PicoBlog

Hey, it’s Jer. It’s been a beautiful day out. Welcome to the newsletter. As always, my thoughts are in italics. » Popular pizzeria Pie-Sci is expanding to Oak Park. Opened in Detroit’s Woodbridge neighborhood in 2016, the spot on Trumbull has built a legion of fans for their quirky and creative takes on pizza. We can confirm they aim to open at 8150 W. Nine Mile this fall, with hopes of Labor Day.

After NC State spanked North Carolina 39-20 last Saturday, Wolfpack coach Dave Doeren offered his players a potty mouth description of the Tar Heels . I want to beat North Carolina more than the next person in line for every athletics contest between my alma mater—NC State University—and the Tar Heels, “affectionally” known to Wolfpackers as the “Tar Holes” who have their own disrespectful versions of NC State and Duke and their athletes and fans.

PIGPEN is my journal for slightly messy style and interior musings, purchase deliberations, whimsical product recs, and thought exercises to inspire satisfaction and joy in the process of dressing and desiring. Named after my dog, Piglet. Welcome! No thanksncG1vNJzZmiomZy6ornIZ6qumqOprqS3jZympmc%3D

Hmm, mushrooms. A wild, nutty, meaty pleasure, or a slimy, watery bore?  It can go either way. Which is why I believe dry-roasting them is technically a zillion times better than wet-frying. Dry-roasting reduces the moisture content so you get more umami, savoury, earthy, woodsy mushroom flavour, AND the mushrooms hold their shape and almost caramelise in the pan. Frying in loads of butter is nice, but the juices release into the pan and everything gets a bit same-same and wet.

While I hate to lose summer’s produce, fall brings some of my very favorite fruit. This time of year, I buy huge bags of persimmons (the small firm ones, like the popular fuyu variety), search out the best apples (we’re partial to Envys and Fujis), and snack on all kinds of grapes. But my absolute favorite fall fruit is the pineapple guava. So I was totally thrilled when Laurence Hauben (who shared her story of moving to CA from France with us last summer) sent me a recipe for a gorgeous cocktail that makes excellent use of this aromatic treat.

To read part 1 of the allergy trilogy, click here. To read part 2 click here. I also want to give a shout-out to this week’s new readers! Welcome! You can check out the more than 90 posts on the Earworm & Song Loops archive page. Leave a comment If I were to take a poll asking you to choose the first song about breathing that comes to you, I would bet Pink Floyd’s “Breathe (In the Air)” would be #1.

I knew it was time to write about the Grasshopper cocktail when I became aware that Emmett’s on Grove, a new restaurant in Greenwich Village with Midwestern supper club vibes, started serving the drink. First of all, it wasn’t your usual east-coast Grasshopper, made of cream, crème de … ncG1vNJzZmiqn5eys8DSoqSopqOku2%2B%2F1JuqrZmToHuku8xop2iqlZi2sbHSZqeipptiwLLByKupnqRdlrulecKhmKusoprCtLE%3D

Pinyon Ojai held a soft opening intended for friends, family and local chefs in the area Nov. 19, but like most news in Ojai, word traveled fast as locals flooded the restaurant with what the crew has warmly dubbed the Ojai hug of death. Ever since, they’ve been serving wood-fired pizzas featuring local farm-to-table ingredients.  Named after a native North American Pine tree, Pinyon is the passion project of three new Ojai residents that combines thoughtful choices with seasonal ingredients.

Hello friends, Welcome back to Sweet Things! I’ve been in a particularly cakey mood this week. Which isn’t unusual for me. There’s such a pleasing joy knowing you’re coming home and there’s a good slice of cake waiting for you. Something to tuck into whilst on the sofa catching up with Real Housewives. Absolutely dreamy. I had loads of pistachios leftover from a shoot and decided to put them to good use in a little cake.