Ciao, Bella
My Best of 2023 / including, but not limited to, meals books beauty newsletters bakes podcasts
Welcome to Home Cooking Diary, a newsletter on my journey as a home cook—the successes and failures alike. Cooking log, photo diary, and recipe recommender. Note: if you’re reading this as an email, you may want to read it in your browser, lest it cut off at the end.
I can’t resist a good Best Of list, so I’ve got to write my own. I’m generally in awe of how poor my memory is, so this excercise—of taking stock (no pun intended)—is handy in that respect. A lot happened this year. 2023 was big for us. For me. And I’m not feeling up to putting it all to words right now. I poached some shrimp in tomato and lemon and hope to write about it early in 2024, so maybe I will find more words then. But for now these lists, with minimal commentary, are it.
I love lists.
Big things I take pride in this EOY /
I’ve mothered a great kid and I’m so proud of the three of us as a family as we’ve gotten through this year—of postpartum life, with all its ups and downs.
I learned how to open a small retail business. A bookstore. And did it within 9 months. I’m so lucky, even though I say with confidence that Reed and I made it happen. Luck didn’t have anything to do with it. And yet I feel like it had everything to do with making it work out better than I could have imagined.
We’ve built a community in our new town. Something I never expected, not in a million years. Middle-late thirties, new baby, new town—these things do not typically suggest the emergence of new friendships.
The best things I cooked /
Molly Baz’s Bolognese (More Is More) / I made this several times and only once did the sauce emulsify properly - bolognese is challenging. If the heat is too high, the meat will brown too fast, and the sauce will separate. Be gentle. Luckily, it’s always delicious somehow.
Rachel Roddy’s Pasta with Corgettes (My Kitchen In Rome)
Nigel Slater’s Pot Roast with Sage (My Kitchen Diaries) - I suggest quadrupling the sage called for. It’s wild to me that this book is out of print in the US. WTF.
Rachel Roddy’s Chicken Cacciatore (My Kitchen in Rome) - make this immediately. Again, why is this book out of print in the US? It infuriates me.
Marcella Hazan’s Chicken Fricassee with Braised Red Cabbage (Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking) - I’m still working on My Version. I do think it can be improved upon because I have screwed this up and preferred the screwed up version. Sacrilege, but true, sorry.
Alison Roman’s Thanksgiving 2023, specifically the radicchio salad, the turkey confit, the gravy, and mashed potatoes (Home Movies)
Colu Henry’s Lamb Ragu (Colu Cooks) - Never not on my Easter Dinner menu
Colu Henry’s Quick Sausage Sugo (Colu Cooks) - perfect. easy. quick. “Easy” and “quick” are typically never ways you describe Italian meat sauces, and yet…
Mina Stone’s Italian Sausage with Roasted Veggies (Lemon Love and Olive Oil) - how many times have I made this? Too many to count.
Mina Stone’s Cumin-roasted Arctic Char (Lemon Love and Olive Oil) - ditto.
Alison Roman’s Pozole (A Newsletter) - I love a pozole, and this is unlike any I have had. A project to be sure, but worthwhile.
Alison Roman’s Slow-cooked Lamb with Potatoes and Brothy Chickpeas (A Newsletter) - The potatoes alone will transport you to the Aegean. This was my last home-cooked meal of 2023 and it was a banger. As she suggests in her video I’ve never worked so little for so much reward.
Alison Roman’s 10 hour leg of lamb slow-roasted with potatoes and white wine
My fave bakes /
Alison Roman’s Corn Bread (Sweet Enough) - if you even think of making this without the mayo…
Alison Roman’s Seeded Breakfast Loaf (Sweet Enough) - for awhile there I was baking this weekly
Sohla El-Waylly’s Giant Chocolate Chip Cookie for Two (Start Here)
Alison Roman’s Blueberry Tart (A Newsletter) - still shocked by how good this was, mainly because I have very little confidence in my ability to make a beautiful perfect dessert. You will impress people if you make this.
Claire Saffitz’s Almond Poppy Seed Bundt Cake (Dessert Person)
Emilie Raffa’s Chocolate Chip Sourdough Loaf (Artisan Sourdough Made Simple) - I think about this loaf of bread on the weekly
Pantry items of note (as in, I’m addicted to them) /
Fly By Jing Zhong Sauce; First Bloom Sherry Vinegar; Maldon sea salt, Droste Cocoa powder; Biscoff cookie butter; Rancho Gordo Bean Club; ZOE Olive Oil; Burlap & Barrel x Alicia Kennedy Pumpkin Spice (bring it back!); Burlap & Barrel’s Sun-Dried Tomato Powder
Best cookbooks /
My Kitchen Diaries by Nigel Slater - the beauty of this book makes me weepy
Saltie: A Cookbook by Caroline Fidanza - the hot chocolate. Get this book back in print.
