Side Of Spaghetti: #4
A peek-a-boo into my week-a-boo!
Monday 4/7- I woke up very early and lied in bed for a while because it was raining and I love a rainy morning! I have a few big parties to cater this week, so I will take moments of rest where I can find them. Went for a TJ’s run after the gym, and smashed a banana and a pistachio latte from Octavia on my way home. I had a bunch of egg whites left over from a work project, so I made this egg white, cottage cheese frittata thing in an effort to finally rid my home of cottage cheese once and for all. It was pretty good actually, but not good enough to recommend anyone else make this. I listened to a few back episodes of my fave podcast, Pure Cinema, and started my work. I made piccata sauce, caesar dressing, whipped tahini with maple, garlic butter for garlic bread, marinara sauce and I blanched broccoli rabe. I had wanted to take myself to dinner and a movie, but it was cold and rainy so I stayed in, took a bubble bath, made roasted sweet potatoes and cauliflower and a batch of stewed lentils and watched The Sixth Sense. I have always thought that this movie is really a statement on capitalism, where we go to work even after we die! I ate raspberries and went to be early.
Tuesday 4/8- We are living in a hellscape, and yet it is so freaking cold— why god why? I have been feeling very clogged and stuffed up in my body, so I thought I would try a lymphatic drainage massage, and folks I am not exaggerating here, I feel so much better. My head feels clear, I’m less stuffed up and I have some new found energy! Highly recommend. I came home and nibbled some pineapple with raspberries and chili lime and had a giant iced coffee. Probably not what you’re supposed to do after lymphatic drainage, but here I am still alive and telling you about my boring life. I made key lime pie and lasagna for my event, went to pilates and then took myself to dinner at Un Table and had my favorite dish they make— grilled chicken leg in green curry with purple rice berries. So flavorful, warm and comforting, swimming in a thin but complex coconut broth with grilled eggplant floating around like little baby seals. Perfect every time. I started the Kubrik biography and then came home for a bubble bath and watched Say Anything. Ate raspberries and drank detox tea.
Wednesday 4/9- Took an early walk with my friend Liz through Brooklyn Bridge park. We started with coffee at Octavia, and then did some top tier gossiping and joking around as we walked around in the freezing cold spring air. I was unusually hungry this morning (I think from my lymphatic drainage!?) so I made some eggs with avocado and spinach and doused it in hot sauce. I’m a Crystal hot sauce person, but the only comp title they had at the store was Texas Pete, and while I’m sure Pete is a great guy, there’s something I don’t really love about his sauce. Watched the end of Say Anything on the stair master, sweated and twisted in hot yoga, then came home and ate some Sahadi’s humus (the best) with leftover lentils, leftover roasted sweet pots and cauli, cucumber and radish kimchi. A dream lunch! I was still hungry so I had a cocoa tahini stuffed date. I finished up some work and then made myself a delicious smoked turkey and goat gouda quesadilla and topped it with avo, sour cream, cilantro, cukes and a lot of hot sauce. My folks smoke their own turkey breasts and make extra for me, so that really took this otherwise casual meal to the next level! I had a deep urge to do some laughing, so I watched Fletch and did just that!
Thursday 4/10- I had a party to cater today so I spent the day finishing up work for that. I made a monster salad for lunch to keep me turbo charged throughout the day. It had smoked turkey, lentils, cauli and arugula with red wine vin and lemon. Worked a fun little dinner party in Park Slope with my dear friend AD. We served a classic Caesar, garlic bread with a spicy ranch butter, red sauce lasagna, garlicky broccoli rabe, salmon piccata and key lime pie for dessert. So cute! The guests all had a nice time and loved the food, and that’s what it’s all about folks. Went out for a drink after with AD to Bar Meridian and talked about a screenplay we are working on together. I came home and watched Fletch again, ate some graham crackers and fell asleep on the couch and woke up an hour later completely disoriented.
Friday 4/11- I have a big Passover party tomorrow so I spent the day prepping for that. I made balsamic braised brisket with shallots and candied ginger, boiled some potatoes, peeled carrots, brined chickens and made a giant mother fucking FLAN! First time making flan, and it looks flan-tastic! I ate some cold salmon and lentils as I worked, listened to like five episodes of The Rewatchables and drank a lot of water. Late afternoon I had a juice I made the day before with spinach, carrot, celery, parsley and cucumber. I ate a slice of pizza from the freezer and watched the 1997 political thriller, Absolute Power, staring America’s sweethearts Clint Eastwood and Gene Hackman. If you love 1990’s political thrillers as much as I do, then this Bud’s for you!
Saturday 4/12- Party day! This passover seder is for my #1 favorite clients of all time. They are so kind and supportive and have a wonderful, loving, open minded family and it is always such a pleasure to be with them. I worked the party with my friends AD and Ali which took the whole night to an 11! I made fab smoked fish and crudités platters, matzah ball soup with fluffy balzzz and home made stock, the aforementioned brisket, roast chicken with olive tapenade, asparagus with lemon, butter and capers, roasted rainbow carrots with tahini and pickled raisins and crispy smashed red potatoes with rosemary and sage. For dessert we served the flan, which came out perfectly, and topped it with raspberries and crispy caramel for texture. I came home and unwound by watching When Harry Met Sally for the 3,056 time.
Sunday 4/13- A much needed day off, and I made the most of it! Watched Rain Man at the gym, and as I suspected, this movie feels uncomfortable to watch now. I like Barry Levinson as a director, I worship at the alter of Tom Cruise even though he is a space alien, and while Dustin Hoffman is a phenomenal actor, it feels cringy watching him play an autistic person. The 80’s and 90’s were a time where every big star felt they had to play a person with a neurodiversity. I’m not sure what the answer is here because it feels largely uncomfortable watching these films, but I also think that folks in this community deserve representation on screen, and it also feels like there is a danger in being exploitative in having someone participate in a film if they are not totally aware of what is going on. But in any case, be it inappropriate, not inappropriate or has simply become strained by the passing of time, it was a very strange choice for the treadmill. I stopped at Caputo’s after the gym and grabbed a baguette, and smeared some Kerrygold butter, sockeye salmon lox and cornichons on it as soon as I walked through the door! I took a very long walk because it was finally nice out, and mid way through I ended up at Culture in Park Slope for one of my all time favorite treats- a frozen yogurt. Now this may surprise some of you who know me, because one of the only things that I do not like to eat is sweet yogurt. Savory yogurt with lemon and garlic on some veggies or grilled meats— sign me up, but like breakfast yogurt is not for me. But I LOVE frozen yog, and this place has the absolute best I have ever tasted. I got a swirl of the classic and strawberry. I went for dinner with my good friend Thomas at Cafe Spaghetti, which was absolutely delightful! We shared a lemony arugula salad with almonds and parmigiano, classic spaghetti with red sauce and a chicken milanese, and talked about movies. Perfection. Bumped into my friend Mark who owns Lucali on the way home and by the time our conversation was over he decided to put spaghetti on the Lucali menu— you’re welcome! Ended the night with some raspberries and Se7en because I am single and I can do strange things if I please!
See you all next week, Hasta la pasta!
xoxo,
Z
