Love Letter

Dearest Coven,

As we bid the last few days of November farewell, it’ll soon be time for us to say goodbye to 2021. How that much time has already passed is beyond us, but here we are.

Looking back at the year in review, it’s sometimes difficult to sort through the mess of emotions and changing circumstances. Some of us graduated, some of us learned how to work from home, and some of us just tried to survive as best we could (or help our new houseplants thrive).

Oftentimes, it can be difficult to reflect on your life when you’re down in the weeds. Dealing with the day-in, day-out things can cloud the bigger picture. Just as an artist must take a step back to look at the entirety of their painting, we must also take a moment to take a step back and look at our life paths and journey to see the bigger picture.

So we urge you...before the crazed rush of the holidays and the overdone New Year's resolutions flood your feed, reflect. Reflect on how far you’ve come, where life’s taken you, and how you feel in this moment about all the things you’ve experienced in the past year. Meditate. Meditate to find the soothing stillness that exists within you when there doesn’t seem to be an ounce of stillness in your external environment. And set goals. If you can’t think about what goals you want to set for an entire year, start small. Set goals for your day, then your week. It’ll become a habit and you’ll grow confident in your abilities to accomplish what you set your efforts towards.

It’s cheesy and quoted far too often in motivational self-help books from the early aughts, but our parting thought as we start the slow transition to the new year: stop and smell the roses. Seriously. Cherish the sensation of the sweet, warm breeze on your face, the hilarious whiffs of conversation you overhear while walking through the city, the smell of old books. Find the beauty and magic in the small bits of life you chance across every day. A whole new world will open up to you when you do.

With love ❤

Anna, Atreyi, Anita, Kate, Paige, and Caroline

Writer Spotlight: Marla Hiller

Working at Coven has given me the opportunity to explore my interests in TV, movies, and cultural news. These aren’t topics that I normally get to read and write about in-depth in my classes, so it’s amazing to have the chance to take on these topics. Coven has also been a great place to improve my writing and continue to figure out what kind of writing I want to do in the future. And, of course, shout out to my ICONIC editor Anna; she’s amazing to work with and always pushes me to write the best pieces I can.

Food & Drink Roundup: Pasta Time

When it gets cold outside, I want to eat one thing and one thing only: pasta. All different types of pasta. Different sauces, different shapes, different styles - it’s all amazing. This month I have two great pasta recipes (bonus: one is vegan!) that’ll keep you warm and full. I’m giving you the quicker & easier of the two first, but stick around for the second, because it may be my favorite paste recipe of all time.

This first recipe is super quick and has fairly few ingredients, and it’s super tasty and filling while still being light. It’s vegan (but you can add seafood or chicken if you’re a meat-eater like me.) An important note: Adding some sort of heat with red pepper flakes, chili paste, or Sriracha on top is HIGHLY recommended.

Red Thai Curry Noodles by Foods of Jane (the pasta queen herself)

Ingredients:

½ lb rice noodles

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp ginger, grated

2 tbsp oil

2 tbsp tomato paste

2 tbsp red Thai curry paste

1 14 oz. can coconut milk

1 tbsp coconut aminos (or soy sauce)

Juice of ½ lime

Recommended: red pepper flakes, shrimp, Sriracha

Directions:

Bring a pot of salted water to boil and cook the rice noodles according to package directions (tip: rice noodles can really stick together, so make sure you separate them right when they go into the pot and stir frequently!)
Heat oil in a pan and add minced garlic and ginger (and red pepper flakes). Saute until fragrant.
Add tomato paste and curry paste and stir until hot.
Add lime juice and soy sauce, then add the can of coconut milk. Whisk to combine.
Bring the sauce to a low bubble and keep whisking until sauce has thickened and noodles are done.
Toss the noodles in the sauce and serve. If you’ve cooked protein, add that in this stage too. Enjoy!

The second recipe is from possibly the best chef on YouTube: Babish. What a guy. What a voice. What a sense of humor.

I’m sure this isn’t your first time hearing about Babish, but it may be your first time seeing this recipe, which doesn’t have its own stand-alone video and is a bit harder to find. What I like about his recipes is you can read the recipe from his website and watch along with the video while you cook.

