May Favs
All the things I've been cooking, watching, wearing, and generally loving in May
Before I tell you about all of my favs, it’s my duty as a responsible business owner to tell you that I’ll be selling focaccia sandwiches at Black Flag Brewing Co in Columbia, MD this Saturday from 12pm-3pm. This is one of our pick up locations for Scratch Made, so we’re helping them celebrate their 9th anniversary by showing up and vending. We’ll be selling whole loaves of freshly baked focaccia along with two sandwiches:
Chicken Caesar sandwiches with crispy fried chicken cutlets, locally grown gem lettuce, house made Caesar dressing
Roasted summer veggies sandwiches with roasted eggplant and summer squash, mint, basil, and pistachio pesto, and fresh mozzarella
After last month’s traffic court debacle, I wanted to plan a few pop ups this summer to make up for it. I have no idea what to expect with this so I’m only making a small number of sandwiches. If you want to reserve one, you can preorder here. Anyways, hope to see some of you there! Now, on to the favs…
The return of grill season!
In our household, this is actually the first year that we’ve ever truly participated because up until recently we didn’t have a grill or a yard, or even a porch to put it on. We took the leap, though, and recently got a Big Green Egg and it has quickly become our favorite purchase maybe ever? And like good little chefs we set up a full grilling station with the table that it perfectly fits into (highly recommend. It’s so nice to have a work surface on either side of the grill), a tool hanger from etsy that pops right onto the edge of the table no tools require, and this very good grill brush that allows you to replace the head.
Sunday night dinners
Having the grill opens up a whole world of really easy dinners and entertaining. About once a week we’ve been grilling marinated chicken thighs with a few fresh Italian sausages, squeezing lots of lemon on top and serving it with a big salad. One thing I love about grilling is that you can throw more than you need on there knowing that you’ll eat it on bowls and salads throughout the week.
My go-to marinade has been roughly this:
1 lemon, juiced (lime juice or a couple tbsp of vinegar also works—I prefer white or rice wine vinegar)
1-2 Tbsp of honey, brown sugar, or maple syrup
1 heaping spoonful of Dijon mustard
a few cloves of garlic, grated or finely chopped
2 Tbsp soy sauce
salt and pepper
herbs like parsley, thyme, rosemary, or oregano if you have them
For the salad, I super thinly slice up a few heads of romaine, add whatever pickled jarred things I have in the fridge like Pepperoncinis, olives, roasted red peppers, or artichoke hearts, thinly slice an onion and crumble feta on top. I love this tahini dressing from Cava. You can buy it at Whole Foods. I like to add a little extra lemon, salt, and olive oil. It’s perfection.
If you want to make your own, I make something similar by whisking together a couple tbsp of tahini, the juice of half a lemon, about a tbsp of honey, a clove of garlic—grated, salt and pepper, and then drizzle in olive oil while whisking until it forms a dressing. Adjust until you like the flavor. Sometimes I add a little bit of Dijon, or a splash of red wine vinegar.
I shared some of my favorite summer sides and a particularly delish grilled marinated pork chop with corn and tomato relish if you’re looking for more grilling inspo! This citrus marinade I shared a few months ago would also be pretty damn good for grilling.
Skin care routine
I’ve been sharing online for nearly 2 years now and no one has yet to ask me about my skincare routine (offensive). Well, this is my newsletter and I’m going to share it with you anyways because it’s something that I actually feel quite passionately about and recently I feel like I have it really dialed in. It’s paired down and many of the products I’ve been using for years—with a few newer additions.
Morning:
Splash of cold water—no face wash necessary (this was an unlock for me and my skin really likes it)
The Trader Joe’s hyaluronic acid. It’s about $8 and from my experience works just as well as other far more expensive brands.
I massage in the Primally Pure Everything Balm and let it sink in while I eat and have coffee. (Listen, this is a tallow based balm and I know that that sounds gross, but it really works. Just want to state to the court that I’m using this beef tallow balm (barf) not in a MAHA way but in a this-shit-really-works way.) I’ve been using this one since February and I feel like I can see a big difference in my skin. If you also love an oil-based moisturizer, this one from Yay For Earth is amazing. I think I’ve been using it for the last 8 years—it’s so good.
Sunforgettable sunscreen. This stuff is expensive but unfortunately so good. It’s the only face makeup I wear and it gives a nice medium-coverage filter effect.
Nighttime:
I wash my face with this Zum gentle face cleanser. I’ve been a Cetaphil girl for my whole life and generally feel like face wash isn’t the place to spend when it comes to skin care, but I picked this one up recently at Mom’s and now I feel as though I won’t be turning back. It will run you about $16, smells incredible, and leaves my face feeling so clean. Highly recommend.
