Sunday Paper Recommends—Week of May 3, 2026
This week at The Sunday Paper, we're sharing a new podcast, film, recipe, and two new books that we believe will add inspiration to your days. We hope these suggestions open your heart and mind and encourage you to come together for meaningful conversations.
What We’re Watching
Margo Millet has a new baby, a mountain of bills, and very few options. The daughter of a former Hooters waitress and an ex-pro wrestler, this college dropout and aspiring writer turns to OnlyFans to make ends meet—though she soon wonders whether internet fame comes at too high a cost. Based on Rufi Thorpe's 2024 novel, Margo’s Got Money Troubles is a comedic and heartwarming show featuring a star-studded cast led by Elle Fanning, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Nick Offerman. Stream the first 5 episodes on Apple TV+, with new episodes dropping every Wednesday.
What We’re Reading
Fifteen years after The Help captivated readers around the world, Kathryn Stockett is back. Set in 1933 Oxford, Mississippi during the Great Depression, The Calamity Club follows a group of very different women—including a tough young orphan named Meg, the outspoken Birdie Calhoun, and Charlie, a woman with nothing left to lose. They form an unlikely sisterhood and team up, determined to take back some control over their lives. Stockett’s newest novel has given us something worth every bit of the wait.
She was a working mother of four, juggling her career and her growing writers’ retreat. Then her husband—a history professor who had never held political office—ran for president of Iceland and won. Just like that, Eliza Reid went from ordinary life to First Lady, googling how to curtsy before meeting the Queen of Denmark and figuring out the rest as she went. Part adventure story and part love letter to reinvention, The First Lady Next Door is for anyone who has ever felt like an outsider or found themselves rewriting their story.
What We’re Listening To
What does Mindy Kaling know about 1980s Boston Celtics? More than you'd think. In Funny You Ask, Celebrity Jeopardy! champion and comedian Ike Barinholtz puts his famous friends in the hot seat, quizzing them on their own oddly specific passions and the random knowledge they've collected along the way. With guests like Kate Hudson, Jimmy Kimmel, and Tiffany Haddish, every episode is part comedy show, part trivia battle—and completely addictive. Listen wherever you get your podcasts.
Sunday Paper Recipe
KIMCHI MAC ’N’ CHEESE
When I asked my brother why he wouldn’t consider going vegan, his answer was simple: “The only thing Liam [his then three-year- old son] will eat is mac ’n’ cheese. Literally.” I am not a parent of a toddler. While it’s easy for me to sit on my pedestal and think, “Well, you should teach him to like something other than mac ’n’ cheese!” or “That doesn’t mean you all have to eat mac ’n’ cheese!” I decided the simplest solution was to introduce my brother to one of my favorite recipes of all time, my vegan Kimchi Mac ’n’ Cheese. I’ve made this recipe so many times I have it memorized. Liam is still a little too young to appreciate the kimchi part of this recipe, but my brother is not! And neither are you!
SERVES: 8 | DIFFICULTY: Easy GFO
1 pound elbow macaroni (can substitute gluten-free macaroni)
2 tablespoons vegan butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour (can substitute cornstarch)
4 cups Kimchi Queso (page 68)
2 cups chopped cabbage kimchi
1 - Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to the package instructions, reserving 1 cup of the pasta water.
2- About 1 minute before the pasta is finished cooking, drain and return the noodles to the cooking pot. Add the butter to the pasta. Sift the flour over the cooked pasta (I just run it through a fine-mesh sieve right over the top) and stir until the butter is melted and the flour is well incorporated.
3 - Add the cheese sauce and half of the reserved pasta water and stir the mixture vigorously. Continue to add more pasta water, as necessary, until it seems a little soupy (it will firm up before you serve). Add the kimchi and stir until it is evenly distributed throughout the pasta. Serve warm and store any leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, Reheat over medium heat, stirring in a little plant-based milk.
KIMCHI QUESO
Adapted from a fantastic recipe in Serious Eats, this vegan cheese sauce isn’t your typical nacho cheese. Not only is it dairy-free, it definitely has a Korean twist. It is always a HIT.
MAKES: 21/2 cups | DIFFICULTY: Easy GFO
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
5 ounces russet potato, thinly sliced 1/4 cup chopped onion
2 medium cloves garlic
1 scallion, white part only
1/4 cup cabbage kimchi (such as Mak Kimchi, page 87)
1 tablespoon gochugaru
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric 1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder 11/2 teaspoons ground cumin 1 cup cashews
1 tablespoon gochujang 1 tablespoon soy sauce 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
2 tablespoons kimchi liquid
1 cup unsweetened plant-based milk
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice 1 teaspoon maple syrup
1 - In a small pot, heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat until shimmering, about 1 minute. Add the potatoes, onion, garlic, scallion whites, kimchi, gochugaru, turmeric, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, and cashews and cook until the veggies begin to brown, about 3 minutes.
2 - Add the gochujang and stir until all the vegetables are evenly coated.
3 - Add the soy sauce to deglaze the pot and stir.
4 - Add 1/2 cup of water to the pot and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer the vegetables until the potatoes are fork-tender, about 15 minutes.
5 - Carefully pour the vegetable mixture into a high-powered blender. Add the nutritional yeast, kimchi liquid, plant-based milk, lemon juice, and maple syrup. Blend on high until smooth, about 1 minute. Allow to cool for 20 minutes, then pour into an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. You can reheat the queso in the microwave for about 1 minute before serving or using as an ingredient.
Excerpted from The Korean Vegan: Homemade: Recipes and Stories from My Kitchen by Joanne Lee Molinaro, published by Avery, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC. Copyright © 2025.
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