Over the Bridge

Doing hard things, mango salsa, and bakery DJs

This weekend, I drove through New Jersey to a suburb near Trenton to celebrate Julianne’s bridal shower. The drive made me think of a lot of things. I thought of the the many drives I took to and from Philadelphia to get to college, which always meant a very full car, packed to the gills with clothes and lamps, and sometimes a table. I’d always feel so different at the start of the school year than at the end of it. My parents swore it would be faster to go through Staten Island and they were right. I thought of one spring when I was a newly licensed driver. We had gone to my grandparents house in Northwest New Jersey for a holiday and my mom told me I was driving us back. I was okay with that until I realized the drive meant I had to drive us over the George Washington Bridge. My mom talked me through the process, from navigating the mess of toll lanes, to which lane to take over the bridge itself so I could merge easily onto the next road. We made it and I’m so grateful she pushed me to do it. We can do hard things and we can always use a reminder of that.

Another joy of driving is the soundtrack and Julia is an excellent road DJ. We drove over bridges to songs that had great bridges and I sometimes use her car playlist even when she’s not with me (I got her permission to share it, please enjoy!) And once you have ten minutes left in the drive, it’s time for All Too Well 10 Minute Version.

On Thursday, we’re talking about the foods of summer—particularly summers past. And I am determined to make it to a farmer’s market this week! Summer has been busy! Thursday newsletters also include bonus reads, personalized recs and access to the TNHS recipe index. Yum!

Now, let’s dive in!

Something to cook:

Julia and I made a recipe that longtime readers will remember: tofu cabbage wraps with mango salsa and peanut sauce. This is a recipe I recommend cooking with someone else because there is a lot of chopping involved. We usually serve it with rice and chop up the cabbage and it always hits the spot when you feel like you could use a vegetable. Also, we always buy precut mango because it’s hard to find ripe mango here.

I threw together the most random lunch salad and several people at hte office said it looked really good. Here’s what was in it: leftover pasta aglio e olio (shells, which are a good size for salad), arugula, cannellini beans, feta cheese, olive oil, and balsamic drizzle. I finished it with some salsa macha from SOMOS which is a client (very lucky it’s stocked at the office).

There is nothing better than a smoothie when you’re feeling both dehydrated and a little hungry. I keep frozen banana halves in the freezer because I can never get through a whole bunch of bananas and then add whatever fruit I have (fresh or frozen), some frozen spinach (doesn’t affect flavor but can make the color swampy, be prepared), peanut butter, chia seeds, and vanilla almond milk. I’ll get fancy with yogurt sometimes but it’s really simple and extremely satisfying to guesstimate the right amount of smoothie to fill a glass.

I have not made these yet (and I have not baked in a minute, it’s hard to find time since I’m not working from home as often) but I need to make these raspberry muffins from

the smitten kitchen digest

. If you have, please tell me all about them.

Something to order:

I had dinner with Lauren, who recently moved to Brooklyn, at Leo and it was lovely. We split two pizzas and both had leftovers for lunch. The pomodorini with cherry tomatoes and pickled peppers is the must get and I always enjoy whatever wine they have on tap.

Juliana and I caught up on PR life at Terra Mediterrania, a new spot in Chelsea. It has more ambiance than most fast casual spots and the food was really good especially the zucchini ricotta flatbread and the farro falafel salad. Definitely check it out if you live or work nearby.

I had to kill some time after work one day and Dale and I got pedicures and pre pedicure drinks at Fresh Kills. I had a spritz with white vermouth and Amaro Montenegro and their mixed nuts are really good if you want a nibble. There can be a wait on weekends but it’s a fun bar—you tell the staff what you’re in the mood for and they’ll find you a drink you’ll like.

I’m a sucker for good ice

On Friday, I picked up a veggie burger from Mother’s and once again, the fries stayed crispy till I got home. Shoutout to

Casey Lewis

for this recommendation.

Lissette, Amy, Julia and I grabbed dinner at de Mole on Saturday and their taco and chips and guac hit the spot. After dinner, Lis, Julia and I went to Martha’s Country Bakery which was packed and had a DJ. It was a really fun place to hang out and I got a slice of carrot cake that hit the spot (they have a lot of GF and vegan options) and it was fun to see a really lively spot that didn’t revolve around drinking. More late night bakeries.

Something to read:

Learning to swim at age 37

Shanika Hillocks

on becoming a dessert person

What your fridge decor says about you. I grew up with a non magnetic fridge and now ours is pretty full of magnets and photos, which I love.

I always love to see Joy’s summer bucket list. Here’s mine.

A look at Daily Harvest’s crumbles fiasco

The Yowie Hotel in Philly is on my list for my next visit

Can’t keep a Swiftie down: They couldn’t get Taylor Swift tickets. So they got jobs at the venues.

Barbie cakes aren’t just for kids

Is 905 Lorimer a cursed restaurant location?

I have been a paid subscriber of

Hung Up

for a few months now and it brings me a great deal of joy.

Need a book to read? I shared my summer reading picks here.

---

Have a great week and thank you for reading! This newsletter turns six in the fall and I feel so lucky that I get to write it every week.

xo, Abigail