Summer Saturdays Vol. 2
BAKING
Will make a batch of these heavenly blueberry breakfast cookies later today.
COOKING
I’ve perfected my tuna salad sandwich recipe and here it is. Canned tuna mixed with sliced pickles, chopped red onion, dijon, a drop mayo, pickle juice, grated garlic, salt & pepper on a bun that’s been toasted in garlic butter then broiled with cheddar on top. IT IS EVERYTHING.
CRAVING
Why will I always love Lay’s? Two reasons. 1) Their original chips taste the best at parties. 2) The fact that each summer they put out seasonal flavours. Will a cuban sandwich flavour taste incredible? Does it even matter? It’s the EFFORT of creating something new. I’m a woman who will appreciate effort until the day I die.
Lay’s Cuban Sandwich Seasonal Flavour
DRINKING
Snow cones for life.
Sno-Kone
EATING
Finally went to Golden Diner and fully recommend. I am not a pancake person (because they’re so boring?) but these were other-worldly. Better than Clinton St. Baking Company.
Golden Diner, NYC
EXPERIENCING
A grimy, Queens carnival! And can I just tell you, the Superman ride truly scared the living hell out of me. I didn’t think I could still feel that way from rides, so that was alarming (but in a fun way?).
Carnival in Queens, NY
LISTENING
The Jiminy Glick Bill Maher interview and it’s so good.
LOVING
The happy hour at Hotel on Rivington on the Lower East Side. $10 martinis in Manhattan? Get the hell out of here.
SHOPPING
Is it sad that I’m over the moon about the Scrubbing Bubbles Foaming Bleach Cleaner I got for the grout in my washroom? If your answer is yes, then I suggest you look inward because holy mother of god, this is a dream cleaner. How have I only discovered it NOW?
WATCHING
Reruns of Living Single on HBO. Now this is a reboot that would heal the world.
WEARING
Technically you don’t wear face wash, so yes I’m reaching here but stay with me. I finally started to use my Dennis Gross all-in-one face wash and I will forever be loyal to that man. A perfect face wash.
Last week’s Summer Saturdays Vol. 1 can be found over here and I’m keeping a summer highlights section over here.
Summer Saturdays Vol. 1
Summer Saturdays have returned! Off we go.
BAKING
I made the Magnolia banana pudding (a forever favourite summer dessert of mine), which is ridiculously easy to make.
Homemade Magnolia Bakery banana pudding
DRINKING
Excessive amounts of hazelnut iced coffee.
EATING
The cubano sandwich at La Cubana in Toronto might be the best one I’ve ever had.
EXPERIENCING
Spaghetti salad and fruit pizza. My dear friend Richard made them for me and they were both too good for words.
Spaghetti salad
LISTENING
Started making my summer playlist.
LOVING
I finally learned how to cook perfect bacon.
SHOPPING
I’ve always loved having seasonal return address labels for the holidays (it must be intimidating knowing someone this cool, I know), but this is the first year I ordered some summer labels and they’re gorgeous.
WATCHING
Since there’s no new season of The Summer I Turned Pretty this year, I’ve just started rewatching the last season and man it’s such a perfect summer show. Once you get past the slight corniness, it’s really enjoyable.
WEARING
Yes it’s the most basic thing possible, but I should probably buy a few more of these Target white shirts since it’s all I wear lately. Why did it take me decades to start wearing white?
I also started a summer highlight reel on Instagram that I’ll add to each day.
Summer List 2024
Welcome to the absolute worst time of year! Rather than ranting about exactly why this is the worst season (ie. sweating into the sheets as you sleep, the buzzing of mosquitoes near your ears, the awful body odor of strangers too close to you on the subway), there may be just a few things that can be enjoyed this time of year. Unexpected summer rainstorms, late sunsets, ice cold pools, sandal tan lines, frozen pina coladas, absolutely all of the produce in season and children that you love not having to go to school. And best of all - eating as much heirloom tomato toast as humanly possible.
So let’s try to get through these next three months as best we can until the sweet scent of September arrives. Here’s the plan.
Go to a carnival.
Eat the soft serve at either Seed + Mill in Chelsea Market or at L’Industrie.
Get out of town somewhere fun to celebrate our 15 year anniversary.
Go swimming at least five times.
As always, I beg you to make a list of your own. If you’re looking for some ideas, here are some past summer lists I’ve made: 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017 and 2015.
Spring List 2024 Recap
Am I being dramatic when I say that this season was the most beautiful spring that ever sprung? My month of May was a little chaotic but it’s June now so that month has been fully and successful repressed. Haha? Weather-wise though, what an incredible spring. Nothing more disgusting than early summer heat. Here’s how my list of spring things to do went…
See at least one Broadway play.
