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This week, I’m so pleased to partner with Aunt Fannie’s on something special. Their products have no harsh chemicals, no hidden ingredients — just natural cleaning agents, held to the highest safety standards, for fresh-smelling, effective products you’ll love. I really love using them in my home and you will too.

Hello, I’m back and slowly reconnecting to the world.

I had the below written before I was struck down with appendicitis last week. Little did I know how much stranger the summer would get!

It’s been a funny summer and it’s not just me. Everyone I’ve spoken to has said “weird summer.” The weather has been fickle and I’m writing to you currently in jeans and a sweater over a sweatshirt. I’m ready to get back to Hudson, which is something I never say this early! I think I’m also ready to reenter my social life. The past year recovering from my knee replacement left me feeling very vulnerable in mind and body, but I believe I’m starting to get my footing again. How are you feeling?

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Thank you all for your kind words and support, they really made me smile, which I needed. My friend Alice even popped by the hospital as I was being discharged to drop off some of her Garden Dal, which she made with some freshly dug potatoes, this summer’s garlic, celery, various green herbs and lentils. I do believe lentils have a healing quality. They are all I want when I’m recovering from anything. They are a salve to the soul.

I’m now home and recovering and need to take it easy for the next two months (I’ll work out again some day!), but other than that I’m very grateful to have been in such good hands here in Canada. I also was able to slow down and watch one of the most delightful shows I’ve seen in a long time called My Brilliant Career. It takes place during the year 1900 in Australia and follows the life of the free-spirited writer Sybylla Melvyn who breaks every society rule. It’s funny, romantic and has beautiful costumes. It made me miss my long hair and had me longing for high-necked blouses and my copy of Anne of Green Gables.

Onward! This week I’m so pleased to be sharing a recipe and video from Better at Home with you. It’s called Peas, Shoots and Leaves and I absolutely named it with purpose. It’s a simple and perfect salad to make right now and it comes together swiftly.

Take a peek below for the video (I sing again!) and the recipe after the jump.

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🧽 Cleaning With: Aunt Fannie’s Wood Wipes. Unlike most wipes, these are safe on wood. Chad is a fine wood worker and absolutely loves them. They’ve also come in quite handy this summer wiping down all the antique wood pieces that came with our cottage in Nova Scotia. Like all of Aunt Fannie’s products, they are plant based, biodegradable and smell zippy and bright. They are also safe around children and pets! I am a genuine fan of all their products and highly recommend them.

📚 A Fun End-of Summer Hudson Valley Event: On Thursday, August 27 from 5:30-7:30 pm, join The Department of Things at the Esopus Library for a fun, end of summer Hudson Valley screen printing pop-up event! These two organizations participate in @nyserda's #ExperienceCleanHeat initiative. Free totes, bookmarks, and more will be available to print. If you’re curious to learn more about @nyserda's #ExperienceCleanHeat initiative, take a peek at here. They are doing great work.

🎵🎵 Looking forward to: If you’ve ever been to Abby Rockefeller’s Churchtown Dairy Barn, you know how special it is. If you haven’t and are planning to come to Columbia County, please stop by. It’s like a cathedral, but it’s in the shape of a soaring round barn. Starting on Friday, 8/29 through Sunday, 9/6 they welcome back their Chamber Music Churchtown series. Artistic director and founder Wendy Sutter (a renowned cellist) chose this location for Chamber Music Churchtown as the acoustics are incredible and the environment is so magical. I am going on Friday, 9/4 to hear some Brahms and Beethoven and I couldn’t be more excited. You can get tickets here. It will be a nice way to land back in Hudson.

I do fear that giving away my penchant for Victorian clothing, Gibson girls, and classical music this week may have changed your opinion of me. But she is me. Nice to meet you.

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Peas, Shoots, and Leaves with Buttermilk and Feta Dressing

The truth is, I developed this recipe because I always wanted to call something by this name. She’s witty, eh? But this salad is also a bit of a showstopper. The tangy buttermilk and feta dressing is best tumbled with peak spring produce, and the snap peas offer a lovely counterbalance to its creaminess with their crunch. Serve it with whatever else you’re making for dinner and New Potatoes and Mint with Too Much Butter (page 235) alongside.

Serves 4

Time 15 minutes

Ingredients

3⁄4 cup (180 ml) whole buttermilk

2 1⁄2 ounces (70 g) crumbled feta cheese (preferably French if you can find it)

5 tablespoons (75 ml) fresh lemon juice (about 2 lemons)

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

8 ounces (225 g) snap peas, cut on the bias

3 scallions, thinly sliced on the bias

2 ounces (55 g) pea shoots

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

2 tablespoons minced chives and/or blossoms, for scattering

2 tablespoons roughly chopped or torn fresh mint leaves
Flaky salt, for serving

Method

In a medium bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, feta, and 3 tablespoons of the lemon juice and season well with salt and a good few churns of black pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt as needed. Set aside.

In another bowl, gently toss together the snap peas, scallions, and pea shoots with the remaining 2 tablespoons lemon juice and the olive oil. Season with salt.

To serve, transfer the dressing to a medium plate or platter, preferably with sides, and mound the snap pea mixture on top in the middle. Drizzle with some more olive oil and scatter with the chive blossoms and mint. Finish with a few pinches of flaky salt.

Peas, Shoots, And Leaves With Buttermilk And Feta Dressing By Colu Henry

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Wishing you a sunny and not too humid rest of your week. I’m willing it myself!

With love,

Lu x

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I’m typing this newsletter on my phone from room #207 at the Amherst Hospital in Nova Scotia. A first for me!

I won't get into all the details, but I had to have an emergency appendectomy late Tuesday after a harrowing early morning. Let's just say I've never been more pleased to have listened to my body! We got here just in time.

Needless to say, but no newsletter this week! I wish this on no one, but if it does happen, I wish it happens to you in Canada. They have taken such good care of me. Sugo was even able to come for a visit. Now that's service!

See you next week!

With love,

Colu x

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Ciao friends!

We have a very special newsletter today. The one and only ’ second cookbook, What To Cook When You Don’t Feel Like Cooking: Make it Fast, came out yesterday, and she’s here today to answer some questions. She’s also shared six (!) recipes with us for Smoky Black Beans. Thank you, Caro!

buy the book!

If you’ve been on this platform long enough, there’s no way you don’t know Caroline. Her newsletter, What To Cook When You Don’t Feel Like Cooking, is the #1 food newsletter on Substack, and on top of new recipes every week, she now has a show that airs Friday evenings right here, plus supplemental newsletters sharing what she’s into, aptly named So Into That. Caro and I connected online during the pandemic and have been penpals ever since — she even asked me to pop over as a guest writer when she was on maternity leave a few years back. All that, and she has four young boys at home. I truly don’t know how she does it, but she sure does. She’s also bubbly, supportive and kind.

What To Cook When You Don't Feel Like Cooking

pasta e ceci

Click here for the WTC recipe index, and scroll to the bottom of this post for a printer-friendly version of today’s recipe by guest author Colu Henry…

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4 years ago · 71 likes · 39 comments · Caroline Chambers and Colu Henry

Read on for our conversation about her favorite spots in her town of Carmel, CA, her favorite kitchen tools, plus her recipe for Smoky Black Beans, which she cleverly worked into five different dishes: Crunchy Black Bean Tacos, Loaded Sweet Potatoes with Creamy Herby Sauce, Mediterranean Black Beans, Tamale Bowls, and Black Bean Flautas with Avo Slaw.

They’re all here for you. Oh, and don’t forget to pick yourself up a copy of her new book!

Congratulations, Caro!

buy the book!

Colu: You have four boys (!) and a thriving business. When you say you don’t feel like cooking, what does that actually look like on a Tuesday night at your house?

Caro: Four boys (!) is right. It’s utter chaos in the absolutely best way. Honestly, cooking on a Tuesday night looks like this! I just shot a cooking show for What To Cook where my kids were actually home, wandering in and out, bringing lizards into the kitchen, hacking away at vegetables. I wanted to film a cooking show that actually feels like real life! I’ve got kids underfoot, on the kitchen counter, running outside when I tell them it’s time to eat, refusing what I cooked, all of it. I cook a lot of really quick, really easy, still really delicious meals, like what you’ll find in Make It Fast. The Chicken Parm Meatballs with Broccoli Pasta is coming to mind right now – that’s a recipe the entire fam loves.

Colu: What are a few of your must have pantry ingredients that elevate a quick meal from good to great?

Caro: Coconut milk – coconut rice is a huge win with the whole fam. Gochujang adds so much flavor, and if you use a small amount, it really doesn’t make things too spicy. I am big on fancy olive oil, and I don’t cheap out here – I subscribe to Kosterina so that I never run out. Is wine a pantry ingredient? I have two wine club memberships – to Sophie James in Sonoma and to Joyce here in Carmel Valley. You’re a wine person, so I feel like you’ll allow this one. It’s important.

Colu: Re wine, I couldn’t agree more! What are the kitchen tools you can’t do without?

Caro: My fish spatula – it’s long and skinny and flexible and the perfect flipping tool. I love my huge Staub 9-quart round pots. I have several. My current favorite is the matte white. I got a Staub rice pot in ’s PR box for her book, and it truly cooks the perfect pot of rice.

Colu: You live in one of the most beautiful parts of the country. Can you share a few of your favorite spots in Carmel? They don’t need to be restaurants.

Caro: Oh, yes!!! Stationæry for breakfast or lunch – I get the farmer’s salad with salami. Say hi to my friends Alissa and Anthony who own it! Chez Noir’s bar is my favorite dinner in Carmel – it’s a set-menu Michelin-starred restaurant, but if you can snag a seat in the cozy bar (only 6 seats), you can order à la carte. Our friends Johnny and Monique own it (he’s the chef, she’s the front of house boss lady) and they rule. Go for a hike in Garland State Park. Get coffee and housemade cheese at the Carmel Valley Creamery.

Colu: What’s the best book you’ve read this summer? Or what’s the next one on your list?

Caro: The Unselected Journals of Emma M Lion!!! My friend gave me the first volume (there are currently 8 out, and the author said the full series will be 24 or so books) to read up at our cabin over the 4th of July. I DEVOURED it. I scavenged for Wifi so that I could download the next 7 volumes immediately on my Kindle. It’s set in 19th-century London and stars a witty, smart 21-year-old woman who inherits a quirky old home in a quirky neighborhood. Trouble and hilarious mishaps follow her wherever she goes. It’s light and funny and such a dopamine hit. I have toggled between reading it on my Kindle, inheriting paperbacks from my friend Jess, and listening on Spotify — the narration is really good if you’re a book listener!

Colu: What’s your favorite way to wind down after a long day (in the summer or otherwise)?

Caro: We have a pretty amazing outdoor seating area with a fireplace and cozy couches. We have spent so much time out there this summer. It gets really cool in the evenings, so my husband and I will light a fire and read out there after the kids go down. Glass of wine. It’s such a nice unwind.

Colu: What’s the main thing you want readers to take away from this book?

Caro: Cooking delicious food doesn’t have to be fussy or hard. You can make really beautiful, special-feeling meals in 15 or 30 minutes.

Colu: I couldn’t agree more!

buy the book!

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SMOKY BLACK BEANS

Serves 4

My pantry is never without multiple cans of black beans—they’re one of my very favorite panic purchases. Everyone has their own favorite panic purchase—you know, the item you buy every time you’re at the store because you think “do I have this at home . . .?” They’re a reliable yet humble vessel for impressive flavor—all it takes is a few shakes of spices and you have a delicious protein to build dinner around. I’m no short-order cook, but on smoky black bean nights, I don’t mind customizing plates. For the baby? Black beans straight up. For my pickiest eaters? Black bean flautas they can dunk into sour cream. For George and me? Most often some sort of bowl like these Mediterranean bowls, but I definitely dabble in crunchy tacos and loaded sweet potatoes. There’s no wrong way to down these beans!

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

½ teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon onion powder

½ teaspoon ground cumin

¼ teaspoon chili powder

2 (15-ounce) cans black beans

Kosher salt

4 cilantro sprigs

1 lime

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, and chili powder and cook, stirring, until fragrant, for 15 seconds.

