Monday Mood: Deep-Winter Pleasures
Monday Mood: Deep-Winter Pleasures
A dispatch from the great indoors.
Hi. Just a short letter to warm you up on this MLK holiday. Maybe you’d like to read Tara Donaldson’s 2021 WWD piece about the relationship between dress and protest during the Civil Rights Movement. (Thank you,
for sharing that one today.)It’s cold. So cold, in fact, that leaving the house feels downright Looney Tunes. And home is where the hearth is — I want right now to be in front of my fireplace, flanked by my two dogs, on my big, overstuffed white sofa. Winter pleasures. If you need me, I’ll be sipping hot tea and fatty bone broth (Wegman’s store brand is the best) and making my skin queen Raquel’s herby soup for dinner, for which I am re-sharing the recipe below, straight from her email this morning.
Speaking of white sofas, these jeans give the same energy. They’d be great with these chic gloves, which leave your fingertips free for phone tapping, and this talismanic mirror necklace from The Row. They’re all another 30% off the sale price.
When I do venture out later this week, I’ll be cloaked in black leather; something warm and sturdy to confront the sleet. The timing couldn’t be better to escape to LA on Thursday, where 70-degree temps await. I treated myself to an enormous tote bag with a nice, long shoulder strap and a new bottle of perfume for the trip. Did you know *thee* Jo Malone formulates Zara’s fragrances? I didn’t until
shared that factoid today. There’s something about the faintest whiff of day-old perfume on a cashmere sweater…Anyway. I’ll leave you with this image of Donna Karan in the 90s that
shared yesterday. If it stays with you the way it has with me, read ’s deep-dive into the rare 90s DKNY book that became a fashion bible.
P.S. A great dry winter lip trick I learned on TikTok the other day: swab on some glycolic acid, then lock it in with a thick balm overnight. I use Goop’s peel pads and Prequel’s Multipurpose Ointment. Works like a charm.
RAQUEL’S HOMEMADE HERB SOUP
“This soup is a godsend for those days when your body demands something green. Soup is warming, herbs are nutritious, and lemon provides that summery punch that's lacking in the dog days of winter. It can be vegan or not, simply pick the stock that suits your needs.” - Raquel Medina-Cleghorn
1 shallot, very roughly chopped
4 garlic cloves, very roughly chopped
1 x 15 oz can cannellini beans
8 cups herbs of choice (I like 1 bunch cilantro, 1 bunch parsley, and 1 bunch mint—get rid of all of just the woody stems on the cilantro and parsley and ALL of the stems on the mint, they're super bitter! i also love dill and basil in this)
2.5 cups stock (veggie or chicken, your choice)
Zest + juice of 1 lemon
4 cups of cooked rice of choice (black rice is delicious here)
Olive oil, to cook
Salt and pepper, to taste
Roughly chop a handful of the leaves; set aside to be your garnish. Drizzle some olive oil in a medium pot. Saute the shallot over medium until just brown, then add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 2-3 more minutes. Add the white beans with the liquid in the can and the stock and bring just to simmer. Blend with unchopped herbs and lemon juice + zest until smooth. Return to pot. Stir in the rice. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Top each bowl with a handful of herbs just before serving. If storing for multiple days, keep herbs and soup separately in a tightly sealed container in the fridge. Makes 4 servings.
I NEEDED this chapped lip trick right now. But also I can't get enough of Greta Lee these days. She's undeniable!