Nathan and I saw Mary Jane with Rachel McAdams and I loved it.
Go to Smorgasburg for the first time.
Went! It wasn’t as spectacular as I was expecting, but I do want to check out the Brooklyn ones to see if they’re any better.
Declutter the house (donate old books, organize movies, etc.).
Did this! I do still need to buy some sort of DVD shelf since they’re just sitting on the floor but real progress was made here.
Make a spring bolognese.
Lamb bolognese made! Lamb = easter and easter = spring. See my logic here?
Start reading a new book.
Started and finished the Elvis and Me book.
Are you seeing this? 5/5. WHO AM I. What’s the trick to accomplishing things (even frivolous things)? Set the bar almost offensively low. Can’t lose.
Summer list coming tomorrow!
Smorgasburg NYC
Smorgasburg, World Trader Center, June 2024
Smorgasburg, World Trader Center, June 2024
I finally made my way to Smorgasburg (a weekly outdoor food market) this past week and I definitely see the appeal of it. Is it actually “the Woodstock of eating” (as the New York Times claims)? Not quite, but the choices are decent. Here were the best sounding items at the World Trader Center location.
Smorgasburg, World Trader Center, June 2024
Smorgasburg, World Trader Center, June 2024
Smorgasburg, World Trader Center, June 2024
Smorgasburg, World Trader Center, June 2024
Of course I wish that the Duck Season stall still existed, but one can dream. I am a little curious if all the separate markets offer different things, so I’ll have to visit the other two in Brooklyn and then compare this summer.
Smorgasburg runs on Fridays near the World Trade Center, Saturdays in Williamsburg and Sundays in Prospect Park (all go from 11am-6pm, April until October).
Elvis and Me By Priscilla Beaulieu Presley with Sandra Harmon - A Review
Earlier this year I saw the Sofia Coppola movie Priscilla (which was great) so that’s what led me to this book since the movie was based on it. And it’s really a great read.
What struck me initially is how wild it is that she could write such a vivid account of their relationship, while maintaining real love for that man. He sounds like he was an absolute nightmare. And since she met him when she was a literal child, it’s exceedingly alarming to hear the details of his accepted abuse of her over the years. Truly makes sense that she wrote it after he died.
It’s also interesting that this book could be released (in the 80s, mind you) and no one really ever talks about how disgusting this man was to her. Even now! All of the movies made about his genius and his voice - christ, we will forever continue to justify the actions of horrid men (as long as they have talent).
That being said, it’s a deeply intimate story of their relationship and she’s incredible for having written it. If you were ever curious about their story, this is the book to read.
May Musings 2024
Baby Dog in Canada, May 2024
Baby Dog in Canada, May 2024
It has officially been six years of doing these monthly roundup posts since I started them in May of 2018. HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE. If there’s a lesson here, it’s that change is truly possible. I never would’ve thought I’d be doing these consistently for that long, so that’s wild to me. Thank you to anyone and everyone who has ever even read one. Here’s what went down in May!
The best tweets of the month are over here.
I reviewed the hip hop jewelry exhibit at the Natural History Museum.
Vulture wrote about Nathan’s special twice this month and I couldn’t be prouder.
The New York Times also loved Nathan’s newest special Down With Tech!
I made this one pan pepper steak with added mushrooms that I will absolutely do again.
My favourite Met gala looks:
The hair, the makeup, the dress = all of it is perfection, she just needs to leave Justin to fully become perfect in this moment
The back of Mindy Kaling’s dress is HIGH ART
The author of my favourite book, Paul Auster, passed away so I think a re-reading of Mr. Vertigo is in order soon.
I visited the newly opened Paramount Theatre in Brooklyn to see Belle & Sebastian (they were great) and what a beautiful venue.
God, this was a fun night
I tried cottage cheese for the first time and it wasn’t terrible! I still say that “cottage cheese” is the most disgusting thing it could have been named, though. I made this fake chocolate mousse with it and Nathan ate every last bite. I also made a fake “ice cream” with cottage cheese + frozen blueberries that was actually good. I won’t pretend to tell you it tasted like real ice cream, but it was surprisingly edible.
Cottage cheese + frozen blueberry ice cream that’s not actually ice cream, I can’t lie to you
We had a huge Baby Dog scare where she tore a ligament in her leg and our vet was an absolute nightmare with prescribing her these insanely strong pills that made our lives a living hell for a week. Thankfully she’s back to normal and better than ever. We also started her on these cataract eye drops that may actually help her sight, will report back on these in a few more weeks.
I tried the new chickpea pasta from Trader Joe’s and I like it better than Banza (it’s cheaper, too). Also tried their new, incredible honeycomb candy.