Drain and rinse 1 can of black beans, then add them to the pan along with the (undrained) beans from the second can. Add 1½ teaspoons salt and the cilantro. Turn down the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, until the beans thicken and are no longer watery, about 10 minutes. Use a wooden spoon to lightly smash about half the beans against the side of the pan. Pluck out and discard the cilantro sprigs. Halve the lime and squeeze in the juice of 1 half. Stir, then taste and add more salt and/or lime juice as needed.

If you’re not using the beans right away, let them cool, then store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. When ready to use, warm them gently in a saucepan over medium-low heat or in the microwave. If they’re very thick, stir in some water to loosen them up.

Recipe reprinted with permission from What to Cook When You Don’t Feel Like Cooking: Make it Fast by Caroline Chambers © 2026. Published by Union Square & Co., an imprint of Grand Central Publishing, a division of Hachette Book Group. Photography by Erin Scott.

Smoky Black Beans (five Ways)

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Have a great rest of your week! Let me know if you make…the beans!

With love,

Colu x

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This is a long newsletter due to 4 recipes, so it might be truncated in your email. You can click on "View entire message," to view the entire post.

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I first met in 2017 when she was kind enough to do a Q&A with me in DC, when my first book Back Pocket Pasta came out. She is a true authority on Italian cuisine and I am constantly impressed by her knowledge and recipes. I was very honored that she took the time to interview me, the wet-behind-the-ears author I was at the time.

She is also the author of nine (!) cookbooks and writes one of my favorite newsletters called Buona Domenica, which she brilliantly posts on Sundays. The name translates to Good Sunday… hence today’s delivery.

Domenica’s latest book Italian Cookies is a deep dive into all the cookies of Italy’s regions and it is, of course, incredible. Neither of us considers ourselves a “sweet-tooth,” however there are so many recipes in this book that are up my alley, starting with today’s dessert course Sbrisolona (Big Crumble Cookie) hailing from Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna.

We got to chatting a few weeks ago and thought it would be fun to do a collaborative Q&A post. My answers to her questions appear over on her newsletter and hers on mine. As we continued to talk we thought it would also be fun to create an Italian summer menu sharing recipes from both of our books. Her husband Scott was also kind enough to write up wine pairings to include. Can this newsletter get any better today?!

I am so pleased to share Domenica’s thoughtful and lovely answers below, as well as a perfect four-course summer menu that transports you to wherever you’d like to be in Italy.

Please read on for some joyful things. And, don’t forget to grab yourself a copy of Italian Cookies, the holidays are only four months away, and these are the kind of recipes you’ll want to make with or for your family and friends. I know I do.

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What inspired you to write a book dedicated to Italian cookies? I know we both don’t identify as “sweets people,” and yet you managed to write a book that even I want to bake from! I And, do you have any family memories attached to the “culture of cookies”? For instance, lingering around a table after Sunday lunch or baking with your mother? I could be projecting here...

You are so right. I’ve always considered myself more of a savory tooth than a sweet tooth, although after working on this book I’m no longer sure that’s the case! I never expected to write an entire book devoted to Italian cookies. I had written a small book called Ciao Biscotti some years ago and that was enough for me, or so I thought. But speaking as a consumer, I have always loved cookies. I did grow up with the tradition of baking cookies during the Christmas holiday with my mom and my sister. This was in New Jersey, not Italy. But we didn’t make Italian-American style cookies because my mom, who was born in Italy, was not familiar with them. She made pizzelle and a fried cookie filled with chopped nuts and honey called calcionelli, and very buttery hazelnut crescents dipped in powdered sugar. When we were little my sister and I were tasked with shelling all the nuts for her Christmas baking, which sounds horrible but now I look back on it with nostalgia...I guess! As we grew older we started picking out recipes from Gourmet Magazine’s annual cookie issue and other magazines that we wanted to try out. These weren’t necessarily Italian. The mocha pecan balls from a 1990s issue of Gourmet were among my favorites.

It wasn’t until 2018 that I really started to pay attention to cookies in Italy. One day in Genoa, I bought a bag of flower-shaped butter cookies called canestrelletti— very plain looking, no frosting, no piping, no sprinkles. But when I took a bite I was sure it was best butter cookie I’d ever tasted. I don’t know why, but I decided on the spot that I needed to know more about it. So I looked on the back of the package for where the cookie was produced—a town called Torriglia in the hills outside of Genoa—and so I went there. And I found that this cookie, the canestrelletto, had a history dating to the 15th century and a whole incredible backstory. There are at least eight bakeries in this town of 2000 people that bake canestrelletti to very strict specifications and distribute them throughout the city of Genoa and the region of Liguria. In recent decades it’s been an economic boost for the town. From there, I started finding out about more Italian “cookie towns,” as I call them. And so I started traveling to these towns, visiting bakeries, talking to the bakers, and seeing the great history and diversity that exists in the world of Italian cookies. Each one seemed to have an incredible story. That’s when I knew I wanted to turn my research into a book.

I am always so impressed by your deep knowledge of Italy’s different regions. I know your family comes from Abruzzo. If you had to pick a few favorite ingredients from that region, what would they be? Most importantly, what is your favorite cookie from there?

I love this question! Abruzzo is a lesser-known region, but it has an incredibly varied and delicious cuisine, thanks to its location. It is situated mid-calf on the boot of Italy and stretches from the Apennine mountains out to the Adriatic coast. So you have hearty mountain—think grilled lamb, porchetta, and spaghetti alla chitarra with mixed meat ragù— to the rich selection of seafood from the Adriatic Sea. In between, there are olives, wine grapes, legumes, incredible sheep’s milk and cow’s milk cheeses, and vegetables that grown in the foothills and high plains. One favorite ingredient has to be the saffron that grows in the Navelli plain. It is known as “oro rosso,” or “red gold,” and it is deep and smoky and earthy. I put it in my pasta dough, in soups, in sauces. I especially love it in seafood stews. Lamb is another favorite food, along with mutton.

For centuries, Abruzzo survived on a pastoral economy and lamb, mutton, and castrato are staples, served skewered and grilled (arrosticini), in ragù, and also in really delicious savory stews. Finally, I have to mention two of my favorite cheeses: sheep’s milk ricotta, especially when it is just made and still warm and wobbly; and scamorza, which is slightly aged, sometimes smoked mozzarella. It’s often grilled and served blistered and gooey. It’s possibly my favorite thing in the world.

When developing the recipes for this book, was there a moment when you had to “translate” a recipe that only ever existed in someone’s hands and memory into something the rest of us could actually follow? And did anything get lost (or gained!) in that translation?

I can’t say I had exactly that experience, but I had a few that were similar. In the case of the aforementioned canestrelletti di Torriglia, I spent some time with a woman named Paola Rosazza Battore, who is the designated baker for her family’s grocery, which has been open since the late 1800s. She did not share her recipe with me (this was the case with several of the bakers, perfectly understandable, as we are talking about their livelihood). But she let me watch her make dough and stamp out cookies as we talked. I had already tried my hand several times at making canestrelletti but was always slightly disappointed in the texture—they were not as crumbly and buttery as the ones from Torriglia. The recipe only calls for four ingredients: flour, butter, sugar, and egg yolks, so what it came down to was quality of ingredients and technique. As I watched Paola, I saw the order in which she mixed the ingredients together and the way she mixed them, and I had an ‘aha’ moment. I went home and followed her technique, which, among other things, involved beating together the sugar and egg yolks at length. and then adding butter, rather than the other way around—sugar and butter then egg yolks—as we do in the U.S. This proved to be the key to unlocking that recipe.

What are your three desert island dishes/foods? And, which Italian island would you take them to?

Spaghetti alle vongole: the purest, most pared-down version: good pasta, fresh clams, garlic, olive oil, peperoncino and parsley. Parmigiana di melanzane (eggplant parm): this takes care of the main course and the contorno and also checks my comfort food box, which I will need if I am alone on a desert island! Key lime pie, deep dish, graham cracker and pecan crust, super tart filling, mounds of whipped cream piled on top. Plus coffee and wine, naturally.

As for the island: I would have to go with one of the Tremiti islands, off the Adriatic coast. They belong to Puglia but aren’t too far from Abruzzo. They are on the side of Italy to which I am sentimentally attached, and they still seem a bit under the radar, meaning Stanley Tucci hasn’t yet visited LOL. Second choice: Stromboli, a volcanic island and one of the Aeolian islands off the coast of Sicily.

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Prosciutto with Quick-Pickled Melon - Domenica

Battered Pecorino Cutlets with Sungolds and Crushed Olive Salsa - Colu

SERVES 4

TIME: 40 minutes

Chicken cutlets are upgraded and battered in an egg and cheese mixture that is almost Francese-like and deeply savory. The cutlets shallow-fry until they are golden, and the bright tomatoes and olive salsa that they’re topped with gives them a nice jolt of acidity. I call for Sungolds here, which are readily available in the summertime. If you find yourself in another season, grape or cherry tomatoes will

also work well.

INGREDIENTS

For the chicken:

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 12 ounces/340 g each)

Kosher salt

3 large eggs

⅓ cup (30 g) grated pecorino cheese (I like Locatelli)

¼ cup (10 g) finely chopped fresh parsley

Freshly ground black pepper

1 cup (125 g) all-purpose flour for dredging

⅔ cup (160 ml) extra-virgin olive oil, for shallow-frying

Flaky salt

For the salsa:

2 pints (600 g) Sungold or other small, pretty tomato varieties, halved

1 cup (155 g) Castelvetrano olives, crushed with the side of a knife and pitted

1 small red onion, thinly sliced

¼ cup (13 g) parsley leaves

¼ cup (60 ml) olive oil

2 teaspoons sherry vinegar, plus more to taste

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Flaky salt, for serving

METHOD

With a sharp knife, starting on a fat side of the breast, slice each chicken breast horizontally in half to get 2 cutlets each, or a total of 4. Place a piece of parchment or plastic over top of the chicken and pound with a mallet or a rolling pin until they are about ¼ inch (6 mm) thick. Season with salt.

In a wide shallow bowl, whisk together the egg, pecorino, and parsley and season lightly with salt (the pecorino is salty already) and black pepper. Add the flour to another wide shallow bowl.

Line a plate with paper towels and have near the stove. In a 12-inch (30 cm) skillet, heat the oil over medium heat until it shimmers. Test to make sure the olive oil is hot enough by adding a few pinches of flour—when they sizzle, you’re ready.

Working one at a time, dredge a cutlet in the flour, shaking any excess off, and then dip into the egg and cheese mixture and add to the pan away from you. You should be able to get 2 in the pan at once. Cook until the outside is golden and the chicken is cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to the paper towels and sprinkle with flaky salt. Repeat with the remaining 2 cutlets, adding a bit more oil if the pan is looking dry.

Make the salsa: In a large bowl, combine the tomatoes, olives, onion, and parsley leaves. Stir in the olive oil and vinegar and season with salt and pepper. Taste and adjust with more vinegar and salt as needed.

Transfer the cutlets to a large platter and spoon the salsa over top and finish with a few pinches of flaky salt.

Battered Pecorino Cutlets With Sungolds And Crushed Olive Salsa

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Summer Squash Salad with Toasted Pine Nuts and Blue Cheese - Colu

SERVES 4

TIME: 40 minutes

On a late-August afternoon, our friends Scott, Alice, and their daughter Vera came by for a visit and a swim, and of course I felt the need to put out snacks. As one is usually overwhelmed by the amount of zucchini piling up (myself included), I wanted to utilize it, but also make it feel special. I did so by sautéing it until golden and topping the zucchini with toasted nuts and crumbly cheese, and as it was summer, clearly a showering of basil was necessary. The squash can be fried and left at room temperature earlier in the day, but I would wait to garnish it until just before serving. One of my favorite ways to entertain this time of year is to make a number of vegetable salads such as this that can be served at room temperature. When guests arrive, all you need to do is fire up the grill and cook one thing, be it fish, steak, or otherwise and let the sides steal the show. They’ve waited all year to do so, so let them enjoy their time.

INGREDIENTS

4 tablespoons (60 ml) extra-virgin olive oil

2 pounds (910 g) assorted zucchini and summer squash, cut into rounds

¼ inch (6 mm) thick

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1½ tablespoons pine nuts

Grated zest of 1 lemon

2 ounces (55 g) good-quality blue cheese

Small fistful of basil, torn

METHOD

Line a plate with paper towels and have near the stove. In a 12-inch (30 cm) skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over medium heat until it shimmers. Working in batches so as to not crowd the pan, add about half of the squash and cook, flipping frequently, until it begins to soften and turn golden in spots, 5 to 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer the squash to the paper towels to drain. Repeat with the remaining 2 tablespoons oil and remaining squash.