Onto the recipe: this is seriously one of the best pasta dishes for winter. It feels really rich but doesn’t contain any heavy cream or anything like that. It’s called a One-Pot Pasta, but don’t be fooled: this is not a quick and easy dish. It’s time-intensive, but I promise that it’ll be worth it. Cook it with friends or a loved one and they’ll love it too.

Chicken & Fennel Pasta from Binging with Babish

Ingredients:

1 fennel bulb, sliced thin

2 sprigs rosemary, chopped

3 cloves garlic, crushed

2 tbsp olive oil

1 lemon

Red pepper flakes

4 boneless chicken thighs (recipe recommends bone-in, but that’s more trouble than it’s worth)

Salt and pepper

1 tbsp vegetable oil

½ onion, chopped

1 cup dry white wine

2 cups chicken stock

8 oz whole wheat pasta

3 oz grated romano cheese

Basil, parsley, and extra cheese to top

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
Cut stems and core away from fennel bulb and slice thin
Chop rosemary and mix with crushed garlic, the zest of 1 lemon, red pepper flakes, and olive oil.
Pat dry chicken thighs and season with salt and pepper.
Pour vegetable oil into pan and place chicken in pan (cold).
Heat the pan to medium high and cook chicken for 3-6 minutes.
Flip chicken thighs for one minute before removing. Set aside.
Drain some fat and then add chopped onion and fennel to the pan. Saute until they’re softened.
Add your herb and spice paste to the pan and saute for about 2-3 minutes.
Deglaze with 1 cup dry white wine and 2 cups of chicken stock. Add the juice of your previously zested lemon.
Bring the mixture to a bare simmer, add the chicken back to the pan, and put the pan in the oven for about 35-45 minutes.
Remove pan from the oven and set the chicken thighs on a plate covered with tin foil to keep warm. Bring the pan to a simmer over medium-high heat and add your whole-wheat pasta. Cook until pasta is done.
Mix in cheese and basil and stir.
Return chicken thighs back to the pan to warm up. Garnish the whole dish with chopped parsley and enjoy!

Music, Movies, Book, YouTube, + Podcast Recommendations

Music

Red (Taylor’s Version) - Taylor Swift

Let’s face it: once the leaves turn and your weather app starts reading below 50 degrees, there’s only one thing you want to do: listen to Taylor Swift’s Red. It is quintessential autumn music. And because Taylor Swift knows her fans all too well, she knew we needed her version of it in our lives when fall came around again. The recently released and much-anticipated second album dropped during her re-recording process arrived in full form, an impressive collection of songs old (and new) that somehow hit even harder and with more intense production 9 years after the album’s initial release. Spoiler alert: the 10-minute version of a certain fan favorite actually is that good.

This Is What It Feels Like - Gracie Abrams

Gracie Abrams established herself as an artist to watch with her 2020 EP “minor,” but after the release of her first album, she is an undeniable force. Working with the likes of The National’s Aaron Dessner on standout track “Rockland” and more, as well as frequent Lorde collaborator Joel Little, This Is What It Feels Like already feels like an album to loop for days.

The Walls Are Way Too Thin - Holly Humberstone

After the release of her emotional debut EP Falling Asleep at the Wheel, Holly Humberstone seemed immediately like an artist who had more to say—and it looks like she’ll be around to say it for a good, long while. The Walls Are Way Too Thin, her second EP and an ambitious and striking collection of 6 songs—the titular track being among its best—is sure to bring her even further acclaim. By the time her first full album arrives, your “repeat” button (and your heart) may be broken.

Valentine - Snail Mail

In her long-awaited sophomore album, Lindsey Jordan, who performs under the name Snail Mail, has clearly evolved—musically and personally. Gone is the relative restraint and mournful yearning of 2018’s Lush, and here is anger, passion, despair, and a loud, crackling, infectious, even snarling energy bursting out of one of the year’s best albums about a broken and clearly still bleeding heart. It’s a sonic journey like no other, and if cuffing season didn’t work out how you wanted it to this year, between Red (Taylor’s Version) and this album, there’s no shortage of breakup anthems to rely upon this month.

Voyage - ABBA

ABBA just released their first brand-new album in 40 years. What else is there to say? It’s ABBA.

Movies

Spencer

The Princess Diana Industrial Complex churns on, but one of its most recent products actually promises a high-quality, well-told and compassionate story: Pablo Larraín’s Spencer. With a career-topping performance from Kristen Stewart as Princess Diana herself, you may have thought Diana’s story long over-told, but this film breathes a new life into who she really was and the legacy she leaves behind.

