EDITORâS NOTE Happy Saturday. If youâre lucky enough to have a long weekend, I hope youâre spending it doing exactly what you want to do â whether thatâs molding butter into seashells and other cute shapes, listening to Ina Gartenâs favorite love songs, or watching this BeyoncĂ© x Irish step dancing collab on loop. Oh wait, thatâs everything Iâll be doing. Though, feel free to copy. Iâll also be thinking about the âunexpected red theoryâ and whether my living room could benefit from it. And if double belting is the answer to my chronically millennial style. Probably not, but worth a shotâŠmaybe. â Melissa Goldberg / Senior Editor / Washington, DC |
|
âA Love Song for Ricki Wildeâ by Tia WilliamstheSkimmRicki Wilde has long dreamed of leaving her familyâs business in Atlanta and opening her own flower shop. So when a fairy godmother-like figure appears to help her, she seizes the opportunity and soon has her own store in Harlem. Itâs there that she meets and is immediately drawn to Ezra Walker â but while the attraction is mutual, thereâs something that pulls him away. A secondary timeline, set during the Harlem Renaissance, offers clues about Ezraâs past. We asked Williams a few questions. Hereâs what she had to say⊠Q: Over the past few years, thereâs been a rise in Black romance novels. Why was it important to you to write about Black love?Williams: Growing up, I was obsessed with historical romance and âglamourâ romance, like Judith Krantz and Jackie Collins. But Black people were never in those stories, so in my mind, Iâd recast the characters with Black actors and actresses. I knew, even then, that I wanted to grow up and write books starring us â because weâre not the Black versions of anything. We should exist loudly and proudly in stories amplifying our love. Q: âA Love Song for Ricki Wildeâ has been called âa love letter to Harlem,â which is pretty impressive for someone who lives in Brooklyn. Why did you choose it as the backdrop for the story?Williams: Iâve lived in Brooklyn my entire adult life, and all my novels have been set there. I wanted a new challenge. And modern Harlem has such a cool, chic vibe. But Iâm also a huge fan of the Harlem Renaissance. I love the fashion, literature, It girls and boys, all that 1920s glamour. I knew I wanted to weave in the Renaissance, somehow. So, I came up with a Jazz Age-era scandal that has modern-day consequences for Ricki and Ezra. Q: I imagine youâve since gotten to know Harlem pretty well. Whatâs the one place youâd say everyone must visit?Williams: Tsion CafĂ© â itâs the best Ethiopian food Iâve had in ages. Q: Youâre hosting your dream book club: Whoâs invited, what are you reading, and what are you eating?Williams: Weâre reading âFlowers in the Attic.â Iâm inviting all my Gen X girlfriends who inhaled this book as inappropriate tweens â and weâre eating Stoufferâs microwave pizza. A night of 1987-era nostalgia. |
|
The Brunch Recipe Worth Getting Out of Bed FortheSkimmThere are many reasons why being an adult is overrated â but getting to eat what you want, when you want isnât one of them. Especially if thatâs a big bowl of mini croissant cereal for breakfast (sorry to moms and dentists everywhere). Inspired by the iconic Petite Croissant CĂ©rĂ©ale from viral Brooklyn bakery LâAppartement 4F, this homemade version from food blogger Erika Kwee makes itty-bitty croissants that are just as cute and just as crispy â without the long lines and $50 price tag. Plus, the recipe has one crucial hack: store-bought puff pastry. The Time Commitment: Full disclosure, these take a while to make. As in, approximately an hour and 20 minutes. But that can vary, depending on how fast â or slow â you roll and cut the dough. Erikaâs Tips: For a fun, fruity twist, replace the cinnamon coating with a freeze-dried fruit powder, which you can buy or easily make. Also, to make sure your cereal looks as good as it tastes, itâs important to keep the dough as cold as possible. After youâve finished rolling a section of dough into miniature croissants, place them on a plate in the fridge or freezer until youâre ready to bake. Try It With: Your favorite milk or milk alternative, of course. And fresh strawberries, blueberries, or raspberries for extra sweetness. Other Takes: We normally wouldnât recommend revisiting 2020, but weâll make an exception for the cerealization of everything. In case you blacked that year out (we donât blame you), people were making all kinds of cereal spin-offs, including pancakes , waffles, donuts, muffins, French toast, and, our personal fave, chocolate chip cookies. Essentially, gourmet Cookie Crisp. |
