Daily Skimm

EDITOR’S NOTE

Happy Saturday. I made a pact with a friend last night over a glass (OK, three) of wine to make long denim shorts work before the season ends. Even though I know better than to be fooled by NYC’s False Fall, I was secretly hoping the weather would kill my mission. But off I go to test the outfit formulas that apparently make the look surprisingly easy to pull off. Here’s what else is on my mind:

Finishing the latest novel from Kathryn Stockett (of The Help fame), which has been making the book club rounds all summer. Oprah said she was “crying one minute and laughing really out loud to myself the next” — and who am I to question her?
Making a beeline to the nearest Bath & Body Works to sniff out its new fall candle collection. A whiff of the first one on this list would heal me.
Turns out, sticker charts weren’t just a hack created by parents to get their kids to complete their chores — they work equally well on adults. As if I needed another excuse to break out my Trapper Keeper.
To pair with the aforementioned shorts, these Cool Girl-approved crochet tops sit squarely at the intersection of Things My Nana Would’ve Loved and Shirts I Definitely Have Stuffed in the Back of My Closet.
I’m going to be one of the first to try Hailey Bieber’s fresh take on the no-mani manicure trend. Bonus points because it promises to make the grow-out process a breeze — and virtually undetectable.

— Kylie McConville / VP, Editorial / Astoria, NY

Dan Pelosi’s Sheet Pan Gnocchi with Roasted Tomatoes, Arugula, and Burrata

If You’re Boiling Gnocchi, You’re Doing It Wrong — And This Recipe Is Proof

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We firmly believe there’s one category of sheet-pan recipes that hasn’t gotten the attention it deserves — and that’s sheet-pan gnocchi. Case in point: Dan Pelosi’s Sheet Pan Gnocchi with Roasted Tomatoes, Arugula, and Burrata. Sure, the simple-yet-impressive dinner starts with store-bought potato gnocchi, but the real game-changer is the preparation: Instead of boiling the roly-poly goodness, each piece gets roasted until crispy on the outside and chewy in the center (similar to pan-fried rice cakes). From there, jammy tomatoes, a drinkable basil vinaigrette, heaps of arugula, and chunks of burrata tie it all together — in about the same amount of time as a Sex and the City episode. We couldn’t help but wonder: Has there ever been a greater weeknight dinner?

The Time Commitment: Half an hour, give or take.

Key Tips: Want to trick your friends into thinking you’re the next Ina Garten? For a dramatic flourish, Pelosi recommends serving the dish with an entire ball of burrata that you cut open at the table.

Other Takes: For more brilliant uses of store-bought gnocchi, try...

One Pan Crispy Gnocchi with Sausage and Brussels. Another half-hour dinner hero, this deeply cozy dish is sweet, savory, and, in the words of one fan, “even better than I was expecting.”
One-Pan Garlic-Parm Chicken and Gnocchi. Loaded with pillowy gnocchi, a creamy, garlicky sauce, and a mountain of Parmesan, this is our platonic ideal of comfort food.
Sheet-Pan Gnocchi with Chili Crisp and Baby Bok Choy. If you also put chili crisp on anything that stands still long enough, meet the spicy, umami-packed recipe you never knew you needed.

PS: Skimm’rs can get a free 30-day trial to Pelosi’s membership community — GrossyWorld — with the code SKIMM1.

What’s new in food & home:

🛏️ Impossible to keep your white sheets clean? You’re in luck: Americans are ditching the hotel look for something much more forgiving. Stain-prone people, our time has come.

🏠 The color that peaked in your grandma’s kitchen is making an unlikely comeback — and this time, it’s giving English countryside cottage, not retro diner.

👀 A sentence we never thought we’d write: This Beericano recipe sounds so delicious, we’ve been convinced to make one immediately. Spritzes, we thank you for your service.

The Amateur by Chris Bohjalian

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Even if you have zero interest in golf, you’re going to want to tee up for Chris Bohjalian’s The Amateur. The novel follows Mira Winston, an 18-year-old golf prodigy whose drive tears through a practice net at 150 miles per hour, killing a 17-year-old caddy at a ritzy Westchester County country club. Styled as a memoir Mira writes decades later, it chronicles how the apparent freak accident changes the trajectory of her life: The incoming Yale freshman never makes it to New Haven or wants to pick up a club again; a yearslong affair with a much-older married man comes to light; and when she goes to trial, questions arise about whether it was really an accident at all. Oh, and there’s an 11th-hour twist that has some calling it Bohjalian’s most satisfying work yet — high praise for The Flight Attendant author. We got in touch with Bohjalian to find out what he’s reading and how he spends his downtime.

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

Bohjalian: I love Paris, Florence, and NYC as much as anyone — but I adore Yerevan, Armenia. How can you not fall in love with a city that has streets named after poets, composers, and novelists? One that’s dotted with parks and sculptures, and boasts a “square” with fountains that dance in the evening to the magic of [composer] Aram Khachaturian? One with magnificent views of Mount Ararat? Also, the food rocks.

Q: What’s one unpopular opinion you have?

Bohjalian: Keep your desk clean and make your bed every morning.

Q: What’s your favorite unapologetic indulgence?

