Daily Skimm

EDITOR’S NOTE

Happy Saturday. I’m not letting a rainy Brooklyn forecast ruin my weekend. Tonight, I’m throwing my boyfriend a birthday party at Dave & Buster’s, where I’ll relive my middle-school glory days on the DDR machine and fuel up with homemade slab pie — because who said cake is the only thing you can stick a candle in? Here’s what else is on my to-do list…

Comb my local vintage store for a jacket that looks suspiciously similar to every grandma’s couch — which, per the fall runways, is now high fashion. (Though that Reformation one is calling my name.)
Thank the high heavens that boring black handbags and basic hoops are out — and the “personality piece” is in. It’s me and my lime-green flower brooch against the world.
Welcome PSL season with a manicure in this surprisingly neutral, incredibly flattering shade that’s basically sweater weather in a bottle. Burgundy nails, you’ve met your match.
Dig through my storage bins for the beat-up leather hobo bag that carried me through my indie sleaze phase — and that has Fashion People’s seal of approval once again. Mary-Kate and Ashley would be so proud.
Take full advantage of Princess Diana Outfit Weather. Biker shorts, here I come.

— Julia Reinstein / Writer, Culture & Leisure / Brooklyn, NY

A Cozy Kitchen's Abuelito’s Arroz con Pollo

Got One Pot and One Hour? You Can Make Abuelito’s Arroz con Pollo

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Is there any meal more comforting than a big bowl of chicken and rice? No, there isn’t, particularly if it’s Adrianna Adarme’s recipe for Abuelito’s Arroz con Pollo. Adarme based the dish — which appears in her A Cozy Kitchen Cookbook, out this week — on one she remembers her grandfather Blasco making for her family. It has everything you love about classic arroz con pollo (read: spiced chicken, flavor-packed rice, and a confetti of bell pepper and peas), but this version leans a bit richer and creamier, almost risotto-like. And because “comforting weeknight dinner” and “washing one million bowls” don’t belong in the same sentence, rest assured: It comes together in one pot, so you can spend the rest of your evening catching up with loved ones… or watching The Traitors.

The Time Commitment: Just over an hour.

Key Tips: Adarme suggests checking on the mixture every 15 minutes or so while it’s cooking — it may need the occasional extra splash of broth to keep it moist. And feel free to double the recipe, since it makes amazing leftovers and freezes like a dream.

Other Takes: For more proof chicken and rice is everything nice, try…

Chicken Rice with Buttered Onions. Which is so cozy that creator Deb Perelman said she wanted “to take a nap in the pan.” That makes two of us.
Oyakodon. What came first, the chicken or the egg? We don’t care, as long as we get to eat this easy Japanese rice bowl that’s ready in less than half an hour.
One-Pot Chicken and Rice with Caramelized Lemon. One 4-year-old fan apparently raved that it was “too yummy for my brain.” Enough said.

What’s new in food & home:

💡 Sure, those Little Kitchen Lamps are lovely — but there’s another room that needs the glow-up even more. RIP to The Big Light.

🍰 Whoever is responsible for Nestlé Toll House’s new baking morsel deserves a promotion. Our chocolate chip cookie game will never be the same.

☕️ In what has to be the most New England–coded collab ever, Dunkin’ and L.L.Bean just dropped merch perfect for anyone who’s dreamed of twinning with their coffee. Someone tell Ben Affleck.

American Hagwon by Min Jin Lee

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If Pachinko was an easy five stars for you, great news: Min Jin Lee is back with her latest multigenerational family epic. American Hagwon centers on the Kohs, a Korean family who — devastated by the 1997 Asian financial crisis, as well as a stunning betrayal by their father’s oldest friend — depart Seoul for Sydney, and eventually end up in Southern California. As the parents struggle to rebuild their lives from scratch, they pour everything into their children’s futures — pinning their hopes, in particular, on the hagwon, a private tutoring institution central to Korean academic culture, where the younger Kohs will ultimately make their lives. We asked Lee to tell us about her favorite TV show and the sweet treat she always keeps nearby.

Q: What’s one thing everyone needs to watch?

Lee: [The movies] Cinema Paradiso and Il Postino, and the TV show My Mister.

Q: What’s one recipe everyone should make?

Lee: Soup. An adult knows how to make a soup. Pick one — butternut squash, chicken, sundubu jjigae, whatever. You’ll be glad you did.

Q: What’s your favorite unapologetic indulgence?

Lee: I eat a lot of coffee candy. I have them in my tote bag.

PS: The books Lee would put on her age-specific required-reading list? Find out here.

