What I’m Reading: Red, White, and Royal Blue, by Casey McQuiston. This is the upcoming book for July’s book club (June’s was A Place for Us). This isn’t normally the kind of book I would pick off the shelf – I don’t usually read romance. However, I saw it featured on Powell’s Midyear Roundup, and since I consider Powell’s an authority on books, I’m looking forward to getting into this one. Part of the fun of book clubs is that you read things you normally wouldn’t.
What I’m Eating: Cookie and Kate’s fresh mint dressing. About a month ago, we had dinner at the vegan restaurant Strange Town (lots of green plants, woman-owned wineries, and small plates intended to be shared). We had the arugula salad with green strawberries, dried apples, frisee, and some kind of herby dressing. I’ve been thinking about recreating this ever since, and this mint dressing is a great dupe. Not overly minty, but fresh tasting.
What I’m Loving: Riverwest Co-op coffee. One of our nearby neighborhoods is called Riverwest, and it’s got this cool, sort of grungy, hippy vibe. There’s a small co-op store and cafe that we became members of – hoping to start volunteering there soon! One of the coffees they sell is this co-op blend, and it is delicious.
What I’m Grateful For: These birdhouses around Milwaukee. For a few months I’ve been noticing these small, plain birdhouses in random trees around the city. The say things like “For rent” and “$800.” Apparently, according to Reddit, some guy named Dan has been putting them up around the city for about a decade. They are so cute and fun, and it’s like a little scavenger hunt everywhere I go! I recently noticed this one right outside my apartment building.
What I’m Trying Out: Riverwest Gardener’s Market. I tried one other “farmer’s” market the other week, but really it was just artists and one person with jam and another person with macarons – no produce. I’m hoping Riverwest’s will be a more traditional farmer’s market, and I’ll be able to pick up some summer veggies.
Have a happy weekend!
pieces of paper (cranes & airplanes) 