> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://secretbreakfast.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Christmas, without a shred of guilt 🎄 - URL: https://secretbreakfast.com/christmas-without-guilt/ - Published: 2023-12-18T16:57:28.000Z - Updated: 2023-12-18T16:57:28.000Z - Description: SB164 - Author: Piero - Tags: newsletter, #beehiiv, #beehiiv-visibility-all-free-subscribers, #Import 2025-02-21 13:06 # Welcome to Secret Breakfast / An exclusive newsletter, the best place to start your day with liquid gingerbread, Campari jellies and no shred of guilt ![And I drink to that!](https://secretbreakfast.com/content/images/cdn-cgi/image/fit=scale-down-format=auto-onerror=redirect-quality=80/uploads/asset/file/0823670a-2a47-4d38-9c86-5b63a255df85/bott.jpg) And I drink to that! Hi there! This is not the last newsletter of the year, but I feel like wrapping up some ideas. If you’re a long-time reader, you have noticed something in the second half of the year: life’s contingencies started biting pieces of “Secret Breakfast building time” and slowed down any massive growth plan that was on paper. But… The good news is I could still focus on a 1000% human-made hypertext product while AI-generated emails, keynotes, voices, and captions have started invading our personal spaces. **In fact, I believe that today personal newsletters are more valuable than ever. And even more valuable is the time any reader dedicates to them.** That time is not to be wasted, and that will always be my North Star in the coming years. Piero PS: you can now find more Secret Breakfast nonsense on Threads following [@secret.breakfast](https://www.threads.net/@secret.breakfast?ref=secretbreakfast.com). Ping, give some feedback, pour a lot of love, whatever. Still frame of Prime Video’s [Saltburn](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saltburn%5F%28film%29?ref=secretbreakfast.com). --- ### **␥** ### THE BEST QUOTE ![](https://secretbreakfast.com/content/images/cdn-cgi/image/fit=scale-down-format=auto-onerror=redirect-quality=80/uploads/asset/file/032842d7-01e1-48c9-9d12-b45fc0758d09/113__1.png) ✦ **Nigel Slater,** [***A Year of Good Eating: The Kitchen Diaries III***](https://www.nigelslater.com/the-kitchen-diaries-volume-iii-%5Fbk%5F36?ref=secretbreakfast.com)***.*** My Christmas rituals include reading the festive section of this book, only when everybody else is sleeping. --- #### **⎚** #### THE MISSING INGREDIENT ## **WHERE DO WE START? BY MAKING CHOCOLATE** ![](https://secretbreakfast.com/content/images/cdn-cgi/image/fit=scale-down-format=auto-onerror=redirect-quality=80/uploads/asset/file/27ae978f-7e4c-408d-849a-dd8d561e4b6c/wonl.jpg) No doubts about that: this Christmas movie is Wonka (that has been called[Pure Cinematic Candy](https://www.bonappetit.com/story/wonka-movie-review?ref=secretbreakfast.com)). Let’s celebrate with some chocolate then. [80 Chocolate Desserts You Have To See To Believe](https://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/g1779/quick-easy-chocolate-desserts/?ref=secretbreakfast.com) (Delish) [100+ Chocolate Recipes](https://www.deliciousmagazine.co.uk/ingredients/chocolate-recipes/?ref=secretbreakfast.com) (Delicious Magazine) [81 Best Chocolate Dessert Recipes to Satisfy Your Cocoa Cravings](https://www.thepioneerwoman.com/food-cooking/meals-menus/g31977960/chocolate-dessert-recipes/?ref=secretbreakfast.com) (The Pioneer Woman) ###### Picture: Wonka --- #### **⎅** #### THE BOOK ![](https://secretbreakfast.com/content/images/cdn-cgi/image/fit=scale-down-format=auto-onerror=redirect-quality=80/uploads/asset/file/8f706c79-5c54-4d09-b820-4732cacbc778/capture_2023-12-18_alle_19-42-00.jpg) #### Mixing Everything Up ★★★★☆ *«Of course the Chinese mix everything up. Look at what they have to work with. There's Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoist alchemy and sorcery. We take what we want and leave the rest. Just like your salad bar»*. This [*Big Trouble in