Monthly Review: November 2025

“I want to stay here forever.”

I don’t know if you mean that, little buddy, given that you are only 3, and you would probably want to stay anywhere where you were allowed to play Mario Kart on the Nintendo Switch after eating a Thanksgiving dinner of rolls, turkey, and pumpkin cake. Magna-tiles are strewn across my living room floor, mingling with small pieces of LEGO from one of Uncle Mitch’s partially deconstructed sets. Your sister, who has been reluctant to accept any arms not belonging to your parents, has Dobby running for his life in her pursuit of his tail. Your 11-month-old cousin and I are wedged into my recliner with you, admiring the scene of chaos. At least most of the dishes are done.

Our last Thanksgiving as a family, you were just barely walking; our next Thanksgiving, you will have another baby brother or sister, bringing the number of Mayes grandchildren equal to the number of Mayes siblings. That future celebration seems almost impossible to predict or shape, but I allow myself to imagine it nevertheless, subtracting all the deficiencies of this year yet somehow retaining all its triumphs. Maybe next year, my thawing turkey won’t flood my refrigerator with raw meat juices. Maybe next year, an unhappily exiled Cosmo won’t bark his way through dinner. Maybe next year I will finally purchase my own dining room set to replace the secondhand one that came with our house, and there will finally be room for all of us (adults, at least) without a card table. I will keep the oven schedule and maybe even the new cake recipe. I will reuse the spreadsheet for family food signups and scheduling. I will buy a bigger turkey than necessary so I can make turkey almondine and gumbo and pot pie. And, once all the planning, prepping, and cooking wraps up, I will sit around the table with my family, glowing in gratitude for them all.

But the dream is only that—any number of things could go right or wrong between now and the fourth Thursday of November 2026. It is for this very reason we practice gratitude: that our blessings are not permanent entitlements, but gifts of the moment to enjoy as long as God continues to give them to us. Perhaps you’re right, and we should stay here forever.

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Here's what I read, cooked, and created in the month of November.

What I Read

• The Ickabog, J.K. Rowling (★★★★★)

• Frostbite: How Refrigeration Changed Our Food, Our Planet, and Ourselves, Nicola Twilley (★★★★★)

• Never Let Me Go, Kazuo Ishiguro (★★★★)

• Warrior Girl Unearthed, Angeline Boulley (★★★)

If you want to hear the rationale behind my rating, head to my Goodreads for full reviews.

What I Cooked

• Pumpkin Cheesecake Bundt Cake

Difficulty: ★★

Flavor: ★★★★★

Keeper: Yes

Comments: Surprisingly easy to make and quite delicious. My one complaint was that my cheesecake layer was not particularly substantial. I'd be tempted to double it next time.

• Turkey Gumbo

Difficulty: ★★

Flavor: ★★★★★

Keeper: Yes

Comments: I stole this recipe from my brother-in-law, and it may need to become a post-Thanksgiving tradition for me. For a half-batch, I used about 1 tablespoon of Creole spice and about 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne.

What I Created

• Original blackout poem "Duality of Man"

• Podcast interview "Hidden in My Heart"

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May your days be filled with beauty, and may your heart be filled with the willingness to see and give thanks for it.

Monthly Review: October 2025

Photo by Mitchell Allen

Devil’s Lake, Ten Years Later

Here at this ledge,

this edge of everything, here is

your hand.

You do not mind my grip; you will not let me slip,

much as my feet fear.

Here we sit beside ourselves as once we were,

all gleaming eyes and nimble limbs.

We leapt from stone to stone;

we climbed like stars, sure

we were immortal.

Time proves us fools (am I a coward too?).

I fear

the long

way

down,

forget the l o n g  l o o k  o u t.

That old horizon calls me from

our youngest memories

when I could dream of drifting leaves

instead

of plunking stones,

those days when love was just one step beyond

but never out of reach.

How young we were,

how unafraid of falling.

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Here's what I read, cooked, and created in the month of October.

What I Read

• The Way of the Wildflower: Gospel Meditations to Unburden Your Anxious Soul, Ruth Chou Simons (★★★★★)--launch team

• In the Unlikely Event, Judy Blume (★★★★)

• The Bletchley Riddle, Ruta Sepetys (★★★★)

• The Man in the Brown Suit, Agatha Christie (★★★)

If you want to hear the rationale behind my rating, head to my Goodreads for full reviews.

What I Cooked

• Best Lemon Zucchini Bread

Difficulty: ★

Flavor: ★★★★

Keeper: Yes

Comments: A light, zesty lemon zucchini bread. I liked that it included less sugar than some other similar recipes.

• Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread

Difficulty: ★

Flavor: ★★★★★

Keeper: Yes

Comments: Deb does it again. This was delicious.

What I Created

• Original essay "Live a Great Story" for Commonplace magazine

• Original recipe Frankenchili

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May your days be filled with beauty, and may your heart be filled with the willingness to see and give thanks for it.

Frankenchili

Ingredients

• 1 pound chuck roast

• 3-4 chipotle chilis in adobo, chopped

• 1 can mild red enchilada sauce

• 4 garlic cloves, minced

• 1 tsp salt

• 2 tsp chili powder

• 1 tsp chipotle chili powder

• 2 tsp cumin

• 1 T smoked paprika

• 1/2-1 tsp red pepper flakes

• 1 poblano pepper, diced

• 1 yellow onion, diced

• 1 can black beans, undrained

• 1 can pinto beans, undrained

• 2 cans Rotel, undrained

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine chipotle chilis with 2 T adobo sauce, enchilada sauce, garlic, salt, chili powder, cumin, paprika, and red pepper. Place chuck roast in the bowl, cover with marinade, and marinade overnight in the refrigerator.

2. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, brown the chuck roast on all sides.

3. In a small saucepan, cook marinade over medium-low heat until slightly reduced.

4. In a crockpot, combine poblano, onion, beans, and Rotel with reduced marinade, then add the chuck roast.

5. Cook on low 6-8 hours or until roast is tender. Shred the roast, test the seasoning level, and continue cooking with the lid off for 30 minutes.

6. Serve with your favorite chili toppings.

The Making of Frankenchili

I am not, by nature, a recipe developer. I scout out the best recipes I can and then stick with them for life. I found my Holy Grail cinnamon roll recipe in 2015 and refuse on principle to sample any others. I stole my chili recipe from my mother-in-law when I married into the family. I rely almost exclusively on a handful of bloggers to round out my weekly dinner plans. But two years of coming in second at my friends’ annual chili cookoff made it clear to me that Rachael Ray and Tieghan Gerard could not get it done.

So I determined to create my own chili recipe, taking my favorite elements from my two runner-up recipes plus elements from a favorite taco recipe, in the hopes of finally securing the coveted title of chili champion. I did not test it. I did not write it down. I did not think I or anybody else would ever want to make it again.

But when my name was announced and the Golden Ladle Trophy was in my hand, I knew I could not let Frankenchili be lost to time. So, with great thanks to Rachael Ray’s Tex-Mex chili and to the poblano chili and chicken tinga tacos from Half Baked Harvest: Super Simple, I present this, the chili of champions. And, because I'm not a food blogger, I'm putting the recipe first.