PicoBlog

Hello, dear friends! It’s been a little while. I hope this note finds you warm and snug in your human body. There is so much to grapple with in the world, so much sorrow, and so much tragedy. It’s hard to know how to come to you with that full weight being carried as we read the news, and then also needing to pack the school lunch, to get a bit of levity, to carry on with all the tasks and joys of the season, and to tend to our own health.

Hello! Hello! Earlier this week, I finished my round-up of cookbooks from the past year or so. Alphabetized by author’s last name and hyper-personal, I chose books that were in my Connecticut kitchen – you can find A-L here and M-Z here. And, because I wanted you to be able to taste something from the collection, I published a recipe from ZOE BAKES CAKES for Zoë François’s Chocolate Devil’s Food Cake and included two of her frostings, both great with the cake.

This “recipe” is really a guide to shaping and baking cream puffs. It depends on two other recipes: Craquelin and Pâte à Choux. Think of this as your construction manual. I’m guessing that the reason pâte à choux dough was invented in the 16th century was so that Catherine de Medici could serve cream puffs to her royal court in France. I might be wrong about cream puffs being the first pastry made from the dough, but I’m convinced that it’s the first pastry anyone new to pâte à choux should make.

Hello friends I hope you have had a good week. I’m back from a few days in France staying with an old friend, and before I know it, the first spring bank holiday weekend is upon us. Do you have any plans? I was hoping to get a bit of gardening done but only time will tell if the weather will play ball this weekend. If not, a bit of baking may be in order.

I’ve been making friends online since the late 1990s. When I was 13 years old, a friend I met on AOL literally saved my life. Ten years later, I got a job at the New Yorker thanks to a friend I’d met on Livejournal. When I was 29, I co-founded a writing conference that sprung out of a community of 30,000 women writers on Facebook. In May, the US Surgeon General issued an advisory about a national epidemic of loneliness and isolation.

This newsletter is a reader-supported publication. We love Letters From Tuscany, it is like having our independent publication: we test, photograph, and write each recipe just for you, to bring a little taste of Italy to your kitchen, for you and your family. We’re trying to keep things as free as possible, but if you enjoy what I write and want access to exclusive weekly recipes, and if you are at a point in your life to support our newsletter, please consider becoming a paid subscriber.

The relationship between money and Jiu-Jitsu is a tough conversation to initiate. Here’s a hot take: most grapplers secretly despise money. The way that most grapplers talk about money is wrong. Jiu-Jitsu athletes say they want to make a living, but most of them don’t compete in events that offer cash prizes. They say they want sponsorships and influence, but they don’t work on building their brands. If there’s anything that I’ve learned in my 7 years in Jiu-Jitsu, it’s aspiring Jiu-Jitsu athletes are a confused bunch.

Welcome to the Pasta Social Club newsletter, a celebration of all things pasta-making and eating. If you like what you see, I hope you’ll spread the word—and if you’re interested in exclusive recipes, video tutorials, event access, and more, please consider a paid membership, which helps make Pasta Social Club possible. Anyone can make great pasta, and all great pasta starts with great dough. Here are the recipes I use most often, and with them you can make almost any type of fresh pasta your heart desires.

Some time ago, I asked if you thought you could make someone fall in love with you. And overwhelmingly people said no. With the addition of “why would you even want to?” I must admit, I have tried. So many times. Against my better judgment. This is kind of a continuation of talking about and working through the questionable choices I’ve made throughout m… ncG1vNJzZmiolaS9rbHIr5ylp6aasW%2B%2F1JuqrZmToHuku8xop2ign6x6tbuMppiknV2ovK6xzqecZp6Roblutc1mo6iulQ%3D%3D