Summer Saturdays Vol. 6

BAKING

I made individual blueberry cakes from a reel I saw and they were perfect.

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A post shared by Food Blogger • Kelley Simmons (@thechefsavvy)

COOKING

Incredibly soft ricotta meatballs.

CRAVING

Wild blueberries in season right now.

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Wild blueberries

DRINKING

At-home mimosas because SHE FANCY.

EATING

Spinach and (fresh) corn quesadillas. Truly a perfect way to use fresh corn.

EXPERIENCING

Fantastic thai at Nimman Thai in Etobicoke.

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Pad thai

LISTENING

The Dr. Mario theme is on a loop in my head right now, it’s offensive how good I’ve become.

LOVING

Freshii frozen yogurt, playing basketball behind the school, playing Jenga with the kids, night food markets, orange moons, constantly swimming, there are too many things to love this week.

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Summer orange moon

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Basketball with Rome

SHOPPING

Excited to try these Ordinary products.

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The Ordinary products

WATCHING

I saw Twisters in theatre and it was surprisingly good. Little annoyed that there was no Helen Hunt but what can you do. And <spoiler> they really did rob us of an incredible kiss scene.

always remember what they took from us https://t.co/bnZaDe9eJV pic.twitter.com/YYzsalplza

— Sarah | glen powell summer 🌪️ (@sydglenx) July 20, 2024

WEARING

The closet in your childhood bedroom might have some gems.

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Childhood closet find

Last week’s Summer Saturdays Vol. 5 can be found over here and I’m keeping a summer highlights section over here.

Summer List 2019

The main reason that I know I can get through the overwhelmingly disgusting next three months is because the absolute best time of year is just over the horizon. It’s so close. Three measly months. So let’s make the most of our time while we wait. Here’s what I’d like to do this season.

1. Eat the burger at Whit’s End in Rockaway. Look at this beast.

2. As you may or may not know, I now live like a human being in a home that I love. That being said, I’d love to be able to successfully keep my houseplants alive for at least a full season.

3. Go on some sort of trip (like the one we did last year) with Nathan to celebrate our ten year anniversary in August.

4. Wear at least ten of my lipsticks over the course of summer because Christ, why were they even bought if I’m not wearing them. (Bonus point if I buy nothing from Sephora this summer.)

5. Go swimming at least twice. (This estimate is low, I know. I’m trying to be realistic.)

6. Go to the beach at least three times.

7. See The Farewell in theatres.

8. Attempt to make these meatball stuffed garlic bread sliders because they look beautiful and so fun to make.

9. Make the wildly delicious mushroom garganelli from L’Artusi (I just found the recipe online and I have to know if I can make it just like the restaurant does, because if I can… watch the fuck out, world.)

10. Lay out & look at the stars. (This will likely happen in Canada since, you know, New York isn’t equipped for romantic shit like this.)

I would’ve included going to The Met, but I’ve already done that this year. Other small things I’d like to do: I’ll definitely make it over to Connelly’s on one of my beach visits, I will protect my chafing thighs as much as humanly possible, this song will likely be on repeat at some point, probably going to watch some of these babies, and maybe some of these, too. Also, working on a summer playlist you can see below.

Does that seem like a lot to do? WE SHALL SEE.

Stay Out of the Ocean

I love swimming, you know this fact. But the ocean? You will RARELY* find me in there. I'm here to convince you to join me in this opinion.

Reasons To Stay Away

1. Dangerous creatures inhabit the ocean. So, as an example, if a shark lived in the house next door to me, I would not casually walk into their home, mess around with their belongings and then expect NOT to be eaten alive. They live there. I do not.
2. Cleanliness. There has to be a crazy amount of urine and feces floating around in these oceans, I don't think I would be able to handle the statistic itself, so thank God I don't know it. 
3. Ocean night swimming is just a scary idea. Does it not look horrifying in movies? When you can't see to the bottom? God, that's horrifying. The only good thing associated with night swimming is that R.E.M. song. THAT'S IT.
4. The movie Open Water.
5. Humans are not born with gills or any sort of apparatus to stay beneath water for longer than a minute or so. WHY DO WE NOT TAKE THIS AS A HINT TO STAY THE HELL OUT OF WATER? I do not know.

C'mon, those are some valid points, right? Maybe just think about it. Or just tell me that you'll stay out of it. I'll sleep a lot better if I hear you say that.

*Past ocean experiences have included instances of peer pressure, curiosity and teaching my boyfriend how to swim on our first vacation together. But never again, I vow!

Spa Castle in Manhattan

Remember how into Spa Castle I am? Well, there's a new Manhattan one opening in November that looks AMAZING. LOOK!

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HIghlights

• This location will ban kids under the age of 16. This is really the only notable fact that's different from the Queens location.
• Pre-sale tickets are going for $50 each right now (they're normally gonna be $65)
• The website says there's an Aqua Bar, in which patrons can "swim up and treat yourself to a refreshing drink or delicious cocktail, while never having to leave the pool."

The space'll be three floors, located at 115 East 57th Street. Can't wait to check it out.

Spa Castle in Queens, NY

I just went to a “bath house” and it was wicked. I’d never gone to one before, so I didn’t really know what to expect. I thought it would mostly be lounging in hot rooms and pretending I was relaxed. What was it actually? TONS OF POOLS! Outdoor ones, ones where you can take your drinks into, ones that have tons of different underwater mechanisms to relax your muscles, etc. There were also a ton of saunas, which I managed to enjoy after a little while. The outdoor pool was the best part of it all, in my opinion. 

The place I went to is in College Point in Queens (Spa Castle), which is probably closest to the last stop on the 7 train (and the place has a shuttle that runs to and from that subway stop). Definitely worth the trip, even if you don’t live near there. 

If you live in New York, and you aren’t currently at this establishment, well, that shocks me. Only because you’d be doing yourself a disservice by not going. It’s $35 for a weekday and $45 on weekends. 

UPDATE: There's a new location opening in Manhattan, you can find more details here.