang in their kitchen. There are ways to sort of print them. I mean, you can print them on an apron or, you know, kitchen towels or different things or certainly even. I mean, it is as much as the physical piece is wonderful, and I hope people hold them for as long as possible. It's obviously really great jobs to scan them and have a digital version 2 for longer preservation. And then you can also potentially use it for other things, other projects or, you know, I can. I can imagine, you know, if you've got a lovely, cool recipe that's beautiful, a picture of the person. And you could almost do sort of collage art pieces with some of that, too. So the physical recipe itself, I think, is really valuable. And cooking it, I think, is a big part of keeping the stories alive. Having the memory from looking at it is great, but that's sort of a connection that the people most familiar with that person are going to have. But I think we get to have a sort of ripple effect with those memories and the love of these different foods when we share those dishes with other people and have friends over and, you know, make a dish and say, oh, hey, this is something I remember when I was a kid and. Or it's a. Like, there's this chili con queso my mom made for. It. Seems like every single gathering they had at the house. Nothing really outlandish. You know, tomato, onion, chilies originally, you know, diced chilies in a can, add some cheese, get out some Fritos, and I. I'm really thrilled that I have my mom's copper chafing dish that she originally served that in. So when I serve that to friends, I get to share that story with them and share a little bit of my mom. So I think beyond just having the recipe, keeping it alive with the cooking of them, which brings up a whole bunch of other sort of little details. Like, sometimes you want to update the recipe because it originally called for jarred cheese, or certainly olio.

[John Becker]

Yeah, olio was on the tip of my tongue.

[Cynthia Nims]

Yeah. And, you know, there's, you know, certain ingredients we aren't quite as fond of using these days or just different cooking styles or, like, I don't like sweet stuff as much. I mean, a lot of us don't like sweet stuff as much as, you know, 50 years ago. And then our palates are all different, too. So I think it's really. I like to encourage people to preserve the memory and the connection, but to feel free to make adjustments so that they'll really want to cook it today. Because it's. To me, it's a little more important that the story and the connection be preserved in an active way, you know, by cooking and sharing the dish, rather than feeling like, again, it's just an artifact. It's that weird old recipe I'm never going to want to make again, and just leaving it on the shelf. And unfortunately, that means sort of those stories and memories gather dust, too.

[Megan Scott]

Right.

[Shannon Larson]

It's so funny. I actually had. This is just clicking. I had a friend reach out to me yesterday, and he was like, do you want to come over for dinner? On Friday. And I was like, yeah, let's hang out. Usually, like, when we get together with friends, we kind of go all out with meals, I feel like. And he's just making this thing called classic chicken, which is his favorite meal that his parents always. I think it's like, canned Campbell's soup and boiled chicken and, like, maybe frozen broccoli. And I am so excited to go over on Friday night and eat, like, a bowl of class.

[Megan Scott]

Whatever classic chicken is.

[Shannon Larson]

Like, I'm actually really excited. It's not, like, fancy. It's not going to be a lot of work after, you know, a week of him traveling for work. It's just like comfort food and, like, card games. And I'm, you know, it's just like, it's. We don't have to think too much. It's just an excuse to hang out with each other.

[Cynthia Nims]

Right?

[Shannon Larson]

Like, and it's beautiful because it's his family's classic chicken. I'll report back.

[Megan Scott]

Yeah, tell me. I want to know more about classic chicken.

[John Becker]

I want to know. I want to know what classic chickens.

