Summer in the City
God, it's sweaty out here
Happy Monday! I’m so thrilled to be writing this from my kitchen table in Brooklyn after a few wonderful weeks away (I documented most of my vacation eating last week). It’s been hot in New York and I’m remembering the importance of hydration, sunscreen reapplication, and shade. If you’re a New York voter, make sure to read up on the mayoral (and other) candidates. The City has excellent campaign coverage and here’s an explanation of ranked choice voting. You can see who’s on your ballot here. I’m working as a Poll Worker again and looking forward to that. I’ll share the day on Instagram too.
Now, let’s dive in.
Something to cook:
The day after we got back I headed to Julia’s to catch up/watch the very disappointing final season of Younger. We made a really simple pasta (the shape is casarecce) with broccoli, garlic, lemon zest, and cannellini beans and topped it with both parmesan cheese and nutritional yeast! After dinner, Julia baked us cookies from dough she had in the freezer, a pro move.
I did some recipe testing for our meal prep class later this month and I’m so excited about these recipes. There are still spots available right here.
It felt like I was really home once I made a big skillet of fried rice. I used onion, frozen spinach, edamame, broccoli stems, cherry tomatoes, and egg as the base and made a sauce with garlic, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sriracha and a little chili crisp. It’s so good and really cleans out the fridge (or works with a pretty empty post vacation fridge).
Lizzi is back in town for the summer and I was so excited to see her! Leah, Sarah, Lizzi and I made a big salad for dinner (perfect for 90 degree heat). We combined romaine, kale, butter lettuce, avocado, cashews, walnuts, feta, mozzarella, tomato, and dates with lemon, salt, pepper, and leftover dressing from Five Leaves. It was a loaded salad, eaten with She Wolf Bread on the side.
I made such a good smoothie this morning, with a frozen banana, kale, cinnamon, peanut butter, chia seeds, frozen berries, and vanilla almond milk. I freeze peeled bananas as they ripen and they make for the creamiest smoothies.
Something to order:
We had a great last night in San Diego (cannot believe that was less than a week ago). Julianne came down from Orange County (the train ride is so beautiful) and we got wine and cheese flights at Carruth Cellars, which has a beautiful garden. We split the flight, which wound up being perfect for a pre dinner drink. Then we went to Ballast Point Tasting Room while we planned dinner.
We decided to Uber to Old Town for dinner at Casa de Reyes, which is old school Mexican food with huge portions. All the seating is outdoor and they give chips and salsa with personal salsa dishes for each person. It was a perfect ending to the trip and the historic area was fun to walk around. I definitely want to go back to San Diego soon.
I haven’t gone out much here since being back, but Jolie and I got a great lunch at the Mamoun’s on the Upper West Side while working. Their mint lemonade is fantastic.
Alec’s Ice Cream, a California brand from Petaluma, sent me their flavors to try. I didn’t love the vanilla but the chocolate and salted caramel latte were so good. I don’t normally like chocolate ice cream, but this one is really fudgy and has a great texture. And you can’t go wrong with coffee related flavors. Perfect for a hot day.
Something to read:
This small miso brand from Seattle looks great
How can we make low waste stores more affordable?
Some helpful strategies for a post vaccine dinner party
A longread: The obsession with getting ahead in your twenties is failing young people
I’ve been replying to Pride related pitches that don’t mention a charitable component with questions inspired by Elazar Sontag’s post. Related, Elazar wrote a beautiful piece about the queer community at Lil Deb’s Oasis in Hudson.
How ranch water became the unofficial cocktail of West Texas. Might need to try this.
Making it in America when you don’t speak the language
Paola Velez, who founded Bakers Against Racism, has a fun new video series. Watch her make icebox cake with Maria cookies.
Seven novels for people who love eating
How Latina community leaders rallied together after the Texas storm
Behind so many of those gross viral food videos
America’s drinking history and the trouble with drinking alone
Stock your freezer with ice cream sandwiches
Now, for our summer bucket lists!
Julianne made such a great one for the three of us: Here is the summer eating bucket list for our trio: Rosé and oysters. BBQ on my roof. Rippers burgers and fries at Rockaway. Mango lettuce wraps in Julia's kitchen. Picnic in every park. Drinking the Red Flag at the Jersey Shore. And finally, lest you may have forgotten, the Italian Summer Apero (tablecloth and all) on my roof we talked about when we were in winter gloom and doom.
Claire’s bucket list is so practical and smart: Create a list of Go-Tos - Easy-to-make meals that always sound good, even when I'm not feeling well or without an appetite!
This week, I’d love to know your go-to hot weather meals! I love salads, smoothies, fruit, and oysters on ice. Our August meal prep is oven free but we’ll need these ideas even sooner!
Reply to this email with your hot weather tips! And drink lots of water.
What else is happening with TNHS?
Erica and I are getting ready to kick off our meal prep classes! The June menu is so delicious and the package saves you 30% to attend all four.
Next week’s class is a dinner party menu of risotto, chicken or tofu, and a summery appetizer with my dad as a guest instructor. We’ll also do a Q&A and you can bring a guest for free! Would love to see you there!
Paid subscribers get personalized recommendations and a bonus issue on Thursday, which will feature some of my favorite salads, including my parent’s signature salad dressing, which is the reason I grew up actually liking salad once my picky eating phase ended. When you subscribe, you’ll have access to the full TNHS archive, including an interview with my grandma, my favorite food TikTok creators, and letters of recommendation for favorite brands and products.
Have a good week and stay cool my friends!
xo, Abigail