The Bite: Sandra Lee explains why she hasn't worked in 8 years

Plus a recipe for a unique pie and much more [View in browser](~/AASU4wA~/RgRorZPBP0RCaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsvNHBvYm5wOHZ2YS8_bGhfYWlkPTM0ODk2JmxoX2NpZD1uMTVpa3RxYnBpVwNzcGNCCma7wQ7LZqkbJ09SG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAJQ~~) [The Bite, a Salon newsletter] Insightful food writing and recipes from Salon. Your weekly bite, edited by [Michael La Corte](~/AASU4wA~/RgRorZPBP0RmaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsvZnR4cnJtbmgzYi8_bGhfYWlkPTM0ODk2JmxoX2NpZD1uMTVpa3RxYnBpJmxoX2VtPXRyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1JTQwZ21haWwuY29tVwNzcGNCCma7wQ7LZqkbJ09SG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAJQ~~) Follow Salon: ~/AASU4wA~/RgRorZPBP0RCaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsvaGF2ZXpvNXQ1Zi8_bGhfYWlkPTM0ODk2JmxoX2NpZD1uMTVpa3RxYnBpVwNzcGNCCma7wQ7LZqkbJ09SG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAJQ~~~/AASU4wA~/RgRorZPBP0RCaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsvd3piaDdkYzJydC8_bGhfYWlkPTM0ODk2JmxoX2NpZD1uMTVpa3RxYnBpVwNzcGNCCma7wQ7LZqkbJ09SG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAJQ~~~/AASU4wA~/RgRorZPBP0RCaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsvN3F0dTNkMnBmai8_bGhfYWlkPTM0ODk2JmxoX2NpZD1uMTVpa3RxYnBpVwNzcGNCCma7wQ7LZqkbJ09SG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAJQ~~~/AASU4wA~/RgRorZPBP0RCaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsvcGQwOGE0OW5taS8_bGhfYWlkPTM0ODk2JmxoX2NpZD1uMTVpa3RxYnBpVwNzcGNCCma7wQ7LZqkbJ09SG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAJQ~~~/AASU4wA~/RgRorZPBP0RCaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsvcHFzNGhjZXc2eC8_bGhfYWlkPTM0ODk2JmxoX2NpZD1uMTVpa3RxYnBpVwNzcGNCCma7wQ7LZqkbJ09SG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAJQ~~ "God never hands me a softball": Sandra Lee explains why she hasn't worked in 8 years Isn't it pretty?" Sandra Lee asks me, and I have to agree. The Emmy Award-winning television host, author and coiner of the word "tablescape " is leading me, via Zoom, to a corner of her living room to show me one of her most prized possessions — the blue ribbon she won for display and design 32 years ago at the Los Angeles County Fair. "That ribbon is 48 inches long. The head on that ribbon is 16 inches," she notes with the authority of someone accustomed to doing the math. "That ribbon is like the Kentucky Derby or the Westminster Kennel Show." It's both an artifact of Lee's past and a talisman of her present. She is talking to me a few days before the launch of her latest series, the Netflix competition series "Blue Ribbon Baking Championship." The show, hosted by Jason Biggs, features blue ribbon winners from state fairs nationwide competing for a $100,000 prize. Read more [here](~/AASU4wA~/RgRorZPBP0RmaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsveHdlMHU1dGs5aS8_bGhfYWlkPTM0ODk2JmxoX2NpZD1uMTVpa3RxYnBpJmxoX2VtPXRyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1JTQwZ21haWwuY29tVwNzcGNCCma7wQ7LZqkbJ09SG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAJQ~~). ~/AASU4wA~/RgRorZPBP0RCaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsvMWQyM3p2dWVicC8_bGhfYWlkPTM0ODk2JmxoX2NpZD1uMTVpa3RxYnBpVwNzcGNCCma7wQ7LZqkbJ09SG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAJQ~~~/AASU4wA~/RgRorZPBP0RCaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsvMWU4NzllNXJuYi8_bGhfYWlkPTM0ODk2JmxoX2NpZD1uMTVpa3RxYnBpVwNzcGNCCma7wQ7LZqkbJ09SG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAJQ~~~/AASU4wA~/RgRorZPBP0RCaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsvZXpxejRtZHJtYS8_bGhfYWlkPTM0ODk2JmxoX2NpZD1uMTVpa3RxYnBpVwNzcGNCCma7wQ7LZqkbJ09SG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAJQ~~~/AASU4wA~/RgRorZPBP0RCaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsvZWdmMHdoNDJrZy8_bGhfYWlkPTM0ODk2JmxoX2NpZD1uMTVpa3RxYnBpVwNzcGNCCma7wQ7LZqkbJ09SG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAJQ~~ What we're cooking Salon columnist Bibi Hutchings's take on the unique Sawdust Pie makes for a perfect weekend dessert. As she puts it, "Similar in texture to a soft granola bar, it was uniformly brown and dense like a cake. Without question, it was unlike any pie I had ever seen, but despite my accurate description of it looking like its namesake, it was, and is, quite a handsome dessert, especially when plated and adorned with my preferred accoutrements." Full of graham cracker, pecan and coconut, the dessert is texturally interesting, not-too-sweet, and absolutely delicious. Hutchings adds "It is unique and delicious presented simply with a dollop of whipped cream, but it shifts to scrumptious and to a class of its own when served warm with ice cream, caramel and thinly sliced bananas." Click [here](~/AASU4wA~/RgRorZPBP0RmaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsvcGZkYWdmcWMzdS8_bGhfYWlkPTM0ODk2JmxoX2NpZD1uMTVpa3RxYnBpJmxoX2VtPXRyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1JTQwZ21haWwuY29tVwNzcGNCCma7wQ7LZqkbJ09SG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAJQ~~) for the recipe. [Reviving the coast: Chef Dean Neff on the magic of North Carolina's sustainable culinary renaissance](~/AASU4wA~/RgRorZPBP0RmaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsvajZiYnVzN3VqbC8_bGhfYWlkPTM0ODk2JmxoX2NpZD1uMTVpa3RxYnBpJmxoX2VtPXRyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1JTQwZ21haWwuY29tVwNzcGNCCma7wQ7LZqkbJ09SG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAJQ~~) [This 5-ingredient chicken dish has become my go-to on weeknights — and most weekends, too](~/AASU4wA~/RgRorZPBP0RmaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsvOG45c3djMTk3dS8_bGhfYWlkPTM0ODk2JmxoX2NpZD1uMTVpa3RxYnBpJmxoX2VtPXRyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1JTQwZ21haWwuY29tVwNzcGNCCma7wQ7LZqkbJ09SG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAJQ~~) Not a subscriber yet? Get [The Bite](~/AASU4wA~/RgRorZPBP0RCaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsvZm1sdWV1cnZoZy8_bGhfYWlkPTM0ODk2JmxoX2NpZD1uMTVpa3RxYnBpVwNzcGNCCma7wQ7LZqkbJ09SG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAJQ~~) in your inbox! The leftovers . . . 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"I don’t think there’s any one moment. It’s something that’s been part of my soul always. Something I’ve always done. Ever since I was very young, I wanted to be in the kitchen. I remember obsessively learning to fry chicken at 7 years old and failing. But I always felt comfort in cooking. It’s the way I express love. It’s my language. It's where I’m comfortable. Now even when I go home for Thanksgiving, I can’t stay out of the kitchen. I prefer to be in the kitchen, always." Read more from Neff [here](~/AASU4wA~/RgRorZPBP0RmaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsvZTF2MGIzcjRwcy8_bGhfYWlkPTM0ODk2JmxoX2NpZD1uMTVpa3RxYnBpJmxoX2VtPXRyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1JTQwZ21haWwuY29tVwNzcGNCCma7wQ7LZqkbJ09SG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAJQ~~). Have a tip for Salon's Food team? Feedback on this newsletter? 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