[Cynthia Nims]

Definitely. Share, share. And I think. And I hope he will want to share the recipe and the story, too, and feel like that's part of it and not just. I mean, again, the dish is probably going to be lovely and satisfying and comforting and the perfect thing with games. But I think it's the stories that are great. One of the regrets I have, I mean, I did have a lot of time cooking with my mom, and I got a lot of just love of food and all that entertaining from her. But the one thing I regret is that it never occurred to me in my twenties. Ish. Even when I did start to appreciate food and care more about, it didn't occur to me to sit down with her and ask her questions or cook some of these things together again and, you know, ask her a little bit about who she got it from or. I have a recipe of her banana. Her banana bread. The beloved banana bread she made a million times is called, in her handwriting, Helen's Banana Bread. And I don't know who Helen is, so it's kind of, you know, it can be fun to have little histories like that. I've asked my sister. Nobody else knows who exactly that particular Helen was. And it's not the end of the world. It's still a great banana bread. And I. It's not all that awful to not know. But I want to encourage people to avoid the regret by having the conversations, asking the questions, cooking really beloved recipes with the Source when you can. And yet to get this, the information around, behind, under, around, you know, the recipe too, because that just adds that much more richness to the connection.

[Megan Scott]

I feel like we've had a few. Well, we've had at least two people on our podcast this past year who have actually co authored cookbooks with a parent. There is the Korean cookbook Uma, and then there was Heartland Masala. So the first was a mother daughter team and the second was a mother son team. And then, which I love so much because it's like they're getting to do that in real time and actually share. They're preserving it for themselves, but also sharing it with everyone else. And then I recently came across a cookbook at Vivian here in Portland, a little cookbook shop. And I'll see if I can show it to you. But it's called what's Cooking Good Looking? It's a self.

[Cynthia Nims]

Love the title.

[Megan Scott]

It's a self published cookbook. It's spiral bound. It has these beautiful risograph images or prints in it. Like it's based on this woman's grandmother's recipes and her recipe box and recipe cards. And there's a beautiful photo of, if I can find it, all her recipe cards laid out on a table. But she tested all the recipes and they're printed and it's beautiful and it's just like such an amazing heirloom. And she talks in the book about how it's, you know, it's really, the book is for her family, but she's also selling copies of it and it's just a lovely project. So I think people, I don't know if there's a trend in people wanting to learn from their family or parents or grandparents and like, share the recipes that they grew up loving.

[Cynthia Nims]

Yeah, I think so. I think so, for sure. And it's kind of interesting, the, you know, the digital overload and sort of the return to analog thing that is that we're in the midst of or

[Megan Scott]

I hope that is. I hope that is a thing that continues. It needs to. I, I was just thinking about earlier when I was planning the questions for this episode. You know, like thinking about Internet, the endlessness of Internet recipes and how that's only kind of ballooning right now with AI. What does the recipe box have to offer in that kind of environment?

[Shannon Larson]

Right.

[Cynthia Nims]

Yeah, this comes up quite a lot. And I too go to the Internet for, you know, recipe ideas and, you know, hit the apps and all of that. So I, I'm not, I have no Delusions that the recipe box is going to be the only thing we cook from, you know, anytime soon. What I see and I, what I am super enthusiastic about is that this is a complement to that. It's all those other recipes, the, you know, the AI searches, the apps, the, you know, our online. There's a lot of digital cookbooks that people can sort of craft their own sort of online digital cookbook. Those are all super practical, great ways to get, you know, ideas for, you know, dinners and trying new ingredients, all that kind of stuff. But I don't think there's a deep connection with those things. Right. Until you find that really great recipe that becomes the one your friends always want when they come over. So those recipes can turn into, you know, quote, unquote, recipe box recipes. At whatever point, there's a connection, there's a story, there's some deeper value to it besides simply providing you with something interesting to cook tomorrow night or next weekend or whatever you're looking for. So that's where I feel like the recipe box comes in. It's the subset of things that we cook and want to eat that, you know, again, there's connection, there's stories, there's memories. And I, I keep having to remind myself of, of this too. I speak a lot about my mom. I speak a lot about these older recipes. This could also be from last week. It could be from your trip to the coast. It probably should be. You should get that razor clap recipe right.

[Shannon Larson]

Chowder was fantastic.