While the squash cooks, heat a small skillet over medium heat. Add the pine nuts and toast, stirring often, until they are aromatic and golden in spots,3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl.

Transfer the squash to a platter and top with the lemon zest and pine nuts, and scatter with the blue cheese and the basil. Taste and adjust seasonings with more salt if needed.

Summer Squash Salad With Toasted Pine Nuts And Blue Cheese1

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Sbrisolona - Domenica

Big Crumbly Cookie

This giant crumbly cookie is a specialty of Mantua, in Lombardy. But I first tasted it at a cooking class at the home of a chef from Parma, in Emilia-Romagna, where it is also popular. This makes sense, as Parma is just about an hour south of Mantua, and popular cookies tend to travel beyond their place of origin.

Also known as torta sbrisolona, the name of this cookie roughly translates to “crumbly cake.” It comes from the verb sbricolare, which means “to crumble.” The cookie was once upon a time prepared by farmers using simple ingredients that they were likely to have on hand—flour, cornmeal, sugar, a little lard or butter, and almonds. It was eaten as a snack to revive them after a long morning of work.

When assembling your sbrisolona, resist patting the sandy dough into the pan too firmly. It needs to be loosely packed in order to yield that fall-apart texture that makes it so irresistible. Once baked, is customary to break this cookie into irregular pieces for serving, though you can cut it with a knife for a neater presentation.

MAKES 1 LARGE COOKIE, TO SERVE 8 TO 10

3/4 cup (105 g) whole raw almonds, plus a handful more for decorating

1/2 cup (100 g) sugar, plus 1 tablespoon for sprinkling

3/4 cup (100 g) unbleached all-purpose flour

2/3 cup (100 g) fine cornmeal (do not use coarse cornmeal or polenta or your cookie will be grainy and tough)

Finely grated zest of 1 lemon

3 1/2 ounces (7 tablespoons; 100 g) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch (12-mm) cubes

1 large egg yolk

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon fine salt

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 350° F (180° C). Line an 8-inch (20-cm) springform pan or cake pan with parchment. The easiest way to do this is to crumple up the parchment with your hands and then insert it into the pan; once crumpled, it’s easy to make the parchment fit.

Reserve 10 of the 3/4 cup (105 g) almonds and put the rest into the work bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Add the 1/2 cup (100 g) sugar and process until the nuts are very finely ground, almost like almond flour. Take care not to overprocess or you will release the oils from the almonds. Pulse in the flour, cornmeal, and lemon zest.

Distribute the butter around the inside of the work bowl and pulse briefly to break it up into small pieces. In a small bowl, whisk the egg yolk with the vanilla and salt and pour this in through the feed tube of the food processor. Pulse until the mixture begins to look like damp sand. Pinch a small handful; it should clump together lightly. Toss in the reserved 10 almonds and pulse briefly to break them up a bit.

Remove the blade from the food processor. Scoop up handfuls of the almond mixture, lightly clumping it together, and spread it evenly into the parchment-lined pan. You can pat it lightly, but resist the urge to pack it in. Once it’s all in the pan, sprinkle with the 1 tablespoon sugar and decorate it with the handful of whole almonds.

Bake the sbrisolona for 30 to 35 minutes, until the center feels firm and it is lightly browned on top and around the edges. Set the pan on a wire rack to cool completely. Once cooled, remove the sbrisolona from the pan by unlatching the ring (if using a springform pan), carefully lifting out the parchment (the edges will crumble easily), and transferring the sbrisolona to a plate. Break or cut into pieces and serve. Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Recipe Sbrisolona Italian Cookies

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I hope you enjoyed this newsletter as much as I enjoyed putting it together! Have a beautiful week!

With love,

Lu x

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Ciao!

Popping in quickly to say that this week’s newsletter is coming out on Sunday and IT IS A BANGER! and I are sharing a full summer Italian menu with you. That’s four recipes coming your way.

In the meantime, read this wonderful piece on Gimlets in Vine Pair by the wonderful , in which I was happy to take part! They are a very nostalgic drink for me.

I also had the pleasure of tasting through some incredible olive oil from Portugal called Wildly Virgin. They each are made from a single producer, a single grove, and a single harvest.

Also, don’t forget, I’m offering 50% off annual subscriptions through the end of the month. All proceeds will be donated to World Central Kitchen.

Thank you to those that have already donated!

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See you on Sunday!

Summer Italian vibes below.

With love,

Colu x

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Mid-to-late July at The Windy Poplars means that the Tiger Lilies have bloomed and the Linden trees on the east side of the farm have blossomed. The air is perfumed with the scent of lemon and honey. The weather has been a bit unpredictable and has only reached about 80 once since we arrived nearly three weeks ago. It’s also been raining much more so than last year (a good thing as we were in a drought), but it has dampened (no pun intended) my summer vibes a bit. It has allowed me to get some good reading done. I finished Ann Patchett’s newest book Whistler last weekend and loved it. She really is just so good! Next up is Isabel Klee’s memoir Dogs, Boys and Other Things I’ve Cried About. Reader, I’m already crying.

“Pizza Sundays” have resumed, which is always fun. Rachel and Andy pop over for an early Sunday dinner and we fire off pizzas and sit around a battered wooden table until the mosquitoes signal us inside. It’s a fun tradition.

Chad and I have also started scouring the area for antiques and have been quite successful in finding oil paintings and some other bits and bobs. We’ll bring these back to Hudson with us and have finally embraced that we are maximalists when it comes to home decorating.

Speaking of Hudson and the state of New York as a whole, I had the absolute joy in partnering with NYSERDA and geek out about not only geothermal heating and cooling, but also libraries! The Roe-Jan Library has been using this system since the built the building in 2010! You can view the reel here and below - it was honestly the most fun I’ve had in a long time. That BFA in Musical Theater is finally paying off! I left them a copy of Better at Home as a thank you.

I truly appreciate everyone’s enthusiasm over last week’s newsletter and your plea for the Blistered Green Beans and Fennel Caesar Salad, so of course that is this week’s recipe!

This week, I am also celebrating four years on Substack. I started this newsletter with about 300 people and as of today there are over 14K of you. I am so incredibly proud and grateful that you’re all here.

In celebration of this milestone, I am offering 50% off annual subscriptions through the end of the month. I do this maybe once a year, so if you’ve been on the fence, now is the time to jump over it!

I will also be donating a good percentage of these proceeds to World Central Kitchen as I did last year.

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🫧 Flamingo Estate is brilliant at everything they do. So brilliant that they’ve managed to bottle the scent of summer. Their Heirloom Tomato Hand Soap smells not only of the fruit itself, but also has notes of the plant’s grassy, peppery leaves and stems. I smile each time I laver les mains. It comes in a embossed green glass bottle also has the ability to elevate any room it’s in. Our cottage kitchen just got an upgrade. It would also make a lovely hostess gift.

🎥 Obsession came out in mid-May and we missed seeing it at the theater, but finally rented it this past weekend. It was worth the wait. If you like fun, indie horror movies, this one’s for you. The main character, a shy guy named Bear, makes a wish on a new age store novelty item that his friend Nikki, who he has a crush on, would love him more than anything in the world. Whelp, the wish works and things go pretty cuckoo from there. The acting, especially the performance by Inde Navarrette who plays Nikki, is outstanding. Mark my words, she’s going to be a superstar.

Another fun fact? It was produced on a $750,000 production budget and has grossed over $250 million at the domestic box office, a “milestone that 14 Marvel Studios-produced MCU movies failed to reach.” Incredible!

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Blistered Green Beans and Fennel Caesar Salad

This dish is a perfect summer side. It comes together quickly and requires almost no stove time. I like using a mix of green and yellow beans for this dish purely for aesthetics, but use what you’ve got. The warm green beans are a nice contrast to the crunchy, cool fennel and because it’s summer, basil is tossed in there too. Mint or chives would also be nice. You can also make this salad a main dish by adding tinned fish (oil-packed tuna would be nice) or a grilled protein such as chicken or steak. Simple boiled potatoes tossed with lots of salted butter alongside sound good too. Keep it simple.

Serves 4

Time 20 minutes

INGREDIENTS

For the dressing:

1 clove garlic, very finely chopped or put through a garlic press

½ teaspoon kosher salt

4 anchovy fillets, finely chopped

Juice of 1 lemon (about 2 tablespoons), plus more as needed

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 egg yolk, at room temperature

¼ cup grated pecorino or Parmesan cheese

½ cup olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

For the salad:

1 pounds green beans, tipped and tailed

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 cup thinly sliced fennel

1 cup loosely packed basil, torn

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

METHOD

Make the dressing:

In a large non-reactive bowl, mix together the garlic, salt, and anchovies to create a paste. Whisk in the lemon juice, Dijon, egg yolk and the grated cheese. In a steady stream, add the oil, whisking constantly so the dressing emulsifies. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed. Does it need a bit more lemon juice? Does it need a bit more cheese? If so, add it and set aside.

Make the beans:

Heat a 12-inch skillet (preferably cast iron) over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and when it shimmers, add the beans and cook, tossing until the start to turn golden and char in spots, about 4 to 6 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Taste a bean and if they are not cooked through to your liking, add a few tablespoons of water to the pan to help steam them. Once the water evaporates, turn off the heat. The beans should still be snappy.

Assemble the salad:

Transfer the beans to the bowl of salad dressing, add in the fennel and half the basil leaves. Toss until everything is evenly coated in the dressing. Taste and season with salt and a few turns of black pepper and drizzle with a bit more oil if you’d like. Top with remaining basil and serve.

Blistered Green Beans And Fennel Caesar Salad

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Have a good rest of your week.

With love,

Lu x

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I haven’t done a “Dinner Again” installment in a beat. Because I’m in Nova Scotia where this is no takeout (at all) or a restaurant that isn’t 30 minutes away, I thought it was time. I’m cooking a lot at home. I would say 6 nights a week. We get a lovely break when we head up the road to our friends Andy and Rachel, but other than the rare frozen pizza, that’s it. There is also only garbage pick up every two weeks, so we let nothing go to waste.

These meals are documented to provide inspiration. They also offer me an opportunity to workshop some recipe ideas. Take a peek below and let me know what you think.

I also included my version of a perfect beach sandwich as I hope you’ll be at the beach at some point soon. I’d also like to know how you make yours?

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Wednesday: Grilled chicken thighs, marinaded in this dressing again! Steamed rice and a salad of little gems with scallions and sesame.

Thursday: Halloumi stuffed grape leaves, grilled until just soft, and then doused with with honey. Grilled lamb chops from up the road with fennel salt. Toasted bread salad with tomatoes, garlic and quick-pickled shallots. A lot of wine. Andy and Rachel came to dinner, whoops!

Friday: Used up the leftover lamb and shredded it. Sautéed some ginger, garlic and scallion and bloomed some ground cumin and fennel seeds. Tossed it all together with some Udon noodles and drizzle of soy and sesame oil. Topped with fried shallots, cilantro and chile crisp.

Saturday: Grilled prime rib steaks (also from up the road), simply seasoned well in advance with salt and pepper. Charred green beans and fennel Caesar with basil (do you want this recipe? It was very good) and smashed potatoes. Vanilla ice cream cone with flaky salt for dessert.

Sunday: Rachel hosted us and made us the most insane lobster salad (pictured up top). She tossed ample amounts of lobster meat with lemon and orange juice and zest, shallot, dijon, olive oil and a bit of dill. She served it on top of some beautiful lettuces from our farm share and sliced tomatoes also from the farm. Bonus, lobster (out of the shell!) here is $40 CA for 12 ounces of meat. That’s $28 USD. It’s impossible not to be gluttonous.

Monday: Roasted a spatchcocked chicken, which I salted and added some herbs de Provence to (I was feeling fancy), over some beautiful new potatoes. Made a swoopy aioli and a big salad with little gems. I made the dressing in the bottom of a big wood bowl and added about a tablespoon of Dijon, some Champagne vinegar and a small pinch of sugar. Whisked it together with olive oil until emulsified. Parfait.

Tell me what you’re having for dinner in the comments! I’d truly love to know.

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Here are some newsletters that I love. I’ve also included a few recently read pieces that packed a punch and/or I related to. I’m hopeful you’ll enjoy them as much as I do.

