Hi! Welcome to “good mood food” from Kale Me Maybe’s Carina Wolff. If you’ve made it here and aren’t yet a subscriber, come join! You can expect recipes, musings, and faves in your inbox every Wednesday! Paid subscribers get even more on Fridays — right now I’m doing a 30-minute budget meal series! Learn more about the paid tier of my newsletter here. You can also try a week for free!

I am exhausted and slept horribly last night, and the last thing I want to do is work, but I had this newsletter mostly geared up, so I figured, why not send it out?

As I’m sure everybody knows right now, Los Angeles is burning. Wildfires have always been a part of growing up in Southern California, but they just seem to get worse and worse. I’ve never seen it this bad. I always talk about how much I love living in Los Angeles — we don’t deal with rainstorms, blizzards, hurricanes, or tornadoes. But when these fires happen, it is so, so scary.

Thankfully, Grant and I are safe, and our home is too (for now). The air quality was over 400 today, so we are now at my parents’ house where the air quality is much better. We’re still not in the clear, as they may have to evacuate at any point as well, but taking it one step at a time. It’s such a distressing time, and my heart breaks for everyone who is evacuating or who have lost their homes. It feels like dark times here. Sending love to all my LA community.

I’ve been seeing hair cuffs around, and I think they’re such a cute way to embellish a ponytail or braids. I ordered this gold and silver hair cuff set on Amazon, and I love them! It’s like wearing jewelry on your hair, and it can elevate a simple hairstyle.

The Jon and Vinny’s Spicy Vodka Pasta recipe has been a staple in our house for years now, and we just discovered the best hack to make the dish just a smidge healthier without sacrificing taste. We’ve been swapping out the heavy cream for cottage cheese, and it’s so delicious. It makes me feel like I’m getting some protein in the dish, but the cottage cheese still adds that creaminess. You could even whip the cottage cheese before to get a smoother texture.

I bought two secondhand cashmere sweaters last week when shopping in Topanga Canyon, and with all the other wool sweaters I’ve been buying lately, I figured it was time to get a nice wool-safe detergent. I did a lot of research, and so many people love Soak detergent. I purchased some myself and can attest it works really well! I got the scentless one, but I almost wish I’d gotten a scent to get ready of that vintage-store smell.

My friend and pasta goddess Foods of Jane always makes delicious pasta dishes that are cooked in bone broth instead of water, and I think it’s brilliant. Not only does it add flavor, but it also adds nutrients, including protein!

Because this is a one-pot pasta, the texture is also amazing, as all the starch from the pasta gets released into the dish. All you need for this one is a little bit of garlic, Calabrian chili paste, butter, Parmesan, and parsley, and you’ve got a tasty, elevated buttered pasta dish that’s ready in under 30 minutes.

I personally love to use Kettle and Fire Beef Bone Broth, but you can use any brand you’d like or even use chicken bone broth. The pasta I used is Sagne a Pezzi from Rustichella d’Abruzzo, but you could use a smaller pasta like pastina or ditalini for a more risotto-like texture.

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 4 cloves garlic, chopped

• 8 oz medium pasta shape of choice

• 3 cups beef bone broth

• 2 tbsp butter

• 1 ½ tbsp Calabrian chili paste,

• ¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese (plus more, to top)

• 2 tbsp roughly chopped parsley (plus more, to top)

1. In a medium skillet, heat up olive oil on medium-low heat. Add the olive oil, and then cook the garlic for a minute or two until garlic is fragrant. Add the pasta and the bone broth, and bring to a boil.

2. Once broth is boiling, reduce heat to a strong simmer, and cook until about 75% of the liquid is cooked off, about 10-15 minutes (depending on the size/type of pasta you sue).

3. Turn the heat to low, and mix in the butter and Calabrian chili paste. Season with some salt and pepper, and then mix in the Parmesan cheese and parsley. Serve warm, topped with more grated Parmesan and chopped parsley, if desired!

Last week, paid subscribers received another 30-minute budget meal recipe! I’m already itching to make this one again — it was one of my favorites.

Just a reminder that anytime you become a paid subscriber, you get access to ALL of the past recipes in the archive. You can always do a free 7-day trial as well!