Maybe you can relate, or maybe I need serious mental assistance (probably the latter), but I have been having the sense that we are living a falsehood. If you look at my Instagram (@lauranewt) you will see that we have had a pretty great summer. Boogie boarding, tomato gardening, trips to the Cape, my six … Continue reading Falsehoods and Super summer produce
Sometimes all you need is a little change of scenery. I am sure you can relate after the spring we all endured of home schooling, home working, and home, home, homing. Our family canceled our regularly scheduled Euro vacation, and packed up the VW bus old school style and headed off on a little road … Continue reading East Coasting
Passengers, we are approaching the Hot as Hades station, please gather your belongings and get to the nearest beach… I pretty much live for summer. I love not really needing footwear or long pants, and the carefree spirit of dining alfresco. But there are certainly days that feel a little oppressive, so recipes that do … Continue reading Chill out: cold soups and beach reads
I love playing the game “If I could live anywhere where would it be?” France gets batted around an awful lot, or sometimes sunny California, or bustling Barcelona, but really at the end of the day my heart resides in Brooklyn. I lived there for almost two decades and fell in love with the old … Continue reading Nostalgia, Italian deli style
This has been a hard few weeks. Necessary hard, but also heartbreaking hard. It has felt prudent to let Black voices take the stage. To really listen to the yearning for reform and change, and to be part of that change. These are big feelings; big and important realities. I only recently started this newsletter as a point of … Continue reading Southern cooking and Black cookbook authors
Last week we had an escapist trip to Roma. My imagination has no limits, especially when it comes to European visits, so buckle up, we are headed to France. I’m not talking about Covid, or the fact that my child is coming unglued without school, or all of our collective worries. Let’s drown our sorrows … Continue reading Galettes and Bicyclettes
You have probably heard of the “stages of grief.” Well, this week I am firmly planted in the denial stage. I sat in front of my computer screen loaded with the page featuring the rustic chic house we had rented on the Spanish island of Formentera for the last half of July. I have not … Continue reading Roman Holiday and Aperitivo
This has probably happened to you also recently… you are scrolling through your phone, and you get a notification with a photo saying “This time last year/ two years ago/ five years ago.” It makes my heart sink into my belly to see the photos of sandcastles and sandwich picnics on Block Island, the special anniversary dinner at our favorite … Continue reading Family Meal, Homeroom, Mothers, and Vegan Week
The other morning, things were going as usual, as far as these days go. I was clearing breakfast, Stephane was working in our office, and James was plugging in to his Google Classroom. Then James just stopped, and started crying. I will preface this by saying the kid is not much of a crier. When … Continue reading South x Southwest shrimp and cheer up mode
When my sister, Kate, and I were little we used to pretend play the most dire circumstances. A favorite was to be lost at sea on a boat (the sofa) with only castaways (100 stuffed animals) aboard. Or when it was cold out, we would put on our most tattered mittens and gather leaves and sticks … Continue reading Grimm tales, easy recipes, and a marathon week
