What are you up to this weekend? I’m driving to Vermont to pick up Anton from summer camp, and I CANNOT WAIT to squeeze that little boy!!! I’m bringing cookies for the car and made a playlist that he’ll probably think is uncool. Omg, my heart. Hope you have a good one, and here are a few links from around the web…

In today’s Big Salad issue, we’re featuring Deb Perelman from Smitten Kitchen. She’s revealing her dream dinner party — including three fantasy guests, four recipes, and a gorgeous tablecloth. Plus, her #1 Trader Joe’s item and the career advice Ina Garten gave her.

This English children’s bedroom with three beds is soooooo cute.

Loving the shape of these jeans and want to wear them with this laidback T-shirt or boatneck sweater.

Have you seen Janet Planet? It was meandering and beautiful and touching, and the characters rang so, so true.

Middle-of-the-date questionnaire. “When the bartender came over, did you put on a little voice, or do you just talk like that?”

Celebrity Book Club’s podcast episode about Studio McGee was very compelling.

My kids and I smelled like this all summer, mmmm.

What random things have you been complimented on? Brooke’s answer was funny.

Living for all the Midwestern memes.

Gahhh, this shade of green is good.

Hahahaha, middle school boys.

Plus, three reader comments:

Says Abbe on five fun things: “Minnesotan here, and we love Tim Walz. The best thing I’ve benefited from under his governorship, as someone who makes her living as an hourly consultant, is that Minnesota passed a Sick & Safe law for 2024 that gives you accrued paid time off for sickness, childcare, etc. As a mom of three, including twins, I can’t tell you how much this has changed my life for the better. It’s an example of the positive, progressive change he has led. He absolutely supports women — and everyone — in so many ways.”

Says Julie on five fun things: “Political hopefulness is such an amazing feeling. I know we shouldn’t wait to feel hope (and instead be part of action and restoration), but I had forgotten the sensation of bone-deep anticipatory joy. It’s vulnerable, isn’t it? And SO GOOD.”

Says Betsy on five fun things: “Hi, Joanna and company! I know the comments can get super heated whenever things get political, but I wanted to say – during college I fell into a fundamentalist cult that was Christian Nationalism pumped up to 11. You think it, I was it: homophobic, anti-choice, antisemitic, a proponent of the Great Replacement Theory – all from a cloistered community that restricted my movements and had me proselytize two days a week. Coincidentally, that was also the time I started reading CoJ, circa 2009. I was here just for the fashion roundups and the *glamorous* NYC lifestyle, so I’d roll my eyes or get mentally combative at what I thought was ‘liberal brainwashing,’ but I read it anyway, and it stuck, even if I didn’t really want it to. Joanna was so warm and firm in her convictions and logical, and once she started having more guest writers on from a wide array of backgrounds, I started to get more exposure to other POVs than I’d ever had before. Now, years later — and only officially four years removed from where I was — with MUCH therapy, I am in a good place. I’m out as queer (now my fascination with the ‘New York Legalizes Gay Marriage‘ post makes sense, lol) to a few select people — including my fiancé, who is Jewish, which five years ago I literally would have never — and reformed on almost every core value I used to have. So, thank you, and don’t lose heart. For some of us, it’s the long game. Hopefully not too long, though.”

(Photo by Joe Dodd/Stocksy.)

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