Hey, Milk Street listeners. As fall approaches, I've asked Stella Parks to help me answer your baking questions.

So from spice cakes to Halloween candies and much more, we're opening the phone lines to tackle your autumn baking projects.

Please email us at questions at milkstreetradio.com.

One more time, send questions to milkstreetradio.com and we'll be in touch.

Hi, this is Christopher Kimball. Thanks for downloading this week's podcast. You can go to our website

177Milkstreet.com for our recipes, culinary ideas from around the world, or our latest

cookbooks.

Now, here's this week's show.

This is Mill Street Radio from PRX.

I'm your host, Christopher Kimball.

My husband is from Northern Ireland, and I spent quite a lot of time in Northern Ireland and a few years ago I wrote a column in The Guardian

and then I put a version, my version on an Irish stew

and I got so many nasty responses

because most people say,

but how can you change their Irish stew is just mutton and nothing else

you know, mutton and water and I said, but who wants to eat that? Yotam Otolengi is the author of Sweet, Plenty, and Jerusalem. His latest book, Otolengi Simple, focuses on delivering minimal hassle for maximum joy. Whole roasted vegetables topped with creme fresh, no-baked cheesecakes,

refrigerator dressings, and a new take on salads. But before we chat with you, Tom,

it's my interview with Yvette von Boven, author of Homemade Christmas.

Yvette, how are you? I'm fine. Thank you.

So before we get to the food, what's the worst holiday party you've ever been to?

Because you obviously wrote this book based upon experience.

And you must have gone to some really horrible parties.

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