Side Of Spaghetti: #6
Have a peek into my week!
Monday 4/21- This is a big work week for me folks, and I am busy and a bit stressed out. Good stress, but stress nonetheless. This rhymes, and that makes me feel like it’s all going to be okay! I started the day with a tablespoon of sea moss gel and an iced coffee with my homemade pistachio milk at home. You heard that right, I have been eating blue, gooey sea moss because I will believe anything I read on the internet and trust it is good for me. I have not felt a noticeable difference, but I feel like the picture of health when i eat it, and that is worth something. Went to the gym and took my Monday morning dose of hot yoga, and smashed a perfect rhubarb scone from Poppy’s on my way home. I worked on an upcoming essay for the newsletter and ate some leftover salmon salad from the previous days Easter lunch. Stress makes me not so hungry, so I had some Bjorn Corn in the evening and watched Single White Female for “The Blank From Hell” piece that I’m working on.
Tuesday 4/22- I took a little ride out to Long Island to see my family dentist for a teeth cleaning, and got to do some quality thrifting and family hangs before my appointment. The thrifting gods were with me, as I found a vintage light weight Burberry trench for $40 (OMG!) and a Keith Hernandez Mets jersey from the 80’s. Had a giant salad for lunch with my parents that had roast chicken, cauliflower, apples, fennel and pistachios, with some of the lovely greens that I bought them from Lani’s Farm. Got the teeth all cleaned up and drooled a lot on my shirt. Came home and watched the first half of Terminator 2 and went to bed early.
Wednesday 4/23- I chugged a pistachio latte from Octavia and started working on some prep for the wedding. I pickled some veggies, roasted some garlic and grated cheese while binge listening to, you guessed it, The Rewatchables. Obsessed with this podcast even though it is slightly bro-y at times, but it is soothing and familiar and that is much what I need when I’m feeling a little wonky in the old brain box. Did yoga and shopped for some odds and ends for the wedding that aren’t available at Baldor, and then took myself to dinner at Cafe Spaghetti. I had spaghetti pomodoro and an arugula salad and read my Kubrick book. Came home and finished T2.
Thursday 4/24- On this day I made an outrageous amount of nacho cheese. Some might say enough to fill a standard sized bathtub. I ate a tiny bit on a chip and it was heavenly. I also made a gazillion quarts of Caesar dressing, refried beans and ranch dip. Went to the gym for a run on the treddy and Pilates. I watched Heat and pretended that I was running away from Al Pacino too. I made a salad with chicken for dinner and finished Heat while working on my prep lists for the wedding.
Friday 4/25- Started with a coffee at Octavia and then met my amazing friend Liz for breakfast at Salt’s Cure. I was skeptical of the breakfast only spot when they first opened because it seemed like maybe it would be gimmicky, but it is actually a great concept with very good food. They are famous for their oatmeal griddle cakes that they also famously refuse to serve syrup with, which truth be told is kind of annoying, but they are very good with the cinnamon butter they serve on top. I am a fan of being given condiments to be dispersed at my discretion. As a former business owner I realize maybe its cheaper and more Instagramable to squiggle a little ketchup under their perfectly crisp hash brown, but I prefer to have the option to eat a quarter cup of corn syrup and red dye at 9am if I want to— hell, maybe I need to— and withholding syrup is a bit too self serious. Gripes aside, I actually really like this place. I never go out to breakfast, so this felt like a major treat, I LOVE Liz, and we had a wonderful morning! We walked to Trader Joe’s so I could buy the one dozen per person ration of eggs, and Liz came with me to secretly buy me a second. You wanna call the cops, call the cops. Went to hot yoga and it felt so good— I really needed it. I started the major prep today working out of Caputo’s Fine Foods kitchen. Oh how do I love the Caputo family and their beautiful shop! They were so generous to let me use their space, and it was a delight to cook in their kitchen after they closed for the day. I didn’t have all that much to do, so I just made garlicky broccoli rabe, mac & cheese for the kiddos and prepped veg and herbs for the late night nachos. Came home and watched Moonstruck and ate a flour tortilla that I charred over the burner and drank two seltzers.
Saturday 4/26- I woke up to a gigantic bumble bee that had broken into my house. It was buzzing so loudly that I thought there was someone drilling into my window. I tried to free him, but he refused to fly out the window and kept lunging at me in a threatening manor, so I was tragically forced to murder him with a Joan Baez record that I randomly grabbed from my record collection. I let out a guttural scream as I did it that sounded like a goat giving birth. This is not my prefered way to wake up, but so be it. Made a juice with a whole bunch of young celery from Lani’s and some cukes. It was so bitter that it was nearly undrinkable but my body needed it. I realized that I hadn’t been properly feeding myself this week, so I roasted some baby purple cabbage and spinach. and ate it with my fingers standing over the sink. Spent the day gathering stuff and making refried beans. I ate some of said beans with what was left of the roasted greens plus some avocado and hot sauce. I returned to Caputo’s in the evening to continue the wedding-prep-a-thon. My friend and coworker Herman met me there and made my life ten-thousand times easier with his talent and skill. Herman is amazing in the kitchen. He preps faster and cooks with more care than anyone I have ever worked with, and he’s also just an all around great person to be around. We had such a blast! We made chicken marsala and chicken fingers (for the kiddos), which sounds like nothing, but when it’s for one-hundred and fifty people, it takes quite a while. I chugged a Diet Coke and ate little chicken scraps as I worked. I came home and wound down by nibbling breadsticks and watching Jerry Maguire.
Sunday 4/27- I started bright and early with a hot yoga class. Did some gathering of ingredients from Sahadi’s and got a pistachio latte from Octavia and a pan au raisin from Caputo’s Bakery (not related to other Caputo’s) on my way home. Their pan au raisin is honestly one of the best I have ever had. It is BEYOND!!! Went into work in the late afternoon to finish prepping with Herm. Herman made the most amount of risotto anyone has ever made and I broke down lettuce for Caesar salad and cut crudités. I feel so grateful to my wonderful friends Joseph and Franco Caputo and their folks having me use the space. It is a blessing to be a part of the Carroll Gardens community, and Caputo’s is basically the epicenter. I couldn’t have done this big project without them. Please go there and buy all the delicious things they have. Their fresh pasta is the best in the city, as is their freshly made mozz and all the beautiful pickles, olives, meats and cheeses are top notch! I came home and ate some spaghetti with a little turkey bolognese I had in the freezer. I made a lemony radicchio salad with pistachios and parm, dumped it right on top of the spaghetti, and ate it while crying to the last third of Jerry Maguire. Took a bubble bath with magnesium flakes and passed out. Big day tomorrow!!
See next week!
Love,
Z
