The Weekly Recap #89
If everything goes as planned, Marco and I will be taking our very belated honeymoon next month. At this point (four years late) it’s just a trip but to us, it’s the honeymoon we never took. I haven’t mentioned anything about this trip because with the way the world has gone the last two years I have been scared to jinx it. As excited as I am there is still a part of me holding back excitement just in case it doesn’t happen.
Immediately after booking our flights, the first thing I said to Marco was “what am I going to do about my newsletters?” The most obvious answer would be to take a break but that’s not happening. The only time I’m hitting pause is when life, death, or serious illness happens. So if I give birth, someone close to me passes, or I get covid and can’t taste anything I’ll allow myself a week off. When you work for yourself, your product is only as good as the effort you put into it, and my obsessive Virgo self refuses to miss a newsletter.
When I started all of this, I was literally home all day with an infinite amount of time to sit around in my PJs writing, baking, and experimenting in the kitchen. There was no planning for what happens when…life happens. As we have eased into the new normal I have had to pivot and adjust to make things work. For longevity and some sort of normal life, I have been trying to plan and execute things in advance but I like the spontaneity I have had for the last two years. I like to jump up and cook something when I feel inspired and share it on Instagram right at that moment. Sitting on a recipe for too long causes me to lose excitement for it. I certainly don’t have a solid “work schedule” down yet but I’m working on it.
For the last two months, I have been working on February, March, and the first week of April recipes. You have seen the first three recipes Baked Rigatoni, Strawberry Cream Cookies, and Tofu Tikka Masala. The remaining seven have been tested 3+ times, photos have been shot, and the recipes are typed up. I’m proud of myself for busting it out because it was a ton of work. My social media content has taken a hit for sure and I haven’t had any time to cook for fun. I’m dreading how long it will take me to write up the remaining seven newsletters this week but it feels great getting ready to take this trip knowing everything will be ready to go.
We still have two weeks before our vacation but I’m feeling the burnout and am more than ready. The spreadsheet of restaurants to try has been made and I have tunnel vision thinking about what to pack. I have been ferociously doing Duolingo and am full-on addicted now. My plan is to do fun check-ins from abroad and then a few detailed recaps when I am back. Until then this newsletter is serving more as my weekly diary and if you are still reading, thanks for listening to me blab!
As for my week of cooking, I have nothing exciting to report. My days have been spent at the computer and I haven’t had the time to cook anything particularly exciting. I didn’t plan anything planned a fun “breakfast for dinner” for Valentine’s day where I made gluten-free pancakes, savory pancakes (coming next month), bacon, and a poorly executed frittata.
Kimchi, egg, and cheese breakfast sandwiches have been on repeat this week along with lots of buttered rice and a few random items from the freezer. The highlight of the week was Roasted Tomato Soup from last September. My current self was thanking my past self big time for that one. This is the time of year when cooking at home is really boring and I rely on those random things I shove in my freezer to spice our meals up.
ICYMI ✨
I made a fun burger IG Reel this week. You can watch it, here. It is one of the recipes that will be sent out next month while I am away.
Rack of squirrel, anyone? The chefs putting invasive species on the menu
The future of outdoor dining in NYC will feature 'roadway cafes,' but no more dining sheds
It’s Your Friends Who Break Your Heart - I’m putting this article in the “Listen To This” section because I didn’t read it, I listened to the audio. It’s long but a good read/listen that resonated with me. I think everyone can relate to it in some way or another.
See the True Cost of Your Cheap Chickens - Not a fun watch but an important one.
A short rant on why I love an over-the-sink colander. I have many colanders from a large classic metal one to decorative ceramic ones and collapsable silicone ones. They each serve a purpose and I feel passionate about them all. Last month I did some rearranging and found this over the sink colander shoved in the back of a cabinet. It had been in my home for 3 years but only used a handful of times. This colander now lives front and center and gets used multiple times a week.
I now pull it out to wash produce (below) and love that the fruits and vegetables are counter-level and not down in the sink. It has a bigger surface area than a normal bowl colander and I can easily wash more stuff. I started draining pasta in it because it doesn’t sit on the bottom and there is no chance of pooling water touching your noodles (IYKYK). All of this can be done with a few dirty dishes left in the sink because it sits above them. The best part is after I use it I leave it in the sink and it serves as a vessel to hold soapy dishes before rinsing them off. Then of course I wash the whole thing and put it away. It is a really great product and I think everyone needs an over-the-sink colander. Get one, here!
Here is the world's easiest hint on where we are going: 🥖🧀🍷.
Talk to you next week! M