To avoid an uber lengthy newsletter I am shifting this one up a bit. Two sections are dedicated to links: one highlighting 'no shipping gift giving' the second a few items I have been enjoying this fall.

The typical ‘ie explains a painting’ section is shortened to a tidbit  with a link to continue reading. The post is an ode to Jane, the Volvo XC70 I adore, (painting below). 

So Mollie, what have you been up to?!

Aside from having a cold for the first time in two years and spending quality time with my dentist…

• The Zurich portrait prize opened for viewing on the 13th, and I was in Dublin to see the show. Surreal to have a piece of mine on view in a museum that has been a touchstone for me since 2012
• the way that we went a group exhibition curated by Anne Mullee for the Ballinglen Arts Foundation. 
• A print I made last year is up for auction at the Outhouse Auction. If you’d like to bid, there are a few hours to do so.
• A painting and a short memory will be published in the next issue of Cheese Mag, published in the UK, available worldwide.
• Additionally, keep your eyes peeled on the Irish Times Weekend because I have been asked to write a blurb on a favorite kitchen item, here’s a hint: it’s the best way to make my favorite food.

Read, watch, eat

Maid — highly recommend this mini-series on Netflix, it highlights how abuse can come in many forms and how difficult it can be to escape, all the while holding some humorous undertones. 

Couples Come Dine with Me — Three couples, three nights, three dinner parties in their respective homes. Watching people in their own environments and their ability to cook/entertain (or not). My love for the domestic is the force that led me to becoming embarrassingly hooked on this show. 

Claire Keegan’s Small things like these — a book I only put down because I wanted it to last, which ended up to only be three days. While it is not a heartwarming book, it is themed around the holidays.  The secrecy of the subject is mirrored in how she writes, barely touching on things that were unfortunately omnipresent, yet hidden. 

Jennifer Lapidus's Southern Ground — a creative ingenious approach to a cookbook. Jenifer Lapidus owns and runs a flour mill, she approached bakers who use her flours to contribute recipes for this book. The genius is that this means the best of the best make the cut, there is a diverse range of approaches, techniques, and tastes. The focus of this book is how to use whole grain stone milled flour into baked goods from Sourdough to brownies. A great gift for anyone starting or advanced in their baking abilities. What do you want your readers to know? Make your text stand out by customizing the font, style and format.

Gnaw chocolate — I recently discovered this joy. They make a peanut butter bar which basically tastes like a Mr. Goodbar but the milk chocolate part has had some peanut butter incorporated. I am trying to make the one bar I have on hand last. 

Nutshed — I've said it before, I'll say it again this is the epitome of peanut butter, they have outdone themselves with this limited edition flavor of cinnamon raisin which I have just polished off a jar of. 

no shipping gift giving

With the shipping delays seemingly the theme of this holiday season, here are some ideas that either

A.) I personally subscribe to monthly

or

B.) have gifted to others with positive reactions.

The binding thread is that they won’t have you stressing about shipping delays. And many support independent makers!

For the yogi in your life

Yoga with Adriene — thinking of getting into yoga? This is the place to start! 

Glo — the app I now use, I love the diversity of this platform. With a range of teachers in all shapes and sizes, and content from Yin Yoga to high intensity HIIT classes. 

Dabbling in meditation?

Calm – I used this app for over a year, and it was the perfect way for me to begin integrating meditation into daily life. I also loved the sleep mediations to aid in winding down. 

Insight timer — I have now switched to this app; it caters to someone who needs less guidance in mediation additionally provides a way to find community.

Cater to a hobby

Patreon — I subscribe to Sarah Owens Patreon for fermentation enthusiasts. However, maybe you have a barbeque feen, knitter, or book lover on your list. I suggest you search the Patreon catalog and perhaps you can discover someone that could fit the interests of a friend or family member.

I also have subscribed to 'Wordloaf', Andrew Janjigian’s newsletter, another sourdough feen. I like the community that he has put effort into building. He uses Substack and again, maybe you can find someone writing about the hobbies or interests of those on your list.

NY Times cooking — a monthly subscription which is incredibly inexpensive for how often I use their database. I also love the app for the phone.

Monthly gift boxes! The beauty of this is that the gift will arrive in the future, just package up a note with a bag of tea, bar of chocolate, or new mug with a note about their gift that will keep giving! For example, Simple Loose Leaf makes creative and tasty tea blends, and offers shorter subscription plans which are customizable to suit budgets and the tastes of every tea lover in your life. 

Lastly, experiences

Look up venues in your region and buy tickets for you and your loved ones to attend together. Or perhaps a food focused workshop that’s in your area, or online!

Recipe Time!

Definitive Digestives

Recipe adapted from Sohla El-Waylly 

Ingredients

113g (½ cup) Butter alternative, I prefer the plant-based versions of butter as opposed to margarine

33g (½ cup) ground flax

75g (6 Tbsp) coconut sugar

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. kosher salt

167g (1⅓ cups) Whole Wheat Spelt flour, plus more for surface

2 oz. Grated chocolate (optional)

1. Whisk flax, coconut sugar, baking powder, salt, and flour together.

2. Dump this mixture into a food processor, add the butter and pulse until a dough comes together.

3. Divide the dough in two pieces and roll out. Thickness is very much your preference.  

-Use generous amounts of flour to coat the dough as you do this, be patient and flip the dough a lot to avoid it sticking to the counter. This step takes a lot of patience, but if you keep flipping and dusting your surfaces it will be manageable! 

4. Using a pizza cutter cut dough into 1.5” strips, then again perpendicular to the first cuts to make 2” long rectangles. Gently transfer them on to a parchment lined baking sheet. 

-These do not expand much during baking so you can put them close together. If you have wonky ends bake them off or combine and reroll. 

5. Dock the cookies. I prefer to use a fork and mark each one three times.

6. Bake for 15-18 min. at 350F/180C

-These crisp upon cooling so if they seem soft, not worry! Just make sure they are golden brown and you are set. 

7. If you want chocolate coated biscuits:

• Using a cheese grater grate your chocolate of choice.
• Once removed from the oven sprinkle with the grated chocolate shavings, allowing them to melt from the residual warmth, gently using an offset spatula smooth the melted chocolate on each one to create a slick beautiful surface.

*If you choose to make these with butter the dough might need additional hydration, up to 40g milk is best.