Little China*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big%5FTrouble%5Fin%5FLittle%5FChina?ref=secretbreakfast.com) quote helped me explain the Chinese cooking inexplicability for years. The truth is no Westerner could understand all the layers of that country’s cooking. Luckily for us now we have this book, that’s not a cookbook, but it tells the story you need to hear. [Invitation to a Banquet: The Story of Chinese Food](https://wwnorton.com/books/9780393867138?ref=secretbreakfast.com) by Fuchsia Dunlop **→** Shortplot: 🍚 🐉 🍛 🍤 --- **❍ OnlyPans** This is where Secret Breakfast picks juicy content from food creators [](https://www.instagram.com/reel/C00AVI1v1YI?ref=secretbreakfast.com) --- # **Ⓡ** ### RANDOM ACTS OF HUNGER *This is the space where I share some food (un)related stuff of my week* 🍊Meera Sodha’s recipe for Campari and fresh orange jelly (★[recipe](https://www.theguardian.com/food/2023/dec/16/vegan-fresh-orange-campari-jelly-recipe-meera-sodha?ref=secretbreakfast.com)) 🥪The most erotic picture of the past week: [David Beckham having pastrami](https://www.instagram.com/p/C03%5FTxygJq%5F?ref=secretbreakfast.com) in NYC 🎧[Measure, Pour & Mixtape](https://spinstersounds.bandcamp.com/album/measure-pour-mixtape-music-for-cooking?ref=secretbreakfast.com): Music for Cooking (thanks [Federico](https://www.instagram.com/cratete?ref=secretbreakfast.com)) ⚠️Here's what you need to know about the [deadly salmonella outbreak tied to cantaloupes](https://qz.com/heres-what-you-need-to-know-about-the-deadly-salmonella-1851108471?ref=secretbreakfast.com) 🫔39 After-School Snacks for Kids and Adults Too (★[recipes](https://www.bonappetit.com/gallery/after-school-snack-ideas?ref=secretbreakfast.com)) 🔥Oxtail Beignets (★[recipe](https://www.instagram.com/reel/CzO7LiJIC0L/?ref=secretbreakfast.com)) 🍷[Classic Wines](https://www.theguardian.com/food/2023/dec/17/classic-wines-for-christmas-lunch?ref=secretbreakfast.com) for Xmas Lunch ☕️59 Healthy Breakfast Ideas That’ll Keep You From Hitting Snooze (★[recipes](https://www.bonappetit.com/gallery/healthy-breakfast-recipes?ref=secretbreakfast.com)) 👑Kate Middleton is a private chef's dream! ([video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kbQLu2vUS0&ref=secretbreakfast.com)) 🔪Meet [Tina Choi](https://www.thepublishpress.com/staffpicks23-tinachoi?ref=secretbreakfast.com), the Best Food Creator according to PublishPress📚The NY Times’ [Best Cookbooks](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/12/dining/best-cookbooks-2023.html?ref=secretbreakfast.com) of 2023 --- **⌇⌇⌇** ## **FOOD FOR LATER** [Is modern food lower in nutrients?](https://www.chemistryworld.com/features/is-modern-food-lower-in-nutrients/4018578.article?ref=secretbreakfast.com) **Bárbara Pinho / Chemistry World** Studies suggest that our fruit and vegetables are losing nutrients. Read here to learn about the implications of a ‘nutrient collapse’. --- **➤ Last week's most clicked link was** [**Food&Wine Top 25 Recipes of the Year**](https://www.foodandwine.com/the-25-most-popular-food-and-wine-recipes-of-2023-8410692?ref=secretbreakfast.com)**. And that's all for today, and have the happiest Christmas.** --- **• SEASON 4 - ISSUE 167 •** Secret Breakfast is a newsletter by [Piero Macchioni](https://macchioni.cc/?ref=secretbreakfast.com) Think of it as *The Morning Brew* for food people, or just the most unconventional email you'll get today. In two years we have shared more than 2,000 recipes, hundreds of books, and countless hours of news, gluttony, and joy. [Download our free ebook about food in 2023](https://secretbreakfast.gumroad.com/l/2023-book?ref=secretbreakfast.com). ★★★★★ Recommended by *Food&Wine US*: [Best Food Newsletters to Subscribe To](https://www.foodandwine.com/lifestyle/best-food-newsletters?ref=secretbreakfast.com) *Gastronomika*: [The Newsletters Not To Be Missed on Food](https://www.linkiesta.it/2022/03/migliori-newsletter-food-cibo-vino?ref=secretbreakfast.com)