The Ups and Downs of Turning a Passion Into a Career & What I Made Last Week

Working on My Cookbook, Creamy Lemon Pasta, Chicken Pad See Ew, & Baked Crunchy Tacos

Hi everyone and happy Friday! I hope you had a wonderful week. 

I’ve been in the thick of writing my cookbook—I can’t believe the manuscript is due in two months (!). Depending on the day, the process has been simultaneously exciting, exhausting, terrifying, and then exciting all over again. Along the way it’s made me reflect on my relationship with cooking, which I share a bit about below in this week’s newsletter. 

But first, let me tell you about this delicious creamy lemon pasta that I made last week. It comes together in minutes (perfect for a weeknight) and uses just a few staple ingredients that you probably have in your pantry. It’s so easy to make and tastes so elegant. I think you’re going to love it!

I’ve also added 14 new recipes to the archive this week, including a few of my favorites: Tuna Tostadas, Lamb Gyros with Tzatziki, and Healthy Cauliflower Fried Rice. Enjoy! 

What I Made Last Week! ↓

Creamy Lemon Pasta

Bright, creamy, and perfectly balanced. 

Creamy Lemon Pasta

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Ingredients

• Kosher salt

• 1 pound spaghetti

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter

• 1 tablespoons all-purpose flour

• 1½ cups whole milk

• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

• ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

• 1 teaspoon lemon zest, plus more for serving

Instructions

1. Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Add the spaghetti and cook until very al dente (2 to 3 minutes less than the package directions). Reserve 1 cup of pasta water, then drain the spaghetti. (Or if you can line up the timing, transfer the spaghetti directly to the skillet using a mesh skimmer).

2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour and cook, whisking, for 1 minute. Gradually add the milk, ½ cup at a time, whisking to fully incorporate between each addition. Add ¼ teaspoon of salt and the pepper and increase the heat to medium-high. Cook, stirring, until the sauce begins to bubble and thickens slightly, 1 to 2 minutes. 

3. Add the spaghetti and mix with tongs until combined with the sauce. Continue cooking, adding pasta water as needed (about ¼ cup) until the spaghetti is cooked to your desired tenderness, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and mix in the Parmesan along with some more pasta water, if needed (I added about ¼ cup more). Mix in the lemon juice and zest. Taste and season with more salt, if needed.

4. Divide the spaghetti among four plates and top with the Parmesan and more lemon zest. Enjoy! 

Make it vegan: Use unsweetened oat milk for the whole milk and nutritional yeast (or plant based cheese) for the Parmesan

Prep time: 5 minutes | Total time: 20 minutes

Serves 4 

You can watch the video here :)

The Ups and Downs of Turning a Passion Into a Career

Almost two years ago, on December 7th, 2022, I was laid off from my job after a decade in tech. At the time, I was already cooking often and sharing recipes on Maxi’s Kitchen, but I saw it as more of a fun side hobby than a career. The next morning, with Doug’s encouragement, I decided to take the leap and pursue cooking full-time. I hit the ground running. It might sound cheesy, but I genuinely feel this is what I was meant to be doing, and because of that, I constantly worry it’ll all disappear if I’m not giving it my absolute best.

There’s a quote that goes something like this: “If you do what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life.” I’m not sure I completely agree. While there’s nothing else I’d rather be doing, I work extremely hard and definitely feel it. On top of that, I feel the pressure of wanting to succeed and not let anyone down—most of all, myself. And as a total perfectionist (lol), that pressure can weigh heavy.