Since No One Asked is written by my friend and I adore it. Cat lives in dreamy Cornwall, UK and travels through Europe often. She writes beautiful posts on food, love, travel, creativity and more. Cat has a great eye for color too. Also, her recommendations are always brilliant. Hit that subscribe button, you’ll thank me!

Thirst Behavior is written by wine writer and director . I had been following his work at Caper for some time before shyly emailing him a few weeks back. We ended up on the phone for nearly an hour. His writing is incredibly smart and explores much more than wine. His recent critique on Maddie’s Secret, the new John Earl film, is nuanced and brilliant.

I’m not a mom, but I found this piece by nostalgic and refreshing. Danielle writes The Mothership.

Also this piece by who writes Airplane Mode had some gut-punching quotes and is so spot on I nearly spiraled into a panic attack. If you’re up for it, give it a read.

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A Perfect Beach Sandwich

Beach sandwiches are subjective. This is how I like mine. Simple and best eaten with a good friend overlooking the water. Swap out any cheese you choose. Serve with a cold beer sitting on a beach blanket with a good friend.

Serves 2

INGREDIENTS

4 slices of your favorite squishy white sandwich bread

Mayonnaise

4 slices of Havarti cheese

2 Persian cucumber thinly sliced on the bias

Thinly sliced white onion

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

METHOD

Slather two slices of the bread with as much mayonnaise you deem appropriate, I like a fair amount.

On the other slices, add the cheese, cucumbers on an angle to fit the shape of the bread, and top with the onion.

Season liberally with salt and pepper. Top the vegetable and cheese side with the one slathered with mayo and press down firmly. Cut in half at an angle and wrap tightly in whatever you like to transport sandwiches in.

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Have a good great of your week.

With love,

Lu x

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This week, I’m so pleased to partner with Icelandic Provisions on something special. Passed down through generations, Skyr is an Icelandic yogurt that’s sustained Icelanders for nearly 1,000 years. Developed in partnership with Iceland’s oldest farmer-owned dairy, Icelandic Provisions is the only Skyr made in North America that uses an original Icelandic recipe and heirloom Icelandic Skyr cultures. That’s what helps make it thick, creamy, and delicious. Learn more here.

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I’m thrilled to be writing to you today from my couch in Nova Scotia. We arrived late Friday afternoon and I’m so happy to be back. Rachel and Andy (our friends up the road) had us for a welcome home dinner of Jalapeño Grilled Pork Chops (gift link) and garlic scapes, complete with a slice of President’s Choice Key Lime Pie (IYKYK).

Today’s recipe and video comes from Better at Home and it’s one of my favorite ways to elevate the humble carrot. I have a feeling you have some in your crisper drawer right now? That being said, you could truly use any roasted or grilled vegetable of your choosing as long as it lands on a bed of thick and creamy skry studded with cilantro and topped with crunchy pistachios. It’s also pretty on the eyes, should you want to make it for a dinner party.

The full recipe is below, and I hope you’ll take a minute to watch the video too.

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Eating: Icelandic Provisions Skyr. I honestly eat it nearly every day for breakfast. And if not then, lunch. Yesterday, I ate it topped with some caramelized zucchini and garlic with fresh chile and mint. Perfection! And, for those looking to add protein to their diet, the 5.3 ounce serving has 15 grams! It’s made with heirloom cultures originating from Iceland. It’s these centuries-old cultures that give the skyr that rich, creamy flavor you taste. I love it! Learn more here.

Reading: Everyone is Lying to You. My friend is a brilliant writer and a lot of fun, which comes through on the page. I’m deep into her tradwife-influencer murder mystery Everyone is Lying to You, which came out last summer. It’s juicy, funny and smart just like her. The story focuses on two college best friends, Bex (now Rebecca) and Lizzie, who reconnect after a falling out years prior, leaving Lizzie confused and hurt. Rebecca invites her out of the blue to an over-the-top mom- influencer weekend and after reconnecting, Rebecca disappears and her husband turns up dead! I’m almost through and it’s a great read.

Jo’s next book The Parisian Heist comes out next week and you should pre-order it! Theft? Paris? Art?! It’s already getting rave reviews and I know it’s going in my beach bag. Pre-order! Did I say that already? Yes, I did. I mean it.

Wearing: Calla sandals. I posted the below photo of myself and dear friend Colleen at her studio a few weeks back and the have never gotten so many DMs about a pair of shoes! There are many different versions, but they are all made using upcycled vintage Boucharouite rugs from Marrakesh. Aren’t they so fun?! I wait all year to put them on for the summer months. The founder, Paris-based designer Calla Haynes is actually from Toronto, which makes including these shoes a lovely way to round out this Canadian-loving newsletter.

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Roasted Carrots with Cilantro Skyr and Roasted Pistachios

The often overlooked carrot takes center stage in this easy-on-the-eyes side. Tangy skyr is combined with cilantro, finely chopped jalapeño for a bit of heat, dried coriander and lime juice, to create a creamy landing for carrots that have been roasted until nicely caramelized. Roasted, salted pistachios finish the dish adding a crunchy texture. If you can find rainbow carrots, this dish becomes even more of a stunner.

Time 30 minutes

Yield 4 to 6

INGREDIENTS

For the carrots:

1 ½ pounds carrots, peeled and sliced lengthwise

2 tablespoons olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon ground coriander

For the skyr:

1 cup full Icelandic Provisions skyr

½ cup finely chopped cilantro

1 jalapeño, finely chopped - seeds removed if you like (optional)

¼ teaspoon ground coriander

1 tablespoon lime juice, about ½ lime, plus more for serving

¼ cup finely chopped roasted, salted pistachios

3 tablespoons scallion greens, thinly sliced

Flaky salt

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 400 F degrees. For the carrots: In a large bowl, season the carrots well with salt and pepper. Add the dried coriander and toss the mixture together with the olive oil. Place the carrots cut-side down on a rimmed baking sheet and roast, flipping halfway through, until the carrots are golden brown and tender, about 25-30 minutes. Allow to cool slightly.

While the carrots roast, make the skyr: In a bowl, combine the skyr, cilantro, jalapeno (if using), ground coriander, and lime juice. Stir well to combine and salt to taste, adjusting seasonings accordingly with more salt and lime as needed.

Spread the skyr on the bottom of a plate or platter and arrange the roasted carrots on top. Scatter with the pistachios and the scallion greens and finish with flaky salt and another squeeze of lime juice, if you like.

Roasted Carrots With Cilantro Skyr And Roasted Pistachios

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If you make the carrots, let me know!

Have a good rest of your week.

With love,

Cx

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June in the Hudson Valley is my favorite time of year. It also coincides with being one of the busiest times of year, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. There is a feral energy that is contagious. Social calendars are stacked. Dinner outside is once again available to you, there are garden parties to attend, backyard impromptu barbecues to host, bars to pop into, friend’s art studios to visit and generally speaking too much wine to sip. So it feels appropriate that we are leaving for Nova Scotia tomorrow July 2 and returning for my other favorite time of year here - September.

Today’s newsletter will be a quick one as I’ve yet to pack up my pantry and ensure that I’ve brought enough kosher salt to get me through the summer. It’s imperative for us all. For the next two months I’ll be writing to you from The Windy Poplars on the north shore with the occasional dispatch from other parts of the province.

On my list of things I’d like to accomplish this summer are:

• Complete three personal essays

• Shower exclusively outside (sometimes with a beer)

• Take Sugo on a long beach walk every day

• Cook outside as much as possible

• Eat many ice cream cones

• Perfect my blueberry muffin recipe (for you)

• Go blueberry picking for your muffins

• Read many books (some smutty)

• Lay in the hammock while reading those books

Tell me, what’s on yours?

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My lovely has done it again! Helen and the lovely Finch boys, Andrew and Michael have collaborated on a gorgeous line of tabletop wares for summer. I love the whole collection, but I’m particularly smitten with the linens and the garden plates. They are prefect for entertaining outside and just look at those gorgeous prints Helen came up with. I am in awe!

Fun fact, Andrew and I met in Hudson long before we lived here. One NYE we were both in line for caviar and there were two tins left. We each wanted two, but given the holiday spirit we settled on one per person. We became friends and I even shot some of Back Pocket Pasta at their home.

If you ever visit Hudson, popping by their store is a must. They have exquisite taste in all things furniture, clothing, antiques, you name it. Take a peek.

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Snappy and Herby Potato Salad with Frizzled Leeks

This potato salad begs for warmer weather and possibly a beach blanket. The combination of the tender boiled potatoes with the raw crunchy fennel and celery offer a lovely contrast in textures and the mustard dressing gives it lovely zip. This dish can be made a day or two in advance without the herbs if you’d like to get ahead of things. Bring to room temperature before doing so, stir through the herbs and top with the frizzled leeks right before serving.

A NOTE: If you prefer to use store bought fried shallots instead of frying the leeks, DO!

Time: 30 minutes

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

INGREDIENTS

2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes

½ cup kosher salt

1 cup thinly sliced fennel

2 celery stalks, thinly sliced

2 stalks green garlic, thinly sliced, or two grated garlic cloves

2 spring onions, thinly sliced or 3 scallions thinly sliced

1 cup roughly chopped tender herbs, such as mint and parsley

3 tablespoons Dijon mustard

3 tablespoons olive oil, plus more as needed

1/4 cup lemon juice

Freshly ground black pepper

Flaky salt

For the fried leeks:

1 medium leek - rinsed for grit and sliced into ¼ rounds, white and light green parts only

3 tablespoons grapeseed oil

Flaky salt for finishing

METHOD

In a large stockpot or Dutch oven add the potatoes and add enough water to cover the potatoes. Add the salt and bring to a boil and cook until the potatoes are tender and easily pierced by a fork, about 10 to 15 minutes.

Drain the potatoes and when cool enough to handle, roughly chop them.

In a large bowl add the potatoes, fennel, celery, green garlic, spring onions, herbs, mustard and olive oil and lemon juice. Season very well with salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Toss together gently until well combined, taste and adjust seasonings as needed with salt and more oil if needed.

Meanwhile, make your fried leeks. In a 12-inch skillet, heat the oil over high heat, when it shimmers add the leeks and cook, stirring occasionally, until crispy and golden, 3 to 5 minutes.

With a spider or slotted spoon, carefully transfer the shallots onto a paper towel-lined plate and sprinkle with flaky salt.

Refrigerate until you’re ready to serve and finish with a few pinches of flaky salt and a generous handful of fried leeks.

Snappy And Herby Potato Salad With Frizzled Leeks

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See you next week — I’ll be on Atlantic time!

With love,

Lu x

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I chopped a foot and a half off my hair last week. For most of my life, my hair has been long. Very long, in fact. When I was a little girl, I could sit on it. I’ve had it shorter at other points, but for the last 15 years it was long enough that I could nearly feel it swoosh my elbows when I turned my head. Now it barely grazes my chin. I couldn’t be more pleased.

Hair is a funny thing. It holds memories, and I have a lot of them — some very good, others more complicated. I started an essay a long time ago about my emotional connection to my hair and my sometimes fraught relationship with it. I know it might seem like an odd subject to write about, but I promise you it is not. My goal this summer is to finish it. In the meantime, I feel free and new, and for that I am grateful.

Side note, but in the researching of this skirt, I learned a lot about the designer Carole Little! I didn’t know what a gem I’ve had for all these years.

I always want to share some fun news. The great and hilarious wrote a lovely and thoughtful review of Better at Home. He took the time to actually read the book and make a number of recipes from it and I was sincerely touched. If you have a moment, please take a peek.

I also had the pleasure of being on The Good Stuff with Mary Berg when I was in Toronto. It aired late last week on Crave - you know the same network where Heated Rivalry made its debut?! You can watch it below. It was so much fun!

Oh, today’s salad dressing recipe is insanely good. In fact, I used it the other night to marinate chicken thighs before they hit the grill. To that I also added some crushed garlic and a touch of sesame oil, but you don’t have to! It’s perfect on it’s own. My editor actually said I should bottle it. Make it and tell me if I should.

Enough about me! Please see below for some good friends doing very good things!

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The Iris Collection, by : My dearest Helen’s new collection returns to a flower she’s painted for years and still hasn’t finished discovering. Her connection to the iris took root at Schreiner’s Iris Farm in Portland, then deepened in Florence, a city that’s claimed the iris as its own since the 13th century, its silhouette carved into doorways and woven through centuries of art. This collection draws on both places, and the years of painting in between. Lucky for you, she’s offering us a lovely 10% - use the code ALWAYSIRIS upon checkout. You can read more here.

