Joy Is Not Meant to Be a Crumb
Celebrations, Meal Prep & Summer Blockbusters
The past few weeks have been full of celebrations. Friends have graduated, hit milestones, and accomplished goals years in the making. Sandra treated me to dinner to celebrate my self employment and I was brought back to a dinner four years ago when she had just finished law school herself and we gathered to celebrate. Natalie bought an apartment and made a registry to celebrate (you know I approve wholeheartedly). I really believe in spending time and energy on celebrations—life is hard and joy is not meant to be a crumb, as Mary Oliver writes.
This is often easier said than done. I’ve been in the position of feeling really lost while a friend is celebrating and it sucks. Sometimes you have to dig deep to find that energy to revel in someone else’s success, when your own feels so far off. Hearing about a friend landing their dream job can really shine a spotlight on how much you hate yours or feel stuck in a dead end. The discomfort isn’t fun, but it can be a guide towards what you really want to do. And there’s always room to celebrate others and keep working on forging your own path.
Thursday’s newsletter is a very special celebration! I’ll have a Q&A with my friend Hannah Orenstein all about her new book, Meant to Be Mine, which comes out tomorrow! I got to read the book a few weeks ago and it is SO good. Preorder it now so you can read it ASAP and I’m so looking forward to sharing our conversation later this week.
Now, let’s dive in.
Something to cook:
I had a recipe testing marathon for our upcoming meal prep class on Sunday! The menu is Greek inspired and I’ve been enjoying the leftovers (the spanakopita inspired frittata is so good). You can join us here (or snag the 3 class pack for a discount).
Last night, I finally cooked dinner! A simple farro salad with broccoli, chickpeas, arugula, feta and lemon. I cooked the broccoli and chickpeas in a skillet with sumac, red pepper flakes and salt and then drizzled it with lemon juice. I tossed that with the farro (I got the 10 minute farro from Trader Joe’s, which saves lots of time) and topped with the arugula and feta. It’s a great combo and very flexible.
I am really looking forward to tomato season and berry season (we’re going to California next week and I’m planning to hit up the farmer’s markets). Cherry tomato pasta is coming up soon.
I’ve made this Julia Turshen Greek Yogurt Cake with Jam many times and it’s a winner. She shared the recipe in her newsletter and I highly recommend making it with your jam of choice.
Something to order:
Dale brought me to his go to sports bar to watch a hockey game and a baseball game at the same time (it was very tough to focus). It was fun to see one of his regular spots and they had a pretty good mushroom quesadilla and fries (he loves the wings).
We celebrated Julianne’s law school graduation with a very special dinner at Trattoria il Gusto on the Upper West Side. It was a perfect group dinner spot, quiet enough for speeches and blessings, with a menu full of crowdpleasers (the paccheri with pesto and burrata was so good, as was the gelato). Two fellow patrons were lawyers and came over to congratulate Julianne, which was so kind.
Dale and I saw Top Gun Maverick (highly recommend, it was a blast to see in theaters) and made our way to Williamsburg Cinemas with stops at We Got Company for a drink and Tacombi for quick tacos (I love their black bean tostada with avocado). I love a date night with multiple locations. And if you’ve seen Top Gun Maverick, I am here to discuss.
Frida got her masters in Labor Studies and we celebrated on the patio at Swell Dive, which has tacos with a Filipino twist (the cauliflower one was very good). Again, my heart was overflowing with these celebrations.
I reupped my jaw botox (it’s been a very effective TMJ treatment) and Tilden and I had a summer friday, with lunch at 12 Chairs. I love their greek salad with za’atar croutons and seeing a friend for a weekday lunch is always a treat.
On Friday, Julia, Ian and I hosted a party for Julianne in St. Mazie’s downstairs space. It was a ton of fun and we have very few pictures. Everyone dressed up, which was really nice, and we brought in a cheesecake from Fortunato Brothers.
Sandra and Jake were in town and we had dinner at Le Fanfare. I got the gnnochi this time (my body was screaming for a vegetable and pesto counts) and we had a great time catching up.
Something to read:
I share more reads in the Thursday newsletter for paid subscribers!
Have you tried jam seltzer? I’m intrigued
A new generation of pastry chefs in Buenos Aires
How NYC is losing the rat battle
Kit, the Queer food incubator, in the former Meme’s space has closed.
Do you use a normal alarm clock? The simplicity is appealing.
Facing 30 at a Taylor Swift Dance Party
For Chinatown’s Forgotten Residents, Mutual Aid Projects Are Lifelines (It’s always a good time to support Heart of Dinner)
Why the women of ‘Abbott Elementary’ could teach chemistry. Give them all the awards!
The school shooting generation grows up
Yup, Che Diaz will be big part of And Just Like That’s second season
Rebecca Traister talks to Dianne Feinstein
The rest of this tamale story is still unwritten
A global guide to plant based eating (there are so many options and many places where plant based foods are very mainstream)
In Canada, how potatoes escaped inflation
Coco Jones on Colorism, Disney, and Playing Hilary Banks
Pride and Prejudice and Fire Island (I can’t wait to watch this movie)
Zoe had a great summer dessert tradition to share: We have had an ice cream maker since I was a kid and my dad makes all the ice cream in it over the summer. Vanilla with Nutella and s'mores (with toasted marshmallow ice cream as the base) are my favorites! Also, I got some taro extract at an Asian market so that was our latest flavor we made.
This week, I want to hear about you go to celebration gifts! What do you give for graduations or milestones? Or what’s the best gift you’ve ever received? My mom likes to give Euros to graduates preparing to travel and I think that’s such a sweet and practical gift! Reply to this email with your recs and I’ll share them next week.
Take care this week and remember to celebrate yourself! I know you deserve it.
xo, Abigail