Sweet Enough by Alison Roman
My Kitchen in Rome by Rachel Roddy - I’m going to repeat myself twice by saying, the beauty of this book makes me weepy. And it infuriates me that it’s out of print here.
Start Here by Sohla El-Waylly - the new cooking Bible. Not necessarily for the recipes but for the knowledge and instruction. I get so much out of this book, and I find it enables me to improvise better. I devise my own meals with it more than I cook recipes from it. It makes me a better cook.
Tenderheart by Hetty Liu McKinnon
Let’s Eat by Dan Pelosi
Make It Japanese by Rie McClenny & Sanae Lemoine
Best books /
The Children’s Bach by Helen Garner - this book shook me, and I struggle to articulate why because I know that I would ruin it if I tried to do so. Just read it.
Alice Sadie Celine by Sarah Blakley-Cartwright - hot. beautiful writing. unforgettable characters. California.
Small Fires: An Epic in the Kitchen by Rebecca May Johnson - some of the most beautiful writing about cooking that I’ve ever read. I think about this book constantly.
Monsters: A Fan’s Dilemma by Claire Dederer
Land of Milk and Honey by C Pam Zhang
People Collide by Isle McElroy - I laughed and I cried. A brilliant social comedy in the guise of a crumbling marriage novel.
Mother Doll by Katya Apekina (forthcoming, preorder here)
Molly by Blake Butler - Harrowing and beautiful. My heart beats faster just thinking about it.
This Story Will Change by Elizabeth Crane - Betsy’s willingness to be vulnerable is what makes this memoir great. I’m still in awe of her patience and growth and resilience in middle age.
The Vaster Wilds by Lauren Groff
Art Monsters by Lauren Elkin
Sarah Blakley-Cartwright’s Alice Sadie Celine
Best Newsletters /
Colu Cooks - I always love Colu’s recipes, and lifestyle tips, and overall, her kind, sophisticated, yet unpretentious vibe. Aspirational in many ways.
5 Things You Should Buy - I only buy what Becky Malinsky tells me to buy at this point
A Newsletter - ya’ll already know that I love AR and think she can pretty much do no wrong
From the Desk of Alicia Kennedy - I constantly bookmark Alicia’s articles - she’s so smart and I love that she gets to write about whatever she wants to write about because of substack
Hung Up & Gossip Time - two essential celeb and pop culture gossip newsletters that I never skip
Feed Me - another newsletter that makes me so happy that substack exists because it allows Emily Sundberg to nerd out on all of her obsessions, and dig up the dirt, and interview fantastic people about their niche
Best movies, TV / Past Lives; Succession; The White Lotus, S2; Top Chef; The Bear, S2—didn’t watch much this year! 🤦♀️
Best podcasts / See Also; This is Taste - I love how often they air interviews and they get everyone in the culinary space and beyond. One of my recent faves was Matt’s interview with Emily Sundberg; The Daily, begrudgingly; How Long Gone; Poog; The Ezra Klein Show - begrudgingly; Vibe Check; Into It - so sad this was canceled, but at least we still have Sam Sanders on Vibe Check; Talk Easy - another show that gets everyone - sometimes I wish they would go deeper but Sam Fragoso has a way of engaging that I like
Best Beauty / Glossier Lash Slick; Supergoop Watery Sunscreen; Everyday Oil, LESSE Suite of products - I use Lesse when I can afford it. I can’t wait to try their new moisturizer and eye cream; The Ordinary Multi-Peptide Eye Serum; Santa Maria Novella body oil - this was a gift a friend sent when I was pregnant and I still haven’t finished the bottle. I’m trying to savor every drop
Best Clothing & Accessories / Gap sweat set; Rudy Jude utility jeans - indigo always and forever; my Baer Vintage pieces; my Porto Pouch in Americano; Donni Rib Kick Flare in jet; Dansko clogs, black; ARQ tees; ARQ high rise undies; Babaa jumper no. 17; Babaa cardigan no 19; my 190 Long-sleeved tee (best merch); my First Bloom tote
That’s all! Thank you for reading this somewhat self-indulgent little thing. I’m excited to see what 2024 holds for us.
xo AV
Angie, I adore you. I'm so completely honored to be included here. Happiest all the things to you and your family. Love, C xx
Happy New Year to quite the Woman! Have a lovely Eve with your beautiful family❤️