Dan Pelosi for Crow Canyon: The one and only Grossy Pelosi has done it again! This time with a very cool, new enamelware tabletop collaboration with Crow Canyon Home. “Forever a Tomato Girl,” is Dan in a nutshell, so the collection is tomato themed mais oui, and I adore it! Look how darling those “maters” are! I can’t wait to use it all summer long. I’m taking mine to Nova Scotia to dine with outside! You can grab yours here.

We’ve all read a books and lent them to someone and never gotten them back. One in particular has been haunting me for 30 years. I remembered the plot, but could never remember the name or the author. It would sometimes keep me up at night. On Sunday evening while doing the dishes, I thought now that is a good use of AI. I typed what I could remember and it led me back to a book that I have been missing for decades! It’s called Talking to the Dead and was written in 1996 by Helen Dunmore from the UK (of course). I went ahead and bought a used copy along with two other novels of hers, because I’ve waited long enough to be reunited. They arrive today.

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Little Gems with Avocado, Sunflower Seeds and Miso Honey Dressing

Chad will often request a big green salad to go alongside whatever else we’re having for dinner. And in my quest never to waste a meal without treating it as a recipe development assignment, this salad was born. We both enjoyed it so much, I made it three times in a week, while also recipe testing the Pan-Seared Sesame Crusted Scallops yet again! I’d happily repeat the process. This dressing is not only delicious with this salad (or pretty much any other salad), but would also be lovely spooned over roasted or sauteéd vegetables. You might notice I don’t call for oil in this dressing, you don’t need it! The miso provides all the creaminess you’re looking for.

Serves 2 to 4

Time 15 minutes

INGREDIENTS

For the dressing:

2 tablespoons white miso

2 teaspoons honey

2 tablespoons water

¼ cup freshly squeezed lime juice

Kosher salt (optional)

For the salad:

2 heads of little gems, leaves separated

1 ripe avocado, pitted and peeled and cut into ½-inch pieces

1 small bunch spring onions/scallions, thinly sliced on the bias

2 tablespoons sunflower seeds

Flaky salt for finishing

METHOD

In a medium bowl, whisk together the miso, honey, water and lime juice. Taste and if needed season with a bit of kosher salt and set aside.

On a large platter, arrange the little gem leaves (casually!) starting with the largest ones on the bottom and finishing with the smaller ones top.

Scatter the avocado, spring onions and sunflower seeds evenly over the top of the lettuce. Drizzle with some of the dressing making sure it gets into the nooks and crannies of the lettuce cups. Taste and add more dressing as needed. Finish with a few pinches of flaky salt.

Little Gems With Avocado, Sunflower Seeds And Miso Honey Dressing

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Have a good rest of your week.

With love,

Colu x

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Today has been a day! But, here we are. Please enjoy this week’s newsletter over a cold glass of rosé. Jumping in quickly this week to share some things that I thought you should know about. There is a recipe too for a very good hot dog from a very fun new cookbook by , aptly entitled The Hot Dog Cookbook! Enjoy!

I stumbled upon Cutter LaKind’s Instagram account and it made me chuckle many times. He’s a singer-songwriter and borders on the line of absurd, but he’s clearly very in the know. Worth a cackle and a follow.

I’m reading Yesteryear, much like everyone else. I like it. I will finish it. I’m not sure exactly how I feel just yet. Anyone else? Side note, but my friend and I tried to explain the plot to her husband who’s not on social media and he really lost the plot.

Speaking of that friend. Paul Yoon is an incredibly beautiful writer who has a book coming out in August. Etna has already been named one of the most anticipated books of the year by Time and the NYT. The book is written from the perspective of an ex-military dog, trying to find his way home. I’m crying already. Please pre-order a copy from Oblong where he’ll be doing an event later this summer. He’s insanely gifted and one of the best humans I know.

She likes short shorts… I ordered a pair of these cotton Uniqlo shorts and I honestly haven’t taken them off since. They are perfect for bopping around town and walking the dog.

I also purchased this Luna Nera cocktail ring for myself to celebrate Better at Home’s publication. I love estate jewelry and this costume piece from Momma’s Eye spoke to me. Every time I wear it, which is often, I’m asked where it’s from. So here you go! I love many of their pieces. I bought this one too to stack with my actual vintage garnet pinky ring.

Wear those rings and eat your hot dog in a grilled Aldi mini naan. Trust me on this one. We’ve been doing it since we’ve lit up the grill for the season. You can thank me later.

Speaking of hot dogs (again), as mentioned above, my friend just wrote a book called The Hot Dog Cookbook. No better time of year for it to come out! It’s a delightful deep dive into the history of hot dogs complete with recipes from all over the world. It’s very clever (just like her!) and super well designed. Farideh kindly shared her recipe for the Texas Tommy Dog with us. Unlike the name suggests, the dog originates from Pennsylvania, which explains why I grew up eating something similar - my mom is from Allentown! There’s bacon. There’s cheese. Need I say more? It’s delicious.

Also, grab the book! Recipe below…

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Texas Tommy Dogs

Excerpted from The Hot Dog Cookbook by Farideh Sadeghin (Workman Publishing). Copyright © 2026. Illustrations by Workman Publishing.

Sorry, Texans, but the Lone Star State can’t lay claim to this one. Invented in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, in the 1950s, the Texas Tommy features a hot dog split and stuffed with ripped slices of cheese, with the whole thing then wrapped in bacon and sautéed (it’s also sometimes finished with mustard and ketchup). Think of it as a DIY cheese-filled hot dog: the bacon (use regular, not thick-cut) helps to hold it all together and should get perfectly crisp just as the molten cheese is starting to erupt from within.

Makes 8

8 hot dogs

8 slices cheddar cheese

8 slices bacon

8 hot dog buns

Ketchup and mustard for serving.

Cut a slit, lengthwise, in each hot dog, taking care to not slice all the way through them. Working with one dog at a time, break up a slice of cheese and stuff it into the hotdog, then wrap the hot dog in a slice of bacon. Repeat with the remaining hot dogs, cheese, and bacon.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Working in batches, add the hotdogs and cook, rotating as needed, until the bacon is crisp and the cheese is juuuust starting to ooze out, about 6 minutes. Repeat with the remaining hot dogs, then transfer to a plate and keep warm.

Pan-fry the buns.

To assemble, place a hot dog in each bun, top with ketchup and mustard, and serve.

Have a good rest of your week!

With love,

Colu xx

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This week, I’m so pleased to partner with Aunt Fannie’s on something special. Their products have no harsh chemicals, no hidden ingredients — just natural cleaning agents, held to the highest safety standards, for fresh-smelling, effective products you’ll love. I really love using them in my home and you will too.

I’m just back from a lovely trip to Toronto and Prince Edward County. More on that next week, but it was very special and full of great wine! In the meantime, I’m sharing one of my favorite recipes from Better at Home complete with a video (which includes a little ditty!). This recipe couldn’t be easier to make and it uses both Calabrian chili paste and “Hoagie Spread,” a pickled cherry pepper condiment that's great on — you guessed it — hoagies. If you'd rather skip the extra ingredient, just double the Calabrian chiles. I do like the acidic element they bring to the dish to cut the fat, so pick(le)the pepper you like!

The full recipe is below and I hope you like it. It might be a bit hot to make this week, but save it for the next cool, damp day. I’m sure there will be a few more before we’re fully in the swing of things.

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🫧 Cleaning with: Aunt Fannie’s Sink Refresher. I truly love the stuff! It’s safe to use on both on porcelain and stainless steel sinks as well as pots and pans. It smells fresh and zippy and is powered by baking soda, which is a natural, mild abrasive. I reach for it multiple times a week. Oh, and it’s also great for reducing garage disposal odors, just sprinkle and let sit for 15 minutes. The best part? There are no harsh ingredients. Whatcha you see is whatcha get.

📚Reading: The Encore by Juliet Izon. I love when friends I’ve worked with in editorial drop books of fiction! I adore it even more when I LOVE the book! My pal Juliet recently released The Encore, which is SO. MUCH. FUN. It’s also emotional and I teared up a few times. The book portrays the relationship of two former best friends Anna and Will who attend a music conservatory together in the 90s. On graduation night, the night takes an unexpected turn and Anna leaves to pursue a singer-songwriter career in Ireland. What she doesn’t know until about three months later is that she’s pregnant. Keen to pursue her dream, she gives the baby up for adoption and never tells Will. About 16 years later, their daughter Lottie finds Anna and reunites her with Will. I won’t give anything else away that’s not on the back cover, but the three end up on Anna’s music tour around the states. It’s a great read, perfect for the summer.

👕Wearing: I am deeply in love with my new Jenni Kayne Cashmere Fisherman Sweater. In fact, since putting it on two weeks ago, I’ve barely taken it off. Yes, it’s an investment piece, but the quality is exquisite and given the fact that it’s now an essential part of my wardrobe no matter the season, I think it’s worthy. I’d have them in all colors should it be a financial option, alas it is not.

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Calabrian Chili and Pickle Peppered-Braised Pork in Tomato

I first made this dish when my dad and family came for their annual holiday visit and it was a big hit. Not to toot my horn or anything, but this pork is insanely good. It gets great heat from the Calabrian chilis and the pickled peppers provide delicate acidity. I call for Cento hoagie spread here, because it’s always in my fridge. If you can’t find it, finely chop any pickled pepper of your choosing, but also buy the hoagie spread! It’s really good. If you can get ahead of it and make the pork a few days in advance, it will only deepen the dish’s flavor and make it even more delectable! I highly recommend serving it over creamy polenta, which I add lots of butter and grated pecorino to. A side of blanched broccoli rabe tossed with oil and toasted garlic never hurt anyone either.

Serves 6 to 8

Time 3 to 3 ½ hours

INGREDIENTS

1 5- 5 ½ pound boneless pork shoulder

5 teaspoon Diamond kosher salt, if using Morton’s cut by half

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium online, finely chopped

8 garlic cloves, crushed with the back of a knife, skins removed

1 tablespoon tomatoes paste

1 heaping tablespoon Calabrian chili paste

1 heaping tablespoon Hoagie spread or finely chopped pickled peppers

2 tablespoon roughly chopped mixed herbs such as rosemary, sage or thyme

1 24.5 ounce jar tomato passata

Creamy Polenta for serving

METHOD

Heat the oven to 350˚ degrees.

Season the pork all over with salt. If you can do this a day in advance and leave it uncovered in the fridge, great. If not, carry on, it will be fine!

In a large Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium heat. When it shimmers, add the pork and brown it well on all sides, 12 to 15 minutes total. Remove the pork and set aside.

Pour off all but two tablespoons of fat from the pot. Add in the onion and the garlic and stir to coat in the oil. Cook until the onion begins to soften and the garlic turns golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Season with salt.

Add in the tomato paste and toast for 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the Calabrian chili paste and the pickled peppers and the herbs cook for one minute more. Add the passata and fill the jar a quarter of the way up, swish around to loosen up any remaining sauce and add to the pot. Bring the mixture to a simmer and then add the pork back to the pot and cover.

Transfer to the oven and braise until the pork is melting tender, 3 to 3 ½ hours. Shred the pork directly in the sauce. Taste and adjust the season with more salt if needed. Serve over the buttery polenta.

Calabrian Chili And Pickle Peppered Braised Pork In Tomato

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Have a good rest of your week!

With love,

Colu x

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I’m cooking again. This may read as a confusing sentence given this is primarily a cooking newsletter, but the truth is I haven’t felt inspired in quite some time. Somewhere between traveling to the west coast (twice in a month) and arriving home to somewhat pleasant weather, I am beginning to find my footing again. I even started a new recipe list for a book deal I do not have. This says a lot as I vowed never to write a book again (it can be an exhausting, lonely pursuit that strips you of creativity) and maybe I will and maybe I won’t, but it feels good to feel good about being back in the kitchen.

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Last week, I started to develop a spring lasagna with ramp bechamel. It had peas and leeks with mint and lemon and lots of cheese and it turned out well. I’ll need to make it again, but it felt soul-filling to start and finish a project and share it with hungry and enthusiastic friends.

