Key Ingredients v.7
Andover's Akita Ramen, a swimsuit I love, funny things my kids say, Boston's Troquet on South, a great book to read on vacation.
Hi everyone! The latest Key Ingredients are here — I’ve rounded up a lot of good things for you to peruse.
Last week I was absent from your inbox due to travelling (EuroMoms yippee!) which I will reminisce fondly about in the coming weeks newsletters.
🍜🌶️ EAT at Akita Ramen
Akita Ramen in Andover, Massachusetts is located exactly as it should be in a Stop & Shop x Planet Fitness strip mall. Akita is nestled on the far end next to a mattress shop and a credit union. The interior is decidedly more vibrant and thoughtfully curated than you might expect, the precise opposite of hole in the wall no frills. We’ve got a wildly cool collage of Asian advertisements, so up my alley, on one wall — and on the opposite — a Hokusai inspired mural with waves, temples, a giant bowl of ramen, an Akita dog!
Equally as important, a vast menu of noodles plus light appetizers fit for the connoisseurs. From Shoyu to Shio, Tonkotsu to Miso, choose from ten ramen bowl offerings.
My Spicy Miso Ramen is litttt up with spicy oil + spicy paste in a miso based pork bone broth with wavy noodles, literal melt in your mouth pork chashu, a sweet and gooey ajitama egg, corn, green onion, and chili threads.
The Pork Bun appetizer places a thicker slice of chashu in the steamed bun but I’m telling you, it was light as can be! Dressed up with Japanese bbq sauce, iceberg lettuce and pickles, it’s a perfect little bao that I have since been craving.
For my favorite Ramen in Boston jump here.
🩱🏖️👙HAVE A NICE SWIM!
I hadn’t purchased a bathing suit in what felt like a really long time. It can be such a chore.
Left On Friday was girlfriend recommended to me last summer, plus she looked great and was comfortable. We were pontoon boating on a remote lake, naturally the conversation lead to an add on every Instagram scroll going forward. I finally gave in to the feeding frenzy.
I exhaled a breath I didn’t realize I was holding as I tried on the Pool Days Top (D+) in Rescue and the Wear To Bottom (M) in Party Wave. The fit is really, truly, true-to-size and the fabric soft as kittens. The top feels supportive but not too sporty and the neon red color pops. The Party Wave bottoms flaunt marigold and aloha magenta with a dash of rescue red to pull it all together.
I’ll probably grab another cut in a cold color scheme. Or maybe a one piece? The the probability for a pairing that fits your body type in a color you love are high to 100%.
🗣️📣 CUTE / FUNNY THINGS MY KIDS SAY
“Hi Mommy Salami!” ~ they love to rhyme, and this is my new nickname.
“We are eating a mommy salami sandwich!!” ~ Ryder, as he chowed down on my peppered salami, american cheese, little gem lettuce, dijon mustard on whole grain rye bread. (Also, an impressive sandwich for a two year old to enjoy?)
“There is barely many!!” ~ Ryder on his almost empty bowl of cereal
“Hello Big Fellow!” ~ Camden’s greeting, to anyone he likes.
“Uranus is blinking! It’s in Uranus!” ~ Camden, playing the Shine & Seek Firefly Game where there are large solar system paper lanterns scattered about (decorations left from his 5th Bday party). The blinking firefly was, in fact, in planet Uranus.
There are a lot of Uranus jokes that happen spontaneously when you have a kid who is solar system and planet obsessed. It is great comedic relief, every time.
“I LUFF YOU TOO, MOM” ~ Ryder, the little LUFF gets me every time, and so does the MOM. [I am typically not Mom, I am Mommy! I mean he can call me either but he never calls me Mom in the everyday sense. Only in this sentence, where it takes the I love you up a notch, he’s very serious about it.]
🦐🍽️ EAT Modern French Cuisine at Troquet on South in Boston’s Leather District
Start with the Bluefish Pâté — it’s not too precious, and generously involves an herb salad, red onion wisps and barely toasted crostini.
The Head on Australian Prawn is a new entrée which the waiter excitedly approved when I ordered / the runner was equally thrilled when he delivered. At a Rohan Duck Breast / Truffle Ribeye heavy table for twelve or so (we were celebrating a 40th birthday!) I was the only order that gravitated to the house made spaghetti in a velvety prawn cream with tobiko.