[Cynthia Nims]

Yeah. And see, I think that's, I think it's a, it's a dynamic, ongoing thing too. It's, it's remembering to stop for a second when you have. Maybe it's even something you've made a bajillion times. It's the thing your friends always want or your family is always looking forward to. Do they have a copy of it? Do they? Have you shared that with them? I think sometimes when we have people over, you know, make a little recipe card for everybody for, you know, like one of the things you're serving and encourage them to take it home. And I think it's capturing those moments still today, too, which can be recipes from anywhere. You know, it doesn't always have to be. It certainly doesn't have to be family, just family. It can be friends, neighbors, colleagues. Again, it can be from last week or 50 years ago. All about the things that spark some, you know, value beyond just putting something on the table to eat.

[Shannon Larson]

I love the idea of writing a little recipe card down and like, Offering that to your guests when you're having a dinner party or something in your hand handwriting.

[Megan Scott]

Yes. It has to be handwritten.

[Dirk Marshall]

Right.

[Megan Scott]

So cute.

[Cynthia Nims]

Yeah. In terms of sort of the generational interest in. In some of these handwritten and analog things, I have heard more than a few times people being at, say, like, a wedding or a wedding shower in recent years, where the guests have been told to bring a recipe card in and that it must be handwritten and that so that there's going to be a compilation of recipes that. That this new couple has. And I just. That just warms my heart to no end. So there is definitely interest in this.

[John Becker]

You know, a few years ago, I scanned. So my. My grandmother Betty, the Pacific Northwest side of the family, she had a bunch of, like, recipe files and file boxes and was very diligent about, like, actually, you know, she would type them out. Some of them were handwritten, some of them were typed. She would give sources, and, you know, I'd see, like, very good, like, vg. Like, as, you know, that was like, her wave.

[Megan Scott]

You're marking her favorite ones.

[John Becker]

You're marking her favorite ones. I remember going through those, and there's something very meaningful about actually flipping through them. Whereas, you know, I have them all in Evernote, and I've actually shared them with my mother, with my aunts and uncles. And, you know, I don't think that it's really stuck with them that, like, they're available to even search. I mean, it's like, OCR'd and everything, so.

[Megan Scott]

Well, I think we, like, we are of a generation where we're used to, like, looking for things on a computer, but they may not be. I remember this from the time we tried to create a Google Calendar and share it with your mom. And it was like, this is not working. We need to just do the analog calendar. I think the analog recipe card is. Yeah, that's what part of what makes it special.

[John Becker]

Well, she finally got a handle on Google Calendars.

[Megan Scott]

Did your family do recipe cards, Shannon?

[Shannon Larson]

Yeah, my grandmother did, for sure. My mom has them now, and I remember just looking at them all the time, and she would sometimes, like, put them up on her refrigerator, the ones that she was gonna cook that week or whatever. And I have magnets that used to be on her refrigerator that would hold those recipe cards. And I remember being young and just admiring her handwriting. Cause I was kind of a nerdy child growing up and loved handwriting class, and I love it. But, you know, sometimes I worry that, like, my nieces and nephews Won't be able to read it because they aren't being taught cursive.

[Megan Scott]

Oh, yeah.

[Shannon Larson]

I mean, like, oh, no. So I don't know. I need to figure that out.

[Megan Scott]

It was really interesting to. So I went through my great grandmother's recipe cards last fall. My grandmother has them still. And I took photos of a bunch of them. But what was really interesting to me was to see her handwriting evolve. Like, as she got older, it changed. You know, her handwriting changed, and I could kind of tell what era each recipe was from. And she would write in the corner who the recipe was from. And I think most of them were from church ladies, her church ladies, her Sunday school group. And I don't know, it was just, like, so cool to see her handwriting.

[Shannon Larson]

And, you know, it's so special, right?

[Megan Scott]

Yeah, it feels really special.

[Shannon Larson]

It is.

[Cynthia Nims]

Yeah.

