Sunday Paper Recommends—Week of November 10, 2024

This week at The Sunday Paper, we're sharing a new documentary, insightful podcast, delicious recipe, and a book that move the needle and spark inspiring change. We hope these suggestions open your heart and mind and encourage you to come together for meaningful conversations!

What We’re Reading

For the last several years, we at The Sunday Paper have looked to Nedra Glover Tawwab to help us navigate our lives and relationships. The revered therapist and bestselling author has counseled us on many things, from how to honor our boundaries and what to do when we're feeling maxed out. So, naturally, we're thrilled that Tawwab has released another book: Consider This: Reflections for Finding Peace. Just in time for this wild moment we live in, and the approaching holidays, Consider This offers daily insights, friendly reminders, and perspective shifts to help us remain gounded, calm, and true to who we are and those we love. This book is a guide that helps us be our true ourselves with integrity.

What We’re Listening To

Sharon McMahon, a former high school government teacher and now widely popular educator on social media known as @sharonsaysso, is the educator we need. Maria recently spoke to McMahon about her new book, The Small and the Mighty: Twelve Unsung Americans Who Changed The Course Of History, From The Founding To The Civil Rights Movement, which offers examples of how we can all do big things to help our democracy and world. Earlier this week, Dax Shepard sat with McMahon on his podcast "Armchair Expert" to dig in deeper about our nation's politics, the structure of our modern government, the challenges of the U.S. Supreme Court, and more. The two cover vast ground. Thanks to Shepard's honest questions and McMahon's clarity in explaining convoluted topics, it's a fun and informative listen. One important note is that she discussed why so many people today feel burned out by politics in general.

What We’re Loving

Cornbread Dressing 

Serves 10 to 12 

Total Time: 2 hours

In The Twisted Soul Cookbook: Modern Soul Food with Global Flavors, author, chef, and Atlanta restaurateur Deborah VanTrece includes the following: “This book is dedicated to all the women in my life who have shaped me and given me a strong foundation.” And among all the creative spins she takes to breathe new life into Southern and soul food classics—think deviled egg po’ boy, Boursin cheese grits, lobster beignets with vanilla bean rémoulade, and deep-fried fish bone brittle (one of Toni Tipton-Martin’s favorites)—she offers a Cajun cornbread dressing that we can’t resist. Cornbread dressing is dotted with fresh vegetables and andouille sausage and baked with just enough eggs and savory chicken broth to achieve a cohesive, set dish. Her dressing (generally in the South, folks say “dressing”; Northerners tend to call the dish “stuffing”) is also seasoned with fresh herbs and seasoning salt. Ours relies on Creole seasoning for oomph. We brush it with melted butter before baking to give the dressing a rich, crisp, golden top. We developed this recipe using Quaker Yellow Cornmeal.

Ingredients

Cornbread

1½ cups (7½ ounces) all-purpose flour

1½ cups (7½ ounces) cornmeal

3 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon table salt

1¾ cups whole milk

3 large eggs

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Dressing

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

12 ounces andouille sausage, cut into ¼-inch pieces

2 onions, chopped

2 green bell peppers, stemmed, seeded, and chopped

2 celery ribs, chopped

4 slices bacon, cut into ¼-inch pieces

1 tablespoon Tony Chachere’s Original Creole Seasoning

2 garlic cloves, minced

3 cups chicken broth

1 cup whole milk

3 large eggs, lightly beaten

¾ cup chopped fresh parsley

½ teaspoon pepper

Directions

1 For the cornbread: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Spray 13 by 9-inch baking dish with vegetable oil spray.

2  Whisk flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt together in large bowl. Whisk milk, eggs, and melted butter together in second bowl. Whisk milk mixture into flour mixture until just about combined. Transfer batter to prepared dish. Bake until cornbread is golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 20 minutes.

3 For the dressing: While the cornbread bakes, melt 2 tablespoons butter in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add andouille, onions, bell peppers, celery, and bacon to skillet and cook until vegetables are softened, about 8 minutes. Add Creole seasoning and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Transfer sausage mixture to large bowl.

4 Turn hot cornbread onto rimmed baking sheet and break into small pieces with two forks. (Cooled, crumbled cornbread can be transferred to zipper-lock bag and stored at room temperature for up to 24 hours.)

5 Transfer crumbled cornbread to bowl with sausage mixture. Add broth, milk, eggs, parsley, and pepper and stir to combine. Transfer dressing to now-empty dish and spread into even layer (do not pack down). Using side of rubber spatula or wooden spoon, create ridges about ½ inch apart on top of dressing.

6 Brush top of dressing with remaining 4 tablespoons melted butter. Bake until browned and crisped on top and heated through, about 35 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes and serve.

To Make Ahead: At end of step 5, let dressing cool completely. Cover baking dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 24 hours or wrap in additional layer of aluminum foil and freeze for up to 1 month. To serve, thaw overnight in refrigerator if frozen. Proceed with step 6, extending baking time by 15 minutes and covering with foil for final 10 minutes of cooking if top begins to get too dark.

Courtesy of America's Test Kitchen, All Rights Reserved. 

What We’re Watching

Martha Stewart is an icon and one of the hardest-working people this nation has seen. (She is the first self-made female billionaire in American history.) For decades, she's calmed us with her recipes and added warmth and style to our days with her lifestyle tips. But this multi-hyphenate is so much for the empire she's built, and the new Netflix documentary, Martha, shows the wide breadth of her talents and life. The film tells the story of Stewart, beginning with her early days as a teen model, to her brief role as a Wall Street stockbroker, and then to her finding her footing as a matriarch of homesteading, entertaining, and more. Director R.J. Cutler weaves in hundreds of hours of interviews with the icon herself and some of her closest friends and colleagues to tell the story of the ultimate influencer who is, indeed, still influencing culture at large. It's a fun and inspiring escape of a documentary that tells of what can result from endless gumption and perseverance.