Honestly, if it’s a competition, the entire menu here wins. Each Plat Principal seemed to gather all the French simplicity, showcasing clean ingredients executed with finesse.
On this night we had a reliable babysitter who my boys love and we got to hang out with all our single with no kids, married / partnered with no kids, city dwelling friends. (Actually, there was one married with kids friend out solo.) I love seeing how happy everyone is, hearing about where they just got off a plane from, what marathon they last ran (quite a few runners!), and, if a single has become a couple, meeting their new partners. We might be out of the loop on a regular basis but I appreciate the connections that stay genuine even with a once in awhile night out catch up!
🧴💄Next, a few of my favorite skincare + beauty products!
I’ve been hesitant to share skincare + makeup only because it has always felt so niche, but with what I love all in one place in this newsletter, I’m feeling it.
When everything from restaurants to podcasts, to cocktails and sunglasses are game, why not. I like the variability and the freshness. Think of this like a magazine expanding.
Above left to right
Wishful Yo Glow Face Scrub — an exfoliator harnessing the magical properties of pineapple and papaya enzymes. Pictured is the mini (because the full size always sells out!) Yo Glow is a joy to scrub in and it brings along clarity and soothed skin.
Bobbi Brown Long Wear Cream Shadow Stick in Golden Light + Warm Bronze. A nice switch up from powdery shadow! Creamy, easy to apply, and you can also use them to highlight or as a buildable eye layer.
INNBEAUTY Extreme Cream — a hardworking anti-aging + firming moisturizer with plant based bio retinol. It’s a feel good application that leaves my skin dewy yet mellow.
Fenty Beauty Eaze Drop Stick Foundation — For a light to medium coverage day, this blur + smooth tint stick is ideal. There’s not a lot of product in that tube (unfortunately) but it works so well and the application is quick.
I’m grateful to
’s due diligence, I get a ton of value and recommendations from reading her Substack! You will not find a more thorough or passionate skincare and beauty advisor, among many other facets including a widely stylized wardrobe and books recs. The first three products here I purchased via her discoveries.
In contrast to the Fenty Stick, the Dior face makeup (wearing above) gives very full coverage. It evens my complexion and hides away all the blemishes and pigments. I work from home which translates to hardly putting on makeup, so everything in the below list is used sporadically.
Dior Forever Matte Foundation — SPF 15
Beyond Gloss — Quartz Shimmer, Black Plum, Cinnamon Shimmer, I am a beyond gloss addict! I linked to Ulta which still has a few colors. [Amid the BeautyCounter drama, I might need to find a new favorite lip gloss?] Truly best in class for a shimmery x glossy pout!
ILIA Beauty — wearing from the Necessary Eyeshadow Palette and Limitless Lash Mascara, plus the Nightlite Bronzer Powder (not sure they make this anymore?)
If you purchase anything from my links I may earn a small commission at no cost to you! Thank you for your support.
📚 READ
Before We Were Innocent by Ella Berman.
I had this in my kindle carousel for awhile now and decided to start it mid EuroMoms trip. Turns out Before We Were Innocent is a terrific vacation read. Three best friends from gated communities in Calabasas — Bess, Joni and Evangeline set off to spend the summer in Greece. The book is written from Bess’s pov and flip flops between the summer after high school and 10 years later.
In 2008 you are in the midst of messy, complicated young friendships and a mangled, compelling event. In 2018 you are dealing with the after-after math of said event and a sneaky suspicious disappearance. There are some big twists, I really enjoyed this one!
The Other Mothers by Katherine Faulkner.
Fans of Greenwich Park will love The Other Mothers, a deliciously suspenseful novel set in a wealthy suburb of London. A chilling murder meets an uppity moms playgroup, this book is ripe with highly unlikeable characters and plenty of suspenseful drama.
I had been off the thriller track for awhile and both of these books are perfect for hopping back on.
That was a long one. If you’ve made it this far, thanks for reading. I hope everyone is getting by / doing well / having fun. See you next week!
Mommy salami hahahaha I love that.
Very cute bikini! Cape Cod is ready for you!