The February Edit
A Scandinavian sleep method, lemon olive oil breakfast cakes, atypical romance reads, and the men's sweater on my wishlist.
The Monthly Edits are a casual curation of my consumptions from the past few weeks including: books I read, delicious eats, fun finds, and personal meanderings. Buon appetito!
and sweet. The weekdays flew by, so I attempted to fill the weekends with activities to avoid the last slump of winter. A trip to the butterfly gardens offered glorious 25 degree (78°F) weather and some pretty epic wildlife. I felt like Cinderella with all the magical little beauties fluttering around me—a great way to avoid a cold rainy Saturday and spend the afternoon in the tropics!
As far as cooking went, I’ve been loving this cannellini bean hummus (with red pepper flakes) on crackers for the perfect midday snack. I made Stanley Tucci’s eggplant parmigiana for our V-day dinner—which was heavenly on fresh garlic bread. This crab and fennel pasta was light, fresh, and super nutrient dense! I picked up local crab meat from the fish market and everything. You’ll also find a super simple lemon olive oil cake recipe below that’s sure to impress any guest.
Alright, here’s two great songs and how the rest of the month went…
Let’s start with a little pillow talk…
Scott and I have been sleeping with separate duvets for a few years now. I was self-conscious to tell people about this at first, but then I found out it’s a well-known practice called the Scandinavian Sleep Method. I now feel chic and trendy instead of weird about the situation (lol). My sleep quality is leaps and bounds better than it was before. As a sensitive and cold sleeper—who married a deep and hot sleeper—having our own blankets really is the most romantic thing we can do for each other! Anyone else using this method?
I’ve always used an analog alarm clock in my bedroom, but I recently updated my 0.99¢ IKEA find (with zero features) to the super snazzy Braun BC03 alarm! I’m so in love with it—for anyone else with a no phone policy in the bedroom, I highly recommend this absolute classic.
I hope all future Valentine bouquets are made with radicchio.
Ottessa Moshfegh wrote ten short stories for a Prada campaign!
This cotton/linen men’s crewneck is on my wishlist.
Adrian Brody is the best.
This restaurant looks so romantic.
The cringe matrix.
Dying to know the cast for the All Fours TV series.
Also, a Legally Blonde prequel.
How to decorate with the colour of the year.
Quite smitten with pointelle at the moment.
A very inspiring morning ritual.
February’s Bookshelf:
Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld. Such a fun read. Sally Milz is a successful sketch writer for a late-night live comedy show that airs every Saturday (basically SNL). When Noah Brewster, a pop music sensation, signs on to both host and star as the musical guest of the week, they make a lasting impression on each other. As someone who doesn’t typically read romance, I flew through this and loved getting a backstage look at SNL!
What I Ate in One Year by Stanley Tucci. “Sharing food is one of the purest human acts.” This man has a relationship with food—that goes without saying—so I read this as another February romance read. The audio version is superb, like hanging out with Tucci in his living room and listening to him talk shop about pasta sauces. The book is written in a diary format from January to December and includes what he eats throughout the day—as well as several other very cool things he gets to experience for work/pleasure/celebrity life.
The Pisces by Melissa Broder. I picked this up after reading Broder’s other novel Milk Fed, which I absolutely adored. Sadly, this romance involving a woman who has hit rock bottom and a merman she meets in Venice Beach wasn’t the siren song I was envisioning. It’s clever and somewhat morbidly funny—definitely in the atypical romance genre.
The Safekeep by Yael Van Der Wouden. Such a treasure. This tender and intense tale of desire, suspicion, and obsession between two women is set in the Dutch countryside during the summer of 1961. I love it when writers include a house as a character in their stories—the attachment and love we feel towards our space—and The Safekeep was an exceptional example of this. Highly recommend.
Lemon, Olive Oil, & Yogurt Bundt Cakes
Scott surprised me with the bundtlette pan from my wishlist for Valentine’s day, so I immediately made lemon olive oil cakes. I used this recipe from Love and Lemons—it’s surprisingly simple and quick to whip together. Great as a dessert or a sweet breakfast cake. She made it in a loaf pan, but I prefer the shape of little bundt tins or a 6” round tea cake. Feels more fun and celebratory!
On the second round, we tried gluten-free flour with the recipe and it worked just as well. I think I’ll try a chocolate version next. If you have any great bundt recipes, feel free to send them my way. I’m foresee many mini cakes in my near future.
Apparently saying the mantra ‘these are the good days’ at least once everyday has the power to raise your baseline happiness. I’ve been trying it out by keeping a little note on my desk and the back of my bookmark. I’ll probably have to go about this longer than a month before I can officially report any changes—but I’m committed to the challenge!
This artsy townhouse in London is a total dream (pictured below). I love how the kitchen is full of framed works that don’t feel too precious—allowing for the art to rotate easily as seasons change. The Edwardian architecture features spacious rooms, large windows, and high ceilings. If you fancy a colourful and curated home, have a stroll through the article.
I hope you’ve had a lovely February. Thank you so much for reading and as always, I would love to hear from you!
Are you going to watch The Oscars on Sunday?
Favourite read/watch from February?
Ciao ciao,
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Happy to hear about the Scandinavian Sleep Method which my late husband and I practiced for nearly 47 years of marriage! We didn't know what it was called, of course, just that we quickly figured it out for our quite different approaches to "blanketing". I also remember someone raising their eyebrows when I mentioned it once -- as if separate blankets were brick walls, ha ha! (I'm a writer friend of your aunt Melody and she mentioned your (delightful) substack).
As a European, we always have our own blankets and find the small American bed sizes and shared duvets a quite chaotic concept, good for you to break the habit!
All Fours is definitely the weirdest book I have ever read and the last one I would have bet money on when it comes to a new show. I mean, how?!