Week in Review, Weekend Preview — December 22
It’s beginning to look a lot like cold, flu, and COVID season…
How Nonna Was My Week?
Highlights:
I was supposed to be out shopping for Xmas gifts, but I ended up picking up this Oxo squeeze bottle. Right now I’m using it for olive oil; it gives me lots of control and it doesn’t drip, which is very Nonna.
I finally found a white chocolate that I love. This Creme Brûlée bar from Bixby Chocolate actually tastes like chocolate rather than just sugar and vanilla.1
After a few weeks of good press, including an endorsement from Nigella Lawson, I picked up Bee Wilson’s The Secret of Cooking. This is the cookbook I’ve been waiting for, one that starts by telling the reader that cooking won’t be perfect all the time and that accepting that is crucial to finding joy in the kitchen.
Out of the blue, my friend Elliott sent me a recipe for buttermilk pie (see above). It sounds indulgent and delicious and yes I’ll probably be making it soon.
My dear friend (and future Company’s Coming! contributor) Michael sent me a gift of homemade jam and this year none of the jars cracked during shipping!
When I was in LA two weeks ago I was lucky enough to see (beloved friend of the blog) Alden Derck’s gay, stupid, and wonderful holiday show at Dynasty Typewriter. If you missed this one-night-only event, Alden’s been kind enough to grace us all with a filmed version that you can now stream on Vimeo.
Midlight:
A few years ago I was gifted a gorgeous Le Creuset enameled stock pot that I absolutely love. Usually their shit lasts forever, but recently the enamel started chipping off the bottom of the pot. Will their warranty team make my Christmas dreams come true and replace it? We’ll see.
Lowlights:
Both Susan and Manny got COVID this week. Fortunately both their cases were mild and I didn’t get it. My mom tested negative this morning, which means our trip to go see the Radio City Christmas Spectacular with Mark (who just got in last night) is still on.
Blah blah stomach issues yes I realize I sound like a broken record and yes I should probably go see a GI specialist but let me just tell myself that it’s stress related and that it’ll get better soon.
Verdict: Overall my week was very Nonna: I’m trying to embrace the wonder of the holidays, but stress and COVID can make that hard! On a scale from 1 to 5, I’d give it 4 Nonnas.
Antipasto
I have no idea what I’m writing for Sunday, or if I’m even writing anything at all! It’s Christmas Eve, I’ve got seven fishes to prepare! If something does arrive in your inbox on Sunday, I promise it’ll be a little holiday treat.
And now, a shameless plug
Shane O’Neill, a writer I love who used to cover fashion and culture at The New York Times, recently jumped over to The Washington Post and has a new recurring newsletter called Style Memo. It typically leaves me scream-laughing three times a week, and you don’t even need a WP subscription to sign up.
Bixby distributes pretty widely, but right now the white chocolate bar is sold out on their website, so fingers crossed it makes a return.