[John Becker]

So also, another thing that I was actually going through the scans of Betty's recipe cards. A lot of these things I never. I never tasted. And there were definitely some that were just, like, really funny, like, out of context. Like, there was a blue cheese dip called Nippy Dip and this weird smothered hot dog dish called Marymount Frankfurters. And I was just wondering, like, how many kind of humorous, like, I would never make this type things that you've run into during. During these workshops and if any. Any of them, like, kind of, like, stick out to you.

[Cynthia Nims]

Oh, yeah. Well, even in my mom's folder, I can't think of anything specific from, like, the workshops that people have brought. But I. Even in my mom's folder, which is like, it's just packed with stuff. I can't bring myself to throw away. The recipes that she clipped out of a magazine that start with banana pudding or banana, probably pudding, and have mini marshmallows and stuff in it that I don't even remember she ever made, but. And I certainly am not going to be making it, but I have a hard time throwing those things away.

[Megan Scott]

It's a little time capsule.

[Cynthia Nims]

Yeah, it's a time capsule. And to me, it's the whole collection sort of represents her to some degree because she at one point thought, well, maybe someday I'll make this banana pie with mini marshmallows. So, yeah, I tend to keep even the goofy recipes. I'm trying to think of any that I can remember that have a funny name. And sadly, I think all of the ones that I can think of right now are just very practical names. Yeah, I mean, I think it's kind of funny the, you know, the fluffs and the, like, you don't. It could be anything. It's like something that has, you know, whipped cream or mayonnaise or any number of things. And all the gelat, you know, the

[Megan Scott]

mini version, so much gelatin.

[Cynthia Nims]

Jiggly this and gelatin that. And. Yeah, I can't. Yeah, there's a lot of wacky stuff in there. It definitely is a time capsule of different sort of, you know, cooking times. Yeah. Yeah, I did. It's. Speaking of jello, it's kind of funny. I. There's one recipe card that, you know, that time when I sat down, really, and looked at it for the first time for many years, I pulled it out, and it was a jello thing mom used to make a lot, and I had a visceral reaction. I could literally taste it. And thankfully, it wasn't one that had too much goofy stuff in it, aside from the fact that, you know, I mean, it did start with jello, but it had spices in it, so it had warm spices like cinnamon and nutmeg and applesauce and chopped nuts.

[Megan Scott]

Okay, interesting. I don't know that one. I thought I knew every gelatin based. I grew up in the south, so there's a lot of jello.

[Cynthia Nims]

Yeah, yeah. And it actually had pine. Crushed pineapple originally, but I'm not a big pineapple fan, so for the first time in, like, 50 years, I tasted it at Thanksgiving because I made it for the first time forever and ever and made my family eat it too. And it was really actually pretty good.

[John Becker]

Made by family.

[Cynthia Nims]

Hilarious. I think it's hilarious that it just calls for red jello because the flavors don't really matter.

[Shannon Larson]

Usually you're like, what?

[Cynthia Nims]

So I picked cherry, and I found some really good applesauce that wasn't sweetened. So it sort of. It helped sort of temper the fact that Jell O is kind of sweet out of the box. And it was actually super fun. It was really touching to make that again and serve it to the family. And, you know, it's the first time I've had Jell O in a while.

[Megan Scott]

Your annual Jell.

[Dirk Marshall]

Oh, hello. I just wanted to take a moment to tell you about an easy way to enhance your meals. Whether they are a healthy vegan grain bowl or that late night snack we'll pretend didn't happen the next day. And that easy way is Marshall's haute sauce. For 15 years, chef and cookbook author Sarah Marshall has been hand making and bottling these delicious sauces. She works directly with local farmers and highlights the lovely flavors of Fresh seasonal produce. They're gluten free. There are no additives, dyes, waxes or binders. And they have mouth watering combinations like serrano ginger, lemongrass or habanero carrot curry or even whiskey smoked ghost which was featured on Hot Ones. So head on over to marshallshot sauce.com that's Marshalls H A U T E S-A-U C E.com and see all the available sauces and spice blends. Oh, that's right. Sarah's created spice packets by dehydrating and freeze drying actual produce so you can impart flavor to your food with more vegetables. But that's a story for another day. Find all of these delicious creations@marshallshot Sauce.com and enter Haute Joy. That's one word. Capital H A U T E capital J.J. o Y one word at checkout for 20% off. That's haute joy at checkout for 20% off. And now back to the show.

