Morning Brew - 🥄 Spoonula

Hiya, Sidekick readers. It’s been a hot sec since I last attended a dinner party, and the one I went to earlier this week was riveting—homemade empanadas, good company, and an excuse to dress up. Keep reading for a slammin’ summer dinner party menu from Dan Pelosi of GrossyPelosi fame.

— Rachel Cantor 

There are 4,093 emails sitting in my "Newsletter" inbox. Yes, I read so many newsletters that I filter them to a unique inbox. They cover a wide range of subjects, from 3,000-word essays on the things you usually talk about when you’re the last person at a party, to a list of all the sh*t writer Priyanka Aribindi bought and loved that week. 

The contemporary email newsletter has officially become the new Brussels sprout—every publication offers it on their menu. And this week, Molly Fischer, one of my fave writers, wrote an entire piece for The Cut on the explosion of this “new literary genre” (dare I call it my favorite one?).  

Fischer explains that newsletters are deeply personal. For me, opening one is like receiving snail mail at sleepaway camp. They’re communal too, in the sense that you’re part of an audience and they provide the “parasocial pleasure of having a slightly famous imaginary friend.” 

Yet while many newsletters aim to cut through the crap, in some ways they are “on par with social media: a bottomless hole of scroll,” Fischer argues. She writes, “I had, I realized, transformed my inbox into the rest of the internet. The great hope of newsletter writers seems to be some escape from the internet as it exists now.” 

I do think that escape still exists. It’s the writers who follow their curiosity who magically align with our idiosyncratic tastes, who capture our attention and—when we finish reading—leave us wanting more. After all, we can’t all hunt down the most obscure, limited edition snacks, but we sure love to read about ’em (at least this gal does). And maybe, at some point, we’ll get that inbox down to 2,000. 

• From a Norwegian seed vault that holds more than one million seed samples to the island where Typhoid Mary quarantined before quarantining was cool, virtually travel to the world’s forbidden places.
• As part of our July theme, Summer Recipes, I chatted with avid home cook Dan Pelosi, the mastermind behind the infamous food Instagram and blog GrossyPelosi, about his ideal summer dinner party menu. 
• There’s nothing more satisfying than stumbling on a one-of-a-kind mid-century dresser. Find the old-ish in these 50 new-ish furniture vintage shops. 
• The VP of culinary innovation at Shake Shack, John Karangis, shared the not so top secret recipe for their homemade hot honey flavor dust. Add it to your shoestring fries, chicken wings, or even your mom’s mac ’n cheese. 
• Bookmark NPR’s joy generator for when you need some pep in your step or a distraction during your lunch break. 

We’re a little more than 50% through this year, which means it’s time to check in on those New Year’s Resolutions. Except...a) I’ve forgotten all of mine and b) I don’t even know where I wrote them down. We all want to eat better, sleep more, and get in shape, but why do we still find ourselves scrolling through TikTok at 3am? One of my favorite podcasts, Hidden Brain, recently chatted with Katy Milkman, behavioral scientist and professor at Wharton, about how to hack our minds to do what’s good for us. 

Recognizing the forces that block us from making good decisions is the first step to bettering ourselves, but even knowing that isn’t enough. Milkman introduced a technique known as “temptation bundling.” The premise is to enjoy your indulgences while completing a beneficial but less-fun activity. That might mean binge-watching the new season of Too Hot to Handle while spinning, or listening to Armchair Expert while cleaning your bathroom. For more of Milkman’s tips, check out the rest of the pod.  

An infinite # of +’s.

At least, that’s how it feels once you sign up for Walmart+.

Not only will you save time and money with free same-day delivery* of fresh groceries and more from your local store, but you also get member prices on fuel and select prescriptions for...hmm, let us check...yep, FREE.

That is perhaps one of the most jam-packed sentences we’ve ever written. True, it might be a run-on, but can you blame us?

Walmart+ seemingly does the impossible by making it even more convenient to get everything you need, even if you don’t want to leave the house.

Get free same-day delivery from your local store.

• Move over, sporks, and make room for GIR's skinny spoonula. The silicone cross between a spoon and a spatula helps ya scrape all that extra pesto or creamy tofu alfredo sitting at the bottom of your blender. It’ll also grab that lil glob of crunchy peanut butter that’s too hard to reach with just your classic spoon. 
• The ultimate fork is the kitchen tool of many talents. It mixes, mashes, stirs, scrambles, and flips. It's better than a spatula when it comes to scrambling your eggs—giving them even more fluff, IMO. Plus, it’s heat resistant and dishwasher safe.
• There’s power in using mini tongs. The 6’’ ones aren’t just for flipping, frying, or grilling—they double as a serving utensil for your side dishes when you’re entertaining.