|
The Norwegian Destination with âBright Lights, Small Cityâ EnergytheSkimmIf seeing the northern lights is at the top of your bucket list, TromsĂž, Norway is the place to go. Located more than 200 miles north of the Arctic Circle, the surprisingly cosmopolitan city is considered one of the best spots for witnessing the aurora borealis, particularly now that itâs the middle of aurora season, which runs from September to April. Not to mention, scientists are predicting that this year may bring the best northern lights activity in decades. đ To gaze at the northern lights â without leaving your warm bed â check out the greenhouse-like glass lodges at ĂRA. Theyâre 30 minutes from the city center, so thereâs no light pollution, and alarms alert guests when the aurora borealis is in view. On the other hand, if youâre more concerned with staying in the heart of TromsĂž, you canât beat Clarion Hotel The Edge. âš There are many ways to see the northern lights in TromsĂž: Hop aboard a Brim Explorer ship and enjoy a three-course dinner while drifting into the darkness of the fjords. Or, ride a cable car to the top of Mount Storsteinen for what some say is the best view in town. You could also hire a local guide, like Legendary Adventureâs Espen Minde, who offers everything from evening snowshoe hikes to private tours. đŠ Need something to do during the day? Thereâs a sprawling reindeer camp, where in addition to feeding its 300 residents, you can learn more about the culture and customs of the indigenous SĂĄmi community. Or, to explore more of the cityâs nearby fjords and islands, take a ride on the Hermes II, a restored wooden fishing boat from 1917. Whatever you choose, make sure to stop at Pust, a floating sauna where you can heat up in the steam room, plunge into the Arctic waters, and repeat. đŽ Start your day with a perfectly brewed coffee and a fluffy cinnamon roll from RisĂž Mat og Kaffebar. For a taste of Arctic cuisine â think: locally sourced fish, high-quality meat â make a dinner reservation at Mathallen, before ending your evening at Ălhallen. The pub opened in 1928 and offers 72 tap beers by Mack, the northernmost brewery in the world. Same vibes, different budget. A dark sky and wide open space makes Glacier National Park an ideal option for experiencing the northern lights from the US. One of the best viewing spots is Lake McDonald, located about 35 minutes from increasingly popular Whitefish, MT. |
|
We asked you to vote on an etiquette question youâd like answered. The winner was: Q: My friend invited me to an expensive restaurant for her birthday. How do I ask her whoâs paying, or if weâre expected to all split it?âIf youâre hosting and intend to pay for the group, I always recommend stating that in the invitation. Something like, âPlease join me on X date, Y time, and Z place to celebrate my birthday. My treat.â But if itâs unclear who will be paying, you should expect to pay your own way. [If you canât afford it], you have a couple options, depending on your relationship with the person. If you are very close, you could be open, honest, and direct and say, âYou know I love celebrating you, but I donât think this is going to fit into my budget this month. Maybe [the two of us can do something else] or I can drop your gift off this week.â Alternatively, if you donât know the person well, you could thank them for the invitation and politely decline, without mentioning why.â |
|
Which etiquette question should an expert answer next week? |
|
Trending products and brands our shopping team has been loving recently. 1. Up to 80% off at ban.do's annual warehouse sale.Grab these colorful socks and cute travel mug and save them for your next gifting opportunity. The sale lasts through February 23, so now's the time to stock up. 2. A buy more, save more sale at Made In.Until Monday, get up to 25% off chef-quality cookware, including our favorite nonstick pans and the quintessential knife set with a nice olive wood block. 3. Thousands of Presidents Day deals at QVC.Stock up on a two-pack of hydrating body cream, a hands-free vacuum, and more deals across categories. | *PS: Want more product recs? Follow @skimmshopping on Instagram. |
|
Have a book, recipe, or travel rec? Or, a dicey etiquette question you want answered by an expert? Submit them here. |
|
Skimmâd by: Rasheeda Campbell, Melissa Goldberg, Alex Carr, Margaret Wheeler Johnson, and Niven McCall-Mazza | Photos by Grand Central Publishing, Erika Kwee, Myka Meier, MuYeeTing via iStock, pawopa3336 via iStock, Riska via Getty Images, Brand Partners Design by theSkimm *PS: This is a sponsored post. |
|
|
|
