I finally got an immersion blender

Plus, the New York Liberty, a new bar off the G, and berry cake

Jun 03, 2024

Hi friends,

It’s June which is wild to me. The year started off a little slow but we are in Summer Fridays season now and I am here for it. On Friday, Tilden and I are going to Maine (last year’s trip was a blast and I can’t wait to cook and be cozy). The situation in Rafah remains still dire, linking so many ways to help the people there and I remain ashamed and furious that our government is funding this.

Also, a huge thank you for the kind words on last week’s post about my one year job anniversary. I’m all about celebrating untraditional milestones (life is about more than marriage and babies, though those things are great). I used to celebrate my anniversary of getting laid off back in 2018. It was not a fun day exactly, but it was a relief and a major turning point forward.

Later this week, we’ll be chatting packing/travel in anticipation of all the summer trips ahead! If you or someone you know is selling Taylor Swift tickets for Europe, I am available!

Now, let’s dive in.

Something to cook:

I was back to my standout breakfast tacos last week. I also got some really flavorful cherry tomatoes at the market and used them in a bunch of salads—they’re so hit or miss.

Rice and beans is a never fail meal formula. I made rice pilaf and ate it with marinated white beans from Trader Joe’s and then with chickpeas and ramp butter (Jeremy made some and was kind enough to share with the team, it’s excellent). I need to get some good sourdough for the ramp butter.

It’s smoothie season again and I am finally the owner of an immersion blender. My parents found one at an estate sale (it works) and I’m ready to make smoothies and sauces with easier cleanup. My current smoothie is peanut butter, banana, greek yogurt and whatever berries I have fresh or frozen. Cinnamon and salt always. I’m always open to ideas though!

Erica’s daughter turned 1 and we all headed to Fort Greene Park to celebrate. Erica made a delicious strawberry cake for her berry loving girl with strawberry whipped cream for topping. Lucky baby and lucky us, it was very special.

Something to order:

I am always looking for good coffeeshops and bars off the G to hang out with my friends who live in Central Brooklyn. Isa and I found a new go-to: Rockwell Place from the Long Island Bar team off the Fulton stop. It’s a little hard to find but they have great drinks and a snacks (we got the sour cream dip with potato chips and baby cauliflower with peanuts). I would absolutely go back and it’s pretty new so not super crowded yet.

Big news from the past week: Amy was on Jeopardy! She hosted a watch party at Dorrian’s and it was a blast to cheer her on. Afterwards, Hillary guided us to dinner at Tiramisu which is a very important category of Italian restaurant: very solid food, not new (it’s been open since 1989) or trendy and 8 people can walk in a Friday night. Julia and I split an eggplant rigatoni and spaghetti with clams.

I got a solo dinner on Saturday at Mesa Coyoacan before Gabriela’s rooftop going away party and can’t complain about mushroom tacos, chips & salsa, and a good read.

I haven’t made my summer bucket list yet but attending a WNBA game is on it. I checked that off last night at the Liberty vs. Fever game at Barclays Center. The arena was full and so energetic. The Liberty looked great and I love Ellie the elephant, their twerking mascot. I ate some pretty basic pizza (not New York style which is a miss) and some of Dale’s fries.