I also made one of the best roast chickens in my life and it’s not my recipe at all! A few weeks ago at the Cookbook Social (the event of the season, thank you and ) I met the lovely , author of Chesnok, and after hearing her talk so evocatively about her family’s Borsch recipe, I rushed to purchase her book. It’s so beautiful and she is so wonderful and I knew I had to cook from it immediately.

“A love letter to the food of her childhood, acclaimed writer Polina Chesnakova shares 100 vibrant regional recipes from Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, and Central Asia. Born in Ukraine to Russian and Armenian parents from Georgia, Polina Chesnakova grew up cooking and eating at the hip of her mother and aunts. Chesnok paints a warm portrait of the Soviet diaspora through food, with dishes that will be nostalgic and familiar for those within the diaspora and enticing to anyone looking to expand their palate and pantry.” From the publisher…

Many recipes stood out to me, but the Tabaka-Style Adjika Chicken grabbed my attention first and, dear readers, it delivered. The whole book is gorgeous and I have so many dishes flagged for future that I plan to make.

The only ingredient likely not in your pantry (yet) is, Adjika, Georgian chile paste, which is readily available online and worth getting. Polina calls for you to marinate the chicken overnight in a mixture of mayonnaise, garlic, honey, cilantro, and the aforementioned chile paste, and it yielded the most tender bird with a gorgeous crispy skin. We devoured it and I really can’t say enough wonderful things about this book. Our friends Dan and Helen are away, but it will be the first thing I make for them upon their return. I served it with roasted fingerling potatoes and a kale salad. Parfait. Polina kindly shared the recipe with me (for you) below.

📺 Watching: I’ve admittedly got a weird crush on Tom Burke (don’t worry, Chad knows), so you didn’t need to twist my arm to watch the new Netflix show Legends, which he stars in, but it’s truly SO GOOD! It’s based on real life events of undercover UK agents in the early 1990s who are working to win the war on drugs. Steve Coogan (always a pleasure) also stars in the series.

👗Wearing: This spring skirt makes me feel like I should be drinking a spritz by the Mediterranean. I’ll settle for rosé on the back porch for now, but if a clothing item can transport you, consider this it. I’ll be wearing it with this blouse and these sandals to fully complete my Roman Holiday inspired vibe. The real question is, should I bob my hair?!

🧴Applying: My close friends know this about me, but I really, really like to be tan. I’m also aware it’s not great to spend a lot of time in the sun. I was sent the Salty Face tanning water to try ( I went medium-dark 🙂) and guys, I love it. It’s super natural looking and I’ve gotten so many unprompted comments about how glowy I looked. I’m telling you it’s in the water…

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TABAKA-STYLE ADJIKA CHICKEN

Polina Chesnakova

SERVES 4

When it comes to roasted chicken in my mom’s house, I’ve only ever seen it done one way: spatchcocked, slathered in an adjika-spiced marinade, and cooked until the skin is crispy and the inside is juicy and succulent. While I’ve flirted with other recipes over the years, it’s hers that I always come back to.

Traditionally, Georgian chicken tabaka is cooked under a heavy weight on the stovetop, but my mom keeps it simple and employs the slow, even (and cleaner) heat of the oven instead. As for adjika—that salty, intense chili condiment native to the western regions of Georgia—it lends the marinade both spice and heat. It comes in many forms (as a dried spice blend, thick paste, and as a saucy relish), so use whatever you can get your hands on. The other magical ingredient at play here is mayo, which not only carries and amplifies flavor, but also locks in the meat’s juices to keep things super tender. I’m telling you, this recipe could win ribbons!

This marinade is our go-to for anytime we’re preparing poultry, whether it’s grilling wings, roasting thighs, or pan-searing breast. For what I consider a perfect meal, serve with Salat, Soviet Home Fries, or roasted potatoes, and Tkemali (page 182).

¼ cup (60 g) mayonnaise

¼ cup (15 g) finely chopped cilantro leaves and stems

3 tablespoons (50 g) adjika paste or relish, chopped red hot peppers, or chili garlic sauce (or 1 tablespoon dried adjika)

2 tablespoons runny honey

3 to 4 garlic cloves, crushed through a press or minced

2 to 3 teaspoons kosher salt (see Note)

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 whole chicken (4 to 5 pounds / 1.8 to 2.3 kg), patted dry

In a large bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, cilantro, adjika, honey, garlic, salt, and pepper until combined. (You can also blitz everything in a food processor until smooth.) You want it to be on the saltier side, so taste and season with more salt if needed. Set aside.

Set the chicken on a large cutting board, breast side down. Using sharp kitchen shears, remove the backbone by cutting down each side of the spine, starting from the tail end of the bird. Flip the chicken over so that it is skin side up and press down on the breastbone to flatten it. Trim any excess fat from around the cavity. Transfer to the large bowl with the marinade and rub it all over, making sure to get under the skin, too. Refrigerate for 4 to 6 hours, but preferably overnight; if short on time, 1 hour at room temperature will do.

When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Line a baking sheet with foil. Remove the chicken from the marinade, allowing any excess marinade to drip off and transfer to the prepared pan skin side up. Tuck the wings back behind the breast so they don’t burn.

Roast for 20 minutes (the chicken should start taking on some color at this point). Reduce the oven temperature to 375°F (190°C) and roast until cooked through, or until the joint between the thighs and body registers at least 175°F (80°C) on an instant-read thermometer, another 15 to 25 minutes. Let the chicken rest for 10 to 15 minutes before carving.

Note: Taste your adjika and if it’s on the saltier side (or if you’re using a dried spice blend with salt in it),start with the smaller amount of salt and build from there.

Chesnok Tabaka Style Adjika Chicken

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Excerpted with permission from Chesnok: Cooking From My Corner of the Diaspora: Recipes from Eastern Europe, The Caucasus, and Central Asia by: Polina Chesnakova published by ‎Hardie Grant North America, September 2025.

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Have a good weekend. It’s looking like we might get a good stretch of weather, here’s hoping!

With love,

Colu x

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This week, I’m so pleased to partner with Icelandic Provisions on something special. Passed down through generations, Skyr is an Icelandic yogurt that’s sustained Icelanders for nearly 1,000 years. Developed in partnership with Iceland’s oldest farmer-owned dairy, Icelandic Provisions is the only Skyr made in North America that uses an original Icelandic recipe and heirloom Icelandic Skyr cultures. That’s what helps make it thick, creamy, and delicious. Learn more here.

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I’m back from Napa and still a little jet-lagged, but what a trip! We stayed with our dear friends Carissa and Fredrik, both of whom are in wine, so needless to say, we drank a lot of it. What I’ve come to learn over my years working in the industry is that all winemakers LOVE champagne. And, while Carissa is not the winemaker in the relationship, she too adores it. Therefore, many bottles of it were consumed in addition to a number of other beautiful wines including Fredrik’s personal and stunning Grenache project RESA.

Meanwhile, I snuck in a visit with another favorite winemaker friend of mine , who makes glorious white wines under his label Massican. No white wine (or any wine!) was consumed during this visit, but he did treat me to a very good bagel at Christopher Kostow’s Loveski Deli at Oxbow Market.

I also had the honor of visiting Gallica wines, which is owned by Rosemary Cakebread. We did a talk about Better at Home in her beautiful garden and it was pure magic. She poured her Chenin Blanc and an Albariño and both were glorious. She sent me home with a bottle of her Grenache, which I can’t wait to open!

I arrived home to more damp, cool weather and frankly I am over it. Take me back!

But, the real reason were here today is for the recipe, am I right? This week’s is a Rye and Blueberry Galette and I’m very proud of the dough. I’ll save why I’m so proud for a personal essay, but it’s the first true pastry recipe that I can call my own. I am by nature a savory person and used rye flour in addition to all purpose, because it gives the crust a nuttier flavor. Like most of my recipes, this one too is fairly flexible and the rye flour can be subbed for whole wheat or sticking with AP is fine too. I cannot answer questions about GF subs as that is above my pay grade. We are blessed with gorgeous blueberries in Nova Scotia, which is how this recipe came to be. Feel free to swap in any seasonal fruit of your choosing.

Please watch till the end of the video, which includes very funny bloopers, which is not to be confused with the word blueberry or bilberry - you’ll see what I mean! The recipe is below.

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🫐 Eating: Icelandic Provisions Wild Blueberry and Bilberry Skry. Yes, it works great for baking, but I also have been eating it in the mornings topped with a bit of granola. And, for those looking to add protein to their diet, the 5.3 ounce serving has 15 grams per serving! I am clearly not a nutritionist, but that feels like a very good way start the day. It’s also super thick and rich and taste great. They have many wonderful flavors. I also love the lemon.

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🍝 Making: Pasta! As soon as I get home from any big trip, it’s what I reach for. Last night, I sautéed pancetta, leeks and garlic until the leeks were almost caramelized and the garlic was crispy. I boiled water for spaghetti and two minutes before it was done I added some asparagus, which I had sliced into 1 1/2 inch pieces. I tossed everything together with pasta water, lots of grated pecorino cheese until it was glossy. I served it in bowls topped with chives and mint. The whole thing took 20 minutes! Leave out the pancetta should you prefer, swap in any spring vegetable you choose. I suppose it’s a #backpocketpasta…

🧴 Using: My Neighbors Tallow. My friend Harri Ross founded this company when her daughter was struggling with eczema and she wanted a natural solution to help - and, it sure does. I love everything she does, but I’m partial to the Rose & Sea Buckthorn Face Tallow Balm as my daily moisturizer, and it’s true a little goes a long way. I only need to buy it once a year. I even travel with it! Her hand lotions are also amazing. Harri just opened a store here in Hudson and it’s a jewel box full of fun treasures. I highly recommend her products and a visit if you’re in town.

Purchase Better at Home

Rye Blueberry Galette

This forgiving dessert makes anyone intimated by baking feel like a pro. It couldn’t be simpler to pull together. In true Colu fashion, I kept the filling somewhat up to interpretation. I trust you’ll figure it out and tweak it to your liking. If you can find it, I love using a combination of white and rye flour, but subbing the rye for wheat will also work. It gives the galette a nuttier tasting crust. I can’t stop making galettes and have no intention of stopping anytime soon. I hope you’ll join me.

Time 3 hours - with chilling time

Serves 6

For the dough:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup rye flour

1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt

1 tablespoon sugar

¾ cup (1½ sticks) very chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces

For the filling:

1 pint blueberries

2 teaspoons cornstarch

¼ cup white sugar, plus more if needed

½ teaspoon. vanilla extract

Lemon or lime juice

1 teaspoon citrus zest

A pinch of kosher salt

3 ounces Icelandic Provisions Wild Blueberry and Bilberry Skry

1 egg, whisked

Demerara sugar for sprinkling

Ice cream or whipped cream for serving

In a food processor pulse together the all-purpose flour, rye flour, salt and sugar to combine. Add the butter and pulse a few times until mixture resembles coarse meal with a few quarter-size pieces still intact.

Transfer the mixture onto a lightly floured work surface and drizzle with ¼ cup ice water. With your hands gently knead together the dough, adding more ice water by the tablespoonful as needed, until no dry spots remain (do not overwork). Pat into a disk and wrap in plastic. Chill for at least 2 hours and up to 3 days.

Preheat the oven to 400F.° In a large bowl, stir together the blueberries, cornstarch, sugar, vanilla, a good squeeze of lemon or lime juice and zest, and a pinch of kosher salt. Taste and add in a bit more sugar if needed - this will depend on the sweetness of your fruit.

Take the dough out of the freeze and let it sit for 5 minutes. Unwrap the dough and roll out on a lightly floured sheet of parchment paper to a 12-14” round about ⅛” thick. Transfer on parchment to a baking sheet. With a spatula or spoon spread the skry evenly onto the base of the galette.

Top with the berry mixture to the center of the dough, leaving a 2” border. Fold the dough up and over the edge of the filling, pleating the dough as you go around. Brush the crust with the egg and scatter the Demerara sugar over top.

Bake galette, rotating once, until crust is golden brown and cooked through, 40–45 minutes. Let cool on a baking sheet for an hour before serving. Top with ice cream or whipped cream.

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Rye Blueberry Galette

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Have a lovely weekend and I hope you bake a galette soon.

With love,

Colu x

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This week, I'm so pleased to partner with the American Lamb Board on something special. Whether it's an elevated weeknight dinner, a comfortable home-cooked meal or a special occasion, American Lamb has the versatility and flavor to help you create memories and embrace fun in the kitchen - no chef skills required. Learn more here.

