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 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...
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.
One more vegan/egg-free cookie recipe I've been enjoying lately (especially with my morning coffee) are these almond butter and Maldon sea salt ones from GP's book GOOP Clean Beauty.
ALMOND BUTTER + SEA SALT COOKIES
Makes 24 small cookies
1 1/2 cups oats, divided
2/3 cup almond butter
1/2 cup coconut sugar
2 Tbsp coconut oil
1 tsp Maldon salt
1. Preheat oven to 350°
2. Place 1 cup of oats in the bowl of a food processor and blend until smooth. Transfer to a medium bowl and add the remaining 1/2 cup oats, the almond butter, sugar, oil, and salt. Use your fingers and combine the ingredients, making sure they are very well incorporated. Add additional almond butter if necessary.
3. Roll the mixture into 24 small balls and arrange evenly, 1 inch apart, on a large baking sheet. Bake for 12 minutes, until lightly browned. Allow to cool completely before serving. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Ahh Friday. I am happy to see you. It's been a short week actually as we had an unexpected snow day on Monday. Much of that day was spent sitting at this table drinking coffee...
I also made a batch of Pamela's vegan chocolate chip cookies - one of our favorites, especially straight out of the freezer. I am embarrassed to admit that our small household devoured the entire batch in less than two days. I recently discovered that I have an egg sensitivity. Another stellar cookie recipe (that also happens to be egg-free) are these peanut butter ones from Heidi Swanson (again best enjoyed straight from the freezer).
It's been a quietly emotional week. The kind where a bit of melancholy sits below the surface and I can't quite put a finger on it. I am sure the weather is a contributing factor, as are current events but I realized the source is close to home. Kindergarten tours are going on right now so the realization that my son will be one of those little people come September is sinking in. I have this sweet photo of him posted on the inside of my closet at the studio that I've been spending a lot of time looking at...
Children have a profound way of showing you just how quickly time goes by. And while I find great joy in watching D grow and become a little person, at times it feels too fast. I'm feeling that right now. A mix of joy and sadness all at once.
I think a lot about what my favorite poet-philosopher David Whyte said in this conversation that one of the delusions we have is that we can "take a sincere path in life without having our heart broken. And you think about the path of parenting, there’s never been a mother or father since the beginning of time who hasn’t had their heart broken by their children. And nothing traumatic has to happen. All they have to do is grow up."
To combat the melancholy I've been spending a lot of time in the kitchen which has always been an excellent form of therapy for me. I've also been writing - lists and letters and just general thoughts which has been made even more enjoyable since I finally bought myself a proper pen. Two actually. Both are brass which I think will patina beautifully. This one for home...
As I've mentioned before, I have a cookbook problem. An addiction really. Cookbooks and Clare V bags (as demonstrated by my purchase of this beauty today that was an extra 25% off and is in army green suede)...
Yep. So back to cookbooks, I've only been allowing myself to check them out from the library as of late but then a friend gave me a gift card to the local cookshop and I walked straight to the back and picked up these two that have been on my wishlist...
And Julia Turshen's Small Victories which is crazy good for both a novice in the kitchen and the well-seasoned home cook. The recipes are delicious and simple and she also shares some really fantastic tips. Like the one to make a perfect margarita without a shaker which I utilized this evening...
"Whisk together the juice of one lime with 1 Tbsp agave nectar and 3 Tbsp good-quality tequila. Serve over plenty of ice."
Last night for dinner I made her Potluck Quinoa which was stellar - comprised only of quinoa, hazelnuts browned in a good amount of olive oil, lemon juice, arugula, dill and Maldon salt.
Image from On Being
I've been working my way through the On Being archives and just listened to Krista's conversation with Gwendolyn Zoharah Simmons and Lucas Johnson. It was recorded nearly two years ago but current as ever. Lucas's words on "revolutionary pacifism" stuck with me (especially the bit about the importance of "internal work")...
“Muste would talk about a revolutionary pacifism, right? That was his expression and that was his way of describing this notion of direct engagement. Pacifism was not about neutrality while injustice was around you but it was about finding the courage to respond in love. And I think that it begins with a commitment to love. I describe it as a spiritual discipline, right, as something that requires a lot of internal work in order to see others as opponents but not enemies, to see others a part of the social transformation that you’re seeking to create.”
I also bought these really fantastic pants from Kit & Ace for teaching at the studio. But they look so great and have a nice heavy drape, more like a trouser, that they'd make a great travel pant and are totally appropriate for wearing out on the town...
A few weeks ago we had a stretch of some pretty cold temps which had me searching for a pair of proper winter boots. If the cold returns I think I'd like to order these!
As I wait for the boys to wake up I'm looking at cookie recipes on The New York Times and just saw Melissa Clark's video on these pistachio morning buns. Yep, I am definitely going to be making these in the coming days...
A few more gift ideas. My husband has this down sweater which is super affordable and has a cool vintage vibe...
I'd love to get this scarf for my husband (also so I can borrow it myself)...
It seems a bit wrong to be looking at these today as the temps are in the low 30s here, but holy smokes do I love these...
It is super slick. In less than a minute it heats the milk to a perfect temp that my kiddo can drink right away. This would be a cool gift with a special hot chocolate mix.
Today I made a double batch of this lentil soup (since I devoured it the first time around just two days ago), poured myself a beer, put on some Bach and tackled some online holiday shopping. Here's what I'm eyeing this year for myself and others...
First off, I think this dress would be a knockout for the holiday party circuit...
This griddle from Baking Steel would make an epic gift for the cook in your life. I may have already bought this for myself...
My friend Omar has these salt and pepper grinders which I have long wanted for myself, only I don't use a salt grinder. I finally got wise and figured out I could use the other one as a spice mill and finally get rid of my old cuisinart coffee grinder that is too loud and does just a so-so job of grinding spices. So I'd love to have these...
After hosting a crew for Thanksgiving I realized that I could really use a couple of really big 8 and 10qt stainless steel restaurant bowls like these...
I already have one of these great totes which I use for everything from groceries to carting things to the studio. I could easily use another one myself and will order another for my sister-in-law...
This super soft and generously sized scarf doubles as a blanket, perfect for my travel-loving girlfriend...
And this Lumio lamp in walnut for my design-savvy husband...
A month or so ago while having lunch with a friend, I was served a Sapporo in a glass like this which never tasted so good). I've been on the search ever since...
I will forever have at least one thing from Clare V on my wishlist. Right now I'd love to have this simple wallet clutch...
A pair of these rad socks for the many Star Wars lovers in my family...
