Happy Friday! For new subscribers, the weekly Friday post is a casual round-up of recommendations for your downtime and useful/fun things noted from the week. It’s a bit of brightness for your inbox. Enjoy. x

• ICYMI: Don’t miss last week’s Italy-inspired edition, my interview with romance author Yulin Kuang, and all the helpful comments left here with your go-to cookbooks…that you *really* cook from.

• Congrats to our two giveaway winners: Francesca, who won a copy of the Health Nut cookbook, and Kristen K., who won a copy of How to End A Love Story.

A few things I recommend + noted this week…

• Watching ‘Ripley’ on Netflix. This show is a spinoff of sorts of The Talented Mr. Ripley, which was released in 1999, and is one of those movies that was screengrabbed into oblivion by every girl who had a Tumblr in 2009. (That is, myself included…). It’s not hard to see why. The aesthetics of the movie, which was filmed in Positano, Italy, are unreal and transportive. The clothes worn by the beautiful trio Gwyneth Paltrow, Matt Damon, and Jude Law feel timeless yet iconic; I imagine the team at J.Crew pinning them to their mood boards for every summer collection.
  
  Thus, I was intrigued when I heard about Netflix’s spinoff. I then became very intrigued when I heard that Andrew Scott (aka the “hot priest” in Fleabag) would be playing the title character, Tom Ripley. And let me tell you: it does not disappoint. The movie is filmed in black and white, which at first was an annoying stylistic decision for me (given the 1999 film’s vibrant, colorful feel — one of its main draws), but later becomes evident that this is actually the best stylistic decision. Nearly every shot is framed beautifully; it really is a work of noir art. The black and white sharpens the beauty and makes you take in every detail of what’s in the frame. Scott’s acting as the creepy con artist Ripley will put a chill up your spine. If you’re in the mood for a more cerebral watch this weekend, I highly recommend this one. (Warning that it depicts violence - it’s a crime drama, after all.)

• Reading Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld. I'm late to the game, but I finally read this book in three or four days, meaning it was highly enjoyable! The book is a “famous person falls in love with non-famous person” romance that follows a woman who works as a writer on a late-night comedy show (meant to be like Saturday Night Live) and falls in love with one of its guest hosts. Read it if you enjoyed The Idea of You by Robinne Lee.

• Listening to Vampire Weekend’s new album. I can’t be the only one who listened to VW nonstop in college, right? Their latest album, Only God Was Above Us, sounds as if their 2008 album had been extended. Or if they had dropped vault tracks that had been hidden away all this time, a la Taylor Swift. What I’m trying to say is, the album sounds like someone said, “Give us more of your greatest hits, but a bit different, please,” and they delivered. It’s not a bad thing. It’s comforting, it’s nostalgic, it’ll take you on a trip back to simpler times. A little bit jazzy, orchestral, electronic,

• Texting my friends about this good lipstick. The brand MERIT sent me a couple of lipsticks to test. I’m not a daily lipstick wearer, but I’m really impressed with the Satin finish and the subdued color palette they offer. The shade “Baby” is a close match to my exact lips, which means I’m more compelled to wear it every day. The packaging is sleek and gorgeous. They’re not paying me to say any of this—it’s good!

• On that note, my Sephora sale picks are here, mostly stuff I swear by on the daily. The sale ends on Monday!

• Eyeing a lightweight, cropped cardigan. I have the heavier version of this that became an unexpected dark horse in my closet. I wore it several times a week this past winter, and I’m tempted to buy this one…

• Making a bunch of dips this weekend like this honey-whipped feta with olives. We’re hosting some friends and dips felt like a good low-key answer to please both adults and kiddos!

Looking for more recommendations? There are 43 other fun issues to flip through in the archives.

We’re continuing our Downtime Dishes series this week with a new, cozy Italian cookbook—in case you’re in the mood for a feast! Paola has kindly shared two recipes with Downtime readers: Spaghetti with oven-roasted tomato pesto and Crostata with jam, a simple tart to enjoy with tea. Paid subscribers can access the recipe PDF’s at the bottom.

Hi, Paola. What inspired this cookbook?

The kitchen was the center of our home, and it always smelled delicious. Even though my mother worked full-time in a factory until she retired, there wasn’t a day when she didn’t prepare our family a meal from scratch. The meals were made with fresh ingredients, often from my father’s vegetable garden, and with the love that an Italian mother and grandmother give through the preparation of food.

Sunday lunches with the extended family were a multi-course feast. This continued well into her 80s—when we went to visit, she would be at the stove top, stirring a risotto or a meaty ragù, the radio playing Perry Como or Frank Sinatra, and the table set ready for lunch. The book is inspired by her simple recipes, our family recipes, and the stories she would tell us over lunch.”

Spaghetti al pesto rosso (left) and Crostata marmellata (right). Photography by Paola Bacchia.

What do you like to do in your downtime?

“Clearly, I love cooking! Unwinding often involves making a batch of pasta by hand, usually the type that is found in southern Italy, with semolina flour and water. Moving out of the kitchen, I am an avid movie and mini-series watcher—unwinding by getting lost in a movie or show is quite thrilling. I love Scandi noir and am currently watching the Norwegian series Furia.”

	Crostata With Jam 1.07MB ∙ PDF file
Download

	Spaghetti With Oven Roasted Tomato Pesto 1.01MB ∙ PDF file
Download

You can purchase At Nonna’s Table: One Italian Family's Recipes, Shared with Love by Paola Bacchia on Bookshop, Barnes & Noble, Amazon, or your local bookstore.