You need a good summer pasta
Plus hot croissants, writer chats, and our August happy hour!
It was a weird week—anyone else? By Friday, there was a sentiment of “we’ve made it” that felt stronger than typical weekend excitement. Between this Covid wave, the Olympics, and the “back to school” ads I am unfortunately beginning to see, times are changing. But we still have more than a month of summer and good stuff is happening. I had brat green edamame dip, a laughter filled dinner with friends, and plenty of sleep, the real luxury.
The highlight of my week (besides watching gymnastics) was attending a Substack event at Brooklyn Crab. There wasn’t enough food, which meant I had post event pizza, a time honored tradition. It was still a blast, though and I got to chat with writers whose work covers topics like grief
, the Knicks —Dale’s favorite substack) , inequality ), secondhand shopping ,, personal finance ( ) and more. The range on here is incredible and we all have a lot in common (being very online, constantly debating how much to share, etc.) I loved talking shop and it inspired me to put together my current reading list for paid subscribers. It will cover substacks and other newsletters I read regularly and I’ll do a second edition for podcasts. I love nosy content like this (and recommending other writers) so hopefully you’ll enjoy!Now, let’s dive in.
Also it’s time for our happy hour at Last Call on August 22nd, a bar with a great backyard and spicy cucumber salad. You can RSVP here and please come even if we’ve never met. It’s likely our only event of the year so come if you’re in town!
Something to cook:
I’m going to be real and share that I barely cooked last week. I made a few smoothies and yogurt bowls and some mac and cheese with spinach, black pepper, and nutritional yeast (delish).
My real cooking milestone came on Saturday. I heard Steven and Lily talking about a summer tomato and corn pasta on their Friday episode and I had to make a version. Isa and I made a version of this cherry tomato pasta for dinner with Leslie, Frida, Noah, and Dale. There’s no real recipe but saute shallots in olive oil with red pepper flakes, add garlic and calabrian chilis and deglaze with white wine once it’s browned. Add in your halved cherry tomatoes, salt, and cook it until they break down and create a sauce, adding some butter at the end to get it glossy. Toss with a small pasta (I like shells or orecchiette) and add pasta water, basil, lemon zest, parm cheese and feta if you have it. Taste and add salt if needed and enjoy! We had that alongside a simple side salad with lemon dressing and it was delightful.
For dessert, we made boxed brownies because those are the best brownies and I benefit enormously from my parents Costco membership where they sell multipacks of the Ghirardelli mix. Brownies & vanilla ice cream <3
Cooking momentum is so real—after a joyful Saturday evening cooking with friends, I was in the mood to blast some Taylor Swift and do a mini meal prep session while it rained. I made broccoli cottage cheese pancakes with lemon yogurt and crispy baked tofu with an improvised peanut sauce (garlic, ginger, peanut butter, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sriracha an some water to thin it out). My future self thanks me.
Something to order:
I got Inday takeout one day and their kale salad with mango dressing is an underrated lunch option. Plus, the saag paneer is delicious.
Dale and I ordered Lighthouse and they have a paccheri with roasted garlic, tomatoes and corn that’s so good. I love their seasonal pastas—the mushroom one in the winter is incredible.
Leah, Erika, and I checked out the new location of Nick and Sons by McCarren Park. It’s much bigger and has pizzas and focaccia sandwiches. I got a still warm croissant and need to go earlier next time for an almond croissant, which always sells out fast.
Something to read:
My eras tour souvenir popcorn bucket is a family heirloom. The unexpected rise of the specialty popcorn bucket.
shares their favorite caesar saladsA Unified Theory of Glen Powell
When The Collective Taste Doesn't Include You -
on the size inclusivity problem of fashion substackThe Olympic vaults are next level
. We rarely have overnight guests because there’s nowhere for them to sleep but even having people over for a casual hang can be stressful. My tips for having people over without freaking out are here.Let athletes have their moment without asking what’s next. This applies to so many things
Summer reading recs from Azora Zoe Paknad and Grace Atwood
Thanks for reading and have a great week!
xo, Abigail