[Megan Scott]

Every week we answer a caller question and this week we are talking about easy entertaining. Dirk, could you please read the question?

[Dirk Marshall]

I haven't entertained much and I want to bring my friends and new neighbors together, but needed ideas for a simple gathering. Every time I start, I get overwhelmed.

[Megan Scott]

Fair. So do we. Honestly, sometimes I feel like we have, we might have different strategies for having people over in what we're cooking. What's your strategy?

[John Becker]

Jello. I mean it's make ahead. No, honestly, make, make ahead. Things are, are definitely my, my per, my preferred strategy.

[Megan Scott]

Then we have the same strategy. Sorry, I don't know what I was thinking.

[John Becker]

Yeah, what were you thinking? You know me, I don't, I don't know. I mean, I feel like the first thing that comes to mind is like really low effort stuff. Like just, you know, grazing stuff. You know, dips, cheeses, salumi, breads, fruits. I mean that's, that's like the most low effort thing I can think of.

[Megan Scott]

Yeah, well, I mean, I was thinking of. So when I was thinking of this question, I was like, okay, what, what is a main that could be made ahead of time basically and just pop it out of the oven. And we both thought of lasagna because. Or some kind of baked pasta, because it is. I mean you can basically prep it all ahead, stick it in the oven like an hour before people are going to show up. It retains heat. So. Well, lasagna stays warm. Stays warm. You don't have to worry too much about it. But also like, I was also thinking about choose your own adventure kind of dinners. Like I think Shannon, you like to make chili and have like all the toppings. Yeah. And that's really easy and fun. And everybody ramen too. Yeah, ramen is great. But yeah, getting to pick, having one thing that you get to pick your toppings and customize is really fun and easy. So like, chili is great. Or like a baked potato bar or something which you could make. Also make chili for amazing. Or. This is. So this is a little, this idea is a little more advanced. Not in that it's difficult, it's actually quite easy. But just in terms of the serving process. Hot pot is really fun to serve to guests, but you kind of have to be. You kind of have to give everyone a lowdown of how it works. Like you can't be.

[John Becker]

And my mom cannot be invited.

[Megan Scott]

Yeah, John's mom.

[Cynthia Nims]

Oh, yeah.

[Shannon Larson]

She doesn't know how to, how to do that.

[Megan Scott]

Well, it's like gently dropping the food into the hot pot, the boiling liquid, not launching it from outer space into the boiling liquid. So. But yeah, you can't be using your personal chopsticks that you've eaten off of to like dig around in the hot pot. There's rules to hot pot, but it's very easy because you can just buy, you can buy a pre made flavor pouch and add it to some stock and then just get whatever veggies and proteins you want and have them chopped up and around and everyone cooks their own food. Which I think is a clever way to get out of cooking for a crowd.

[Shannon Larson]

You cook it, you do your own work. I will have to say I just did a. I got a bunch of neighbors together at my house a couple of weeks ago. And for me, sometimes a theme is really helpful. And I had this bottle of booze that had been in our cabinet for a long time and. Blue Curacao.

[Cynthia Nims]

Is that how you say it?

[Shannon Larson]

And we. I just had like a tropical themed dinner. And then one thing I will have to say, like, it's okay if you don't make everything yourself. Like, that's allowed, especially with groups of people. Like, don't put so much pressure on yourself. We made like sweet and sour meatballs, but we got frozen meatballs. Like, I'm not gonna make meatballs for my neighborhood. I love them, but that's too much work.

[Megan Scott]

So don't.

