Stuff I Like: It's Been Awhile! Watching, Listening, Wearing, Eating

It's tough to come up with "stuff I like" on a weekly basis so I had to give it a rest for a while. Now I'm back with some new stuff I like! 

This Show That Is Continuously The Best

Are you guys watching Better Things on FX? I know I've talked about it before but it's JUST SO GOOD. The episodes are funny and wry and dark and basically art. I just love Pamela Adlon and her beautiful disfunction and I very much relate to her relationship with her mother.  (The kids on the show are basically jerks, though. Except for Duke.) 

This Podcast That It's Good Lady Stuff

Do you ever get to a point where all your Podcasts are hate-listens? Me too. That's why I was relieved to find The Cut on Tuesdays, which is a podcast by women, about women. Not every episode is a winner but it's really well done and I love their How ____ Gets It Done series that comes out on Thursdays. (I suggest the Amy Sherald episode!) Also, it never fails to crack me up when they close with, "See you next Tuesday!" 

PS. If for some reason you're looking for a good hate-listen, try the the Sally Hershberger episode of Fat Mascara. She's so OOT obnoxious it made me sputter-laugh.

These Glasses That Are Saving Marianne's Eyes

My eyes have been really tired and I’ve been getting headaches, so I got my vision checked and it’s totally fine. However, my eye doctor  so he suggested I look into getting some blue light blocking glasses. I bought this pair and I actually think they are helping! Plus they are very cute, and I've gotten lots of compliments. 

These Trader Joe's Picks (and a sort of recipe) 

Once a month or so I brave Trader Joe's and buy a bunch of tried and true products but also try to pick up a few things I haven't tried. Sometimes they're good, sometimes not so much. On my most recent trip I bought two things I really love! The first is the Mini Brie Bites, which are tiny adorable single-serving rounds of delicious brie! It's too much packaging for what it is, but man, it is so nice for throwing into a lunch box. I also got some Sweet Potato Gnocchi and roasted it with some sliced up chicken sausage, similar to this recipe. (I did not add pesto.)  I dumped it all on a bed of baby spinach and ate it for dinner, then for lunch the next day. Not exactly low-cal but easy and tasty.

That's all I have today! Let me know if you have any new favorite podcasts or weird products or recipes, pls. 

Stuff I Like: Eating, Hibernating, Learning, Watching

I haven't done one of these in a while! Here are a few of the things that have been making my life better lately: 

This Salmon Salad I Eat For Lunch Every Week
It's that time of year when my weight is creeping up and austerity measures must be made. I pack my lunch every day and try really hard to pack food that's nutritious and also tasty. My latest obsession is this salmon salad recipe that I've been making every week. It really simple, makes two decent portions and tastes really good. You can put it in a collard wrap if you must but I prefer it on a toasted wheat pita with a handful of salad greens shoved in. Definitely get the good canned salmon with skin and bones included (I know, but they mix right in and you won't even notice and that's where the nutrition lives.) Because I'm bougie I like to use this fancy-ass mayo but Dukes is just fine too and I also add salt to the recipe because I'm not a monster.

This Comforter I Can't Live Without
I moved in with my boyfriend back in the summer and we have this great little 1960s ranch house that I adore. But y'all, I am freezing to death. This cute house of ours is drafty and I decided we needed a super cozy bed set-up so that I wasn't always a shivering poodle. On some dumb podcast I listen to (okay, it was Forever 35) a guest mentioned she had a silk-filled comforter that was great because it's weighty but also regulates body heat well.  I was like, THAT SOUNDS PERFECT. I scoured Amazon, bought the LilySilk All Season Luxury Silk Comforter and never looked back. I love it, my boyfriend loves it, the cats really love it. It's not super thick but it's deliciously heavy without being suffocating. It's not inexpensive but I've been so happy with it. Worth every penny.

This Audiobook That's Teaching Me French
Long story, but I never took a foreign language in high school. So, when we planned our trip last fall to Paris, I was pretty worried about the language thing and started listening to the Coffee Break French podcast. It's an excellent place to start and helped me to learn a few important words and phrases. Now, with our upcoming return trip to Paris (next week!) I wanted to go a little deeper. I researched the various programs and eventually bought Learn French With Paul Noble. This audiobook is an immersive method and within the first hour you're speaking full sentences, which feels like magic. It's not super helpful for just learning traveler's French (I think Coffee Break French does a better job of that) but it's still quite good, even if I tend to get snappy with Paul, who is smug. We get it Paul, you're a GD genius.

This Amazing Show You're Probably Already Watching
OMG are you watching Russian Doll? Marianne told me about it (she's watched it twice through) and I am currently obsessed. Also, Natasha Lyonne is just amazing and has the best hair. The basic premise is that the main character Nadia gets caught in a loop in which she repeatedly attends her birthday party and dies at the end of the night each time. It's dark and funny and kind of weird, just how I like it. I won't say more because I don't want to spoil it, just watch it.

Stuff We Like: Summer Edition.

