And suddenly, I'm a big rhubarb girl

May no man get in the way of a woman planning a detailed vacation spreadsheet.

Apologies for this hitting your inbox on a Sunday, you can blame the fact that I am currently laser-focused on planning our upcoming vacation. What starts as fun quickly disintegrates into stressful, and don’t even get me started on choosing where we are going to eat. *sobs*

To everyone who gave me recs last week, thank you. You are doing the lord’s work.

Now hello and happy weekend! There are a few new faces here (most likely for the rhubarb cookies, which you can skip ahead to below). But welcome, SNACKS is a newsletter where I cover everything I Saw/Need/Ate/Cooked and am Keeping up with for the week. I love a bit of listicle work, but the Cooked section is where my favorite stuff always lives.

This summer feels like a sigh of relief, and while I’ve been delivering a lot of baking recipes lately, that’s about to change as all these zucchini, tomatoes, corn and cucumbers come in. It is the most wonderful time of the year!!

Outside of Love Island US, Love Island UK, Off Campus, the Summer House Reunion and the Top Chef finale, I promise I am searching for good quality television.

Best of the World with Antoni Porowski, who is the loveliest human and my favorite person to follow on Instagram, premieres on Disney Plus tomorrow and is the perfect way to cleanse my brain from all the Bravo I’ve been consuming.

I needed the detox. You can watch the trailer here.

If I posted these already, please forgive me. But I got these for said upcoming vacation and I am obsessed.

I’ve been breaking them in as a city sneaker, and they are lightweight, flexible, and make my size 11 feet look so petite.

Did I get them because I saw a girl say they were the next cool girl sneaker? Yes. Influencer marketing is real!! But I’m always pleasantly surprised when the influence gets me something great.

Khachapuri and catfish in cilantro broth at Chama Mama, a restaurant I claim as my own only because I went to its first location before I could really afford to eat out like that. Nearly ten years after opening, their bread service stays one of my favorites. If you’re in NYC, be bad, get the Imeruli Khachapuri, the Taste of Georgia, and whatever orange wine they tell you to.

I also went to Wallace, a new wine bar in the space formerly occupied by Olmstead. It’s beautiful in a way that makes me excited to visit during the winter. However, the outdoor patio is big and shaded, so how lucky are we?

I also ate more homemade date brownies than I can explain, but that’s for something later.

Rhubarb Cookies with Ginger, Lime and Sesame Toffee - Four weeks ago I would have said rhubarb was not my thing, but I am so glad I changed my mind. These are my labor of love, with a toffee that easily shatters as you bite into a fruity, soft, slightly gingery cookie. You can skip whichever component you like, the cookie dough is forgiving that way!

Cucumber and Melon Salad - More crunchy-meets-juicy combos, please. This herb and feta filled salad takes a few minutes to toss together, and it is exceptional when you serve it a bit cold.

Tomatillo Beans - I was told by a friend this recipe also works well with green tomatoes, and since green tomato season is here…well…..

I’m months behind, but this Substack post from Ham El-Waylly feels like required reading.

I have many thoughts but this letter is getting long, maybe we can bring it to the chat.

Until next week, stay cool out there <3

Xoxo,

Justine