It is hard to believe we are enjoying the last few days of July. Our weekend plans consist of a whole lot of nothing. I feel like we've got "summering" down as we head into August. If you need something good to watch in the evenings this weekend I'd suggest The Defiant Ones. The four part series is really great.
Or if you are looking for something really good to listen to, I urge you to listen to Malcom Gladwell's podcast Revisionist History. It is enlightening and important and he is an incredible storyteller. This is the second season so if it is new to you, definitely go back and listen to season one as well. Queue it up for your Monday commute.
If you don't feel like spending a lot of time in the kitchen this weekend, if you have a blender or a food processor you should at the very least whip up this delicious and versatile sauce that I pulled from Bon Appetit. I've made a parsley version, a cilantro one, I've left out the tahini and also included it. You can't go wrong. Truly you can use it on almost anything - salad dressing, tossed with roasted vegetables, on rice or pasta...you get the idea.
And I have a new favorite tank top. These micro rib ones from Everlane are perfect in every way...
They also make a perfect crewneck tee as well. Long enough, not too slim, no cap-sleeve business. I just stocked up on a few more for fall...
I also love this sea salt spray from local Seattle company Herbivore. I use it on both my hair and skin. My five year uses it too - "Mom, it smells like Hawaii!" He's right and it is divine...
One last thing. If you have some brown sugar and olive oil in your pantry go make this simple body scrub. Add a few large spoonfuls of brown sugar to a bowl, add the same amount of olive oil (maybe a bit more) and mix it up. It should have a consistency like this...
Then tomorrow morning, step into the shower (don't turn the water on) and scrub your body all over. Shower and rinse and welcome the weekend. Your skin will thank you.
My go-to chicken salad recipe comes from GP. It's a breeze to make and nice to have in the fridge on these hot days when I don't feel like cooking. Most often I double the recipe as this never sticks around for long.
First make the rotisserie spice blend:
2 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons onion powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons chili powder
Next place one bone-in, skin-on chicken breast on a sheet pan lined with foil or parchment. Rub both sides with olive oil and the spice blend. Bake at 325°F for an hour and a half. Remove from oven and let cool to room temp.
Remove the skin and bones and shred the chicken into a medium sized bowl. (The original recipe takes the extra step to put the shredded chicken into a food processor to really finely shred it but I skip this part.)
To the shredded chicken add two stalks celery, cut into ¼-inch dice, 1/3 cup of vegenaise and salt and pepper to taste. A note on vegenaise...of course feel free to substitute any good quality mayonnaise. I don't do well with eggs so vegenaise is great for that. And it just so happens that flavorwise I prefer veganaise over any other (including the one I used to make from scratch).
“I’ve written often about how we have to reach hard in the direction of the lives we want, even if it’s difficult to do so. I’ve advised people to set healthy boundaries and communicate mindfully and take risks and work hard on what actually matters and confront contradictory truths and trust the inner voice that speaks with love and shut out the inner voice that speaks with hate. But the thing is—the thing so many of us forget—is that those values and principles don’t only apply to our emotional lives. We’ve got to live them out in our bodies too...Real change happens on the level of the gesture. It’s one person doing one thing differently than he or she did before. It’s the man who opts not to invite his abusive mother to his wedding; the woman who decides to spend her Saturday mornings in a drawing class instead of scrubbing the toilets at home; the writer who won’t allow himself to be devoured by his envy; the parent who takes a deep breath instead of throwing a plate. The work is there. It’s our task. Doing it will give us strength and clarity. It will bring us closer to who we hope to be.”
A little inspiration for your Sunday. Watch this video...
I subscribe to Maria Popova's incredibly thoughtful weekly digest. You can read today's here and then subscribe for yourself.
If you've never been on Brain Pickings before, be sure to set aside some time to explore. I learn so much from her, especially book recommendations. The recent favorite being this one, Cry, Heart, But Never Break.
Speaking of books, I just finished Rebecca Solnit's Hope in the Dark. (Maria Popova happens to have a review of it here.) I'd also highly recommend listening to Rebecca's conversation with Krista Tippett.
On the flip-side of dark, I've added this bright and sunny hair-on Clare V clutch to my wishlist...
I've got a lot floating around in my mind this week; only one more day of preschool left, a big stack of books from the library on my nightstand, new recipes to try. I'm not sure where to begin so I'm just going to start unloading...
I've been loving this super basic and comfortable bra from Lively. It feels so nice to ditch the underwire for summer...
I just got this perfect little summer dress from Zara. It would look great with a pair of these earrings I'm still wishing for...
I pre-ordered Pamela Salzman's cookbook which finally comes out next week! I've talked about her and shared her recipes here many times. She cooks how I like to cook and like me, the woman loves to eat and eat well. I'm excited about this one. She'll also be here in Seattle at Book Larder later this month...
I want to get a few of these Turkish Towels to bring with us to the beach and the pool this summer...
I'll also be wearing these classics a lot this summer...
I bought this rad letter board a few months ago which hangs in our dining room...
I'm also doing some major organizing at home, specifically the shelves in my husband's office and the hall closets. I love these stackable bins that I find at Storables and have been using them at home and at my studio for the last several years. They are great for toiletries, batteries, light bulbs, paperwork that needs to be filed, you name it. I have both the small and large ones.
And just for fun, Jacques Pépin dicing an onion...
My son and I are getting ready to take a little trip with my mom to Mexico. I'm packing light with just a carry-on that I can carry on my back which isn't too challenging considering we only really need the essentials: swimsuits, sunscreen and flip flops.
My favorite Beautycounter sunscreen has to stay at home because of the size but I'm bringing along their body stick and this stuff in the 2.5 oz version that my friend Omar likes. And my favorite face sunscreen from Suntegrity...
I'll also be wearing my favorite trucker hat from Machine Machine...
My son has these swim goggles which are fantastic. More like a mask than traditional goggles and they are super easy to adjust. I bought an adult version for myself as well.
I am also using this great (and affordable) linen shirt from Uniqlo as a beach coverup...
I'm also packing a small medical kit my husband put together and this elderberry syrup that we all take regularly at home. It's great for extra immune support and is anti-viral and anti-microbial.
It finally feels like spring around here. My peas are coming up through the dirt, the rhubarb is thriving and the morning light is returning.
The last several weeks have been intentionally quiet and lovely. Lots of time in the kitchen and increasingly more time digging in the garden in between the rain showers. Lots of music, little news. Lots of thinking about my work and composing a meaningful life, and that my son will be turning five in a few weeks. It feels like a proper spring renewal.
On the music front I've been listing to Bon Iver's latest album 22, A Million on repeat. Specifically this song cranked up...
I bought a set of these multipurpose stainless clips last year and they remain one of my favorite and most useful things in the kitchen...
So I got out the fabric scissors and hacked off the ends to give them new life, and now they are pretty perfect.
I first learned about the Ooni pizza oven last fall and we finally ordered one. I gotta say, it is pretty epic. We are making pizza for a crowd for my son's birthday so I've been dough recipe testing and practicing my skills. The winner is the dough from Franny's...
The recipe is in Franny's cookbook (which Melissa Clark co-authored) and also in Melissa's newest one. In her book the recipe is in grams which I prefer and also makes it super easy to double or triple the recipe. (We let it rise for the full 48 hours by the way.) You can also find the recipe online here.
