Things I Love, And So Should You: Trends, recipes and lifestyle choices you should care about

In my current senior slump that consists of a little too much free time on the weekends, I’ve fallen down a niche rabbit hole of celebrity cooking tutorials on the Vogue YouTube channel. Avid Vogue fans have probably seen their celebrity “get ready with me’s” and makeup tutorials, but maybe haven’t stumbled across these food-focused episodes quite yet. 

My phone must have picked up on my recent binge of “Don’t Worry Darling” starring Florence Pugh, since after watching it five times Florence Pugh’s garlic crostini recipe popped up on my YouTube explore page. 

It opens with Florence waving around a knife in a bold, designer dress, where through her process of dicing garlic and olive-oiling bread, she discusses both the methods to her seasoning and her experience as a woman in Hollywood. 

She also shakes herself a “vodka martini” which is just straight-up vodka and a lime peel — awesome.

Florence’s mindset around cooking is very relaxed, which carried over to my own kitchen. She tossed in a certain amount of ingredients and cut as many slices of bread as her heart desired. In my own kitchen I set my oven to 400 degrees and didn’t even set a timer.

Her recipe was as simple as she made it seem. All you really need is a good kitchen knife and an oven — and then you’re set. It took me around 20 minutes of prep time, and then 10 minutes after popping my seasoned bread in the oven I had a salty and crunchy snack. 

In my early teenage years, I obviously dabbled in some Emma Chamberlain YouTube videos — especially for fashion content. As we both grew up, our fashion senses matured along with us. I would keep up with her collabs with designer brands like Louis Vuitton and Cartier and watch her expeditions to Paris Fashion Week.

But I’ve never considered myself a fan.

Recently though, my Spotify algorithm has been begging me to listen to podcasts, shoving Emma’s “Anything Goes” podcast in my face. And while I initially ignored it, the title “does money buy happiness?” piqued my interest. And I LOVED it.

Since my initial listen, I’ve replaced over-stimulating music with an episode of her one-on-one conversations in my car or while doing chores. It has become a part of my routine.

On days when I feel like hiding under my covers, I’ll pop in my earbuds for an episode of “realistic habits” or “dealing with difficult people,” and my bed will be made in a matter of seconds.

Each episode is a blend of casual banter between Emma and her internal monologue balanced with serious conversations of insecurity and self-expression with Emma’s advice stemming from her experience as a young woman. 

Even though this podcast isn’t a new venture for Emma — the first episode debuting February 2020 — it’s still fresh. Because of the way she’s always evolving while still remaining true to herself and style, Emma Chamberlain will never get old — and neither will “Anything Goes.”

Okay, listen. This isn’t groundbreaking, this isn’t anything new. But there’s nothing better for an introvert than walking into a restaurant and saying, “table for one.” My recent Saturday morning plans have been heading out for a coffee and breakfast, with my phone on focus mode.

Now, this doesn’t mean that I don’t love a meal with my close friends and family, it’s just a way to spend some time with myself — which is equally important. 

Something about jumping into my car to try out a new restaurant for my favorite meal of the day feels so spontaneous. Maybe I need to get out more, but this solo adventure gives me a thrill. 

A small booth has become my favorite spot to break down my emotions from the week prior and set my intentions for the next. It’s my favorite way to try out new restaurants and cafes that I can recommend to my mom or visit with a friend later. 

Try it out, spend some time with yourself at First Watch or The French Market at a table for one.