Archive * No. 004: Mother’s Day and Memory Weaving
This issue features Mother’s Day basket ideas, a textile artist, an office update, and a homemade pasta recipe with pancetta and peas.
SECOND HAND FINDS
✦ Mothers Day Baskets
Mother’s day is coming up on May 11th, and If you know me or my family, you probably know my track record for Mother’s Day gifts hasn’t always been the best. One year I gave my mom a percussion frog and I still haven’t lived it down.
This year, I’ve been trying to be more intentional about gifts that feel personal, thoughtful, and sustainable. One gift I love, though it’s not the most original, is putting together a custom gift basket. You can almost always find cute baskets secondhand, and it’s such an easy way to create something meaningful. I think the thought and effort you put into tailoring it makes it feel special, even if the idea itself is pretty simple. You could build one around her favorite meal or cocktail, a little spa kit, tools for her hobbies, or just a collection of small things she loves. Here’s some ideas
And don’t forget a card!!
SOURCE MATERIAL
✦ K. Dantz
I recently came across the work of Kayla Dantz, a Parsons grad and textile designer who blends photography, fiber arts, and family memories. Her latest pieces weave old family photos from the 1970s into timeless textiles. I love how she plays with the idea of connection, threading past and present together.
Her next big drop goes live TODAY at 5pm Eastern if you want to check it out!
IN THE WORKS
✦ Office Updates
Realized I never shared the results of the lampshade poll (sorry!!) #3 won! Here’s the fabric:
My office has been a slow and steady project, honestly one of the trickiest spaces to figure out in our new house. The layout is funky, I have way too many art supplies, and my giant work desk takes up half the room. When we first moved in, I got a few modular Ikea cabinets and spent way too many late nights rearranging them whenever I felt creatively stuck.
It’s taken a while, but I finally landed on a layout I love. I spent the last few weeks hunting for something a little more permanent and found the perfect cabinet on FB Marketplace. It warms up the room, and it’s so heavy I physically can’t move it - so this layout is officially here to stay.
Next week we’re installing a window (!!) something I’ve dreamed about since we moved in. I can’t wait to finally have more light in here. I am also still on the hunt for a rug and more art to fill the space. Here’s a little peek at the setup:
HOUSE SPECIALS
✦ Homemade Pasta with Pancetta & Peas
Sharing a pasta recipe from this weekend. Saturday had a lovely dinner party with the girls. My friends Yazzy and Salome shared this recipe from a cooking class they took over the summer at Sur La Table.
HOMEMADE PASTA DOUGH WITH PANCETTA AND PEAS
(from Sur La Table)
INGREDIENTS
Pasta Dough
2 1/2 cups (12 1/2 ounces) Italian-style "00" or unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 teaspoon fine kosher salt
4 large eggs
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Semolina flour, for dusting pasta and surfaces
Sauce
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 ounces pancetta, cut into 1/4-inch dice
1 shallot, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 cups shelled fresh peas or frozen, thawed if frozen
2 teaspoons lemon zest
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
20 fresh mint leaves, torn
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
TOOLS
Large mixing bowl
Whisk
Bench scraper
Plastic wrap
Rolling pin
Pasta machine
Large skillet
PREP
To make the dough:
In a large mixing bowl, place the flour and salt and whisk to combine. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add eggs and oil. Using your fingers, blend the eggs into the flour mixture, stirring the flour in from the sides of the well and working outwards. When the pasta dough is thoroughly mixed, turn it out on a lightly floured work surface. Knead the dough until it is smooth and flexible but not sticky, adding small amounts of flour as needed; about 5 minutes. Shape the dough into a ball and flatten into a disk. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rest for at least 20 minutes or up to an hour at room temperature.
COOK / ASSEMBLE
To roll out and cut dough:
Secure a pasta machine to the edge of a long countertop. Using a bench scraper, cut the dough into 4 pieces. Keep extra dough covered in plastic wrap while working with one piece. With a rolling pin, roll the piece of dough into a rough rectangle that will fit inside the widest setting of the pasta machine. Roll the dough through the machine, changing settings to make the dough thinner with each pass. Fold, turn, and roll through again if needed to smooth out the dough. Turn dough into 1/4- to 1/3-inch wide ribbons for tagliatelle.
To prepare sauce:
To a large skillet set over medium-high heat, add olive oil. When the oil is shimmering, add pancetta and cook until crispy, about 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer pancetta to a paper towel-lined plate. Reduce heat to medium, add shallot to the skillet, and cook until soft and translucent, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add fresh peas and 1/2 cup hot water. Stir well and cook until peas are bright green and tender, about 1 minute. (Omit water if using frozen peas.) Remove from heat and add lemon zest. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
To cook pasta:
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Generously season water with salt. Add pasta to the water and stir to prevent sticking. Cook until al dente, 2 to 3 minutes. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water and drain pasta through a colander.
Transfer pasta to the skillet with peas, together with 1/4 cup reserved pasta water, mint leaves, lemon juice, and crispy pancetta; gently mix. Adjust the consistency of the sauce as needed by adding more reserved pasta water. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
FINISHING TOUCHES
To serve:
Divide pasta among warm bowls, garnish with Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, and serve immediately.
SERVING
Best served immediately while pasta is fresh and warm.
ADJUSTMENTS
If you don’t have a pasta machine, you can roll the dough really thin and cut into noodles with a knife.
Use frozen peas if fresh are not available.
Add extra lemon zest if you like it brighter.
YIELDS
Serves 4
STORAGE
Fresh pasta dough can be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 24 hours before rolling and cutting. Cooked pasta is best eaten immediately but can be stored in the fridge for up to 1 day.
NOTES TO SELF
Don’t find purpose, infuse purpose.
how lucky I am to be on the receiving end of one of the Negroni baskets!! Such a lovely gift along with the special homemade oil and jam - thank you soo much!!