April Favorites

and some fabulous savory spinach and quinoa scones!

Happy Monday!

It’s that time again — my monthly favorites are here! (And for my paid subscribers, there’s a bonus recipe waiting for you at the bottom: a savory spinach, feta, and dill scone with quinoa that I’ve been loving. Thank you for your support 💛.)

If you need Mother’s Day gift inspo, don’t forget to check out last week’s newsletter or revisit my roundup from last year — still lots of good ideas in there!

Here’s what’s been on my radar lately, in no particular order:

New game discovery for music lovers: Hitster

Such a fun find! It’s a great game for music buffs of all ages — highly recommend for your next game night. And no, you don’t have to sing anything!

Favorite new TV show: Your Friends and Neighbors on Apple TV+

If you’re looking for a new show, Hubs and I have been loving Your Friends and Neighbors with Jon Hamm. He plays a former hedge fund guy who loses everything and ends up... well, I won’t spoil it for you. It’s a dark comedy, a little Breaking Bad, a little White Lotus, and really well done. The cast is amazing too — Amanda Peet and Olivia Munn are in it — and it’s just the right mix of funny, messy, and a little bit dark. New episodes come out every Friday if you want to get into it!

New LA restaurant: Matū (South Beverly Hills) and Matū Kai (Brentwood)

I don’t even eat red meat often, but I had the steak here — and it was next level. Everything we tried was outstanding, even the meatballs and I am very picky about tomato sauce - even that was delicious. Also, Hubs recommends their Wagyu cheesesteak which is only available at the bar. Definitely worth a visit if you’re in LA!​

Merit Beauty You know I’m super sensitive to chemicals in beauty products, so I’m thrilled there are now so many cleaner options. My go-to for makeup right now is Merit. Their products are effortless, quick, and leave me looking fresh, glowy, and put together in minutes. I usually stock up during sales (hello, Black Friday), but they were kind enough to share some discounted sets with my community if you’re looking to refresh your makeup bag. My whole face is Merit these days — if you want a place to start, check out their curated sets. The trio I use 90% of the time is above. I also use Fox Flush Balm as my evening/going out cheek color.

Elevated salt obsession: Emily Joubert Fennel Salt

You know I love a good finishing salt, and this one is so unique and delicious. I had it at a friend’s house and it completely upgraded my avocado toast with eggs — a little goes a long way. Great gift for the foodie or if you’re a salt lover. Since her shops are in SF, Woodside and Montecito, I wonder if we can figure out how to copy it and make at home……hmmmmm. Otherwise, I spotted this on the Sous Salt website. Maybe it’s the same…

New favorite travel gift: Mahj to Go and Rummi to Go

My friends Lynne and Heidi started Mahj to Go — they make these super cute, lightweight Mahjong sets that are perfect for travel. Everything you need comes in a little water-resistant bag, so you can take your game anywhere. They just introduced these adorable Rummi sets. I picked up a few already!

Pro tip for traveling with salads

Here’s my go-to method for bringing a salad on an airplane: Use a quart-size deli container and layer it up — dressing on the bottom, then heartier ingredients (chickpeas, red cabbage, pepperoncini, cucumbers, tomatoes), and lettuce on top. Don’t forget to pack a fork! When you’re ready to eat, just shake it up.

Tuna sandwich inspiration

I had the best tuna sandwich at The Wine and Cheese Shop on El Paseo in Palm Desert — they mixed cornichons into the tuna and used a cilantro pesto on the bread. Such a great combo if you want to level up your next tuna sandwich!

Even More Musings is an extension of my weekly newsletter, Monday Musings. My newsletter is a sponsor-free zone and is fully supported by readers like you. Consider becoming a paid subscriber to get Even More Musings! Each week, I share my tips and tricks along with a new recipe. For only $5/month or $50/year (less than $1 a newsletter), you'll also gain access to the entire archive, featuring favorites like My New Hyper-fixation High-Protein Fluffy Breakfast Bowl  and the Hillstone Copycat Emerald Kale Salad.  This week I am sharing another recipe that my sister and I made up when we were trying to use up ingredients in the fridge to make space for Easter prep. These are Savory “Scones” with Quinoa, Spinach, Feta and Dill - absolutely delicious!