Hello and welcome to our Saturday thing. Sorry I missed you last week! The days (and weeks) in the summer just get away from me sometimes. Back with you this week though :)

We’re heading to a wedding and a family BBQ this weekend. There’s a new café nearby that I want to try as well. I need to do some serious clean up in all of my gardens, but I’ll be waiting for the temperature to come down a bit. The humidity has been wiiild here. The gym that I go to is basically a warehouse on a farm with zero a/c, so I’m pretty much drenched after my warmup lol. Peak summer type stuff!

On to our usual array of goodies. Take care out there!

5 Things I’m Reading:

1. This Jeff Bezos & Lauren Sánchez Bezos Wedding is So, So, So F*cking Dumb via Thots And Prayers with Phoebe Robinson on Substack
2. Getting Out Of A Rut – A Life Of Flow Doesn’t Mean Constant Flow and No Friction via The Broad Place on Substack
3. Here Is the Science of Why You Doomscroll via The New York Times (gift link)
4. We Must Have Courage via Lion’s Roar
5. Little videos are cooking our brains via Vox (non-paywalled)

5 Things I’m Enjoying:

1. I’m a Brad Stulberg fan, so was excited to see a rebrand and relaunch of the podcast. Here’s the first episode that I quite enjoyed: How to Be Excellent, Actually
2. Boustany by Sami Tamimi is my most anticipated cookbook of the year. I turn to Falastin and Jerusalem often in my real life cooking/hosting times, and I am seriously in love with this new one. So many beautiful vegetable-focused recipes (it’s a 100% vegetarian book), vivid storytelling, compelling photography, and you’ll also just learn so much as you flip through the pages. Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada for sending this to me.
3. Made the honey mustard pickles from one of my favorite blogs recently.
4. This episode of Last Week Tonight about Med Spas is nuts. Please be careful out there, beauties!
5. Listening to Tracks II: The Lost Albums pretty much nonstop (related: after the wedding episode in the latest season of The Bear, I think I listened to the Emmylou Harris cover of “Tougher Than the Rest” about 40 times in one day lol)

5 Questions:

1. I’m moving and rebuilding my kitchen from scratch. Do you have a list of essential items?
   Pots: 8″ + 10″ skillets, small and medium saucepans, 1 cast iron pan, and a Dutch oven/soup-appropriate pot
   Knives: chef knife, paring knife and bread knife
   Tools: silicone spatula (1 big and 1 small), fish spatula, tongs, ladle, whisk, box grater
   Appliances: blender or food processor (generally I think you can make do with one or the other when you’re starting from scratch–I personally use a blender much more often though) and toaster
   Also: mixing bowls, measuring cups/spoons, kitchen scale, half sheet pan, quarter sheet pan, wood cutting board
2. We’re having a neighborhood potluck soon and I’m wondering what you would make for an omnivorous crowd.
   In this type of situation, I like to bring a crossover-friendly option that will also be satiating if it ends up being the only plant-forward thing available. Off the top of my head, these options fit the bill: Pesto Orzo Salad with Roasted Vegetables & Chickpeas, Mango Slaw Noodles with Peanut Sauce, Edamame & Herbs, and Charred Corn Quinoa Salad with Avocado & BBQ Tahini Ranch Dressing.
3. Miss your weekly drink posts! Any favorites recently?
   Iced matcha latte with light canned coconut milk, dabs of coconut and vanilla extracts, and a bit of maple syrup to sweeten. Something about coconut stuff right now that’s really doing it for me!
4. Do you follow any sports teams?
   I used to be really into basketball in general and was definitely spending too much time on NBA Reddit/podcasts–to the point where it made my fandom kind of toxic if that makes sense? So in the process of cutting that out, I downgraded to being a very casual, more detached Raptors fan. I am genuinely thrilled that Toronto is getting a WNBA team next year, so will no doubt be following that (already got the merch hehe). The fan culture seems ultra positive in that league, which is a bonus. Beyond that, it’s Steelers all day, Ferrari for Formula 1, and the Jays of course. And file it under Canadian confessions, but: I don’t follow/vibe with hockey at all. We also got season tickets for a local baseball team this summer, and it’s been really fun. I absolutely ride for them and the experience! Just a nice, low-stakes weekly hang with small town vibes.
5. Where do you source Canadian grown beans and grains?
   Flourist, Fieldstone Organics, and Second Spring might be what you’re looking for! I will say that shopping for Canadian-grown, weird and wonderful heirloom beans is a bit tough/region-specific. There’s no Rancho Gordo equivalent really–as far as I know! Feel free to correct me in the comments if you have a source.

5 Seasonal Recipes:

1. Shaved Zucchini Salad with Plums, Herbs & Almonds
2. Vegan Red Pepper Pasta with Charred Corn & Basil
3. Smoky Sautéed Cauliflower with Green Beans, Tahini & Almonds
4. Saucy Butter Bean Skillet with Cherry Tomatoes & Gremolata
5. Chocolate Zucchini Muffin Tops