[Shannon Larson]

It doesn't have to be perfect. It doesn't have to be like Instagram worthy. I feel like there's a lot of pressure when you're online, social media specific, like specifically to like have everything look perfect and have it all be like, grammable. It doesn't have to. You can just put some like, yummy sweet and sour meatballs and some macadamia nuts and some pineapple and some coconut shrimp on the table. And everybody was so. And booze. And everybody was so happy. Like, it doesn't have to.

[John Becker]

And one bottle of BL and everybody take a swig.

[Shannon Larson]

It just doesn't have to be like so much pressure. And I'm teaching myself this too, because I do put pressure on myself and I'm trying to get better, especially as I get older and have other things going on. And I just, it. It's fun to not make it exhausting for yourself because then you're having more fun and you're able to be more present. Yeah.

[Megan Scott]

I had a note written down. Choose one thing to outsource.

[Shannon Larson]

Yeah.

[Megan Scott]

You know, maybe it's meatballs. Maybe it's. It's a dessert that you don't make.

[Shannon Larson]

And people always want to bring stuff.

[Megan Scott]

Yeah, people want to bring stuff.

[Shannon Larson]

Yeah.

[Megan Scott]

I also like to. I like to outsource non food things too. Like one time I had your husband John make a playlist for a party. Oh, yeah. Because John is really good with music. Yes. And I was like, I will just take that off my plate and let him make a wonderful playlist.

[Shannon Larson]

And he thought about it for like two weeks in advance.

[Megan Scott]

I hope it was okay. I didn't want to give him a job.

[Shannon Larson]

No, he loves it. But no, I think that that's a great idea. It doesn't have to just be that.

[Megan Scott]

Right.

[Shannon Larson]

It doesn't have to be the food stuff. It can be anything that'll make your life better. Get Bring some tea, lights from the light around the house or whatever.

[Megan Scott]

Or maybe you have a friend who loves making cocktails and they can make a punch or something that you don't. That way you don't have to think about it.

[John Becker]

Cynthia, do you have any. Do you have any tips for easy entertaining?

[Cynthia Nims]

Sure.

[Shannon Larson]

Yeah.

[Cynthia Nims]

You guys, you covered some great territory. John, I'm a huge fan of the whole snackorama option. And I think it kind of. It might depend you if a little bit on what their setup is. Like, you know, if, like we've got a kitchen, you know, block area where it's easy to hang out with six or eight people and you can really sort of have a snacking dinner almost if that feels like it suits the occasion and the, the people that are coming. I think it can also be a little disarmingly, you know, comfortable for folks it's like, oh, we're not going to sit down and worry about having our elbows on the table or whatever. Right. Especially if it's new to them people. It sounded like, like, I think it was going to be like new neighbors. So I. I love that idea of. Of casual. Shannon. Absolutely. Buy some stuff, like get a. Just a pie from the store or buy some prepared, you know, snacks and dips and things. And I love just something in the oven, like, again, so no fussy. You're not pan frying anything at the last minute or, you know, nothing ala minute. Right. So, you know, the pasta, the baked pastas are always great. Or like a shepherd pie or just something comfy or even just a pot of soup and a good salad with some bread and let it be a really comfortable, casual evening. And. And I think people sort of. They're, you know, you see their shoulders go down, they relax a little bit because there's not, you know, there's not a lot of. They don't have to pay attention to the meal as much as the time with each other. Right.

[Megan Scott]

Yeah. And Samin's new book, book, Good Things, she writes about how she and her neighbors and friends get together every single week for dinner, but how it doesn't have to be a big production and how a lot of the time they just eat hot dogs. And I was like, yeah, eat hot dogs.

[Shannon Larson]

Yeah.

[Megan Scott]

Or whatever. Like, it doesn't really matter. If it's something that you're comfortable making and that you enjoy eating, your guests will probably enjoy it as well.

[John Becker]

There's some Marymond frankfurters.

