Happy Saturday. And happy Fourth of July. Most importantly: Happy Taylor Swift’s wedding weekend to all who celebrate. I’m coming to you from the Jersey Shore, where I’m spending as much time as possible submerged in the ocean. But every moment I’m on dry land, I’ll be obsessively tracking updates about T&T's wedding at Madison Square Garden. More on that (including their completely unexpected officiant) tomorrow. As a certain singer once said, “You don’t know the life of a newsletter-writer girl, babe, and you’re never gonna wanna.” Or something like that. Here’s what else is on my mind…
If you’re too impatient to press your tofu, try this genius trick that mostly replaces that step. I do this all the time and it’s so much easier (and a lot less precarious) than stacking all my cookbooks in a tower on top.
I can’t decide how I feel about this reimagining of the Gap sweater I desperately wanted when I was 7. (If they really want to heal my inner child, they’ll rerelease the original piece in time for winter.)
Turns out you can DIY an Etsy-worthy piece of home decor, and practically all you need is that old tomato paste tube sitting in the back of your fridge. New craft project unlocked.
As a certified Tuna Girl™ (don’t @ me), I’m dying to try this unbelievably easy recipe that begins with the best ingredient in the freezer aisle.
— Julia Reinstein / Writer, Culture & Leisure / Brooklyn, NY
The Caprese Orzo Pasta Salad Your Cherry Tomatoes Deserve
theSkimm
We’ve seen enough: We’re officially declaring it pasta salad season. And if you ask us, there’s no better way to kick it off than with What’s Gaby Cooking’s Caprese Orzo Pasta Salad. The recipe brings together what we love about caprese salad (read: everything) with a perfectly al dente orzo base, a smattering of fresh herbs, and a balsamic vinaigrette that’s good enough to drink. The real magic of this recipe comes from the cherry tomatoes — half of them get roasted into a sweet jammy oblivion, while the other half get tossed in raw, giving the dish variety without extra effort on your end. At last, a salad that says tomato and tom-AH-to.
The Time Commitment: About 40 minutes.
Key Tips: To make sure your orzo is flavorful, you’ll want to salt the pasta water quite heavily. Then, once it’s cooked, drain it and dress it right away — the pasta will absorb the dressing way more when it's warm than it will after it cools down.
Other Takes: If you’re someone who takes orzo salad very seriously, might we recommend…
Zucchini, Corn, and Basil Orzo Pasta Salad. Seasonal veggies and a four-ingredient lemon-pesto vinaigrette come together to make a pasta salad that just tastes like summer.
Herby Olive Italian Orzo Salad. With two kinds of olives, crumbled feta, and sliced peperoncini, this one’s for the briny girls.