Bohjalian: My time on my bike. I ride roughly 3,500 miles a summer, usually five days a week. And while it’s critical to my work as a writer — I solve so many character arcs or problematic scenes while I ride — the fact remains it is an indulgence of sorts, because it means I am (by design) off-radar for three or four hours most afternoons.

PS: The two books Bohjalian has been thinking about for months? Find out here.

Meanwhile, on the internet…

Forget TV remotes and throw pillows. Hotel rooms have another germ trap that’s likely grosser than you realize — and it’s even harder to avoid.
According to The New York Times, you only need these four dress silhouettes to never feel over- or underdressed again. Consider our closets purged.
If you were — how do we put this — obsessed with those ’90s-era stick-on earrings, prepare yourself: A similar trend is coming for a new part of your body. Can we agree to bring back HitClips next?

It's the last day to shop J.Crew's End of Summer Sale. Imagine throwing on this chunky pullover with shorts for your Labor Day plans.

Anthropologie is also having an End of Summer Sale, with an extra 50% off sale items. This twofer dress was trending last fall, and we think it'll be back for another year.

Keep scrolling...more recs below

Come for the Stunning National Park, Stay for the Lobster Rolls in This New England Gem

theSkimm

There’s exactly a 0% chance that Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus was referring to Maine’s Bar Harbor when she sang, “you get the best of both worlds” — but perhaps she should’ve been. While the tiny Mount Desert Island town is famously known as the gateway to Acadia National Park (where deep green mountains, pink granite cliffs, and postcard-worthy trails will keep outdoor enthusiasts busy), it’s also home to one of the quaintest, most quintessential New England coastal communities. Think: a main street lined with mom-and-pop gift shops and restaurants, seaside views that look straight from a landscape painting, idyllic inns and boutique hotels (stay at Balance Rock Inn), and boat-filled marinas. Plus, how could we forget, the obscene amount of lobster.

🏞️ Acadia isn’t just a reason to visit Bar Harbor — it’s the reason. One of the most popular ways to explore? Hiking its 150-plus miles of trails, from the family-friendly Ocean Path (prepare to max out your camera roll) to the adrenaline-pumping Beehive Loop, with its near-vertical cliffside climb. If you’re more of a biker, hit the 45 miles of car-free carriage roads, where you’ll pass picturesque granite bridges, mossy brooks, and the park’s only restaurant (fuel up on the legendary, oven-fresh popovers). Or, for something less demanding, drive the 27-mile Park Loop Road, which includes must-see spots like Sand Beach, Thunder Hole, and Cadillac Mountain — where sunrise and sunset are so spectacular, you’ll need an in-season vehicle reservation to access the summit.

🛍️ Spend an afternoon wandering around Bar Harbor’s downtown, which, thanks in part to the brightly painted clapboard buildings, is about as charming as seaside New England gets. Grab some reading material at Sherman’s bookstore, purchase locally made art at Island Artisans, pick up handcrafted toys and puzzles at In the Woods, and get a scoop of the Maine sea salt caramel at Mount Desert Island Ice Cream. Have a few extra hours? You can also visit the Abbe Museum to learn more about the history and culture of the region’s indigenous peoples; sail around Frenchman Bay on a four-masted schooner; or join a whale-watching tour to spot minkes, humpbacks, and finbacks.

🍴 If you weren’t aware, Maine has its own food pyramid: lobster, lobster, and more lobster. Get your recommended daily servings at Frenchman Bay Lobster Rolls, a fishermen-owned shack popular for its hot and classic rolls, and C-Ray Lobster, a no-frills joint where you can enjoy a lobster bake on an outdoor picnic table (don’t sleep on the blueberry pie). Lobstered out? Order a stack of blueberry buttermilk pancakes from Jeannie’s Great Maine Breakfast and snag a dinner reservation at Havana to feast on seafood paella, pepita-crusted halibut, and more Latin-fusion dishes.

Repeat after us: wideleg is not a phase, it’s a lifestyle. Case in point? Vuori’s Vintage Wideleg Jean in a white bone and classic blue denim that somehow looks (and feels) broken-in from day one. It’s vintage-chic, SoCal-inspired, and reviewers call it softer than the denim you grew up on. The mid-rise, relaxed-through-the-hip cut means you can sit, stretch, and commute without a single confining moment. Plus, you can pair them with anything in your closet, including this Vintage Denim Jacket. Bottom line: your wardrobe wants these jeans.*

Walmart is dropping new deals weekly during their ongoing Beauty Event. Let's see what sales are in store today, shall we?

For more of the best sales to shop throughout the weekend, click here.

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:

An acquaintance brought her dog when she picked up her child from a playdate at our house. The dog had an accident and stained our rug. She apologized and left. How do I ask her to pay for cleaning, or do I just have to absorb the cost?

“When a guest brings a pet to your home and it causes damage, they’re responsible. A rug stain can mean a significant cleaning bill, and if they didn’t offer to cover it immediately, you’re well within your rights to ask.

Keep your tone calm and friendly: ‘I wanted to circle back about the accident the other day. I tried to clean it myself but ended up having to hire a professional. Would you be open to covering the cost?’

That said, if the stain is minor and manageable on your own, it might be worth letting it go — in the name of keeping things easy with a fellow parent.”

Her Dog, My Rug…Her Bill? 🐾