I Loved, I Lost, I Made Spaghetti by Giulia Melucci
It’s summer… the perfect time of year for some lighter reading. I’m a sucker for the memoir/cookbook genre that has become so popular in recent years. I love them. The thing is, I can actually READ cookbooks so this type of book is perfect for me. “I Loved, I Lost…” was a quick, satisfying morsel – perfect for a day at the beach or a rainy afternoon on the couch. The Italian-American protagonist, Giulia Melucci, is a smart, stylish New Yorker who works in publishing. She also has horrible taste in men. This narrative follows her (miserable) dating exploits which are dotted with fabulous recipes. The one thing about the recipes is that they seem both delicious AND simple which really won me over. I can actually see myself making most of the dishes in the book because they don’t have 1000 ingredients and seem infinitely do-able. In fact, first on my list is the “Morning After Pumpkin Bread” on page 77 and as soon as we get some cooler weather, I’m down for “Levana Kirschenbaum’s Sweet-and-Sour Brisket” on page 89. My only minor complaint is that the poor dear hasn’t found love by the end of the book… just a string of loser boyfriends; but her food world is rich and delicious.
