Daily Skimm

EDITOR’S NOTE

Happy Saturday. I have exactly three items on my agenda today: spending the day at the beach, making it home in time for a glorious postbeach shower, then heading to a bar to cheer on the Knicks. Here’s what else I hope to accomplish at some point:

Shopping for a summery statement bag. The best ones are in this unexpected — and even more affordable — store section, and I can’t believe I’m just finding this out.
I simply can’t do another summer sweating it out on the subway, so I’ll pick up what I consider the season’s coolest accessory, literally and figuratively.
Now that I’ve officially decided that, yes, I can pull off a headscarf, I have a feeling these tips are about to become my summer bible. Particularly the ones about getting it to stay put.
Organizing my silicone baking mats in a way that actually makes sense (read: not tossed in the back of a cabinet), thanks to this simple, buy-nothing-new hack.
Trying out some fresh lip-color trends. I’m especially into the one that looks like you just ate a cherry Popsicle. But maybe I should just eat a cherry Popsicle instead.

— Julia Reinstein / Writer, Culture & Leisure / Brooklyn, New York

Plays Well With Butter’s Shrimp Rice Bowls With Mango Salsa

These Shrimp Rice Bowls Are the Platonic Ideal of a Weeknight Dinner

theSkimm

Now that the sun is setting after 8 pm, spending a long summer evening in the kitchen is, respectfully, not it. Enter: Plays Well With Butter’s Shrimp Rice Bowls With Mango Salsa. In this weeknight-friendly recipe, shrimp gets chopped into bite-size pieces and sautéed for just a couple minutes — so it cooks evenly, stays juicy, and soaks up the garlicky, peppery goodness. Add fluffy cilantro-lime rice, your favorite greens, sweet-spicy mango salsa, and diced avocado, and creator Jess Larson promises “maximum deliciousness without a million steps.” Just try not to eat all that mango salsa before it hits the table.

The Time Commitment: About 35 minutes.

Key Tips: Larson says fresh or frozen shrimp will work. If using frozen, thaw first by placing in a zip-top bag and submerging in cool water for about 30 minutes. And to pick a perfectly ripe mango, look for one that smells sweet and gives slightly when squeezed.

Other Takes: If you also (correctly) believe mango > all other fruits, try…

Corn Salad With Mango and Halloumi. Loaded with sweet corn, crunchy cucumbers, and salty fried halloumi, one fan said it “might be my all-time favorite recipe from NYT.” Honestly, same.
Mango Crumb Bars. A tropical take on the quintessential summer dessert that looks fancy — but is so easy, it can even be made at 7 pm on a Monday (speaking from experience).
Mango Mojito Mocktails. With just four ingredients and no fancy bartending equipment or skills required, this is the only drink you’ll want to sip all summer. Oh, and to make it a cocktail? Just add rum.

What’s new in food & home:

💡 Attention, bakers: Don’t toss that empty spice jar — it’s about to make one of the messiest parts of baking a lot less annoying.

👀 This viral, two-ingredient dessert is being called the treat of the summer — and it starts with a lunch box staple you haven’t thought about in years.

🛒 Are you making these “unbelievably rude” grocery store faux pas? Honestly, No. 3 should be grounds for jail time.

Pool House by Mary H.K. Choi

theSkimm

When a beloved TV dad dies, his on-screen wife — who was also his off-screen mistress — ends up under the same roof as their TV son and her real-life daughter. That’s the deliciously messy premise of Mary H.K. Choi’s Pool House. The adult debut follows Moon, an out-of-work actress and recovering addict, and her daughter, Stevie, who’s desperate to escape LA and her mom’s orbit. To save money, the two are living in their glass-walled pool house — until Adam (who played Moon’s kid on television and is Stevie’s longtime crush) arrives for the funeral and they all move back into the main house. What follows is a sharp, funny, and immersive portrait of grief, fame, and complex mommy issues. We asked Choi a few questions. Here’s what she had to say…

Q: What’s a corner of the internet you recently discovered?

Choi: The YouTube show Interior Motives, where host Ben Mora and an astute, usually ruthless guest forensically examine the image of a room to guess the age, sexuality, gender, and location of the person who inhabits it. The photos are user-submitted and it’s astonishing how good they are. The Courtney Love and Ivy Wolk episode particularly ate.

Q: What’s one thing you can’t stop listening to?

Choi: Bandsplain podcast host Yasi Salek’s monthlong-plus coverage of Madonna. A Herculean feat powered by untrammeled love.

Q: What’s the one place everyone needs to visit?

Choi: Namdaemun Market in Seoul, Korea. It’s as if the entire shopping part of the internet were suddenly live-action. You can buy absolutely anything there. It’s paradise for someone like me, who can’t impulse-purchase without meeting the artifact beforehand. It’s glorious.