Meanwhile, on the internet…

Repeat after us: The perfect morning routine is a scam. Turns out, building your day around one “anchor habit” might be all you need — no 5 am wake-up required.
Apparently, Netflix’s cartoon about a colony of seals is a hit with a very particular demographic, and we’re not talking about toddlers.
We regret to inform you that your favorite microwaveable after-school snack quietly ditched a crucial part of its packaging years ago — and the internet’s just now noticing, with hilarious results.

So many of our all-time favorite beauty products are from the drugstore for under $20. Check them out.

A good pair of jeans will never let you down — and we found six of them.

Keep scrolling...more recs below

Some Say This Is “America’s Prettiest Town” — And It’s Easy to See Why

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In the Northeast, there are roughly 10 minutes between the collective acceptance that summer is over and the first (cursed) day of puffer season. OK, that might be a slight exaggeration — there’s at least enough time for a trip to Woodstock, Vermont. You’d be forgiven for packing up the car, queuing up “All Too Well,” and booking it there for the stunning fall foliage alone. But the small town ticks all the Vermontcore boxes: scenic hikes, a quaint main drag, Norman Rockwell-worthy accommodations (like the Woodstock Inn & Resort), a vibrant farm-to-table scene, and maple syrup-infused everything. Of course, you could also forget all those things and just follow the Vermont Cheese Trail — but, warning, you’ll never look at grocery store Cheddar the same.

🍂 Does involuntarily repeating “ooh, look at that one” count as an activity? It does in Woodstock, where every fall adventure comes with a side of red- and gold-dappled trees. Like a visit to Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park, where you can hike more than 20 miles of trails, including to Mount Tom’s roughly 1,360-foot-tall peak (well worth the panoramic views). Looking for something less strenuous? Take a quick drive to Quechee State Park to walk along the 165-foot-deep gorge — dubbed “Vermont’s Little Grand Canyon.” Or, pop by one of the many local farms: Sugarbush Farm is known for its maple syrup production, while Billings Farm & Museum is popular for its Jersey cows and cheeses.

🖼 Live out your Gilmore Girls fantasy, with a day wandering around Woodstock’s cute-as-a-button downtown. Start at The Green, where you can admire textbook New England homes and buildings (see: what may be the world’s most charming library) and cross the idyllic Middle Covered Bridge. After that, hit bustling Central and Elm streets to purchase foliage photos slightly more professional than the hundreds in your camera roll, flip through new releases at The Yankee Bookshop, and browse everything from puzzles to penny candy at F.H. Gillingham & Sons, a 140-year-old general store. Finally, you are in Vermont, so it’s practically state law to buy something plaid (preferably from The Vermont Flannel Co.) and enjoy a maple creemee — no matter how cold it is.

🧀 Look, if you want to drink maple syrup for breakfast, we’re not going to stop you. But you’ll probably prefer it poured over the challah French toast or steel-cut oatmeal at local institution Mon Vert Cafe. In the evening, have dinner at farm-to-table favorite Santé, followed by a nightcap at Au Comptoir, an auto shop turned chic cocktail bar. And if you also think visiting the local market is a key part of any trip, don’t leave town without swinging by the Woodstock Farmers’ Market to load up on personal-size pumpkin cheesecakes and — why not? — more cheese.

Turns out, getting your friends to the polls pays — literally. Patagonia’s new 11.2 Million Vote Project is giving away up to $11.2 million in $100 credits to anyone in the US who helps three friends make a voting plan, no soapbox required. It’s named for the 11.2 million environmental voters who sat out the last election, and Patagonia’s making it worth your while to flip that script. No parties, no lectures, just plans (and maybe a new fleece). So round up your people, nab your credit, and get started.*

The latest trending clog style is...

For more sartorial inspiration, here are our editors' go-to fall outfits.

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:

My husband’s best friend cheated on his wife, and they’re going through a messy split. I want to reach out to her with a message of support — but we were really only friends through our husbands, and we’re still close to him. Is it a bad idea?

“When people don’t know what to say, they often say nothing. The problem is that silence can easily be interpreted as, ‘I guess they chose him,’ even when that isn’t remotely what we mean.

So yes, if you care about her, tell her. You don’t need to weigh in on what happened, criticize her husband, or promise lifelong allegiance. Something like: ‘I’ve been thinking about you and wanted to express how sorry I am that you’re going through this. I know we’ve mostly been friends through our husbands, but I care about you and didn’t want my silence to suggest otherwise. No pressure to respond — I just wanted to say I’m thinking of you.’

If this eventually turns into a deeper friendship, it’s worth being transparent with your husband and his friend — not because you need permission, but because divorce can create all kinds of loyalty sensitivities. That’s a bridge you can cross if you get there. You don’t need to solve the future of this friendship before you’re allowed to be kind to her today.”

Do I Have To Break Up with Her, Too? 😢