[Megan Scott]

Yeah. Yeah. Choose something that you already know how to make and enjoy and want to eat, and your guests will. Will follow. And sort of on that note, we are. This week's Joy Scouts recipe is our roasted mushroom lasagna Recipe on page 310. This is like a honkin. This is a honkin. Huge lasagna. So we've been kind of into lasagna lately because.

[Shannon Larson]

Thank you for that, by the way.

[Megan Scott]

Oh, yeah, we gave some. We made a lasagna, but we're just two people, so we gave some to Shannon and John. And you froze it and then reheated it later?

[Shannon Larson]

Yeah, it was like an. We were like, we're not ready for it now. We're gonna put it in the freezer. And then there was a night where we were like, I don't want to think about anything. And we were like, oh, my gosh. We have lasagna from Megan and John.

[Megan Scott]

Amazing. So good.

[John Becker]

There's A time and a place.

[Shannon Larson]

Yeah.

[Megan Scott]

But the roasted mushroom lasagna is really fun because. Because it's like a white lasagna. It doesn't have any red sauce, and it has a bunch of just roasted. You know, you can. The recipe is pretty flexible. You can use whatever kind of mushrooms you want. It's really good if you can get different varieties and mix and match, but you could also just make it with your standard grocery store mushrooms. But if you want to try to mix the mushrooms, you should definitely check out an Asian supermarket, because they usually have lots of different kinds, and they're more affordable than, like, say, getting them at the farmer's market, though. That's great, too. But, like, it's a little more affordable to get them at, like, an Asian supermarket. And then it has a bechamel sauce and, like, a ricotta filling. So it's very. It's a white lasagna. Very creamy, very rich and delicious. Great with, like, a green salad. And that's all you need. It's just a honking piece of, you know, solidified carbs and cheese.

[Cynthia Nims]

Love it.

[John Becker]

Really talking it up.

[Cynthia Nims]

I mean.

[Megan Scott]

I mean, I love how substantial I. I love putting a slab of. Of lasagna might be.

[John Becker]

I love a solidified chunk.

[Megan Scott]

Yeah. If you have a cooking question or joy story to share, call our hotline at 503-395-8858. Leave us a message or send us a text. We would love to hear from you. Can you please read or play next week's caller question? Dirk.

[Dirk Marshall]

Hi. Huge fan. I've listened to every episode. I remember an episode where Megan talked about and tasted her favorite cheeses. Now I can't find it. Can you tell me what cheeses you tried so I can go and get them?

[Megan Scott]

Oh, I mean, I love any excuse to talk about cheese. I know it's gonna be a doozy. I would love to talk about cheese. Thank you for asking.

[Dirk Marshall]

There's a little note that says episode 11.

[Megan Scott]

Oh, great. That's very helpful because I certainly don't remember that.

[John Becker]

We might have somebody on that can help us even more.

[Megan Scott]

Really? What's everybody cooking this week? What are you excited to eat or

[Shannon Larson]

make like, other than classic chicken? Let's see. Tomorrow is going to be, like, the last nice day here for a little bit. So we're gonna get the grill out and grill some chicken thighs and make. And some halloumi and make some kind of, like, salad situation. And then my adorable neighborhood that loves blue Curacao, I guess we're planting A bunch of trees in our small little park, Cherry Blossom park, on Valentine's Day. And so on Friday, while I'm working, I'm gonna also. Sorry for my employees. I'm also going to be baking some cookies. Some Valentine's Day cookies. So I will bringing. Be bringing the joy out for that. Because that is my go to cookie book. I need it somewhere.

[Megan Scott]

Do you know which cookie?

[Shannon Larson]

Oh, not yet, but if you have suggestions, let me know.

[Megan Scott]

I'll think about it.

[Shannon Larson]

Um, but yeah, so just snacking on things for Valentine's Day, tree planting, and then we go to the nickel arcade every Valentine's Day.

[Megan Scott]

Love that so much.

[Shannon Larson]

My husband and I will be doing that.