Chocolate covered toffee is the answer
Love this essay by Glynnis MacNicol and I can’t wait to read her upcoming memoir entitled I’m Mostly Here to Enjoy Myself.
Embarrassed to say how much I love the Shake Shack lettuce wrap.
Shake Shack for life.
The white chocolate macadamia cream at Starbucks is a problem. I’m really in the macadamia era of my life. No one tells you that your late-30s era is intensely boring?
There’s nothing sadder than disappointing soft serve. Marvel: do better.
Even the sprinkles look sad.
Truly in love with the shortbread foam hand soap from Bath & Body Works. (Don’t forget their annual sale is going on right now.)
Unreal.
Loving the entire ButterBliss line at Target. How is it so damn soft??
Tried the new sandwich place Nomad, which is incredible. Took me 39 years to understand that I truly love coleslaw. Again, terrible name choice. Beginning to learn that you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover? What a concept?
Burrata sandwich, Nomad
Chicken katsu sandwich, Nomad
Quick note: if you ever shop in store at Staples, you should really look up their online prices vs. the in-store price when you’re there. The in-store price is almost always wildly more expensive than the same item listed online and if you show the cashier when you’re checking out - they’ll price match it for the lower price.
So I was on a morning walk and I found a lost cat! It was wild and the owners were so sweet about it.
Saw Mary Jane with Rachel McAdams on Broadway with Nathan and it was great.
Mary Jane on Broadway, NYC
There is an exhibit of old literary posters right now at The Met that is absolutely beautiful.
The Met, May 2024
The Met, May 2024
The Met, May 2024
The Met, May 2024
The latkes at Modern Bread and Bagel remain the best in NYC.
Latkes from heaven, Upper West Side
Got the new summer scents from Mrs. Meyers and they. are. incredible.
Seasonally scented cleaning products? FUCK ME UP
Took Baby Dog to Central Park and she loved it, even if you can’t tell by this forcibly posed photograph.
Baby Dog in Central Park, May 2024
I love a street fair because you’ll always find something unique. Creepy-faced magnets? Forever yes.
Street fair magnets
Completely forgot about my love for rainbow sherbert.
Rainbow sherbert >>
Some things I watched:
The Idea of You (Amazon Prime): low maintenance and intensely watchable. The line, “People hate happy women” PERFECT. And Michael Showalter directed it?? What the hell? That’s great.
How Stella Got Her Groove Back: it’s pretty gross that the main love interest is a 20 year old boy. And the real life story that it’s based on is AWFUL (spoiler alert: he was actually gay and married her for a green card!!).
Under The Tuscan Sun: still great.
Twister (the Helen Hunt one): such a great movie. There’s really no need for the remake. Best part? The sheer amount of twisters in the movie. That may seem like a dumb observation, but it really isn’t. It’s just so fast-paced and there’s basically another twister every ten minutes or so.
Dream Scenerio: good! Some of the abuse scenes are hard to sit through, but as a whole a really good movie.
The Danny Meyer episode of Ina Garten’s show: I was not aware that he basically invented eating at the bar instead of at a table in a restaurant (was also not aware that it needed to be invented??) and I must make the pasta (orecchiette with broccoli rabe and sausage) that he made for Ina in that episode.
Emily in Paris (season two): can you tell how desperate I am in finding new shows to watch? It’s not a good show. I hate all the singing, I had to fast-forward those scenes. But I did love these pink shoes.
Bury me in these pink boots
Some things I’m looking forward to this month: finishing off some final spring activities, writing my summer list, I need to dry clean and officially pack away my winter coats, I’ll start doing my Summer Saturdays weekly series again, excited for the new season of The Bear at the end of the month and I’d love to find some new strawberry recipes to make the most of the season.
If you’ve got any interest in reading last month’s roundup, you can see what went down in April over here.
The Best Tweets of May 2024
The Met Roof Garden Exhibit 2024
The Met Roof Garden, May 2024
The Met Roof Garden, May 2024
“Kosovar artist Petrit Halilaj (born 1986, Kostërc, former Yugoslavia) has been commissioned to create a site-specific installation for the Museum’s Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Roof Garden. For the artist’s first major project in the United States, Halilaj has transformed The Met Roof with a sprawling sculptural installation. ”
The Met Roof Garden, May 2024
The new rooftop exhibit at The Met has arrived and I keep going back and forth on whether I love it. I’m a big fan of how much space it takes up (why bother doing an outdoor, sculpture exhibit if it isn’t overbearing in some way?), but I just wish there were more pieces. It’s definitely better than some of the past rooftop commissions (ahem, I’m looking at you, 2013 exhibit), so if you find yourself at The Met then definitely stop by and see for yourself.
The Met Roof Garden, May 2024
The Met Roof Garden, May 2024