PS: To learn what Gwyneth Paltrow rom-com Choi believes everyone needs to watch (spoiler: not Shakespeare in Love), read our extended author interview here.

Meanwhile, on the internet…

The memoir that blew up group chats everywhere isn’t just fueling convos about divorce — it’s pushing more couples to do this.
Bless this German soccer fan — and his viral World Cup road trip — for reminding us that, yes, Taco Bell really is that good. And there’s no place like Waffle House at 1 am.
We can’t stop giggling at this deeply unexpected engagement phenomenon. If he wanted to, he wood.

This nylon carry-on slides onto your suitcase handle, has an accessible laptop sleeve, and folds into a convenient little pouch. Trust us when we say it revolutionized our travel game.

This NAD+ treatment transforms skin at a cellular level — and a full 100% of users saw a visible difference after using it for less than two weeks. Plus, get a travel-sized restoration cream with any $100+ order until June 16.

Keep scrolling...more recs below

Your New England Summer Starter Pack Begins With Chatham

theSkimm

Nestled in the elbow of Cape Cod, Chatham has long been a beloved summer escape for New Englanders — and it’s easy to see why. The Massachusetts seaside gem has it all: pristine beaches, postcard-worthy charm, accommodations straight out of a Nancy Meyers movie (check out Greyfinch Chatham Inn), and deep nautical roots, from the Chatham Pier Fish Market (go late morning to see fishing boats return with their catch) to the Atwood Museum (an 18th-century sea captain’s home). Add in breezy bike rides along the nearby Cape Cod Rail Trail, whale-watching tours that wow, and seafood so fresh that it practically high-fived the fisherman — and, yeah, it’s no mystery why people return year after year.

⛱️ Let’s start with the reason you’re here: Chatham’s wide, sandy beaches, each with its own vibe. Hardings Beach is considered the best for families (think: calm surf, warmer waters, ample room), while Lighthouse Beach — home to, as the name suggests, a historic lighthouse — is popular for picnics and long strolls along the shoreline. If you’re feeling adventurous, you could also hop aboard a boat tour to Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge, a protected stretch of coast with seals, horseshoe crabs, and countless land and sea birds.

👟 Need a reprieve from the sun and sand? Spend an afternoon wandering around Chatham’s storybook downtown — an idyllic mix of wildflower gardens, quaint Cape Cod cottages, and the lively Main Street. There, you’ll find cozy cafés (fuel up at Snowy Owl Coffee Roasters), the beautifully restored Chatham Orpheum Theater, unique art galleries (don’t miss Gallery Antonia), Kate Gould Park (where, for almost a century, the Chatham Band has performed every summer Friday night), and one-of-a-kind stores. Those include: Ducks in the Window (the self-proclaimed world’s largest rubber-duck shop), Maps of Antiquity (browse over 18,000 antique maps, prints, and charts), and 71-year-old Chatham Candy Manor (you’re welcome).

🍴 In what should be a surprise to no one, Chatham crushes the seafood game. Start at The Chatham Squire, a Cape institution that boasts live entertainment, hearty pub grub, and some of the best lobster rolls in town (order the hot one). Or, swing by local fave Del Mar Bar & Bistro for excellent cocktails, Mediterranean-inspired small plates, and wood-fired thin-crust pizzas (the fig-and-prosciutto pie is a must). Want something more upscale? You can’t go wrong at The Impudent Oyster, where inventive dishes — like panko-crusted Atlantic swordfish over goat-cheese polenta — steal the show.

TOGETHER WITH ALLY BANK

In our first episode of The Money Hotline, comedian Alaire Thomas tackles your most pressing relationship and money questions, like:

Should you split expenses 50/50?
What if your partner has serious credit card debt?
Is it a good idea to open a joint account?

Next Caller Please

Ally Bank, Member FDIC

Heading to the beach? Here's what to pack to stay cool, protected, and generally less overstimulated.

If you have some free time this weekend, might we suggest shopping these really good sales?

PS: Want more product recs? Follow @skimmshopping on Instagram.

We asked you to vote on an etiquette question you’d like answered. The winner was:

On a recent flight, I couldn’t shake a chatty seatmate. I opened a book and put in my headphones, but she still didn’t get the hint. What else could I have done?

“You took the right first steps by putting in your headphones and grabbing your book. Unfortunately, some people need a more direct approach. So the next time you have a chatty seatmate, make your boundaries clear by saying something like, ‘I prefer to keep my flight time quiet — I’m not up for chatting.’ You could also try, ‘Thank you for your interest in connecting, but I prefer quiet and privacy when I’m flying.’ You can tweak the wording to suit your comfort level and the situation. And if they still don’t take the hint, it’s perfectly acceptable to request a seat reassignment.”