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This week’s recipe for Crispy Lamb Flatbreads with Feta and Honey from Better at Home could not be easier to put together. It works well for a weeknight dinner (serve with a big green salad), but it’s also great to make for a cocktail party (cut into quarters) and serve alongside with crisp rosé.

I use ground lamb, which I have a real affection for and happen keep in my freezer at all times. Ground lamb is great for quick pasta dishes (see here for my Spring Lamb Ragù with Anchovies and Pea Shoots), tacos, lamb burgers, you name it. Take a peek at the video and recipe below and please let me know if you make it!

🍽️ Cooking with: American Lamb. Like all my food, I want to know where it comes from. I know that by cooking with American lamb that it’s raised by American ranchers with a commitment to animal care and land stewardship. I have a number of lamb recipes in Better at Home, so you know I’m not messing around about my love of lamb. What’s also great about it, is that it has the ability to elevate any meal. It also works across a number of flavor profiles. You can probably tell by now that I’m a proud #lambassador and true fan of lamb.

🦑 Eat at: Kin Khao! We got into San Francisco late on Tuesday dropped our bags and immediately walked over. We did not plan ahead and waited about 30 minutes for a table and, friends, it was well worth it. It is some of the best Thai food I have ever had! Chad and I can both handle very hot food and he was sweating from under his eyes and still, we kept on. Truly wonderful, bright and fiery flavors and I wish I had time to go back. Don’t sleep on the Plah Pla Muek - charred Monterey Bay squid in a spicy+tangy seafood sauce, peanuts, cilantro (pictured below) or the Yaowaraj Noodle‍ - Bangkok Chinatown stir-fried noodles with chicken, egg, green onions, cilantro and xo sauce. If you’re in SF, please go!

🍫 Snacking On: Spring and Mulberry chocolate. I am still loving Spring and Mulberry chocolate bars, which are sweetened with dates! The bars are gorgeous, and it’s my default dessert plan when hosting. I put a few bars out on the table and let people help themselves. I am a savory gal and very much love the bar with Mulberry and Fennel. I also love the mint. My only problem is keeping up with Chad’s snacking. Every time I get an order, it somehow disappears before I get a chance to have a piece. Come on, Chad!

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Crispy Lamb Flatbreads with Feta and Honey

I love ground lamb, and this recipe is the perfect vehicle for enjoying it. I use classic Middle Eastern flavors, such as harissa paste and cumin and a bit of cinnamon, which play really well with its savoriness. The preserved lemon helps cut the fat, but if regular lemon is what you’ve got, use it instead. This recipe feeds four as a main course, but if you cut the pitas in half or in quarters, they would also be a great pre-dinner snack alongside some creamy dips and olives.

SERVES 4

TIME 20 minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 pound (455 g) ground lamb

1 tablespoon harissa

1 teaspoon ground cardamom

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

3 scallions, thinly sliced

2 teaspoons preserved lemon

paste, or 1 tablespoon

fresh lemon juice

Dough for 4 large Homemade

4 (6-inch/30 cm) store-bought round pitas

2 ½ ounces (70 g) crumbled feta cheese

Olive oil, for brushing

Toasted sesame seeds

Roughly chopped fresh mint and cilantro, for serving

Hot honey, for serving

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C). Line a large sheet pan with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, combine the lamb, harissa, cardamom, cumin, kosher salt, cinnamon, scallions, and the preserved lemon paste or lemon juice. Stir everything together until it is well combined.

Take a spatula and spread the lamb evenly onto the pitas, leaving about 1⁄4 inch (6 mm) around the edges. Top with some of the feta cheese. Brush the edges of the dough with a bit of olive oil and give the pita a few shakes of sesame seeds so they stick.

Bake until golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Top with herbs and drizzle with hot honey.

Crispy Lamb Flatbreads With Feta And Honey

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Have a good rest of your week! I’ll be on the west coast trying to get some Vitamin D! Wish me luck.

With love,

Colu x

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This video brings me a lot of joy and when watching it back, I cackled remembering what fun it was to shoot. Last month when I was in Oregon, I had the honor of meeting and cooking with Véronique Drouhin at Domaine Drouhin Oregon. This coincided with her also being the cover star of Wine Spectator’s May issue! I had heard she was incredibly charming by pretty much everyone I know, but being able to spend time with her in the kitchen I learned all of it to be true.

If you would have told 28-year-old-me, who was just getting interested in wine that this would happen, I never would have believed you. She is in every sense of the word, a legend.

Many of you don’t know this about me, but my full time job (the one that pays the bills) is working in wine. Over the years, I have had the privilege to help tell stories of some of the most dynamic winemakers in the country. The cookbooks, this newsletter, and the videos are a labor of love. So the fact that I got to couple my two worlds together — cooking a recipe from Better at Home with someone as special and renowned as Véronique — was pretty incredible. I hope you’ll enjoy watching it as much as we enjoyed filming it. The recipe (below) is pretty great too.

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Drinking: The 2024 Domaine Drouhin Oregon Pinot Noir Dundee Hills of course! Véronique picked this wine to pair with the salmon and turns out, she knows what she’s doing. It’s an elegant wine with ripe, red fruit and a slightly floral palate. I really appreciated when she said in the video that you could drink the wine now or age it depending on your preference. I like drinking Pinot Noir both ways. Do you have a preference? Fresher and a bit more fruit forward or with a bit more tension and restraint?

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Join me! On Friday, April 24 at 4 pm, I’ll in in St. Helena at Gallica Wines in conversation with the one and only Rosemary Cakebread. Turns out this newsletter is all about female winemakers! Tickets include wine, snacks, and a signed copy of Better at Home. You can grab one here! This event is in collaboration with Wild Plum Books and owned by my friend of the wonderful ChickLits newsletter!

I will also be in SF for Cookbook Week! Come see us at Omnivore books on Wednesday, April 22, it’s free and will be a wonderful conversation. I’ll be getting candid.

Wearing: This fun Chambray shirt in the video. I pack light and wore it constantly during my trip out west with a vintage Liberty of London scarf, kinda like this or this. I also wore these jeans every day - they have a 70s vibe, which I love, they also run long, which makes me love them even more.

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Miso-Roasted Salmon with Soba Noodles in Broth

Sometimes a dish idea will come to me aesthetically first and I’ll work backward trying to figure out how to make it happen. This is a very good example of that. I was craving something brothy and with salmon and noodles, but I didn’t want it to be a soup per se. So! I decided instead to roast the salmon in a pleasantly sweet and salty marinade of miso, mirin, and sesame oil and then serve it in a bit of deeply flavorful broth on top of noodles. I made this for the first time on a cold January night for Chad and our next door neighbor and friend and we all agreed the dish was cozy and comforting, but much more elegant than it had any right to be. I consider that a win. Make it any time of year you please.

SERVES 4

TIME 30 minutes

INGREDIENTS

for the salmon and noodles:

1 tablespoon white miso

1 tablespoon mirin

½ teaspoon toasted sesame oil

Splash of rice vinegar

1 pound (455 g) salmon

6 to 8 ounces (170 to 225 g) soba or udon noodles

for the broth:

2 tablespoons neutral oil, such as canola

6 ounces (170 g) shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and pulled apart into bite-size pieces

3 scallions, thinly sliced, dark-green parts kept separate

1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

2 cloves garlic, grated

1 Thai bird’s eye chile, thinly sliced, or ½ to 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Kosher salt

4 cups (950 ml) vegetable broth, chicken stock, or water

8 ounces (225 g) baby bok choy, cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm) pieces

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a sheet pan with parchment paper or foil.

Prepare the salmon: In a small bowl, whisk together the miso, mirin, sesame oil, and vinegar. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed with more vinegar. Pour the mixture on top of the salmon and gently massage the marinade all over the fish. Let marinate while the oven comes to temperature.

Set the salmon on the sheet pan and roast until opaque, 10 to 12 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the soba noodles according to the package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water to keep from sticking and evenly distribute among four bowls.

Build your broth: In a large Dutch oven or other heavy-bottomed pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and cook until they begin to brown around the edges, about 8 minutes. Add the scallion whites and light-green parts, ginger, garlic, and Thai chile and cook for 2 minutes more, until fragrant. Season with salt.

Add the stock and bring to a simmer. Add the bok choy and cook to wilt. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt as needed. Spoon some of the broth over each bowl of noodles and flake the salmon on top, garnishing with the reserved scallion greens.

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Miso Roasted Salmon With Soba Noodles In Broth

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Have a lovely rest of your week.

With love,

Colu x

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Ever since I was in my 20s, I’d walk into any diner in the northeast, look at Chad and say “wouldn’t this be an amazing red sauce joint?!” He would nod and agree knowing full well that I would never open one. We were briefly co-owners of a café/market and realized pretty quickly that it wasn’t for us.

I grew up in Rockland County and frequented a lot of diners in my youth. I also ate a lot of pasta. So perhaps it’s not a coincidence that I dreamt of coupling the two. Countless Silk City Diners dot the northeast and many are here in the Hudson Valley and we frequent them often. There is something I find incredibly cozy and stylish about their interiors. They sing to me. In fact, I once asked a diner if I could use it for a fashion shoot. They kindly agreed. See below as proof.

A few months before Better at Home came out, we were at drinks with our friends Annabel and John at The Hereafter in Hudson. I was rambling on about the book and events and somehow my dream of red-checked tablecloths, drippy candles, piles of spaghetti, and Frank Sinatra blaring on the radio came up. John looked at me and said, “Actually I co-own the Oakhurst Diner with some siblings,” and Annabel said, “We should do it!” And before I had any chance to change my mind, Friday, March 13 was put on the calendar as my upstate book launch. A plan was made quickly, and my dream of having an Italian-American restaurant at a real diner was suddenly happening, if only for one night. I could hardly believe it. With the help of Chad, John, Annabel, and at the direction and execution of John’s brother Justin (who happens to also be a former chef at places like Lutèce), we pulled off the party of the season in Millerton, NY. Here’s how.

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Create the vibe:

I had a very specific and no frills vision. If you have a theme, it’s worth checking out sites like webstaurant.com, where you often can buy in bulk and relatively cheaply without a wholesale account. Here is where I nabbed the tablecloths. You can also buy many Duralex glasses if you use them like I do! I did not for this occasion.

(Unfortunately)Amazon was helpful with this endeavor both due to time and cost. These classic red sterno candles came in quite handy as did these tapered ones.

Chad and I were committed to having Chianti bottles in fiascos as candleholders, which meant driving around much of Columbia and Greene County looking for mediocre wine. We found it in a dirt mall in Catskill (of course). In order to get the candles looking as though they had been on tables for years, we sought out quickly dripping taper candles to get the look. We spent about five days burning many, many candles in the kitchen, but it was well worth it. We also bought the www.chianticandles.com domaine.

KIDDING.

I wanted to honor the diner feel (obviously) and use what they had, so we used the oval plates, utensils and the paper napkins they usually do for service. It also saved on rentals.

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Drinks and Food:

To keep things simple, we decided on a selection of one cocktail, one beer (Pony’s of Miller High Life as a nod to Bamontes in Williamsburg), one white and one red wine. We pre-batched the negronis and cut orange slices ahead of time to keep the bar from becoming congested. I also bought wine from Empire Wine, which has the best prices around the Hudson Valley and an incredible selection. I ordered Italian wines that I knew I liked and that were under $20 a bottle. This was not a Barolo type of evening.

I also kept the menu family-style and straightforward. We had Sausage Stuffed Olives from Better at Home, Mozzarella Sticks, Spaghetti and Meatballs, Garlic Bread and Caesar Salad. I purchased Tiramisu from Via Cassia, one of my favorite restaurants here in Hudson, because there was no way I was making dessert for 40 people.

Night Before & Day Of:

All five of us prepped until nearly 1 am the night before the party. Justin told us what to do and kept us in line. There were many “teachable moments” as he called them, which has now worked its way into our vernacular. We rolled many, many meatballs, pitted and stuffed over 100 olives, cleaned and cut 30+ heads of romaine and made a lot of Caesar salad dressing. And to be honest, that’s where my kitchen duties ended.

The day of the event, we arrived at about 4 pm for a 7 pm start time. Chad, John and Justin took back to the kitchen to execute with the help of an additional line cook. I set the tables, got the bar in order, helped scatter books around and it was suddenly showtime.

