Back to Business!

I’m en route down to the city for a quick trip to see my friend Sophie’s movie Give Me Pity, which is premiering at Nighthawk this evening. I cannot wait. Sophie and I were set up by a dear mutual friend over the pandemic. She and her best friend Ari (who I also adore) also host a very entertaining podcast called Having a Night and I was lucky to be a guest awhile back.

Suffice to say, but our mutual friend was spot on in his matchmaking and we are now good friends. Thank you, Seth!

Keeping this short and sweet as it was a holiday week, hence this newsletter coming out on a Thursday!

À Noter

Putting on Everything

Mexico Lindo. Found this hot sauce at our Airbnb and I’m never looking back. Yes, I bought six bottles. It’s great on all things hot sauce is great on: eggs, pizza, fried chicken, tacos. It’s spicy and I love it. 

A Very Good Instagram Follow: 

Zena Kamgaing. I don’t remember how I stumbled upon her page, but I want to cook everything Zena makes. I appreciate the way she approaches vegetables and, well, everything else. Check her out!

Revisiting:

Anchovies in the South End of Boston. We flew into Boston on Sunday night pretty late, so I dragged Helen, Dan and Chad to one of my old college haunts. It’s a dive bar with mediocre Italian food, but the mussels are some of the best I’ve ever had. And, they still are! If you find yourself in Beantown and need late night eats, check it out, also the wonderful Franklin Cafe is always a hit.

Charming, no?!

“Dinner Again”

I swear there is another video coming soon, it’s been a little cuckoo over at CCHQ, but we’re working on it. I wear many hats! In the meantime, here is what I ate this week and hopefully some inspiration!

Sunday:

As mentioned above, we went out as we just landed from Miami. Had steamed mussels, garlic bread and Caesar salad. A good, quick idea for a weeknight actually and mussels are so affordable. Try this!

Monday:

My body was craving fish and vegetables after a week of a lot of tacos. Roast salmon with a smashed cucumbers salad heavily riffed off this Woks of Life recipe. I subbed chili crisp for oil and added a big squeeze of lime juice. So good! Served with white sushi rice. Had enough for lunch leftovers. 

Tuesday: Recipe Going Out Sunday for Paid Subscribers! 

I revisited and updated one of the first recipes I wrote for Back Pocket Pasta - it remains one of my favorites. Pasta with Caramelized Onions, Feta and Toasted Walnuts. This time I added in some greens to wilt at the end of the pasta’s cooking time. If you use vegan feta cheese, it could be that too.

Wednesday:

Deboned some chicken thighs, dipped them in egg and then some panko. Air fryer, baby! A new fennel salad recipe that I’m working on for the next book. Would it also be of interest to you? Also, are air fryer recipes of interest? I sure am using mine more than I ever thought I would!

Have a good rest of your week! Thank you, as always, for being here.

With love,

Colu