Summer Favorites

I’m interrupting the regular flow of recipes to tell you about Everything I’m Loving Right Now™. What’s life if you don’t stop and notice maybe you’re actually happy and take note of all the things that are making it so. These are a few of those things, or at least the more tangible ones I can recommend to you. I’d love to hear what’s really doing it for you these days, so don’t be shy in the comments.

HAGS.

I’ve never enjoyed a coconut water before. In fact, the flavor sort of repulsed me. Then, one day this summer, I saw these fresh young coconuts in the produce section of my grocery store, cradled in a gleaming bed of pebble ice, and I thought to myself, “I need that like air.” Suddenly, there’s nothing I find more refreshing than the faintly sweet, toasty and surprisingly salty flavor of fresh coconut. I’ve been drinking one a week for the last two months. The other day I gave my mom a sip and she said it “tasted like socks.” Love it.

I’m a blush abuser. Every day I wear a little too much in an effort to affect the natural flush of someone who has just gone for a run, made love or spent 20 minutes too long in the sun — when do we ever look and feel more alive? Lately, I’ve been obsessed with rubbing the excess from my fingertips after I’ve blended it onto my cheeks in a little stripe across my nose just below the bridge and above the tip.

Where a latte feels glutinous and makes me tired, a cappuccino is the perfect balance of espresso and milk and just the right size for a slow-sipper like me. However, if you know anything about coffee, you know part of the definition of a cappuccino is in the temperature — it cannot be iced and remain true. Because I am the sort of annoying person who wants others to understand that I understand this, I have taken to ordering a “short iced latte” to which most people reply, “you mean like an iced cappuccino?” and I say, “yes, exactly.”

This little sandal from Steve Madden was the perfect low-cost impulse buy. I feel like ocean blue and aqua have been everywhere in fashion this summer, and flip-flops have made their way back into most of our wardrobes by now. When I tried them on at the mall and found they were comfortable and complete with my preferred kind of heel, it was kind of a no-brainer. I style them with a french tip pedicure and a dolphin toe ring.

If a brand or restaurant has been around for nearly 100 years, you needn’t sell me on anything else about it. I like things that have withstood the test of time. I’ve encountered It’s-It ice cream sandwiches before (I swear they were once at Whole Foods, though a look at their stockists tells me that’s not the case anymore, if it ever was.) but never tried them until recently. I was craving an ice cream sandwich and was struck by a sudden memory of their perfect, nostalgic packaging and immediately hunted them down at the only convenience store in my town that carries them. The cookies are tender and cinnamon-y and never squish the ice cream in between, which is soft right out of the freezer and robust in flavor. My favorite variety so far is cappuccino.

I picked up these unisex cotton poplin wide leg pants from the LA Apparel Factory Flea Market when I was recently in Los Angeles. Because they’re factory seconds, I can’t promise the ones you’ll get from the site are exactly like mine, but what I got was crisp, sturdy cotton, generous pockets and a silhouette that’s equally flattering and comfortable.

If you read my last recipe, you’ll know I’ve been loving zucchini this summer. I’ve been cooking it at least once a week and think you should be cooking it too.

This mini cotton tote from Fruity Booty was a gift from my best friend. She thought I’d love it because it has a dolphin on one side and a picture of sardines in a tin on the other (not in a twee Lisa Says Gah! sort of way, more in a Mediterranean seaside kind of way). She was right, of course, but it’s also perfect because it feels equally at home at the pool and at dinner, it’s little bucket-like shape holds everything I need without feeling hefty, and it’s unique print goes with nearly all my outfits. I think it’s off the site now, and for that I do apologize.

Icy, refreshing and low-ABV — just the way I like it. The first place I had one of these was at Busty’s, a dive bar here in Austin, but my husband has also written a delicious and simple riff on it here.

Most of you will know by now that I’m a real freak for tuna salad. Recently, I’ve loved serving it up like a little pearl in a shell-like cup made of butter lettuce leaves. It’s so easy and light. I think I may have been inspired by Aimee France.

Not to sound like a total stick in the mud, but I’ve always been someone who keeps a pretty rigid schedule. I grocery shop, cook, exercise, write, etc. on the same schedule every week. I go on a date with my husband every Friday. Many of you ask me how I manage to get everything done, and the answer is by being incredibly strict and organized. I love this about my life, but it doesn’t leave a lot of room for spontaneity or casual plans. Lately, I’ve been a little more lenient with myself. I say yes more. I’m having fun going out to dinner or stopping by a friend’s on a Tuesday night.

I love the comforting nostalgia of a peanut butter and jelly on soft, untoasted potato bread. I like it even more after it’s been wrapped in plastic and chilled in the fridge for half an hour and the peanut butter gets extra sticky. Maybe that sounds weird. Try it and get back to me.