Daily Skimm Weekend

EDITOR’S NOTE

Happy Saturday. Sure, it’s not even mid-July, but I’m already stressed about summer being over (just me?). Specifically, my seasonal bucket list, which is looking very unchecked. This weekend, I’m fixing that. Here’s how:

• I missed the button-down turned cover-up trend. But now that Cool Girls are pairing swimsuits with a more elevated, more I-summer-in-Capri top, I’m not making that mistake twice. RIP to my ratty college tees.

• I’ll take my summer entertaining up a notch with this too-easy ice hack. I already have everything I need and it’ll trick my friends into thinking I’m the next Ina Garten.

• Zendaya and Anne Hathaway have cosigned what is undoubtedly the most flattering neckline — and I’ll take that as an excuse to add a few more tops and dresses to my closet. Starting with No. 2.

• Despite being an Accredited Fruit Connoisseur (don’t fact-check me), I’d never heard of this cult-favorite, candylike blueberry — so good that one fan “ate a case in one day.” Better get five, then.

• Don’t go anywhere without at least two claw clips? Fellow lazy girls, our time has come. These surprisingly polished hairstyles look more intentional and less like “I needed to get my hair out of the way quick.”

— Melissa Goldberg / Senior Editor / Washington, DC

These Chicken Caesar Smash Tacos Are, Well, Smashing

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Serious question: Has there ever been a more perfect sandwich than the chicken Caesar wrap? If you, like us, answered that with a wholehearted “of course not,” you’re going to want to make Pinch of Yum’s Chicken Caesar Smash Tacos ASAP. Flour tortillas are topped with seasoned ground chicken, cooked smashburger-style on the stove, then filled with a simple Caesar salad. The result? Everything you love about chicken Caesar wraps, but in taco form — with zero Chipotle-level wrapping skills required. Serve with a side of fries and a crisp Diet Coke, but we’re guessing you knew that already.

The Time Commitment: About 25 minutes.

Key Tip: To bring the recipe together even faster, use your favorite store-bought Caesar dressing. We promise, no one will know.

Other Takes: For more inventive twists on the Caesar, try…

• Kale Caesar Pasta Salad. Swap croutons for crispy spiced chickpeas, and you’ll have a dish one commenter called “a gift to humanity.”

• Smashed Potato Salad with Kale & Greek Yogurt Caesar. A delicious way to level up your barbecue side-dish game.

• Cherry Tomato Caesar Salad. What better way to ring in peak tomato season?

Crash Into Me by Robinne Lee

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Gather round, The Idea of You fanatics: Robinne Lee’s first novel in nearly a decade is here — and considering the cult fandom surrounding her last book (and the Anne Hathaway film adaptation that followed), this one’s sure to be big, too. In Crash Into Me, photographer Cecilia Chen relocates her family from Paris to Los Angeles for her husband’s film career. Then a car accident threatens to upend her outwardly perfect life. That’s because the other woman in the crash is Anouk Ferrand, a supermodel Cecilia had a fleeting but torrid connection with on a photo shoot 20 years earlier. This book has so much of what made The Idea of You a sleeper hit — steamy scenes, heartbreak, and a complicated 40ish female protagonist with a career in the art world — but it centers on a sapphic love story that also explores race, class, power, and how they collide with marriage and motherhood. We asked “the Patron Saint of Horny Moms Everywhere” a few questions. Here's what she had to say...

Q: What’s one unpopular opinion you have?

Lee: The smell of skunk is a potent elixir. It [takes me back to] summer nights in Westchester, driving with the windows down and kissing cute boys.

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

Lee: Chris Isaak’s “Wicked Game” music video, featuring Helena Christensen and directed by Herb Ritts. It’s a masterpiece.

Q: What should be required reading for every human being?

Lee: Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler and Caste by Isabel Wilkerson.

PS: To find out what recipe Lee considers life-changing, read our extended author interview here.

Iowa Called. It Wants You To Come Visit — And Maybe Never Leave

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Not to be dramatic, but Caitlin Clark’s home state might be one of the most slept-on spots in America. Iowa’s cornfields-and-nothing-else reputation is officially outdated. It’s actually one of the most affordable states in the country, boasting about 2,500 miles of paved trails and a farm-to-table food scene that actually lives up to the hype. Here are three cities worth putting on your radar, whether you’re booking a long weekend or secretly browsing real estate online.

📚 Iowa City, aka where Kurt Vonnegut once lived, is the first UNESCO City of Literature in the country. While the college town has earned its literary cred, there’s more to it than books. Stroll the Ped Mall, downtown’s pedestrian hub packed with shops, restaurants, and street performers, then check out the free University of Iowa Museum of Natural History to meet Rusty, a nearly 10-foot-tall giant sloth who roamed Iowa during the Ice Age.

🎨 When you visit the state capital of Des Moines, start at the John and Mary Pappajohn Sculpture Park — a free, open-air park with more than 30 works by world-renowned sculptors. Then duck into the Des Moines Art Center for rotating exhibitions in one of the Midwest’s most stunning museum buildings. Snag a dinner reservation at Masao, a James Beard-nominated restaurant where Japanese sushi meets French technique in the heart of the East Village.

🌿 Iowa’s western anchor, Sioux City, is equal parts outdoorsy and lively. Hike the trails at Dorothy Pecaut Nature Center, nestled in the scenic Loess Hills with miles of wooded forest and prairie ridge trails. Next, make your way to Cone Park for mountain biking, summer tubing, and splash pad fun. When you’re ready to head inside, the historic Orpheum Theatre hosts everything from Broadway shows to concerts in a stunning historic building.

Iowa is the kind of place that surprises you thanks to tight-knit neighborhoods, outdoor activities galore, and a cost of living that makes your friends in other states deeply jealous. Whether you're visiting for a weekend or scouting it out for something more permanent, it’s definitely worth the trip.*

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

I’m planning a group trip for my birthday, and one of my friends is in a different financial situation than the rest of us. I want to offer to help cover her costs, but don’t want to offend her by bringing it up first — how should I approach her about it?

“Start from a place of love and generosity. Your goal is to make your friend feel included — and to make clear that her presence is the only gift you need. Privately let her know the trip wouldn’t be the same without her, and that you’d love to treat her. You can say something like: ‘I’d love to take care of the costs. Please let me do this for both of us.’ This removes any awkwardness around accepting and shifts the focus entirely to your desire to have her there — not her financial circumstances.”

FEATURED EXPERT:

Lisa Gaché

Beverly Hills Manners founder and author

Unleash your competitive side with today's games and puzzles. Go wild.

Skimm’d by: Julia Reinstein, Melissa Goldberg, and Margaret Wheeler Johnson. Fact-checked by Jordan Mamone.