Hi! It's summer aka our favorite season! Summer is when I look and feel the best - my hair grows like crazy, my skin loves the humidity and I get to eat allllll the tomatoes and corn on the cob.  Do not even talk to me about stupid bleak autumn, it's summer I love best. And with that bold statement, here is some stuff we like:


Marianne’s picks:

Supergoop Glow Stick 
This is just NICE--it goes on clear, feels so good on your skin, and it works. We all wore it at the beach and not one person got even a tiny bit sunburnt, plus it didn't break me out. I haven't tried it as a highlighter like they recommend, nor have I tried it with makeup. But I really like it and my kids do too! Lasts a long time too.

Thrive Causemetics Lash Extensions Mascara
I was skeptical about this (and even moreso until I realized it's not an MLM like everyone initially thinks), but this is a great product. My eyes are increasingly sensitive so I wanted to try something natural that claimed to not flake or smear, and this stuff is legit. And it really does make my lashes look crazy long. At the end of the day it just removes with warm water and yet not one speck of it flakes or smears all day, even in the humidity. Good stuff.

A light, cute book for beach or summer reading
Matchmaking for Beginners--It won't change your life but it was fun and cute and I read it in like a day. Good stuff, available at Amazon and at the library.

Seafolly Deep-V One-Piece Swimsuit
So it took me forever to pull the trigger on this suit, but I had a gift card and a 20% off code so I did it. The reviews stressed me out, but I think anthro fixed the sizing issues. I ordered the upper end of my usual size (I'm a 10/12 so I went with a 12) and the tag says AUS 16, which is rude but also accurate. But it's great! The material is super nice, it's flattering, and comfortable. I worried it wouldn't be supportive enough but it's fine.

Adrien's picks:

Avene Thermal Water

I'm pretty sure I've talked about this before and it's one of those products that is definitely not necessary, but it sure is nice. I spray it on my face when I'm flushed after exercise and want to cool down or just when I need a little moisture. It's really nice to use before applying a sleeping mask to keep all that nice moisture in your skin. Otherwise it doesn't really DO anything, it's just nice.

Diptyque Oyedo Candle

I bought this candle at the Diptyque store in NYC as a housewarming gift for the new house. It's definitely a splurge but it was so worth it. It's so GOOD. It has notes of grapefruit, green tangerine, yuzu, cedar, and thyme so it's a very citrusy/green/herby smell that's energizing and fresh. Exactly what I want a house to smell like in the summer. 

Nora Ephron Essays

I've been rereading I Feel Bad About My Neck and I Remember Nothing: And Other Reflections and basically reacquainting myself with the awesomeness that was Nora Ephron. These books make for great summer/beach/pool reading because they're intelligent but funny and easy to dip in and out and pick what you want to read. I especially relate to her essay The D Word (excerpted here) but I also love her passion for New York City, for her apartment, and for food. I am also very much starting to relate to her essays on aging which are funny but also goddammit it I really need to moisturize my neck like RIGHTNOW.

And a Recipe! 

This Fresh Cilantro Corn Salad was posted last summer by Marianne but I thought it deserved to be mentioned again because earlier this week I was like, "what was that amazing corn salad I loved last summer?" And then was like, duh, it's on the blog. Anyway, it's just the best way to enjoy summer produce and it's crazy delicious and you should make it. The end. 

Stuff I Like: Watching, Eating, Listening

I'm back with Stuff I Like. If you have any suggestions for a category, please let me know!

This Show Which Is The Best Thing On TV.

The second season of Better Things just started last week on FX and I am SO excited. I believe the first season is available on Hulu and probably OnDemand if you need to catch up. (Also, Lenny Kravitz was in season 1!) It's just such a smart/funny/honest/depressing take on middle age and motherhood and I love Pamela Adlon so much. Just watch watch it. It's totally worth your time. 

This Recipe Which is A Lot of Work But Worth It.
Okay, so Orecchiette with Broccoli and Pecorino is a Giada recipe but if you hate her please don't let that keep you from making this. It's fucking delicious, okay? On the show she makes it in, like, 10 minutes all easy-peasy. In real life it takes an hour because ten minutes is not enough time to roast broccoli, but it's really satisfying, good leftover and perfect for fall. It's vegetarian and perfectly fine the way it is but you can also add the protein of your choice. PS. Don't leave out the golden raisins! I'm not even a fan of raisins but they add just the right amount of sweetness.

This Podcast About People Who Are... Not Like Me.
How I Built This is a pretty interesting podcast. Each episode is about a founder/entrepreneur of a company that's now successful, often against the odds. I've listened to three or four episodes and found the Sara Blakely/Spanx episode to be the most delightful and made me feel good about buying Spanx products. (The tights are so good!) The episode about Rent The Runway did not give me feels but it's certainly interesting from the perspective of what it takes to turn an idea into a multi-million dollar company. I'm not a big risk-taker so it's pretty fascinating to read about the crazy things successful people do to make their dreams a reality.