Happy New Year! How are you doing? Hope you had a relaxing break, if you took one.
We had a cozy time in both New York and California. Since the boys were spending Christmas week with their dad this year, we did a little gift exchange the night before they left. We ordered pineapple-and-green-pepper pizza, and their two favorite gifts were Ruth Chan’s graphic memoir and a silent basketball they haven’t stopped playing with.
After the boys departed, my boyfriend Freddie and I hung out for a few days. We were thrilled to score a lunch reservation at I Sodi, which I’d argue serves the best Italian food in New York City. (Bold statement, I know!) They’re famous for doing eight different versions of a Negroni and…
…their 20-layer lasagna, which is worth alllll the hype.
My heart. I’ve talked about Freddie a little bit on Big Salad, but I’m really excited to introduce him on Cup of Jo 🙂 He’s a high school history teacher and dad of two boys, and he loves The Sopranos, neighborhood walks, bookstores with sofas, and making cheesy eggs for breakfast.
The next day, we slept in, walked around, and then went uptown to dinner at Jenny Rosenstrach’s apartment. She and her husband, Andy, made a green salad and…lasagna! This recipe was from Smitten Kitchen and had less tomato flavor and a richer bolognese. For dessert, Freddie and I brought an Italian pandoro, a milky bread over which you shake powdered sugar — have you ever had one? It looked like a snow-capped mountain.
Another evening, Freddie and I hung out with some of his relatives, and I actually met his parents, which is a story for another day! His dad told me about his firefighting career! His mom gave me slippers! I was nervous! It seemed to go well!
Then Freddie headed off to see his kids, so I flew solo for a while. I anticipated maybe feeling a little lonely on Christmas Eve and morning, but instead friends warmly welcomed me into their gatherings, which really moved me. At a service on Christmas Eve, the carols rang through the church and gardens.
