Peak Bloom
DC dinners, lots of pesto, and anxiety beverages
Good morning from Washington D.C. I came down here on Saturday to spend some quality friend time, see some family, eat some good food, and experience the beauty of the cherry blossoms which are in peak bloom (I also brought allergy meds). It’s been so lovely to hang with Natalie, who moved down here last year and has built such a life for herself. I love gathering for big moments, like birthdays, but it’s also very fun to book a train ticket for a random weekend and cook dinner and sit on the couch and go to yoga with your friend. Highly recommend.
Passover is approaching (next week) and Thursday’s newsletter will be about all things Passover—the food, the traditions, how my parents make their own Haggadah, and why it’s one of my favorite holidays.
Now, let’s dive in.
Something to cook:
I took a walk after work and found myself buying kale pesto from the Meat Hook, which became the base for pesto pasta and later, pesto eggs with feta and arugula. It’s so delicious and versatile.
Looking for an easy dinner, I made a baked potato and smashed up some chickpeas with tahini, lemon, and garlic (a hummus for the gals who hate cleaning a food processor). I topped the potatoes with the mixture as well as some feta, arugula, and avocado. Baking potatoes counts as meal prep!
I went straight from the train to see Beth, Geoff, and Sammy. Beth made such a good springtime lunch: zucchini soup, a quinoa, tomato and cucumber salad and a blueberry cornmeal cake for dessert (love lunch dessert).
Cooking with friends is such a joy, especially when you don’t get to do it often. Natalie and I hosted a Sunday night dinner party in her beautiful apartment. Our guests were Andy and my friend Odile, who I studied abroad with back in 2013 and randomly is Natalie’s neighbor (we discovered this last week). We had a busy day and pulled together the meal in very little time. Natalie channeled Ina with store bought apps (figs, dried apricots, cashews, and marcona almonds). We made the arugula and date salad from Meal Prep Made Simple (it is so wonderful to see people using the ebook IRL) and a riff on this pesto pasta (we skipped the broccoli and used salted cherry tomatoes for a burst of freshness). We brought a bowl of ricotta to the table for guests to dollop and it was a lovely meal. Odile brought blood orange sorbet from Pitango for a sweet finish.
Something to order:
Lauren is planning a move to Brooklyn and exploring different neighborhoods as part of the process. I was happy to join the search for dinner at Sisters in Clinton Hill. We had cocktails and I had their housemade veggie burger, which has mushrooms and grains. It came with a big slice of cheese and delicious fries.
Emma and Nikita hosted a very special dinner at Rule of Thirds focused on the theme of transition. Everyone knew at least one of them and the conversation flowed around a topic that at some level applies to everyone. Rule of Thirds is delicious and my favorite bites were the grilled maitake mushroom with gremolata, the hot honey salad, the potato salad and the soft serve for dessert.
Running low on fancy olive oil? Brightland is running a 2 for 1 sale on their olive oil, which is a pretty great deal. I featured them on my gift guide last year and also love the champagne vinegar.
In DC, Natalie and I ate so many delicious things. On Saturday, we went to dinner at Lapis, an Afghan restaurant in Adams Morgan. There were no reservations but we were able to sit at the downstairs bar, which was a great atmosphere. We split the vegetarian platter for two, which could easily feed three, and the leek dumplings with yogurt were the dish of the night.
Yesterday, we logged many steps going to yoga, seeing the cherry blossoms (it was SO crowded but also sweet to see so many people enjoy the springtime). We stopped for coffee at Soleluna, browsing at the Dupont Farmers Market, lunch at Emissary (we split the breakfast burrito and avocado toast, both were very good), and refreshing seltzers at Rice Market. It felt like the first real day of spring.
Something to read:
The Starbucks olive oil drinks have not been well reviewed.
Fancy water bottles make hydration more fun. There’s no denying it.
The U.S. is starting to love spritzes. Next, we need our own aperol.
Mushroom camp includes lessons on foraging, finding edible varieties, and cooking them so many ways.
For Food & Wine, I wrote about anxiety, unlocking the stress cycle and my favorite soothing beverage: ginger seltzer.
Thinking about and always rooting for Amanda Bynes, comedic genius. I watched She’s the Man on a plane recently and it’s so funny.
Updating traditional Jewish pastries. This article has a very Ashkenazi focus and half the comments are irate that a Jewish inspired spot would serve bacon.
Finding a replacement for a beloved nail polish color
Glad to see the Washington Post doing actual reporting and research that centers trans people, unlike other papers. Most trans adults say transitioning made them more satisfied with their lives.
Abi Balingit’s Filipino desserts cookbook sounds so good
Jackson Heights is the neighborhood that most epitomizes New York
Love to see big salads get the respect they deserve
In honor of tonight’s Bachelor finale: Reality TV Fame Used to Guarantee a Career as an Instagram Influencer. That’s a Thing of the Past.
The Workers Behind Two Popular Food Network Shows Are Unionizing
Worrying About Who I “Should” Be Has Been The Source Of All My Regrettable Style Choices. Thanks
for sharing this article.How Abbott Elementary's Tyler James Williams Made Gregory a Stealth Heartthrob
I love the idea of biographical recipes
Most of you are dessert people and eat something sweet once a day (70% of responses).
Katelyn eats dessert early: I'm all about breakfast dessert! It's nice to have a sweet end to, what I would consider, a boring meal and gets me through a morning of meetings. 99% of the time, it’s sour gummy candy!
Divine loves a salty sweet treat: 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.
Eden has a strong ice cream radar: I'm a huge dessert person to the point that when I give people directions in NY I usually end them with "oh, and you're right by one of my favorite ice cream places!" I'm trying to be a bit more balanced and eat some of my frozen fruit after dinner instead of always choosing ice cream, but my freezer is basically an ice cream shop.
Julianne has lost her sweet tooth over time: It's pretty wild that I grew up eating dessert after dinner every night (and a sweet treat after school!) and now rarely have any dessert at all. I'd say maybe one dessert every other month, and it's usually because I'm with someone else who suggests we eat dessert. My sweet tooth disappeared when I got to college; I learned because I got the same ice cream I always ate in my first grocery store run of freshman year, and by spring semester, my roommate was like, "can I just have this unopened package of ice cream?" Wondering if this has happened to anyone else!!
This week, inspired by ginger seltzers, I’d love to hear your anxiety beverage. Or really, your comfort beverage. What do you turn to to wind down or sooth the mind (or tummy)? Reply to this email or leave a comment with your drink of choice.
Have a great rest of your week and thank you for reading!
xo, Abigail
I drink hot water with lemon like it's my job and I'm vying to be CEO of hot lemon drinks. I keep a bag of frozen lemon wedges in my freezer that I drop into my cup and keep refilling with hot water throughout the day. I don't always do well with fizzy drinks, so this is my special little flavored beverage that feels fancy.