March 22nd, 2024

Hi friends,

Taking note of mental health moments. In feeling stuck, anxious spiral impending, I find relief in mise en place. Grounding myself in rote motion–chopping, peeling, preparing. Coming back to the kitchen is not always a solve for what’s ruminating but it is my preferred foundation for finding calm.

Pop-up prep is a whirlwind of emotion, namely fatigue, (which is strangely not in my emotions wheel) and sinking into familiar rhythms offers a quiet meditation in the chaos. I’m grateful for those mindful tasks, forcing me to keep all my fingers intact, attention on the knife in hand. In heavy overwhelm, sometimes the only thing we can do is focus on what’s directly in front of us. 

Leaning into every patient process this week towards a successful dinner on the other side. I’ll keep y’all posted.

Here’s to focus, deep breathing, and the next right slice.

Stay hungry,Hawnuh Lee | Founder, Closed Loop Cooking

Keeping hands in motion.

The dish >>

• US Gardeners for Palestine. Reading the full letter here.

• Pickle health perks. It’s what I’ve been saying.

• This DIY bakery is making my inner child so happy.

• Fully support Facebook as an underground food marketplace.

• Rustic kitchen inspo.

• Everything about this cake.

• Purim is this weekend! One more hamantaschen reminder for your triangle cookie fix.

• If you’re also trying to perfect your quenelle this week.

Cookbook corner with Parson Bread Book

I’m embracing baking as therapy in a week of mindful mental health. In my bake inspiration research I came across a newly favorite bread collection from the 1974 class of students at the NYC Parsons School of Design. An obscure, eclectic treasure–this internet gem is a celebration of carbs and community. To quote– “…A good loaf of bread is almost a work of art–there is nothing that quite compares with the experience of seeing, touching, smelling, and finally tasting a freshly baked loaf. And if you have baked it yourself, these satisfactions are increased manyfold.”

I’ve pulled select pages for our newsletter appreciation and you can the full, free publication here.

I’ve found toast magnet internet.

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