People started arriving just past 7 pm, and on cue, the appetizers began streaming out of the kitchen. The legend that is Jimi Yui also surprised me with a Methuselah of champagne (that’s the equivalent of 8 bottles OR 48-50 glasses. Yes, we drank it all.) to celebrate.

I don’t really remember the rest of the evening (it was my wedding after all) other than it was one heck of a good time and we were at the diner until nearly 2 am. I’ve never woken up to as many text messages from hungover friends saying what a great night it was. And, it really was.

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I am so grateful to our friends that made a longtime dream come true. John, if you’re reading this, thank you from the bottom of my diner loving heart.

I’ll be back next week with a new video and recipe from Better at Home. Until then.

With love,

Colu xo

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This week, I’m so pleased to partner with Aunt Fannie’s on something special. Their products have no harsh chemicals, no hidden ingredients — just natural cleaning agents, held to the highest safety standards, for fresh-smelling, effective products you’ll love. I really love using them in my home and you will too.

March was a whirlwind with very special Better at Home book events. I’m just back from part one of my tour, where I spent a week in Oregon, primarily in the Willamette Valley with some incredible winemakers. I’ll share a recap with you soon, but in the meantime, today’s recipe is not to be missed! We broke for lunch after shooting this and everyone was very pleased to have this on the menu and ready to go. Take a peek below for the video and the recipe for Pork Schnitzel and Crunchy Cabbage with Tahini, Yogurt, and Dill Dressing.

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Cleaning with: Aunt Fannie’s Granite and Stone Cleaner. My marble countertops have been thanking me since I started using Aunt Fannie’s. Their plant-based products are in daily use in my kitchen. The granite and stone cleaner works incredibly well on grease and spills and is safe to use on quartz, granite, marble, & other sealed stone countertops. Bonus? It smells fresh, bright and lemony from the use of essential oils. Chad who is sensitive to any smell, said he loves it too, so you know I’m not messing around. Snag some for yourself!

Wearing: This Jenni Kayne Cooper Cardigan and yes, the Nina Slip Skirt too. My friend Claire generously hosted the chicest NYC book event for me at the Jenni Kayne store in Soho. I also got to pick out an outfit. Friends, I haven’t taken the sweater off since. It came with me to Oregon, appeared on the local news and I wore it to co-host my event at Domaine Drouhin. It’s an investment piece no doubt, but I feel strong and confident each time I put it on, so in my opinion well worth it.

Cooking with: FOND demi-glace. I’ve been a long time fan of FOND broth. They recently introduced chicken and beef demi-glace to their line-up, which is incredibly flavorful. I stirred some of the chicken flavor into small pasta with broccoli rabe along with some grated pecorino and lemon juice and lemme tell ya, it was great! You don’t need much and if I had to bet, it’s going to give out beloved Better than Bouillon a run for their money. Get 10% off of your first order using this link!

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Pork Schnitzel and Crunchy Cabbage with Tahini, Yogurt, and Dill Dressing

Here’s a good tip: Always make friends with your butcher. They are genuinely curious about what you’re making with your purchases and like talking through recipe ideas, and can steer you in the right direction should you have questions. Chances are they will also be delighted and enthusiastic about pounding pork chops to your desired thickness upon request, which in the case of this recipe will also save you time. If you don’t eat pork, feel free to swap in chicken breasts. And because “crispy loves creamy,” a motto I live by, the crunchy cabbage salad with tahini and yogurt dressing makes a perfect counterbalance to the golden-brown, shallow-fried schnitzel.

SERVES 4

TIME 35 minutes

INGREDIENTS

for the salad and dressing:

3⁄4 cup (180 ml) whole-milk Greek yogurt

1⁄4 cup (55 ml) tahini

1 clove garlic, grated

2 tablespoons warm water, plus more as needed

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, plus more as needed

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

5 cups (350 g) thinly sliced savoy or napa cabbage

½ medium white onion, thinly sliced

1 cup (40 g) loosely packed roughly chopped fresh dill

2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

Flaky salt, for finishing

for the schnitzel:

½ cup (65 g) all-purpose flour

2 large eggs, whisked with a small splash of water

2 ¼ cups (180 g) panko bread crumbs

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 boneless pork tenderloin cutlets or boneless chops

(5 ounces/140 g each), pounded 1⁄8 inch (3 mm) thick

Peanut or canola oil, for frying

Flaky salt

Lemon wedges, for serving

METHOD

Make the salad: In a medium bowl, whisk together the yogurt, tahini, garlic, water, and lemon juice and season with some salt and pepper. If needed, whisking a few more tablespoons of warm water to loosen it up a bit, taste and adjust seasonings with more lemon juice and salt if you please.

In a large bowl, toss together the cabbage, onion, and dill and season well with salt and pepper. Pour in the salad dressing and toss again to make sure everything is well coated. Top with the sesame seeds and finish with a good pinch of flaky salt. Set aside.

Make the schnitzel: Set up a dredging station in three shallow bowls: Add the flour to one, the eggs to a second, and the panko to the third. Season each with a good pinch of salt and pepper.

Season the pork well with salt and pepper. Using one hand for wet and the other for dry, dip each cutlet into the flour, shaking off any excess, followed by the egg mixture, then the panko, pressing to make sure it gets good coverage. Transfer to a plate or platter.

Line a baking sheet or large platter with paper towels and have near the stove. Pour ⅛ inch (3 mm) oil into a 12-inch (30 cm) skillet and heat over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Add a pinch of the panko—if it sizzles your oil is hot enough.

Add 2 of the cutlets and press with the back of the spatula to ensure even browning. Cook, flipping once, until golden brown and cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer to the paper towels and season immediately with flaky salt. If the oil starts to smoke, reduce the heat to medium. Repeat with the remaining cutlets, adding more oil if the pan starts to look dry.

Divide the pork among plates and serve with a wedge of lemon and the cabbage salad.

Pork Schnitzel And Crunchy Cabbage With Tahini, Yogurt, And Dill Dressing

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Thank you for being here and I’ll see you soon. Much more to come.

With love,

Colu

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This week, I'm so pleased to partner with the American Lamb Board on something special. Whether it's an elevated weeknight dinner, a comfortable home-cooked meal or a special occasion, American Lamb has the versatility and flavor to help you create memories and embrace fun in the kitchen - no chef skills required. Learn more here.

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Lamb Chops with a Salad of Dates, Toasted Garlic, Walnuts, and Parsley is today’s recipe from Better at Home. It’s one of my favorites. It’s comes together so quickly and has no right being as good as it is for the amount of time it takes to make. It’s a perfect balance of savory, sweet and sour flavors and she’s also easy on the eyes. Take a peek and see for yourself!

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🍽️ Cooking with: American Lamb. Like all my food, I want to know where it comes from. I know that by cooing with American lamb that it’s raised by American ranchers with a commitment to animal care and land stewardship. I have a number of lamb recipes in Better at Home, so you know I’m not messing around about my love of lamb. What’s also great about it, is that it has the ability to elevate any meal. It also works across a number of flavor profiles. You can probably tell by now that I’m a proud #lambassador and true fan of lamb.

💄Wearing: Merit Beauty. This brand has been on my radar for some time now and they generously sent me some products to try. Friends, I am hooked. I am not someone who wears makeup everyday because I WFH, but these days I am genuinely excited to “put my face” on. The products are streamlined to work beautifully together. Bonus, you only need a few of them. The complexion stick, bronze balm and the blush are in my constant rotation. A swipe of Ilia’s mascara and a bit of their lip crayon and I’m out the door! Well, in front of my screen, but you get it.

🍫 Snacking On: Spring and Mulberry chocolate. I love Spring and Mulberry chocolate bars, which are sweetened with dates! The bars are gorgeous, and it’s my default dessert plan when hosting. I put a few bars out on the table and let people help themselves. In the winter I also put out oranges. They just launched a new Sea Salt flavor, which comes with a beautiful gold salt spoon and oyster shell container to put finishing salt in. It’s so lovely and would make a perfect hostess gift.

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Lamb Chops with a Salad of Dates, Toasted Garlic, Walnuts, and Parsley

The nice thing about loin chops is that they are one of the most tender parts of the lamb, cook quickly, and are incredibly flavorful. I simply season them with salt and pepper and use their leftover fat to warm the dates and toast the garlic and the walnuts, before tossing them with some quick pickled shallots for brightness.

Colu Henry

SERVES 4

TIME 25 minutes

INGREDIENTS

2 pounds (910 g) lamb loin chops (about 8 chops total)

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 shallot, thinly sliced into rings

Juice of 1 lemon

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

¾ cup (110 g) roughly chopped dates, pits removed

⅓ cup (40 g) roughly chopped walnuts

4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

½ cup (25 g) roughly chopped fresh parsley

Flaky salt, for finishing

METHOD

Bring the lamb to room temperature, if it is not already. Season liberally with salt and pepper and set aside.

In a small bowl, stir together the shallot and lemon juice and set aside. Heat a 12-inch (30 cm) cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the oil and when it shimmers, add the lamb chops fat cap side down, pushing them together so they stand. Cook, allowing the fat to render and turn crispy and golden, about 3 minutes.

With tongs, move the chops flesh side down and cook, flipping once until a thermometer registers 135°F (57°C), about 2 minutes a side. Transfer to a plate.

Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the fat from the skillet and set over medium heat. Add the dates, walnuts, garlic, and pepper flakes and cook, stirring frequently, until golden, about 3 minutes. Transfer the mixture to the bowl of shallots and add the parsley and any juices that have been distributed by the resting lamb chops.

Stir together until combined. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt if needed.

Transfer the lamb chops to a plate or platter and spoon some of the salad over top with a few pinches of flaky salt. Pass the remaining salad at the table.

Lamb Chops With A Salad Of Dates, Toasted Garlic, Walnuts, And Parsley (1)

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I’m headed to Portland, Oregon next week for an event at Vivienne Culinary Books on Thursday, March 26. I’ll be in conversation with Meg Scott from the Joy of Cooking newsletter from 6 to 8 pm. Please join us! Tickets are available here.

On Saturday, March 28, I’ll be popping up at Domaine Drouhin in the Willamette Valley with winemaker Véronique Drouhin. You can purchase tickets here.

I hope to see some of you!

With love,

Colu

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Better at Home is out today! This community has been incredibly supportive and I’m so grateful. It’s been a very long road and we finally made it. Also, the weather is not to be beat!

I wanted to share a few newsletters who have featured new recipes from the book, so you too can enjoy them!

My lovely featured the Spicy Crab Pasta with Lemon Breadcrumbs.

The incredible featured the Harissa and Brown Sugar-Glazed Salmon.

The fantastic featured Piccata-Like Chicken with Olives and Chiles

, a longtime, wonderful friend, featured the Chicken Pot Pie with Buttered Toast Topping.

So much goodness to choose from!

I also wanted to share that I’m doing a private event in New York City next Wednesday, March 18. The first three people to email me will receive an invitation. It’s going to be a very special party with beautiful wine and snacks. I hope to meet some of you in person!

And, if you haven’t gotten your copy yet - you still can!

United States: Better at Home: Abrams; Better at Home: Amazon; Better at Home: Bookshop.org; Better at Home: Oblong Books; Better at Home: Books are Magic

Canada: Better at Home: Indigo; Better at Home: Amazon; Better at Home: Indie Bookstore

SOME TOUR DATES!

I’m headed to Portland, Oregon for an event at on Thursday, March 26. I’ll be in conversation with Scott from the Joy of Cooking newsletter from 6 to 8 pm. Please join us! Tickets are available here.

On Saturday, March 28, I’ll be popping up at Domaine Drouhin in the Willamette Valley with winemaker Véronique Drouhin. You can purchase tickets here.

On Saturday, April 11, I’ll be hosting a beautiful dinner here in Hudson at the Caboose. A link to tickets is here for that too.

I’m then headed back to the west coast and to SF for Cookbook Week! On April 22, I’ll be in conversation with a few other incredible cookbook authors at the legendary Omnivore Books to talk about “Building Your Brand.” Tickets here! It’s free!

And, finally, please save the date for a very fun day of events in Kingston with the and The Upstate Table on Saturday, May 2. They will be hosting the first Cookbook Social, which will be a lot of fun!

More to come!

With so much love,

Colu x

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