Looking Up
This week is going to be a good one, right?
Last Tuesday, I woke up and felt a little off. A little off turned into a fever over 101 and I spent most of the day in bed. It took until Friday/Saturday before I was feeling like myself again and based on a very nonscientific poll on Instagram stories, I was not the only one who was sick last week.
If you were under the weather, I hope you’re feeling better. And if you’re still going through it, for whatever reason, I hope things are starting to looking up.
Some sources of joy this weekend: watching clips from the Eras tour (we get Cruel Summer live!!), Daisy Jones and the Six, pasta and a sunny walk through McCarren Park, going to a basketball game with friends, and brunch with Oset.
I was not in the kitchen as much as usual last week but luckily, I’ve got the ebook Erica and I wrote to get me reinspired (I made a version of the fried rice last night). We’re running a sale on Meal Prep Made Simple and it ends tonight. Use code DAYLIGHT for 10% off Meal Prep Made Simple.
On Thursday, I’m sharing the best celebrity memoir I’ve read in a while and why I’m becoming more sentimental as I get older. Last week, paid subscribers got a delicious pasta recipe that’s perfect for big groups. You can upgrade your subscription at any time and get full access to the archives. And if you’re a student or can’t afford a subscription for any reason, let me know and I’ll help you out!
Now, let’s dive in.
Something to cook:
On Saturday, I cleaned out the vegetable drawer and made a delicious tofu bowl. The components were simple: baked tofu with cornstarch (I pressed the tofu with a cast iron pan while I went on a walk), white rice (I honestly buy the par-cooked kind so it’s ready in under 10 minutes), arugula dressed with rice vinegar and sesame oil, mini cucumbers, and avocado. Sauce is essential and I coated the tofu in Bowlcut’s Char Siu BBQ sauce and drizzled the rest of the bowl with yuzu mayo and sriracha. It was delicious and colorful.
I made extra rice so I could make fried rice the next day, with broccoli, egg, some of the tofu, onion, garlic and ginger. I loosely follow a combination of the recipe in our ebook and this recipe and it’s always so good. Use a large pan so you can mix everything without making a mess.
Other than that, I made some Annie’s Mac and Cheese (so good), salads with avocado and feta (a great combo), and tea. This week, I’ll cook some more.
Something to order:
Zoe was in town and Julia and I grabbed dinner with her at Farida, a Central Asian restaurant near Penn Station (she needed to catch a train to Newark airport after dinner). It was a great recommendation from Melissa—the food was really good. We focused on the dumplings: the vareneki and the umka, a puffed dumpling and also got some delicious dips. I would definitely go back and it’s great to have a spot in that area.
Hillary was off from work on Friday and she suggested walking into Lilia when it opened. Julia and I were happy to oblige. We got seated right away for an early dinner (it opens at 4) and enjoyed artichokes, grilled clams, the mafaldini (my favorite pasta of theirs) gnocchi, focaccia, and some gelato before walking around the neighborhood and soaking up the daylight. We ordered the cheapest bottle of white wine and it was delicious (a restaurant should stand by all the selections on its wine list). I will say the service wasn’t as good as it’s been in the past but everyone has an off night.
Oset and I caught up over brunch at Patti Ann’s. It was my first time there and it did not disappoint. Our favorite items were the cheddar scone and the pizza wrap, which was like a gyro without the meat with a flakey house made flour tortilla. And the coffee was really good (they also have a coffee shop area).
Something to read:
Thursday’s newsletter includes even more reads! Don’t miss it.
How chicken shop date became a celebrity press must
Stunt ice cream flavors need to stop
Willow is not just an environmentalist concern
The Yankees do not pay for their players to use inflight internet. An important investigation.
How the city of Kingston passed historic rent reductions! New York, let’s be next.
Can AI write normal seeming Instagram captions? Nope
Feminist history through oysters by
Living near friends is good for happiness. Cosign.
Self care is so much more than yoga and face masks. Intrigued by this new book by a psychiatrist who focuses on women’s health.
Sally Rooney on evictions and how renters deserve better
The world of non-alcoholic amari
How Sanzo founder Sandro Roco went from nuclear engineer to cult-favorite seltzer founder. I love Sanzo and Abigail10 gets you 10% off!
Raising Kids Would Be So Much Better Without Cars
Abbott Elementary takes on the Charter School movement
Now, let’s talk about what we’re doing with all this extra daylight!
Hillary will be reading in the park after work: My excitement for later sunsets is out of control!! I cannot wait for more after work walks. Last summer I discovered the joy of finishing my WFH day, heading to the park, and reading a book while laying in the grass. Absolutely delightful.
Julianne will be chilling on the roof: I am the most excited for rooftop gatherings again! I also love leaving work and it not being night time, especially since, starting tomorrow, I move into a new windowless office. Leaving that to enter nighttime's darkness would be pretty bleak!
Chrissy will be running outside again: Later sunsets are my favorite thing also - mostly because I THRIVE when it's hot and humid, and it means we're that much closer to summer. In the meantime, I'm most excited about re-joining Monday Run Club, hosted at my favorite brewery. During the winter, it's too dark and cold for me (I'm a fair weather runner) but once DST kicks in, I make my triumphant return.
This week’s question came from Jamie (thanks for the suggestion) and it’s about sweets! Do you have something sweet after dinner every night (or at some other time of day)? Or is dessert a special treat once in a while? I think this might have to do with how you’re raised and I eat handfuls of chocolate chips fairly often but would probably pick savory or sweet if I HAD to choose. Let me know where you fall in the comments or by replying to this email.
I’ll see you on Thursday—have a good week and thanks for being here!
xo, Abigail
99% of the time - sour gummy candy!
almost every day! I'm definitely more of a salty snack person, but my partner has a sweet tooth so we often buy the large bars of Lindt chocolate when they're on sale and then have a few squares when we watch tv after dinner, unless I've made cake or cookies or something recently and then we of course have that instead.