Welcome to Kelly’s Monthly Edit!
Join me every month as I round up the little joys that sparked inspiration, from must-make recipes and Mom-approved grocery finds to favorite products in kitchenware, skincare, fashion and beyond. Consider this your behind-the-scenes bite of life at Just a Taste—no gatekeeping, just good taste.
If the month of April marked a re-start in so many ways, then the month of May confirmed a re-start leads to me being reenergized, revitalized, renewed and READY for all the goodness to flow from a fresh chapter.
A Memorable Mother’s Day
Mother’s Day was extra-special this year. I celebrated not only with my four favorite tiny humans, but of course with the legend herself, Noni. She is in every way imaginable the ultimate example of motherhood, and I am thankful to learn from the best in the biz. We spent the day sipping Champagne, brunching and exchanging gifts.
Noni gifted me my newest most-prized possession: a compass necklace from Oak & Luna, engraved with the first initial of each of my babies. It’s the perfect sentimental piece worn on the daily.
Tuesday’s At Noni’s
And speaking of Noni… after a brief hiatus due to 2.8 million kids’ sporting events, we’ve resumed our regularly-scheduled Tuesday Dinners at Noni’s…and Fafa’s (what my kids call my dad). Why we only call my parents’ house “Noni’s house” is confusing to me, too, but here we are. And here are Fafa and I toasting and talking life on a random Tuesday in May.
With great wine and great conversation comes Noni’s legendary homemade focaccia. It’s pillowy soft with a chewy bite and the perfect hint of salt. We dunk it in our favorite Kosterina extra-virgin olive oil and fig balsamic vinegar. It’s heavenly!
And who could forget the iconic Tuesday plate shot? It’s the usual, award-winning duo: Noni’s chicken cutlets and basil pesto pasta. While nowhere near Noni’s level of focaccia perfection, I, too, have discovered my own obsession with homemade bread…
In My Sourdough Era
I have officially joined the world of homemade sourdough bread enthusiasts. The team at King Arthur Flour and FirstBuild (an amazing incubator within General Electric) reached out with my very own Sourdough Sidekick.
This one-of-a-kind invention is everything a sidekick should be—reliable, consistent and ready to lend a hand. In short: It automatically feeds your sourdough starter on a specific schedule, getting it primed and ready for the exact hour you want to use it.
You know how much I love my kitchen gadgets and my carbs, so this was a match made in my personal passions heaven. I named my starter Bread Pitt and quickly got to work on timing out my first loaf for Thursday at 10am. Sure enough, Bread Pitt was perfectly bubbly and at his ideal weight right when I needed him. The result? The most gorgeous, delicious loaves of sourdough bread that I still can’t believe I made from scratch.
And when you have an addictive and competitive personality like I do, I knew I had to quickly level-up my game. If a classic loaf could be this easy, how far could I take my new hobby? It turns out, quite far. Enter The Striped Seedy Sourdough Loaf, which you all went wild for on Instagram.
I had to keep pushing. So the following Thursday I harnessed my painting skills (and my love of all things soccer and the impending World Cup) to create the now-famous Soccer Ball Sourdough. Can you guess what I used as edible paint?
King Arthur Flour black cocoa powder mixed with a bit of water. It created the ideal texture of edible paint that tasted great and looked even better. A quick stencil and the soccer ball boule was born.
What design should I try on my next loaf of homemade sourdough?
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