Dear friend,
Life rarely goes to plan, and this week was no exception. My family (minus me) spent almost the entire week in various stages of coughing, hacking, fevering, and aching. It was a one-woman show to keep everyone brushed, bathed, nourished, and cared for. But that’s okay — fawning over my little beautiful creatures and husband is (luckily) one of my very favorite past-times.
The food requests for the convalescing were simple: chicken broth and breads. As they lay on the couch sipping broth and watching movies, I found myself with a bit of extra time to tend to the house and a few office tasks (why do I redo my budget and buy new stationery every single quarter?!). One afternoon I spent detailing the kitchen, including the “three-feet-and-below scrub”, in which I do just that. I mopped the floor, and cleaned out the (absolutely putrid) dishwasher filter.
It was lovely. For a moment.
But then I decided to make biscuits for the sickly and promptly dumped flour all over my freshly-mopped-floor. And there’s something about this that just feels right. As if my kitchen wanted to remind me to not make it an idol of beauty, but to use it.
Once the sickies began to feel a bit better, I turned around to find this (photo above) after a quick phone call with my Mom. This counter had been scrubbed, oiled, and tidied five minutes prior.
Alright, alright, I got it. The mess is the point.
I share these photos with you to remind you that whatever state you find your home in today, it’s normal. It’s normal to mess it up and it’s normal to clean it up once again. Even though it’s not always fun, it is in fact normal.
(It’s also normal to wish that you had small house-elves that would come and tend to the tidying and scrubbing every night while you slept.)
And in between the soup and the scrubbing, there’s been a little bit of dreaming going on too...
Che Vita Getaways
It often confuses our guests. They book their spot and then text me, “now what?”
I tell them to book their flight and tell me the details.
… and that’s it.
For six nights and seven days, we account for all of our guests experiences, meals, transportation, and needs. We introduce you to our village and our friends and devote all our effort to giving you a restful, blissful, flavorful trip.
From private garden tours and lunches, to markets, to wine tastings, to shopping, to private meals in our favorite restaurants, to truffle hunting, to pasta making and watercolor classes, to time in the boutique hotel pool or sauna, to specialty cocktails and aperitif hour, to plenty of cappuccini.
(Our friends Paolo and Beatriz have even offered to have us over for some grape and/or olive harvesting at their nearby local, organic farm… I can smell the ripe grapes in the air and feel the oils on my hands already!)
We aren’t joking around here, y’all. We’re going to take you for a ride!
Regardless of who you find yourself in Italy with, we’re going to help make it a week filled with overflowing plates and glasses, laughter and beauty.
And just wait until you smell the black truffles dug up directly from the earth! There is, truly, nothing similar in the entire world.
You can learn more about our trips here. Let the fun begin! Andiamo!
Are you there spring? It’s me, Shaye.
We’re trying something new with this video — I’m taking you around for a few days with me… from the gardens, to the kitchen, through sick days, and even a birthday.
It’s not quite spring (or is it?), but we’re making the best of it with ancient Italian crumble cookies, kitchen cleaning, celebrations and more!
You can view the new video here! Enjoy.
Butter? Nah.
My eldest, Georgia, was diagnosed with severe dairy intolerance last year. Since that diagnosis, her health has improved drastically and we feel nothing but grateful for how much she is thriving simply by not consuming any dairy.
I’ve appreciated being humbled and growing in understanding and charity towards others (including myself) with food intolerances and allergies. It’s made me a better human and a better home cook.
The challenge has been to replicate family favorites without the dairy that we relied on for years. I was a homesteader with a dairy cow for over a decade — dairy was its own entity in our kitchen. Still, I’m as stubborn as a mule, so even though dairy can no longer be a part of her life, I still am hell-bent on finding ways to bake and cook for her that a) don’t make her feel left out and b) are a showcase of how good allergen cooking/baking can be.
At the recommendation of a Cooking Community member, I attempted some scratch biscuits with palm shortening. Eureka! They’re flaky, flavorful, and delightful. Zero complaints here — they’re just lovely. So in case this email finds you in such a pickle… palm shortening has been a lovely substitute when flaky pastry is needed!
Just look at them biscuits!
Perhaps one of my favorite parts is that allergen cooking and baking has become one of the hottest topics we chat about in The Cooking Community. Our girl isn’t alone here — plenty join her in needed to avoid certain foods and the conversation is buzzing!
(True story: I threw these together in less than 4 1/2 minutes when I realized last minute that I was late for a private Italian lesson I had forgotten I scheduled; I had also promised Georgia that I would make biscuits for breakfast and didn’t want to let her down. I did pull it off… but they probably could have been even better with a bit more focus.)
Here I am struggling through formal, newspaper Italian, reminding myself to be humble, to work hard, to struggle, and to not be afraid to get better. Italian learning fills a lot of my spare time these days, and while it’s a bit of a rollercoaster, it is a great joy to me. The best sort of rewards take time and devotion, right?
Onwards and upwards my friends!
Love,
PS: We are humbled and grateful for each of you.
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