Sunday Summary - 05.01.22
Our friend Jerome (who we met in Italy with Ashley and Jordan in 2018) came to visit us last week! He walked away form our trip to Northpark mall with a luxury clutch, and I left with a bag of pasta from Eataly.
Long Time, No See!
Whew! The last few weeks have been an absolute whirlwind. Where did we leave off? Since we last spoke nothing at work has changed, and I’m still balancing multiple jobs (sadly, hence the little break), we enjoyed time with friends and family over the Easter weekend, and we hosted a close friend for several days last week. To stay sane, I had to put this hobby to the side, but I’m excited to bring you all a newsletter (and video) this week!
Reading
I finished That Summer and ended up rating it 4 stars on Goodreads! It was a great book, and I’m excited to read more from Jennifer Weiner, but I think it’s worth mentioning that that specific story could be triggering for some.
I’ve since started One Night on the Island, a story about how two strangers get unknowingly double booked in the one guest house on a remote island. I feel like the title is a little misleading, since there are many nights chronicled on said island, but I think this author loves a theme - One Day in December, One Night on the Island, see? It’s a good little rom com, though!
Watching
Searching for Italy is BACK for Season 2 and airs tonight on CNN at 8:00pm CT. The first episode of the new season explores the cuisine of Venice!
If you love food, food history, docuseries, or Italy - you would love this show. Stanley Tucci whisks you away to Italy’s 20 different regions in search of their unique cuisines. The show is so well done that I’ve watched the first season twice, if that tells you anything!
I haven’t had a lot of down time to just sit and watch TV lately. While I cooked and got ready for bed over the last several weeks, I managed to work my way through both seasons of Cheer (again), started re-watching Drive to Survive, and have watched all 5 available episodes of Moon Knight. During super busy times, I tend to retreat to my “comfort” shows - anyone else? or just me?
Cooking
After a lot of restaurant dining while we were hosting, we were really excited to cook some meals at home again. We chose two from the Half Baked Harvest website and two from her latest cookbook. I did my best to find similar recipes from her book that are free on her website, and I’ve noted those below (where possible!)
Greek Chicken Chopped Salad with Lemon Tahini Vinaigrette
We skipped the chicken and doubled the chickpeas instead.
Crispy Cauliflower Tinga Tacos with Honey Lime Avocado Crema
Similar recipe: Spicy Pesto and Cheese Stuffed Zucchini Involtini
Our dinner tonight for the premiere of Searching for Italy: Season 2
Green Curry with Sesame and Broccoli (nothing similar on her site)
Like I mentioned in the caption under the intro photo, we picked up several pastas from Eataly while were shopping around the mall last weekend. Friday night we made Cacio e Pepe with these truffle noodles. It only required 5 ingredients (pasta, parm, pepper, lemon juice, and olive oil), and it was divine! If I were to cook it again, I’d use butter in place of the olive oil for a creamier consistency.
Photo by Half Baked Harvest
The Latest
In addition to bringing back the Sunday Summary, I also posted a video on YouTube today! We dive into several products I’ve been enjoying in the month of April with Rifle Paper Co, Parachute, and Merit earning extra points for having multiple products featured. Hope you enjoy!
Things are going to continue to be crazy for a while, but I’m thankful to be ushering in some much needed change at work despite how crazy the transition has been. I’m looking forward to a much needed short work week, since we’re heading to California to celebrate Mother’s Day this weekend! I can’t wait for all the sunshine and time beside the ocean with family.
(Nash is not nearly as excited since he has to stay behind.)
I hope you all have a wonderful week!