This A313 retinol a few times a week. Otherwise, I’m right back with my Trader Joe’s hyaluronic acid and Everything Balm.
Getting a bob
My friend Hannah, who owns Third Day Hair Co., has been doing my hair for 3-4 years now and that whole time I’ve been trying desperately to grow my hair out. But, ever since getting married in September all I want to do is chop it off—that pipeline from wedding to bob should be studied. I’d been texting Hannah inspo pics of short hair for months before finally taking the plunge and I’m obsessed. I feel like I actually have a hair style now rather than always wearing it up. It looks so much thicker and dries super quickly! I’ve been using this Davines hair milk (best smell in the world!) and Crown Affair air dry mousse and then letting it dry naturally.
I feel like this is the sort of product that I saw a lot of people touting online and wondered if anyone actually used it or if they just launched with a large PR budget. Well, I’m here to tell you that this shit rocks. I’ve been falling asleep so easily and not having any grogginess in the morning. 10/10. I’m hooked.
Summery scents
I was stopped in Mom’s the other day (It’s a natural grocery store and I live there) by someone asking what scent I was wearing. It was this one from Cyklar. I favor a roll on scent and much like my skin care routine, I don’t shake it up often. I’ve been wearing the Maison Louis Marie roll on perfume oil for maybe 8 years and it’s still my favorite all around scent. But, lately I’ve loved switching it up with the Cyklar and sometimes this one from Boy Smells. I usually love a more musky, sort of masculine scent, and this one is sweeter and girlier than I typically gravitate towards. It smells sort of like honeysuckle but with a little musk to it. Whatever it is, it’s deliciously summery and I’ve been reaching for it almost every day.
This perfect summery barn jacket
I thought I might have been buying this a little late in the season. I got it right at the beginning of May and I’ve worn it every day since. It’s a thin cotton canvas material with a tan corduroy collar and has become the perfect thing to throw on over whatever I’m wearing to the kitchen to make me feel a little more like I have an actual outfit on. I love it and can see myself wearing it at night over a dress in the summer and with jeans and a t shirt into fall.
Leather notebook holder and Moleskin notebooks in general
I’ve been seeing these gorgeous notebook holders (covers?) from the brand Louise Carmen for months. They’re customized leather refillable notebooks that can hold multiple notebooks. One could run you about $160. I KNOW! But still, I couldn’t stop thinking about them. I like to keep multiple notebooks at once—one for my daily to-do list and notes from the kitchen, one for my thoughts, and recently, one to log everything that I’ve planted in my garden. And while I don’t want to spend that much, it would be nice to keep them all together.
I didn’t buy one, folks. Instead, I benefitted from my sister’s boyfriend’s new hobby and he made me one! Had he not made me one, I would have bought this one from etsy.
My Boston Birkenstocks
Lately I have no patience but anything but super comfortable footwear. The Boston clogs have been a staple for throwing on to do errands or frankly anything lately. Not exactly revolutionary but I’m particularly loving their new colors like these ones in sage green suede.
Pelegrino sparkling waters
I love a nonalcoholic sparkling bev in the afternoon and these have been my go-to. They’re not sweet. Just carbonated water with a little bit of fruit juice. In terms of flavor, they’re fruitier than a Waterloo and less than a Spindrift. I love the lime and blood orange the most.
This knit fish pouch
Someone on our team made this for me and it’s one of my favorite things I’ve ever received. It’s so cute!! They found the pattern on revelry and I use it to keep my headphones in. I’ve been hooking it on my basket bag for a summery fisherman vibe.
For years I’ve been a natural deodorant-even-though-it-often-leaves-much-to-be-desired kind of girl. I don’t sweat that much so it’s typically fine and I just don’t want the weird chemicals. But, for a Baltimore summer—and specifically working in a hot kitchen during a Baltimore summer— a few weird chemicals might be necessary. Or maybe not. I bit the bullet and got a good old fashioned Dove cucumber melon deodorant and this sort of fancy deodorant from Necessaire in eucalyptus. It’s aluminum free, smells amazing, and actually works. I had never actually tried anything from this brand but after trying this, I will. It totally works and smells incredible.
My mini veggie garden
These favorites lists have has become my unofficial garden update. I’ve broken ground, created garden beds along the edge of the yard and rather than building raised beds this year, I’m keeping it simple with a terra-cotta pots instead. I have lots of cherry tomatoes and herbs. I can’t wait to plant more next year but for now this has been a really easy way to dip my toe into gardening.