Early spring in Brooklyn can be quite the tease. One day it is gloriously sunny and 75; the sort of weather that practically begs you to play hooky. The next, clouds converge as if out of nowhere, and rain pours down, soaking you to the bone. Of course, the latter seems to be perfectly timed for the moment when you’ve finally let your guard down and left your umbrella at home. Or does this only happen to me?
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drinks
Pumpkin Pie Smoothie
Last Fall, I taste tested over 100 pumpkin spice products, and while I can’t exactly say that I miss chomping my way through chalky yogurts and pumpkin spice kale chips like it’s my (literal) job, that epic undertaking taught me that this super-cozy spice blend shouldn’t be written off just because it’s mainstream. (I also confirmed my suspicions that many pumpkin spice products are comically bad.) I learned that when treated right, this basic bitch favorite essence of fall can shine.
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Blueberry Banana Almond Smoothie
While I don’t dislike blueberries, they’re hardly my first choice given that they peak at the same time as watermelon, pluots, cherries, nectarines, blackberries, and many other far-more-exciting summer fruits. That is, unless we’re talking wild blueberries. Smaller, more-consistently flavorful, and mightily-tart, wild blueberries are like the burrata to conventional blueberries’ mozzarella; different and better. Sadly, like tart Montmorency cherries, they’re tricky to find fresh outside of their limited growing region, but don’t let that bum you out too much; these tiny orbs of tastiness are practically made to be frozen.
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Cucumber Moscow Mule
The closest I’ve come to being a regular at a bar, Cheers-style, came when Andrew and I lived in San Francisco’s NOPA neighborhood. At the time, my best friend Ally bartended at a spot down the street, Madrone Art Bar. Naturally, we’d pop in from time to time to say hi and have a couple (or more than a couple) drinks. While Madrone has a fairly-extensive cocktail and beer list, early on I landed on a favorite and rarely wavered in my order thereafter. A combination of cucumber vodka, ginger beer, and lime, the “Lola” was easy to love.
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Cherry Vanilla Smoothie
Typically, I prefer a hot breakfast — scrambled eggs or steel cut oatmeal with lots of fruit and nuts — but on extra-busy mornings, smoothies are just the thing. My only gripe: many don’t pack in enough fat and protein to satisfy my appetite until lunch. This cherry-vanilla shake is bulked up with tangy, probiotic-packed kefir, and, while a bit lighter than my other favorite smoothie (banana almond), it’s quite satiating. Plus, it’s quite the looker.
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Rick Ross’ Cucumber-Mint Spa Water
Generally speaking, I’m not particularly excited by celebrity news and gossip, with diets being a major exception. It may edge slightly into the realm of “stars — they’re just like us” journalism, but I feel no shame in my fixation (we all have our guilty pleasures). And really, there’s something fascinating about learning how anyone eats, even more so when it involves an individual whose body is so tied to their work. All of which is to say that I’m a frequent reader of the Grub Street Diet series, Bon Appetít’s My Morning Routine, and one-off pieces in the same vein. (Rebecca Harrington’s I’ll Have What She’s Having: My Adventures in Celebrity Dieting is also excellent.)
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