It's Sunday and Henri is rude (Aly's newsletter: Hurricane edition)
Plus, an easy power-conserving dinner recipe for tonight!
Hello from wet and wild Brooklyn!
Nothing like a midsummer hurricane to liven up a sleepy summer weekend. I'm at my parents this weekend, and awoke in their basement overnight to a full-on storm-related flood.
Hours of mopping later, all is well. It's the next day. It's STILL raining like crazy, the streets are still flooded, and I'm fantasizing about moving to a desert lifestyle.
(The lack of humidity would be good for hair, too.)
This too will pass…and I am counting my blessings. We’ll all safe, we still have power, and I caught that basement flooding before it got too intense. So, yay, for blessings!
Here's what I am working on right now.
1 - For Eat This, Not That, I'm still rounding up credible expert sources to chat over email about the 10 places you are most likely to catch COVID right now. Think of a format around the lines of "You are most likely to catch it at ... this sort of place...and this is why. These are precautions to take in these types of places, and so forth.
2. For YourTango, I'm working on a story about All Natural Ways To Help You Fall Asleep Fast & Stay Asleep All Night (Finally!) - I WILL have some specific questions to ask credible expert sources, so please don't send commentary yet, but just email me if you have a source who may want to comment, and I'll follow up when I have questions (probably tomorrow.)
3. Still working on those RetailMeNot stories I posted about in last week's newsletter, so please scroll back if you missed those leads, too.
Here's a few stories of mine that went live this weekend.
Forbes.com
Merriam-Webster’s The Usage
https://www.merriam-webster.com/theusage/best-gas-grill
https://www.merriam-webster.com/theusage/best-meat-thermometer
https://www.merriam-webster.com/theusage/best-walking-shoes
Weekend recipe idea - power conservation edition!
Aly's Black Bean, Corn, and Avocado Summer Salad
(Not the sexiest photo, I know, but I promise, it’s delish!)
Meanwhile, so many people I know either lost power or are trying to conserve power in case they lose power - so I wanted to share a quick and easy salad I love to make for everything from potlucks to light summer dinners. The beauty? It's hearty and filling - and no appliances or power is necessary.
1. You need corn. You can do this either by shucking corn and adding to a screaming hot pan or grill corn on the cob and then shuck (latter is my preference!) - But you can also just open a can of corn or use frozen corn (Trader Joe's makes a frozen roasted corn that is awesome.)
2. As you work on that corn, take a chilled bowl and add one can of strained and rinsed black beans, one diced shallot, one pepper (jalapeño or serrano works here), juice of one lime, fresh cilantro
3. Slice one avocado and a few grape tomatoes
4. Add in the corn from pan, along with a drizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper and mix
5. Keep chilled until ready to serve!
Stay safe and dry, all!