Taking the scary out of Sunday

Plus a new to me brunch dish, more pesto, and the easiest dessert

Do you have a typical Sunday? I was asked about this recently for Irena Spegar’s newsletter The Boonly, which includes a Sunday routine in every issue. My answer was very different than it would have been a few years ago—I strive to keep my Sundays chill, which may include bagels, reality tv, a Peloton ride with a poppy playlist, and a nap. When I first started freelancing five years ago (!), I was working six days a week and Sundays, my only day off, were rough. I put an impossible amount of pressure on the day and expected to have enough time to rest, socialize, and somehow be productive. It never worked out and I always felt like I hadn’t done enough. It took a lot of work and time to change my relationship to weekends—this newsletter started as a Sunday scaries project back in 2017 (early issues were sent out around 11 p.m. while I dreaded the workweek ahead) and Erica and I have spent many sundays meal prepping with all of you (so much fun).

On Thursday, I’ll be reflecting more on my five year layoff anniversary! And if you’re getting ready for Passover, check out my favorite recipes and a Passover inspired writing tip (it’s a good one).

Now, let’s dive in.

Something to cook:

I continue to be on a pesto kick and I got some pesto and ravioli from Savino’s. It’s delicious, of course, and you can tell they use olive oil (lots of store bought pestos use vegetable oil). A squeeze of lemon over some pasta with pesto is *chef’s kiss*.

I had to show you how green this pesto is!

I made a big salad for lunch one day with spinach, avocado, chickpeas, feta, pickled jalapeños, slivered almonds, nutritional yeast, and Brightland oil and vinegar for dressing. It’s always good to raid the condiment shelf for salad ingredients.

If I have a block of tofu in the fridge, I have dinner. I pan fried the tofu, make some rice, and microwaved frozen broccoli (it was one of those steam bags). My go to sauce trio (Sriracha, Yuzu Mayo, and Bowlcut Char Siu BBQ sauce) finished things off.

Beth, Geoff, Chuck, and Joanne were in town so we went to Queens for a big family dinner last night. I brought dessert which was very fancy: boxed brownies baked in a springform pan with extra chocolate chips and a generous sprinkle of Maldon salt. Baking the brownies in a round pan makes them feel more like a cake and you can cut them into cute wedges so everyone gets some edge and some middle. Serve with ice cream from Eddie’s if you can. For the main course, my parents made slow-simmered lentils with kale and goat cheese from Smitten Kitchen Keepers (this recipe is kind of similar, with a different cheese). It’s so good with crusty bread.

Something to order:

I made it back from DC in time for the Bachelor finale and Williamsburg Pizza. I love traveling and there’s no place like home.

Isa and I grabbed food and drinks at Bar Lula in the East Village and the cocktails were great—it’s a mezcal focused menu with some fun snacks (get the croquettes for sure). East Village bars are also great for eavesdropping.

There was a pink peppercorn rim here and it was delicious.

Tilden turned 30 and we celebrated with dinner at Bunny and a party at Coyote Club. Bunny is so good—the food is German and Turkish (the owners are couple and one is German and one is Turkish) and the space is super cozy. It was great for a group dinner because they portioned everything out for easy sharing and kept the fresh bread coming. We drank a delicious Georgian wine and my favorite dishes were the potato cigars, the borek, and the roasted red peppers. We had cake from Clementine Bakery and Mari, whose birthday is coming up, made a delicious pistachio cake.

Dale and I had brunch at Le Fanfare yesterday and we ordered very well. First, their lemon ricotta pancakes are so good. And then I tried a new to me dish from Sardinia called Pane Fratteu, which uses leftover flatbread soaked in tomato sauce and topped with pecorino cheese and eggs. It was so good and I’m happy I got to learn about another great breakfast dish that uses leftovers as the base. Our server said it confuses people who expect more of a breakfast pizza but the flatbread is thin and get soggy, which I loved texturally.

I need to finish writing so I can eat these leftovers for lunch.

Something to read:

Want more reads? The Thursday newsletter has even more, plus an exclusive advice column for paid subscribers.

A gorgeous floral home created after hard times

Getting older is a gift

The origins of Life, Laugh, Love decor

We’re in the golden age of croissants. I can’t wait to try ALF Bakery after Passover.

A state of the union for thirst traps

The Vanilla Girl trend shows that beauty is power

How women’s jobs make us sick

Of course the Dodgers now have an official kombucha

The meaning of pizza rolls

What to know about the risks of gas stoves

Emily Henry cracked the modern romance novel.

6 Ways to Help After the School Shooting in Nashville (Including, Not Giving Up)

Hoping the Williamsburg Market vendors find new spots that don’t close without notice (unacceptable to not tell the vendors!)

Loved this interview with the costume designer from Daisy Jones and the Six

Molly Shannon’s memoir made me cry and this was a great interview with her.

An academic (and nostalgic) look at Jewish summer camp

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Now, let’s chat anxiety beverages.

Eden (and my mom) both love hot water with lemon: 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.

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This week, I’d love to hear about your Sunday routine, if it exists. Or just something you like to do on Sundays! Leave a comment or hit reply!

Thanks for being here and have a great week!

xo, Abigail