The Magic of Being Fussy
Plus An Unfussy Magic Shell Recipe!
I’m a fussy person. I like things to be just-so and my life is happier that way. I believe that doing a bunch of small joyful things with a little extra effort makes for a very full and joyful life. This does take extra effort sometimes, and is something I’ve been teased about or critiqued on before - that I do too much, that I’m too picky about how things look, or that I’m high maintenance. I like this part of myself though! The level of effort (which I how I define ‘fussiness’ in this context) I’m willing to put into a meal or a routine is totally dependent on my mood, season, and the task itself, and fluctuates all the time.
I will eagerly pick the tops off of green beans for 20 minutes instead of using a knife to just lob them all off at once because I love the feeling and repetitive movement. A dinner party?! Hoo baby, I will spend the whole afternoon arranging snacks on a plate, floating from the kitchen to the dining room, creating superfluous tasks for myself related to the tablescape or the garnishes for the dishes. I honestly love it until I become overwhelmed or my foot pain flares up. It’s a real balancing game and I am getting better at knowing when it’s approaching too much. All in all, I do truly love fussing, especially when it comes to hosting or a meal.
But when it comes to my bike I want to be able to just get on it and ride. I have no interest in fussing with the air in the tires or optimizing anything on it. I have a garden and will weed a handful of times over the summer, but I mostly don’t put in a ton of effort past June other than harvesting and watering (and even that I’m real negligent about sometimes - oops). When it comes to music, I’m satisfied with the first thing I put on. As long as the vibe matches vaguely what I’m looking for, that’s good enough for me. Thank goodness for Spotify’s algorithm based playlists! 🙏🏻
Speaking of, this is what I’m listening to in the kitchen lately:
Here are things that I might do in a given day that are “fussy” but that make my life one I love living:
Making espresso over ice ☕️
🎧 Listening to a meditation podcast when I do my skincare
Plating my lunch and dinner intentionally and with garnishes 🌱 - this is annoying when you’re hungry but ultimately makes me so happy the tradeoff is worth it
Only using my favorite pen 🖊️ - shoutout Pilot G-2 0.05
Having a “just-right” drink for the moment 🍹 whether that’s reading outside in my hammock chair, writing on the couch, chilling at the beach, on a walk, painting my nails, or baking sourdough (yes, I’m still doing that)
My husband and I have a fussiness continuum for dishes and specific chefs. When you’ve cooked enough recipes from a certain cookbook, you sort of know the level of fuss for that cook overall. There’s the one pot meals that are objectively unfussy, and then there are the ones that take hours to make, multiple pots, pans, bowls, and utensils. The worst part is that some of the fussy recipes are NOT worth it. They don’t taste good enough to justify all the effort that goes into making them. The deal is that you don’t know that that’s the case until you’ve actually made the recipe - wah wah 😫. But there are those recipes that are fussy AND just shine! Those are the ones I store away for the weekend meals, for the dinner parties, for special events.
The beauty, or the *MAGIC* if you will, of being fussy about the things you care about is the joy in having things that are perfect FOR YOU and only you.
🪄 Magic 🪄 Shell Recipe
This is a riff on Chrissy Teigen’s Magic Shell recipe, which you can find in her second cookbook: Cravings: Hungry For More. We always have a partial bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips in the cupboard, and coconut oil on the counter so we can have this ready in a couple of minutes! Coconut oil hardens when it’s cold which makes it the ideal vessel for magic shell.
Chocolate chips
Coconut oil
Pinch of sea salt
*We use about a 2:1 ratio of choc chips to oil (i.e. ¼ cup choc chips & 2 tablespoons coconut oil), but you could easily start with 1 tbsp of oil and add a tablespoon at a time until it’s the consistency you want
Microwave the chocolate chips and coconut oil in 15 second increments, stirring after every 15 secs to avoid burning the chocolate, until melted and smooth
Add more coconut oil if you want a more runny texture. *Keep in mind that if it’s too thick, it’s less likely to set all the way.
Let cool to room temperature
Pour or drizzle on ice cream, ice cream sandwiches, the top of an ice cream cake, etc.
Pop in the freezer for a minute to set it
Store in fridge, and let it come to room temp before using
Things I Like
Grain bowls - don’t forget about them! I just had a great one at Tullibee for lunch earlier in the week with quinoa, pickled asparagus, roasted beets, roasted carrots, and feta.
Time alone to recharge and space to be creative
Barbenheimer! Read more about it here
Veggie spring rolls to savor all the gorgeous produce we are getting!
Beach chairs like this one (don’t buy this it’s so expensive but pretty), this one or this one on clearance
May your week be gentle and may you eat well. 🌲🥣