Three Things

Turn those Easter eggs into dinner, grapefruit cocktails (and mocktails), a new-old mantra for parents

Greetings eaters and readers! Hope you had a nice weekend — we went out one night and cooked in the other, and I learned a new amazing word: passeggiata, which is the Italian tradition of taking a leisurely walk or stroll, usually after a meal, something I crave instinctively this time of year when the sky is still so bright after dinner. In nonfiction news, my husband cannot stop talking about the new book There’s Always This Year by MacArthur genius and National Book Award finalist Hanif Abdurraqib. “If you’re a basketball fan, you’ll love it,” says Andy. “But that’s not a requirement. At all. Promise. This book is about who we are and what we owe the places we come from. Hanif is a poet, as well, and his writing is as beautiful and musical and full of longing as it gets. Also, he’s on a big tour now and if you have a chance to see him live, I can’t recommend it enough. He’s a deep and special person and the mutual respect between him and his audience is really something to behold.” Thanks, Andy!

Speaking of cameos, I’m traveling next week, and have three great writers lined up to write your Three Things dispatch, including Susanality’s Susan Spungen up there. (That’s the two of us post-lunch, plotting and shopping in Eataly last week.) Later this week, paying subscribers will get a game plan for a casual dinner party. (Is there any other kind?) It’s a menu I will be cutting and pasting all spring long and if you don’t want to miss it, you can subscribe here.

And now, your Three Things…

1. Eggs for Dinner, Lunch, Dessert

Not that most of us ever need an excuse to eat eggs, but being the week after Easter and all, I thought you might be looking for a few ways to use up any extras. For dinner tonight I’m having a Frittata, but could be easily convinced to go in the Migas Tacos direction, shown way up top. For the rest of the day: Egg Salad Crisps make the most excellent lunch — the one above is chopped up hard-boiled eggs mixed with 2:1 mayo to spicy brown mustard, salt and pepper, then spread on Finn Crisp crackers and topped with pickled onions; Polenta with Roasted Mushrooms, Tomatoes, Onions and Sweet Chili Glaze (from The Weekday Vegetarians) gets topped with sprouts and a seven-minute egg to make it one of my go-to veg-forward easy dinners; Chocolate Mousse, rich-and-light-as-air, needs no hard-sell, except to say that it uses six (separated) eggs; Lastly, I could eat Kimchili-drizzled Squash Fritters with a picture-perfect-sunnyside-up egg and a simple sautéed kale for literally any meal, all day long.

2. Grapefruit Mocktails and Cocktails

Citrus season is winding down, which is all the more reason for you (and by you, I mean me) to squeeze in as many grapefruit-inspired drinks as possible. Last weekend, on a rainy Saturday, I picked up some Grapefruit Smoked Salt and Chile Syrup at the Tin Building, and even though it might seem pricey, I’ve found that a little goes a long way. Later that night, I stirred about 1 tablespoon into a small glass of tequila on the rocks with a few splashes of seltzer, but it’s also great with just straight-up seltzer. I like the idea of having something a little special on hand that can easily translate to a mocktail, especially when we have dinner guests who aren’t drinking. (We always have NA beers in the fridge, too.) P.S. A few weeks ago, I had a Grapefruit Negroni at Bar Boulud which I strongly endorse for my fellow Negroni Fanatics. The ratio is 1:1:1 Grapefruit Juice, Campari, Gin. Garnish with a grapefruit wedge or rind.

@phoebecomix

3. My New Mantra: “W.A.I.T.”

For years, the maxim W.A.I.T. (as in “Why Am I Talking?”) as a shut-up-and-listen strategy has been deployed and appreciated by CEOs, mother-in-laws, podcast hosts, business coaches, life coaches, Anne Lamott and even Tom Hanks. And now I’m adding myself to the other list of people, those of us who have not yet learned how to check themselves, to repeat in silent meditation, Why am I talking? Do I have something to say? Is it the right time to say it? Will it be adding anything to the conversation? I can get overly chatty at a dinner party, but this is not really what I’m talking about. I’m mostly talking about being the mother of young adults. My daughters are 22 and 20 years old, a concept that is extremely hard for me to grasp considering that it was only seconds ago that my biggest parenting concern was trying to figure out which cake I should bake for the birthday party. As my kids begin to sketch out road maps for their futures, it’s so tempting to say at every juncture: This is how I did it or This is how it was done back then or You have to learn to do it this way. I’m their mother, so it’s impossible to shut off the advice valve completely, but I’m doing my best to actually exercise restraint, to not to add to the stress and frustration. Why Am I Talking. WAIT. Try it out with a young adult near you.

Thanks for reading, have a great week!

Jenny

P.S. Curious about what’s under that beautiful crust? I built a dinner party around this new showstopper and all of the details (recipes, menu, game plan) will be in Friday’s newsletter for paying subscribers. Click here if you don’t want to miss it.

Penguin Random House | Amazon | Bookshop | Barnes & Noble |
Hudson Booksellers | Books A Million | Powell’s | Target | Walmart |

(🥬🌿Or pick up a copy of the first Weekday Vegetarians if you’re behind on your homework. Thanks for the support! 🌺🥬💚 )