3rd week // SEPTEMBER
TO READ (May): This NYT article about what you should and shouldn’t be flushing down the drain (hint: only toilet paper). I can gladly say that my dental floss now goes in the trash bin each night.
TO ORGANIZE (Caroline): Since moving, I’ve had a jumbled pile of necklaces and earrings on my bathroom counter. In order to remedy this, I first looked up possible DIY solutions. There was an unfortunate number of twigs and tacky looking things. So my search went to the old fashioned “buy it from a store” route. Here’s this classy beauty I found from Urban Outfitters for only $29.
TO MAKE (May): My restaurant pizza experiences as of late have involved dipping my slices in a $6 vat of piping hot marinara studded with garlic and parmesan. Each time I’d think… “I need this recipe, but they probably used some Sicilian recipe passed only through bloodlines that I’ll never be able to find or duplicate.” Well, I FOUND IT. If ever there were a way I could make words jump off a page ala the howlers in Harry Potter (albeit happier, more excitedly), this would be it. Make this marinara sauce! It has a simple ingredient list, takes 25 minutes from start to finish, and (for those that are dirty-dish averse) will only use one pot, a cutting board, and knife. If you’re not convinced, perhaps the 2,000 five-star reviews will sway you. Here’s the original NYT recipe link, and another that avoids the paywall. This sauce is not just destined for bites of pizza- I have grand plans to use it with spaghetti and meatballs, calzones, or spaghetti squash.
TO READ (Caroline): My husband and I spent a remarkable amount of time looking at this article the other day. It shows, with different illustrated maps, the ways America uses its land to power our growing economy. You might find some of the info on the graphs surprising (especially the amount of land that’s used for golf courses).
TO MAKE (May): Geez May, two recipes in one week! I know… but I need you to know about Marcella Hazan’s tomato sauce with onion and butter. It doesn’t make for a suitable landing zone for bites of pizza though. Instead, I love it for spaghetti and meatballs, or I’ll toss some Costco tortellini in it for a delicious weeknight meal. Get the recipe here.
TO LEARN (Caroline): I’ve been doing calligraphy for a while, and it is an absolute blast. It’s one of those skills that, when done really well, can never be replicated by a machine. I first learned it for my own wedding invitations from a very helpful calligraphy teacher named Laura Hooper. This is the starter kit I used to get started. It has all the supplies you need and videos to guide you along. If it’s a bit pricey right now, keep an eye out- they often go on sale.