Spring & Sprinkles
A sweet and sunny week
Why was this week different from all other weeks? It’s Passover, Easter, and Ramadan. I hope if you did any celebration, it was meaningful. And a walk in the spring sunshine counts as a spiritual experience in my book. Other recent experiences that were better than I expected them to be: a rewatch of Shrek (holds up in all ways), using Amtrak points to book a free trip next month, Friday night ice cream, and the movie Air.
I’ve been really treasuring time with friends lately (what else is new?) Summer can get busy and everyone gets pulled in different directions. So perennial reminder to pick up the phone, send the calendar invite, and check in with your group chat. Talk about the Taylor Swift breakup, talk about a book you read, talk about what you’re making for dinner.
I’ll be writing more about friendship and my favorite ways to stay in touch on Thursday! Plus, we’ve got some good questions for the advice column, which is exclusive to paid subscribers! Last week, I wrote about my five year layoff anniversary.
Something to cook:
Hillary texted me this recipe right after it was posted and I knew I had to make it. The time came on Monday night. I made a few tweaks, skipping the corn and bell pepper and adding cherry tomatoes alongside the canned ones. The biggest adjustment was only wrapping a few of the burritos. I kept most of the filling to eat with rice as a Passover friendly lunch and it was delicious. I enjoyed it with street corn rice from Somos, which reheats beautifully in the microwave, salsa (also from Somos, so good), avocado, and shredded cheese. When it’s not Passover, I’d make more burritos and freeze them but it wound up being great to have on hand.
I always struggle with Passover breakfasts and this time, I made a big thing of chia pudding, which helped a lot. Of course, chia pudding is better with granola which I couldn’t have, but I used other toppings like slivered almonds, peanut butter, maple syrup, and banana.
For seder, I brought two desserts: the classic matzo crackle, which I always add sprinkles to (the crunch is irresistible) and a variation with pistachios and honey from Adeena Sussman. When making anything in this family of desserts, definitely line the baking sheet with both aluminum foil and parchment paper or it gets sticky and very hard to remove the pieces. Ian made a delicious chocolate mousse and Frida made a stellar fruit salad dressed with orange juice, lime juice, grapefruit juice and a little vanilla extract to round it out. Julianne also brought kaya jam from her recent trip, which was great on matzoh with butter.
My Passover MVP was leftover potato kugel, which I enjoyed as part of a salad with leftover hardboiled eggs, cherry tomatoes, avocado, nuts, and arugula. It felt Nicoise inspired in a very loose way.
On Friday, Julia and I cooked dinner (well she mostly cooked, thank you, Julia) and watched Shrek. We made rice bowls with crispy tofu and Omsom’s Yuzu starter. Toppings are crucial for rice bowls and we had edamame, roasted broccoli, seaweed, cashews, and sriracha.
Tilden is mostly GF so my Passover needs were no problem. We made a delicious springtime meal of arepas with halloumi and black beans. Tilden made a pico de gallo and we also made an herby spicy sauce inspired by this recipe from Lahbco (we used vegan mayo instead of cashews). They were delicious!
Something to order:
The weather has been all over the place. Thankfully Tuesday was drink rosé outside weather and we took advantage with some pre Passover pizza and wine at Esters, which is from the same owners as Tuffet. They have a great patio and Hillary, Julia, Julianne and I split a few pizzas, the baked brie with caramelized onion jam, and a bottle of Austrian rosé.
I was running around on Wednesday and had a lovely coffee with Devinne at Coffee Project New York in Fort Greene. I always need good coffee shops off the G (let me know if you have a favorite) and this absolutely fits the bill (and is woman owned and has wifi).
I grabbed lunch before heading to Queens at O Cafe on 6th Avenue. It has no Wifi (great for journaling or meetings) and they were playing the album Four by One Direction, which earns them a spot here.
FiDi is full of coffeeshops without a lot of seating, but Split Eights is a great exception. It’s two stories and very spacious, with seating and wifi! Elissa, who writes
, and I had a lovely catchup.Dale and I saw Air last night (so good and I snuck in a ginger seltzer) and then got takeout from Tacombi. They have great black bean tacos and I love the avocado tostada. Their branding and takeout packaging always makes me smile—everything is cute and clearly labeled.
Something to read:
Want even more reads? I share extras in Thursday’s newsletter!
Hayden Panettiere has been through it. Glad she’s doing well.
Inside Jing Gao of Fly by Jing’s Pantry
Would you go on vacation and make no reservations?
Why aren’t children protected from their parents monetizing them?
A fast casual update: Chipotle sued Sweetgreen for launching a chipotle chicken bowl and then they changed the name.
Another argument for not commenting on changes in someone’s body
The Gullah Geechee fight for a legacy after slavery
This article on the dairy industry and how younger people don’t drink milk is missing: any mention of dairy subsidies. Young people love cheese though.
Alethia Tanner And The Long History of Black Street Vendors In D.C.
A Japanese pizza chain opens in Toronto and the CEO moved too
The best vacations are also a vacation from your phone. I’ve been removing Instagram from my phone on weekends and I love it so far. You don't miss anything.
The Unexpected Grief of a Hysterectomy
I’m so excited to visit the new Superiority Burger! There are so many great spots to eat in Alphabet City.
I started reading The Idiot and oh wow, it is bringing back a lot of college memories.
Now, let’s talk Sunday routines and rituals.
Julia’s Sunday sounds just lovely: Sundays are actually one of my favorite days of the week. If we don't have a family engagement, my husband and I either go out to breakfast or make pancakes or eggs. Sunday breakfast is a big deal. I grew up in a traditional Irish household, so my dad and mom would be in the kitchen, frying eggs, bacon, Taylor ham, or sausage. There were roasted potatoes, fresh rolls, and donuts from the bakery. Coffee, tea, juice. Frank Sinatra, Celine Dion, or The Beatles would be playing in the background of our conversations. So, my husband and I try to pay homage to that tradition.
Molly’s Sunday has sunshine and movement: My Sunday usually involves some combination of coffee and exercise that I don't typically do during the work week. Tyler and I like to roll out of bed mid-morning and drive to get coffee at one of our favorite coffee shops. This past Sunday we also went to the Mar Vista farmers market and got French pastries and dumplings. I usually go for a hike or to a dance class in the late afternoon - yesterday I chose hiking and it was so relaxing to walk in the mountains, birdwatching with my binoculars. I like going to dance classes because it floods my body with endorphins and I get to dance with friends and/or make new ones.
This week, I’m curious, what’s your restaurant reservation philosophy while traveling? I know some people plan trips around reservations but I usually try to not have too many unless I’m with a very large group or a friend especially recommends a spot. I like making reservations while I’m there (either in person or online) so I can follow the mood of the trip.
Reply to this email or leave a comment with your trip planning thoughts!
I’ll talk to you on Thursday! Have a great week.
xo, Abigail