Hey y’all. I need to start this with a heartfelt thank you.

My last post was written in about 15 minutes. I had to stop and wipe tears off my face twice, but other than that, I just threw words onto cyber paper. It rushed out of me.

I very nearly set it aside. Often I give a post an hour of thought before I hit publish.

Had I given myself that hour to breath and think, I would not have posted it. It’s dark. I would have said to myself, “Everyone’s got enough going on. Don’t unload your own darkness on the unsuspecting masses.”

But, I hit publish. That post has the third highest traffic in this blog’s six-year history.

Rather than bumming everyone else out, it apparently resonated. Hearing that I wasn’t alone was helpful. Hearing that others had lost a grip on their own optimism … only to find it days later, hiding behind a garden project, a Zoom happy hour or a round of frisbee with the dog … made me realize that my optimism wasn’t in danger. It was simply too heavy.

I put it down for a few days. I let myself be sad. And you know what? I found a big pile of optimism yesterday, braising pork shoulder and listening to the SPOOKED podcast.

You should also listen to CRIMETOWN’s 2nd season about Detroit in the ’70s. Holy moly. So good.

I thought I’d do a quick post, before I hop up and make some dinner. I’m making one of my all-time favorite internet recipes tonight: Lemon Pasta with Arugula.

Ya know that like last small handful of arugula? It’s not enough for a salad, but seems wasteful to toss it? This is a VERY delicious solution.

Click each image for the recipe.

LEMON PASTA with ARUGULA

Photo & Recipe Courtesy of Dana Sandonato, of Killing Thyme;
@Killing__Thyme on Instagram

I’m also going to give you my other favorite Found-On-The-Internet recipes. All of these are easy, tried and trusted.

SMOKY BRAISED KALE w/ TOMATO

Courtesy of The New York Times and Travis Lett of Gjelina in Los Angeles; Photo Courtesy of Melina Hammer

Stay safe and sane out there. If your optimism runs away, don’t worry. You’ll find it again. I love you. The universe loves you. And if you need to talk, I’m always here.

ROAST CHICKEN w/ POTATOES & OLIVES

Courtesy of Bon Appetit; Image by Christopher Baker
And a special callout to my sister-in-law Linsley, who discovered this recipe and made it a family classic

GRILLED FISH w/ ARTICHOKE CAPONATA

Courtesy of Chef Michael White at Marea; Image by Stephanie Foley

SIMPLE CRUSTY BREAD

Photo Courtesy of Me! I actually made this loaf. Recipe by Jeff Hertzberg
for The New York Times