[Megan Scott]

What a good date. Yeah.

[Shannon Larson]

We win each other, we get tickets, and then we pick out prizes at the little counter. Like, you know, little dumb stuff.

[Megan Scott]

Yeah. Keychains and whatever. Bouncy balls.

[Cynthia Nims]

Uhhuh.

[Shannon Larson]

It's great.

[Megan Scott]

Do you have a favorite. Do you have a favorite arcade game?

[Shannon Larson]

I like basketball. I like the hoop shot. And then I also like claw machines. I'm actually. They can get you a lot of tickets.

[Megan Scott]

What are you thinking about, John?

[John Becker]

Well, we're. We're trying to tweak a potato and hatch chili chowder. So I think I'm gonna be working on that.

[Cynthia Nims]

Trying that again.

[Megan Scott]

Yeah. We did one batch earlier in the week, and it was. It tasted really good. But we need to tweak the ratios of, like, cream and milk and all that so it doesn't separate. Yeah.

[John Becker]

Oh, no. Yeah. No. Using milk was a. Was a bad call.

[Megan Scott]

I think there's. I. I think that there is some acidity in the canned green chilies that you don't find in, like, a. You know, a seafood chowder doesn't have that acidity, so it's not breaking the milk up and curdling it. But yeah, so we're gonna add more cream, I think is the answer.

[Shannon Larson]

And you're gonna perfect it before the next edition.

[Megan Scott]

Exactly.

[John Becker]

That's the idea.

[Megan Scott]

What about you, Cynthia?

[Cynthia Nims]

Well, I'm not going to be cooking much for the coming days, and next week or so, I'm actually kind of slipping into seafood mode because I had a seafood box set come out recently, and I'm doing some events up in Bellingham, so we're going to be in oyster territory. So I'll be eating a lot of delicious. Well, in other seafoods. But, you know, there's like, Taylor Shellfish has a restaurant up there right on Samish Bay. So I'm. We're gonna be having lunch there on Thursday, I think on the way up and other delightful seafoods while in the neighborhood and just, just hanging out in Bellingham and enjoying that really, really cool city too. So I'll be enjoying other people's cooking for the weekend.

[Megan Scott]

And oysters. Oh, I love oysters so much.

[Cynthia Nims]

For sure. Yeah.

[Megan Scott]

And before we wrap, Cynthia, where can listeners follow you?

[Cynthia Nims]

Well, I am on Instagram as Sin Nim C Y N N I M S and I have the two newsletters on Substacks, Seafood Savvy and Long Live the Recipe Box. And I also have a website devoted to the Long live the recipe bo too. So that's simply longlivetherecipebox.com so those are the best ways to find me.

[Megan Scott]

We'll include links to all of those things in the show notes. Thanks for listening to the Joy of Cooking Podcast. Before we go, show some love for your favorite podcast by subscribing to the show and leaving us a review. Follow us at joyofcooking.substack.com and on Instagram hejoyofcooking. Stay tuned for next week where we'll talk about cheese. My favorite. And don't forget to make this week's recipe, Roasted Mushroom lasagna on page 310. Call in with questions, hopes, history, or where you find joy in the kitchen. Our number is 503-395-8858. That's 503-395-8858.

[Shannon Larson]

And we could not do this without our fantastic team at the Joy of Creation Production House. Thank you to Dave Dresky, our production coordinator, Hayley Bowers, our audio engineer and Dirk Marshall, our producer.

[Megan Scott]

If you love the stories we bring you each week, please consider supporting us on Patreon. As an independent media company, your support is absolutely essential. It allows us to continue creating high quality professional episodes that amplify the voices of women, small business owners, writers, artists and creatives and keep their stories free from commercial pressure. By becoming a Patreon member, you're not just supporting us, you're investing in the future of independent media. Please visit patreon.com TheJoy of Creation Production House to join our community today. Thank you for listening and supporting our podcast Dreams.