An easy dinner recipe, charms for flowers and cloud cocktail napkins

plus a tool organizer and small acts of generosity

September is always something of a second chance romance for me, an opportunity to start again, to take stock of the year so far and the year that remains. It’s helped that we’ve had a string of just ridiculously gorgeous days here; heavenly low humidity, cool misty mornings that swell into sunny afternoons full of high clouds in a blue, blue sky. It’s been the first days of school, early pick-ups, and lazy afternoons biking with both my boys, followed by easy dinners with friends.

Someone asked me recently what some of my favorite meals had been this summer, and 1) what a good conversational gambit, and 2) the answer is a resounding one: Panzanella.

My friend Joe shared his recipe with me earlier today, and I’ve included it below - a zen koan of simplicity and deliciousness. As I chopped tomatoes tonight in the kitchen, with the side door open to catch the crisp post-rain air, as I tiptoed barefoot through the wet garden for some basil, I had the realization that friendship really boils down to small, consistent acts of generosity - taking time to type up how you made a meal, dropping off tomatoes when you have a glut, going out of your way to make something easy for someone else. ✨✨✨

Panzanella

Note: As long you have good tomatoes, panzanella is impossible to screw up.

- Start with fresh, room-temperature tomatoes and cut them into large-bite-sized chunks. (I like to de-seed them.)

- Toss tomatoes with a generous sprinkling of salt, enough fresh basil, and some finely sliced shallot or red onion that it’s present in every other bite or so.

- Add enough olive oil to coat the tomatoes (rarely more than a tablespoon) and a splash of sherry vinegar for sweet acid.

- After 15 minutes or so (or up to a couple hours!) the tomatoes will make a delicious gravy in the bottom of the bowl.

~ This is where the bread comes in! ~

- Add chunks of stale or toasted bread to the mixture and it will soak up the gravy. This city runs on carbs, so I add a lot—like 1:1 with the tomatoes, but a more traditional ratio is probably 2:1.

A. This painting caught my eye.

B. These tin plates could be a charming (affordable!) host or hostess gift.

C. I’m not exactly sure how to describe these except that they seem like they might be charms for your bouquet of flowers…. and while they might be a true example of ‘gilding the lily’, I am taken with the love letter in particular.

D. These cloud napkins would make an unexpected but fun gift.

E. This shirt doesn’t look like much online, but it fits with a certain panache, and the fabric is lovely. It runs very, very big. I took a size smaller than my smallest size.

F. A friend raved about this tool roll - and I have to say, I see why. Everything in its place and a place for everything truly is satisfying.

G. Another panzanella!

H. My mother-in-law included these pop-up tissues in a care package, and we all love them.

wethersfieldgarden

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I include a few bonus finds here each week for paid subscribers as a token of appreciation for making this newsletter possible.

A. Pretty pretty colors!

B. Low-key thinking about Halloween costumes

C. This made me laugh out loud

D. A blank watercolor calendar - nice gift for a creative friend