The Good Stuff Interview with Katy Elliott

Plus a letter from Catherine De Medici, a sheet pan lasagna, and a great gas station snack!

I first “met” Katy Elliott in the heady, wide-eyed days of the late-aughts blogosphere—a time when we were all forging connections through sidebars and RSS feeds. Since then, our friendship has been a steady, digital constant. We’ve commiserated over deep losses, swapped silly videos to get through the day, but we’ve never met in real life (which somehow still shocks me!) There is a particular kind of intimacy in a long-term internet friendship; I’ve watched her children grow up through these screens, and she has watched mine.

That is the quiet magic of Katy—she has been a steadying, enriching presence in my life through a thousand posts and comments. We’ve marked the passage of time in grid squares and life updates, resulting in a profound sense of knowing someone’s heart and history even though we’ve never occupied the same “real world” space.

With an unerring eye for New England soul and a gift for finding beauty in the weathered and the historic, Katy brings a grounded, thoughtful intentionality to everything she touches, along with real verve. She has a way of making the digital feel tactile and the distant feel familiar. Her answers below are a perfect reflection of her spirit—mixing the practical with the poetic, the charmingly unexpected with the honest truth.

What’s an object you use daily that you’d genuinely miss if it disappeared tomorrow? My Rancilio espresso machine. The very first thing I do when I wake up is turn it on — then I feed the cats, and pull a double shot of espresso. I keep it simple: a splash of hot water and whole milk. Nothing fancy, just deeply satisfying. I order eight one-pound bags of beans every month from Velton’s Coffee Roasters in Everett, Washington. Their Bonsai Blend is my favorite — it’s steady, rich, and forgiving, which feels important before 7 a.m. I’ve thought about the big question — what if everything disappeared in a fire? Honestly, I’d be okay as long as my loved ones and pets survived. But starting a truly crummy day without espresso? That would somehow would make everything feel much worse. Abbey’s Note: As much as I love the material world, I share this sentiment 1000% - it’s the people who matter, not the things.

What’s something in your home right now that makes you smile when you see it? The Smiley lamp! I bought two of them for my kids’ nightstands at Christmas — and then promptly stole one for my desk. It gives off a warm, gentle light, and the yellow globe is just…cheerful. I love collecting small cultural objects and scattering them throughout the house. I’m drawn to things that feel playful, graphic, and a little irreverent. I admire French homes in Provence layered with antiques and faded textiles, but I lack the discipline required for that level of restraint. I inevitably find myself back in the land of bright colors and cheerful, kitschy objects. Abbey’s Note: Katy has a sophisticated way of layering color and texture that inspires me every time she shares an image of her home.

@katyelliott

Katy Elliott on Instagram: "This is why I thrift in New England…

I have an extra-large plastic lobster, balloon dog figurines, vintage lobsterman figures, and unapologetically touristy things like Eiffel Tower key chains. I also love city tees from New York, Paris, and Rome, and treat them almost like wearable postcards. These little visual moments quietly lift your mood, and to me, that kind of joy is good design.

What’s an object you’ve held onto longer than makes practical sense, and why?

Fabric. Always fabric. I collect everything from old sheets to shirts, purely because I love the prints. I have grand visions — pillows, mittens, curtains — but in the past three years, I’ve made almost nothing. My collection has grown absurd: three large tubs and counting. But when I see a great pattern, I just can’t help myself. Good prints feel like tiny works of art, and letting them go feels harder than it should. Abbey’s Note: Ha! Same Same! A savvy fabric shop owner once said to me - ‘You’re building a fabric collection’ and indeed, she was right. I have not sewn anything since my youngest was born - 7 years ago. But I keep on acquiring fabric as if I were….

Bonus Q: Everyone always loves a go-to recipe recommendation! Can you share a recipe that you return to again and again? Slow-cooker chipotle honey chicken tacos. I make these so often that I barely measure anything anymore. I throw boneless chicken thighs into the slow cooker with honey, chipotles in adobo, a few pantry spices, and salt, then let it do its thing for a few hours while I go about my day. When the chicken is falling apart, I shred it right in the sauce, stir in black beans and a squeeze of lime, and call it done.

We serve it with warm tortillas, pickled red onions, and avocado. It’s low effort, deeply reliable, and somehow works for both kids and adults without modification. It’s the kind of recipe that makes you feel like you have your life together, even when you very much do not. I follow this NYT Cooking recipe, but at this point, it’s more muscle memory than instructions.

Yum! Thank you, Katy!

A. My youngest learned to needle felt at school, and boy, did I feel like a rock star when I could bust out my needle felting kit (bought for sweater repairs years ago). Ben’s teacher showed him how to needle felt with cookie cutters - a real innovation which has led to hours of creative action.

B. The happy vibe of this lamp is great.

C. I am very rarely star-struck, but wow, did I scream when I saw this online auction listing for a letter from none other than Catherine De’ Medici - I have a real soft spot for powerful, difficult women.

D. It’s the season of writing thank yous, and these are my favorite cards - so many different motifs to choose from, high quality, and just enough space - but not so much that I run out of things to say.

E. I promise I do cook recipes that haven’t gone viral - although you wouldn’t know it from this newsletter. 😂 It’s just that I kept seeing sheet pan lasagnas in various corners of the internet, and since lasagna is truly one of my favorite foods, I couldn’t resist. I baked a double batch - one in a full-size sheet pan and two half sheet pans, which I froze for later.

F. This focaccia mix had been sitting in my pantry for … years. One of my resolutions is to use up pantry items that have been languishing, and tonight I did so to excellent results. Add the onions as suggested. I didn’t have a pie dish handy, so I used a tart pan.

G. I grabbed this Fatty “meat stick” at our local gas station early one morning this week at the beginning of what I knew was going to be a very long day. It’s no exaggeration to say that over the years I have tried every high-protein snack out there - this has 13 grams of protein! Your mileage may vary on this one, but I enjoyed it enough to order more. My 16-year-old just crashed on the couch next to me for a few minutes, and when he saw these in the newsletter, he said, “Oh yeah, those are really good - I buy them at the gas station all the time!” All to say - it comes with a multigenerational stamp of approval.

H. I can’t quite articulate the joy it gives me to see my kids read - Ben has become a real Garfield fan of late, and my impulse purchase of The Best of Would You Rather for his Christmas stocking has turned out to be a real winner at school - Ben takes his copy out at lunch, and his classmates take turns answering.

I occasionally include affiliate links - typically to products from Etsy, Ebay, 1st Dibs, Bookshop, and yes, sometimes, Amazon. Affiliate links are bolded so you know when I’ve used one. Our most consistent political power comes from exercising our values via our wallets. I’m always thinking about cost, accessibility, and the planet. It’s a work in progress.

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