The French Dispatch

Wes Anderson is finally back, and with a star-studded ensemble cast and those symmetrical, classic and distinct visuals Anderson’s films always promise (and deliver on) firmly in place, this is not a film to miss. Called a “love letter to journalists,” this recommendation truly comes from our heart.

Last Night in Soho

If you’ve ever felt like you were born in the wrong generation, this film is for you. Seductive and confounding, Edgar Wright’s latest project follows Eloise, a young, aspiring fashion designer who mysteriously finds herself able to travel back to the 1960s, where she encounters a dazzling singer (played by everyone’s favorite current “it” girl, Anya-Taylor Joy). But everything is not as glamorous as it seems—we’ll keep this film’s secrets for you, but you’ll want to find them out on your own.

Licorice Pizza

Although Licorice Pizza has yet to hit our screens, the reviews are in, and critics are raving. From director Paul Thomas Anderson (Phantom Thread) and starring Alana Haim, the youngest of the three Haim sisters, the film won’t be widely distributed until Christmas Day, but if there’s only one movie you find yourself in a theater for this year, make it this one.

tick, tick...BOOM!

From Lin-Manuel Miranda—who needs no introduction at this point—comes this moving and spirited adaptation of tick, tick...BOOM!, a stage adaptation of the life and work of Jonathan Larson, the acclaimed creator of the musical RENT. After his tragic death the morning of Rent’s first public performance, this former one-man rock monologue was transformed into a full-blown musical that has captured and moved audiences and aspiring artists since 2001. Miranda’s directorial debut stars Andrew Garfield as Larson himself, in a performance so fantastic it will be sure to pick up Oscar buzz (who knew he could sing???). Streaming on Netflix now, current and/or reformed theater kids, this one is for you.

Podcasts

5-4
Before you hit send on those law school applications and are whisked off to sleep by dreams of Supreme Court clerkships, you’ll want to check out 5-4, a podcast about “how much the Supreme Court sucks.” Each week, the three hosts tackle some of the Court’s landmark cases and dive into their rulings, their reasonings, and their biases. After a few episodes, you’ll be Elle Woods—comfortable using legal jargon in your everyday life.

YouTube

Finding financial resources that are actually helpful can be hard, especially when it feels like everyone has the same advice (aka no more coffee for you).

Enter Alaina of The Organized Money on YouTube. She has hundreds of videos about monthly budgets, using a planner for your budgets, ways to save $1,000, and more. Her playlists are helpfully grouped so you can easily find videos for your specific needs, whether that’s creating a budget or finding different sources of income. She also has free downloadable resources, a mailing list, and an Instagram to follow to reach your financial goals.

Positive Affirmations

I let go of all that no longer serves me.

I choose to be kind.
The best is yet to come, and while I wait I'll enjoy the now.
What is for me will not pass me over.
I believe in my dreams.

Positive News From November

Bride Surprises Blind Groom by Wearing a Special Tactile Wedding Dress: ‘My mind was blown’

Nebraska Teen Runner Helps Competitor Finish Race After He Collapsed, Giving Up His Own Qualifying Hopes

Editor’s Question

What’s your favorite thing you use to stay warm when it gets chilly? Specific recs included so we can all bundle up as the temps drop!!! (slippers, robe, etc.)

Anita: Hear me out. There’s nothing worse than waking up to frozen feet at four in the morning on a cold winter’s night. Enter: Target fuzzy socks. Now I don’t wake up with cold feet.

Anna: Swiss Miss hot chocolate! I love love love curling up with a good book or watching a classic movie while sipping hot chocolate.

Atreyi: The Oodie hoodie - the perfect go-to winter hoodie. It's just THE most comfortable piece of clothing I've owned. Caution: May make it extremely hard to get out of bed, but the risk is worth it.

Caroline: Ugg slippers and an oversized robe. Yes, I probably sound like your grandma, but it’s such a cozy combo that makes getting out of bed during cold mornings just that much easier.

Kate: My heating pad from CVS/Walgreens. I’m never without it and it was the best $30 purchase I ever made.

Paige: My weighted blanket. I made an investment in a high-quality one from Baloo last year, and it’s the best purchase I’ve ever made. Keeps me warm and snuggled in during the winter but never gets too hot—perfect item.

November Love Letters