Write it down
Journaling, noodles, and baseball
I feel so grateful to have a three day weekend for Juneteenth, which is finally a federal holiday (today is a great day to watch High on the Hog if you haven’t already). Dale’s mom is staying with us and we saw Six last night, which was lots of fun (and several songs are absolutely stuck in my head). I’m going to Maine for the first time on Friday and It feels like this year is flying by. Job hunting really fueled much of spring and summer feels like it’s go, go, go. I know enough to know that there’s no mythical level of life where you suddenly learn how to balance things perfectly. But, I really need to do a better job of taking it in. I’m going to try and get back into my journaling practice, maybe with a five year journal (this podcast episode with Amber Burns has some good journaling ideas). If you’ve got journaling tips, I’m all ears!
On Thursday, we’re getting back to basics with a summer bucket list! Joy the Baker makes one every year and with summer officially starting this week, I’m joining the party.
Something to cook:
I made Omsom's coconut lemongrass curry noodles not once, but twice this week. They’re so good with a fried egg on top and some greens for good measure. (Omsom is an Isetta client and I’ve been a fan/customer for years).
I also made a pretty good office salad with feta, black beans, rice, arugula, bell pepper, and avocado and spicy ranch. Next up is packing my lunches the night before so I’m not dicing bell pepper in the early morning. And remembering to pack a snack for the afternoon.
My grandma is back in California but we had one last family dinner last week. My parents grilled up so many vegetables (zucchini, onions, eggplant, bell peppers, tomatoes) as well as halloumi and some sausages, boiled corn on the cob and served everything with some pesto. It was absolutely delicious and summery.
This week for lunch, I’m making a summery orzo salad from Meal Prep Made Simple. The recipe is also here for paid subscribers.
Something to order:
Julianne’s nephew Adam was in town and we took him to a Cyclone’s game! I love going to Cyclone’s games and our game was Eastern Europe night, which meant there was a Veselka popup, which was absolutely delicious. I highly recommend checking out a game and I’m going to organize an outing later this summer, stay tuned!
Ivy, Cristina, and I got post meeting drinks at Smor in the East Village. They have a nice spritz menu which is perfect for this weather.
Clare was in town and we got dinner at La Esquina. Getting in there feels like going to a club but it’s a great spot for a group dinner and their spicy cucumber margs are great, as are the avocado tostadas and elote.
Rose and I got lunch on Friday at Ilili in Flatiron, which is a beautiful restaurant. It’s a perfect lunch menu with hummus and pickles to share and lots of filling salads, like fattoush and one with halloumi and dried cherries.
Dale was on a really cool panel for work hosted by Diageo. They had lots of passed apps including mini potatoes filled with guacamole. I had never seen this before but it was so good (and I’m very proud of him).
On Saturday, I went to the Culture Awards with Leah, Erika, Gabriela and friends. We had a blast (it is not your typical awards show) and ended the night ordering Taco Bell to Reclamation. A vegetarian crunch wrap supreme really saves the day.
We had Father’s Day brunch at Montesacro, which has a beautiful backyard and brunch menu with options from cacio e pepe to avocado toast.
Something to read:
As always, Thursday’s newsletter has more reads!
A Dijon mustard shortage in Colombia
A Rhode Island group came to Philly and acted like fools
How restaurants are using tech to get you that second margarita from
The oldest known evidence of white grapes
What the apartment of Sex and The City say about us
Sydney Gore is a wonderful editor! Loved this interview with her
Klancy Miller’s Juneteenth menu
Restaurant meme legend Eli Sussman has a new restaurant
If you’re not watching The Other Two, it’s not too late to start!
Interrogating the true toll of pervasive racism
Excited to try New Haven Pizza at Grimm Ales
Are children a marginalized group? A really thoughtful podcast episode
A barista fought to unionize her Starbucks. Now she’s out of a job.
The undeniable allure of dive bar food
What people did after work before cell phones. So much has changed! Imagine calling your friend’s office to make plans! And this, “Even if you didn’t feel like it, you just showed up. If you didn’t show up, people would stop inviting you out. And then you would have fun! Or maybe it would suck, but next time would be fun.”
Have a great week!
xo, Abigail