The Round Up: July 2025
Food:
Started off the month with the 4th of July long weekend and here is what I made for a family BBQ. We made some shrimp, lobster and chicken skewers, salad, couscous salad, grilled veggies and some baklava rice krispies.
Summer is literally the only time I crave fruity desserts. I made NYT Cooking’s Stovetop Berry Skillet and it was so easy and delicious. This recipe is from one of my faves, Ali Slagle.
This is my third time checking out one of the Revival Cafe locations and I just love it! They serve wonderful coffees, great egg sandos and always have fresh ingredients. This month, I went to the Lexington location and one of my favorite things to get is the broccoli situation.
I posted about Yume Ga Arukara a few months ago but I finally went back to try their cold udon and it was really delicious. If you are in the Boston area and haven’t been here yet, you are seriously missing out!
Made it back to Neptune Oyster and this time, on a Tuesday, so I was able to try their Tuesday special - uni pasta. It was soooo delicious and had peas, pancetta, uni, egg yolk, all in a silky sauce. As far as I am concerned now, the only day to go to Neptune is now on Tuesdays.
Finally got to try Thaiger Den in Malden and it was super delicious! I originally had reservations here on my birthday, back in early January, but got hit with a bad cold and had to cancel. I am so glad we finally made it there! I loved their fun takes on some Thai classics and I got to try a lot of things I haven’t tried before. Their shrimp pad Thai, tom yum soup, chicken wings, crispy pork belly and crab curry were truly amazing. I can’t wait to go back!
We had a big family BBQ with my family, who were in town from CA and my husband’s family and all the food was delicious. We made BBQ chicken, shrimp skewers, and flank steak. Grilled corn, zucchini, a watermelon and feta salad and some other salads. The perfect summer BBQ.
I may be way late to the party on these but these Trader Joe’s chips are just delightful. Super light and crispy.
I got to try Nine Winters Bakery with a friend and it was a fun / cute spot! I would recommend their cookie selection over everything else - the black sesame chocolate chip cookie and the peanut butter chili crisp cookie were both insane.
Other:
This was our view from a 4th of July party we went to! Boston was pretty perfect that weekend!
I have been loving Tana French’s Dublin Murder Series - if you are looking for a mystery series, I really recommend it!
My family (from the West Coast) took a trip to Midcoast Maine and we had such a nice time. You can read about everything we ate here.
I finally bought myself some Marin Skincare, and specifically went for their strawberry rhubarb lip treatment. I really like it! It smells delish and the formula is really nice. The lip treatment is hydrating and not sticky at all.
My sister recommended this Necessaire deodorant and I have been really impressed. It really works - and that is coming from someone that has had many failed attempts at natural deodorant options.
Lenny:
