What's Your Summer?
Barnacles, Espresso Tonic, A Cookbook I'm Loving, Sardine Girl Summer, Andover's La Rosa & ☀️ Reading Update
Key Ingredients (this is version 9!) is an edit of all the things I am into, that I think you will love too.
With an abundance of everything, we can’t consume it all. Find my recommendations for distinctive food, great drinks, enjoyable books, easeful podcasts and more! This month’s edit is fully carbonated! But by all means if a section doesn’t interest you, skip on down and scroll to the next.
I don’t usually publish today but I like to mix it up. Also, last Thursday was a paid subscriber post, this Thursday is the 4th! Here to share it all!!! Grateful for your support!
What’s your Summer?
is living her best Boring Girl Summer. MNO is hot rodent boyfriend summering (Jeremy Allen White pls). My brother-in-law commented on a story of my boys “Cute Boy Summer”. Yeah! Exactly as I was typing these words (how serendipitous) my friend Sarah DMed us Wet Hot Summer. No, thank you! Firework Girl Summer is all about getting a little lit, having a blast, ending the night with a bang. Probably me! Live it up (or down) as your see fit!Percebes (barnacles)
predicts percebes are going to soon have their moment. If you didn’t read it on La Briffe, you heard it here first. The below footage is from September 2023 in Lagos, Portugal. Hand-harvested gooseneck barnacles are completely fun to eat: a delicate sea-salty morsel reminiscent of a clam but firmer. 
I’ve not seen these in the US but Ruth had them in Chicago. Be on the lookout kiddos!
Drinking: Espresso Tonic
The Espresso Tonic is a heat wave savior. I’ve tried variations of an afternoon latte switcheroo both with sparkling water and tonic water. A little Perrier versus Fever Tree.
Sparkling water seems to pronounce the bitterness of the espresso while something very special happens on the tonic side of things. There is an inherent sweetness and underlying citrusy notes to the quinine that magically mesh with the dense, earthy espresso — so it’s more bittersweet than pure bite. A fresh orange slice adds brightness and enhances the pairing.
The order is important as demonstrated in the video: first, pour 1/2 a bottle of Fever Tree Tonic Water (or Perrier, if you prefer) over ice. Add a slice of orange, or a small peel, to taste. Brew the espresso separately (this can happen in advance if you want it to cool slightly). Pour the brewed espresso directly over the tonic. Allow the espresso to settle or give it a satisfactory stir.
You’ve got a refined, carbonated, zesty afternoon coffee beverage to power you through the afternoon. Come 5 pm you can mix the leftover tonic with gin and limes!
my espresso maker (I’ve had it for almost 7 years) and my favorite capsules. (always the doubles). The stainless steel straws I can’t live without. Everyday glassware to splurge on. my comfy, flowy sundress (similar).
Cooking
I’ve been going with flavorful, simple-to-make recipes from this cookbook. It is based on the bounty of a New England garden organized into chapter by vegetable and fruit.
I doubled the sauce in the Spicy Garlicky Eggplant and used pickled ginger because I didn’t have fresh on hand, which is a strange gamble that works. I also did not have a chili pepper, but pantry staple Sambal Oelek (fresh chili paste) accepts the job offer. Chopped cashews sprinkled on top added a nice nutty crunch.
Grilled Veggie Skewers are so satisfying on a hazy summer night. Carmel-y sweet onions, vibrant red and orange peppers, slightly charred zucchini and baby red potatoes; pair with a cold bottle of Sancerre or a dry rosé. Next time I will boil the potatoes before I add them to the skewer. They were good but slightly firm.
An instant mood boost is drinking out of this green wine glass. If a jewel tone that feels this fancy for $7 is on your card, then, bingo!
The Kale Aglio e Olio is another recipe that I enjoyed. The second nod to Portugal (after the barnacles) are tinned Sardines we bought in Vila Nova de Gaia. The recipe called for anchovies, but sardines are already bathing in olive oil, a low-key very easy swap!
Favorite cookware. Wooden Spatula.
If you have a Garden (or want to start one), a farm share, or are generally looking to cook with the bounty of nature in a vegetable forward way, don’t hesitate on a copy of Garden Grown. Nice job Juila + Anel!
Fish Girl Summer 🎣 but make it Sardines. I don’t know how I got all the way here. Suddenly I’m coveting a Sardine Tote Bag, a Sardine Makeup Bag,
And a Sardine Bath Mat.
Liberez La Sardines is already a movement in Clare V’s world. So…there you go!
Dining Out
At LaRosa’s in Andover (MA) patrons are drinking Peroni from frosted pilsner glasses or living their best Spritz life perched up at the marble bar. From a posh main street that already kind of transports you out of suburbia, La Rosa’s feels like you’re at a coffee shop meets lively trattoria in Rome. Or at least closer to it!
The food is very good. So is their iced Nutella shaken espresso or a pistachio latte. La Rosa’s spans a few windowfront sections: grab coffee or food to go at the café counter, separate from where the perfect-for-date-night bistro + bar is. They also have outdoor tables.
The GORGONZOLA salad lends salty Italian Blue Cheese crumbles to Mixed Greens, Candied Walnuts, Granny Smith Apples, Smoked Bacon and Figs in a zesty plus herbal Lemon Basil Vinaigrette.
Their Tomato Sauce is bright, juicy, and holds depth. I love it smothered over a Chicken (or Eggplant) PARM SANDWICH with Provolone, Mozzarella & Parmesan on a fluffy toasted braided roll.
In PASTA LAROSA the creamy House Vodka sauce generously coaxes its way around textured rings of mezze rigatoni.
LAST CALL
On the FARM Rio Banana Foliage Bodysuit 🍌. Anything Farm Rio at 50% off sings to me. It sings something like…Girl From Ipanema Goes Walking 🎶. If this Tropical T-Shirt Dress happens to dip in price before it sells out, in! 🤞🏼
☀️ Summer Reading Update 🏖️
Real Americans by Rachel Khong
This Summer Will Be Different by Carley Fortune
Summer Romanceby Annabel MonaghanFunny Storyby Emily HenrySwan Song by Elin Hildebrand
Added from your recs:
All Fours by Miranda July
The Sicilian Inheritance by Jo Piazza
Big Magicby Elizabeth Gilbert
Summer Romance hits with raw, emotional, and heartfelt storytelling. I read it in a weekend. Listen to the author in conversation with
on her podcast So Into That x Annabel Monaghan. Summer Romance will be great on its own but I listened to their chat before I read. Annabel is extremely likeable as is the way she injects insight into the characters and her writing process. Girl Crush!
Innocent until proven guilty, the unanimous jury of peers have spoken, Funny Story is guilty on all counts of being
’s best novel yet. Really it is. She peels back the layers of her characters like delicately unfurling an onion, slice by slice, and manages to do the same with their relationships. Funny Story is frisky and it begs you to curl up and tuck in, eager each time for what happens next.What are you reading?
Happy July One!! Summer officially pops off now!
What’s your Summer?
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You have quite the extraordinary palette!
Keep writing. These are great posts!
Ok I think I might actually get the bath mat. All the sardine stuff is so so cute.