/Pistachio/
Cracking open one of my favorite ice creams.
In recent years, pistachio ice cream has been one of my absolute favorites. Even so, it’s very difficult to get right.
Some pistachio ice creams are heavily almond extract-based in their flavor. They’re dyed green, pumped with perfume, and have a few chunky pistachios thrown in for good measure. Don’t get me wrong, I loooove almond extract, but…
I want PISTACHIOOOO ice cream.
Some other pistachio ice creams and gelatos are true to their word when they say “pistachio”. These, usually artisanal, ice creams are often more savory and plain, with little grains of roasted pistachio folded throughout. They sport a tan / brown tinge instead of a fake, fluorescent green.
This type is good, too. It’s very loyal to the pistachio nut.
Often, though, I just find this type of pistachio ice cream texturally off-putting. The crumbly nuts interfere with the custardy smoothness I adore in an ice cream.
The best pistachio ice cream I’ve had to date is the Sicilian Pistachio from Van Leeuwen. Sticking to simple ingredients, Van Leeuwen uses just cream, milk, sugar, loads of egg yolks, salt, and Sicilian pistachios from the slopes of Mount Etna to create their French-style ice cream. The pistachios they use grow “in the rugged landscape of Bronte and nowhere else. It is here that they acquire their unique, brilliant emerald green color, intense resinous fragrance and incredible taste.”
Van Leeuwen grinds their *fancy* pistachios into a creamy paste, using nothing else to flavor the ice cream. This fine, pasty mixture helps the ice cream remain creamy and luxurious (not grainy!!!) while incorporating such a gorgeous, real pistachio flavor.
No need for almond extract here!
Trust me, it’s divine.
I’ve yet to find a pistachio ice cream better (even in Italy… but don’t quote me on that, puhleeeeze).
So…
Grab a bowl of ice cream and continue on with today’s little letter o’ mine.
I have scoops and scoops of exciting things to share!
On that note…
/Pictures/
Angel of Grief by Skyler Jones
This year, I was lucky enough to be part of my dear friend Skyler’s photography thesis Angel of Grief (2025).
I was a model on the project… something I’m not super confident doing… but I was passionate about helping Skyler, and passionate about the project’s message.
“Angel of Grief depicts the mental toll of being a woman. Women’s psychological health has been pathologized due to the political system, enforcing the narrative that women are overly sensitive. Jones challenges this by targeting the male gaze of Victorian oil paintings, while drawing inspiration from their aesthetics and emotionality. She connects the past treatment of women to the present to highlight the consistent, systematic marginalization of women. The blurred images evoke sadness and anxiety, while also replicating a painterly quality. The fountain [displayed at the exhibition] recycles water, representing the cyclical nature of sexism, and extends to the hanging images, linking communal experiences back to mental health. By connecting generations of women, Jones transforms their sadness into community and empowerment.
Skyler Jones is a photographer based in New York. Her work revolves around female and queer identities, highlighting the celebrations and struggles that come with them.”
The photograph shown above was included in the final thesis exhibition. In the image, I lie on my great-grandmother’s red sofa underneath a portrait of my grandfather. My face is obstructed, but so much is felt through the book that shields it. It’s such a good picture.
Below are some other selections from the shoot we did.
If you’re based in the New York City metropolitan area, please book Skyler. She’s a visionary and a fantastically fun person to be around, too.
I am so proud of my friends who’ve embraced their passions and followed their artistic dreams. It’s hard to gain the confidence and trust that you’re actually good at the things you enjoy.
Artists are some of the biggest risk-takers, I think.
On that note…
/Publication/
My goal this year: 100 rejections.
Since February (when I decided to lock in on my poetry passions), I have consistently been sending my work out to literary magazines and poetry publications. My goal is, by next February, to have received one hundred rejections.
This goal is intended to help me with a few things: it will help get my work out there at least one hundred times, it will help with my phobia of rejection, and it will help me potentially get published!
With rejection as the goal, acceptances are actually quasi-failures.
“Oh no! I got accepted! I have to apply to another lit mag to make up that rejection.”
I am very proud to announce that, deep in my already-plentiful sea of rejections, I have uncovered an acceptance.
One of my most treasured poems, “Waterwait”, has officially found a home in WAYE Small Press’ By The WAYE Issue 02.
I am honored, grateful, and so excited.
I’ve been published before, but all in academic or youth anthologies. This is my first big time, grown up, adult, “normal” publication.
Thrilling!
No idea when it’s coming out…
but when it does, you’ll all be the first to know.
If you’re curious about By The WAYE, take a look at their first issue.
On that note… opportunities arise when you least expect them. Keep at it!
/Parting Words/
A song on repeat:
A snack I’m liking lately:
Corn Nuts
A drink I’m liking lately:
Iced matcha latte with soy milk
A random thing I enjoy:
A thing I’m reading or watching:
Dalton has me watching JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure… it’s actually pretty good. I will keep you updated.
A clothing item I find fun:
My “Pickle Princess” t-shirt
Thank you for reading On That Note…
With love and appreciation,
Annabelle
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