Photograph by Photodisc/Getty Images.

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The dawn of DoubleX inspired me to start a project in which I entertained on Tuesdays, a day I had decided unscientifically was the most inconvenient in the week. For eight months,  I doggedly slogged through regular dinner parties , fending off strep throat and fatigue as I spatchcocked game hens and brewed big pots of chili. Though I am a food writer and a former professional cook, I had shied away from entertaining because I have a tendency to overdo it. I dirty too many pans and make too many trips to the grocery store for expensive ingredients.

Photo by Sara Dickerman.

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On a recent Thursday, I decided to get two families together with ours in an attempt at some platonic matchmaking—something I’d been meaning to do on Tuesday nights, but have shied away from in practice. So many dishes! So much facilitating! To further complicate matters, I encouraged my friend K. to bring her mother, since my own maternal unit was in town for the week.

Photograph of Maxine Powell courtesy of Julie Powell; Still of Amy Adams © 2009 Sony Pictures Digital Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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Our cat Maxine died last week at the age of 17 without ever knowing that she’d been portrayed on the big screen. In mourning her this week, I can’t help but think about the movie version of Maxine with mixed feelings. Julie & Julia—well, half of it, anyway—is based on my 2005 memoir of the same name, and in that book, Maxine played a not-inconsiderable role.

This is one of several reader responses we've published responding to the question "What have you given up in the recession?" Read more reader responses and Emily Bazelon's related story on recession concessions. Next question: What haven't you given up, despite the recession? Send answers to us at doublex.recession@gmail.com.

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My friend was heading off to an evening Muay Thai boxing class (a flying-limb, crazy-exhausting form of martial arts training) this Tuesday, but we were eager to get a visit in, so we fashioned a playdate for our boys that would spill into early dinner. In the spirit of Tuesday night, I should have opted for sandwiches. But this seemed too boring, so I thought of something just as easy and more wine bar-ish, like a giant tapa.

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Although I am a food writer and a former restaurant cook, I don't entertain at home all that often. This mostly has to do with my tendency to overdo it. The problem is, I think of the clever cooking project first, and the reality of the entire event afterward. For example, I might get it into my head that I want to smoke a duck in the barbecue, so I invite friends over on a Sunday night for a picnic.