Real Simple November 2022

IF YOU ASKED ME to describe my aesthetic, I’d probably go with “updated classic.” I love something with timeless appeal, and I’m even more smitten when it gets a tweak—a little zhuzh that puts it in the moment. I have a neutral cream-and-gray living room that could exist in several decades. But plop in a colorful jazz concert poster, a mustard chair, and some neonish throw pillows, and you bring it squarely into 2022. I have a sleeveless sweater-dress with a mock neck straight from the current ’90s craze, cordovan stovepipe boots with studs up the sides, an L.L.Bean tote in camo with a blazing orange monogram, and on and on. To me, the tweaks enhance the original with great ideas from right now. That’s how we approached refreshing REAL SIMPLE—by…

Lizzy Briskin FOOD EDITOR Lizzy created the delicious (and easy!) Thanksgiving recipes on page 86. What’s your favorite trick from this issue? Skip the full bird and go all in on turkey legs for Thanksgiving. I’m Team Dark Meat all the way! Ideal weekend plans: A morning run, followed quickly by a croissant that leaves me covered in crumbs. That’s how you know it’s good! Where’s your happy place? My family’s home in southern Vermont. Best trip you ever took: Sri Lanka has an amazing combo of beaches, mountains, and plains where elephants roam. What’s your go-to recipe? Caramelized onions for anything and everything. Michelle Buteau MODERN MANNERS COLUMNIST Our new etiquette expert dishes out advice on page 78. What is your worst fear? Being stuck in a coffin alive. I mean, what? Describe the perfect sandwich. Ciabatta with Cracked Pepper Mill turkey, muenster cheese, jalapeños, tomato, teeny-tiny bit…

IN YOUR KITCHEN 10 Of the Best Heart-Healthy Foods Beans, beans, they’re good for your heart…you know the rest. What other foods can improve heart health? We made a list! Check it out at realsimple.com/hearthealthy and start boosting your diet. ON YOUR BOOKSHELF The REAL SIMPLE Anti-Inflammation Bookazine That pesky bodily function that makes your nose stuffy and your skin red is crucial for helping you physically heal. But when it’s chronic, inflammation is a whole other story! Learn how to prevent and treat this condition in our special edition. ON THE WEB 5 Habits to Break for a More Organized Home It’s one thing to keep your place clean, and another to keep it organized. If you struggle with clutter, we have a few mindful changes that lean on maintenance over major effort. Go to realsimple.com/organizedhome to…

Calories! No one should have to think or feel guilty about the number of calories they consume on Thanksgiving, or ever!SHEILA KAPLAN, SILVER SPRING, MARYLAND Memaw won’t let us talk about politics. We ain’t getting none of her homemade sweet potato pie if we do! @ANAMARIATURNER611 There are a lot of exes in our family, and even though most of the splits were amicable, I try to keep the focus on the current family members and our future together. Negativity from the past detracts from the positive vibe of gathering as a family. TERESA VAN YSSELDYK SANTA BARBARA, CALIFORNIA Recipes! Especially when the group is large. Everyone seems to have their own variations on all the essentials. It can get hostile! ANGELA JOHNSON KIRKLAND, WASHINGTON Our family lake cottage. Otherwise every holiday turns into an endless debate…

FOR SELF-CARE, HOME CARE & ALL YOUR OTHER CARES ABUNDANT ARRANGEMENT This stunning faux-foliage and vase combo is as low-maintenance as a centerpiece can get. Arrangement in Smoke Glass Vase, $70; kirkland.com FRINGE BENEFITS We have two words for you: fringy tassels! Two more: machine washable. These napkins might just make an appearance on a weekday. Chunky Fringe Napkins, $89 for 4; frontgate.com SWEET TREATS For brownie points, give guests one of these date-sweetened chocolate bars for the road. Or if you’re feeling prep fatigue, crumble them on a plate and call it dessert. Chocolate Bars, $15 each; springandmulberry.com AT YOUR SERVICE Details, details! These gold-tone servers take your hosting game up a notch and add romantic glint to the table. Gold Salad Servers, $25; kirkland.com SIPPING PRETTY A mismatched set of glasses prevents accidental swaps among guests. Dibs on…

Suspenseful Page-Turner Anywhere You Run by Wanda M. Morris is the rare heart-pounding thriller that’s also deeply moving. In the summer of 1964, 20-something sisters Violet and Marigold leave their hometown in Jim Crow Mississippi to escape very different troubles: One is suspected of murder; the other is unmarried and pregnant. Neither realizes there’s a man who’s after them both, and their wrenching journey toward a new life will leave you breathless. Book Club Gold Ashley and Edith, both in their 40s, have been inseparable best friends since childhood, and now Edith is dying of ovarian cancer. In author Catherine Newman’s expert hands, We All Want Impossible Things is an extraordinary ode to friendship—warm, sometimes outrageously funny, and as real as it gets. It celebrates the gift of long-term bonds without shying away…