Mini-Ep 438: Lean Into The Season

Summary

Forever35 Podcast Summary

Episode: Mini-Ep 438: Lean Into The Season
Released: April 9, 2025
Hosts: Doree Shafrir & Elise Hu

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Introduction and Listener Engagement

[02:40] Doree Shafrir welcomes listeners to this mini-episode of Forever35, emphasizing the podcast's focus on self-care with humor and self-awareness. Elise Hu mentions that this episode will feature listener comments, thoughts, and questions. They remind audiences about their ongoing listener survey, likening it to "calling your congressperson" to highlight its importance in shaping future content.

Notable Quote:
Elise Hu [03:26]: "I think of these listener surveys, like calling your congressperson, in that they really, if you do call, they end up extrapolating a lot from the few people who call. And so it's an unscientific survey. But your voice really matters too."

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Skincare Product Recommendations

The hosts delve into skincare, responding to a listener's request for favorite products. Doree Shafrir introduces a vitamin C serum from May Love ([05:07]), highlighting its ingredients and affordability compared to the original SkinCeuticals CE Ferulic serum.

Notable Quote:
Doree Shafrir [05:13]: "The patent on that has expired. This was a big discussion in the skincare addiction Reddit recently that the SkinCeuticals CE Ferulic patent has expired. And this means that companies can copy the formula."

Elise Hu adds a makeup recommendation, suggesting long-lasting lip tints from the Korean brand Rome & nd and endorsing the Dr. Jart Cryo Rubber Face Mask for hydration during long flights.

Notable Quote:
Elise Hu [08:26]: "There is a line of lip tints from the Korean brand Rome and ND that is incredible. And it stays, it's very long lasting without being too drying."

---

Personal Stories: Manicures and Beauty Culture

Doree Shafrir shares her positive experience returning to gel manicures, emphasizing the durability and nail health benefits. This leads to a discussion on the duality of beauty culture—acknowledging both its exhausting aspects and the nurturing, connective moments it provides.

Notable Quote:
Elise Hu [12:34]: "I worry that the message or the duality doesn't come through clearly, which is that there's another side of beauty culture that's really lovely, which is kind of that feeling of touch and nurturing when we go to a salon or have the privilege of going to get our nails done."

---

Voicemails: Supporting Friends with NICU Babies

A listener shares experiences supporting a friend with a baby in the NICU. Elise Hu and Doree Shafrir discuss the importance of allowing space for personal recovery and the invaluable role of medical professionals.

Notable Tip:
Listener [19:48]: "Make sure you have a really good thick hand cream because you're washing your hands like a thousand times a day."

Elise Hu [22:00]: Reflects on how structured NICU schedules can aid parental recovery, referencing another listener's experience.

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Dinner Dilemmas and Meal Prep Solutions

Addressing a common "dinner rut," the hosts provide several practical solutions:

1. Meal Prepping with Baked Meatballs:
   Doree Shafrir [30:08]: Recommends making large batches of meatballs with various sauces for versatility and quick meals.

2. DIY Sushi Bowls:
   Listener [31:05]: Suggests creating sushi bowls with customizable ingredients, making meal times interactive and enjoyable.

3. Embracing Seasonal Produce:
   Listener [32:13]: Advises "Lean into the Season" by utilizing seasonal vegetables and fruits to bring variety and environmental benefits to meals.

Notable Quote:
Elise Hu [33:53]: "I love Lean into the Season."

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Practical Shopping Tips

Doree Shafrir [34:08]: Shares a Costco hack: purchasing a large brick of Parmesan cheese to have readily available freshly shaved cheese for months, enhancing meal flavors while being cost-effective.

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Closing Remarks

The hosts express gratitude for listener interactions and encourage continued sharing of dinner recommendations. They briefly recount personal anecdotes, such as Elise's yak gift mishap, adding a touch of humor and relatability to the episode.

Notable Quote:
Doree Shafrir [29:34]: "I actually enjoy. I like cooking, and I like making dinner and stuff, and I truly hate doing dishes."

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Conclusion

In this episode of Forever35, Doree Shafrir and Elise Hu provide a blend of product recommendations, personal stories, and practical advice to help listeners navigate self-care and everyday challenges. From skincare dupes to managing dinner ruts, the hosts offer relatable insights with their characteristic humor and warmth, fostering a sense of community and shared experience among their audience.

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Key Takeaways:

• Engage with Listener Feedback: Participate in surveys and voicemails to shape podcast content.
• Affordable Skincare Alternatives: Explore comparable products when patents expire to save money without compromising quality.
• Beauty Culture Balance: Recognize both the empowering and exhausting aspects of beauty routines.
• Support Systems in NICU Situations: Prioritize personal recovery and leverage professional care services.
• Creative Meal Planning: Utilize meal prepping and seasonal ingredients to overcome dinner ruts efficiently.

Transcript

[Dory Shafrir]

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[Elise Hu]

The sun's out, the air is warming and the itch to travel is returning. I am headed to Mexico. I'm headed to Cabo in a couple weeks and I'm preparing myself and the family with a first class quality suitcase at an economy price tag from Quince. Ava is going to get a baby pink colored suitcase. It is the Carryon Kid suitcase 18 inch. It's really going to upgrade our trip and you can treat yourself to the luxe upgrades you deserve too with Quince's high quality travel essentials at fair prices like lightweight European linen styles from $30 washable silk tops. I have one. I love it. And comfy lounge sets with premium luggage options and stylish tote bags to carry it all. The best part? All Quint Items are priced 50 to 80% less and similar brands. By partnering directly with top factories, Quince cuts out the cost of the middleman and passes the savings on to us. And Quince only works with factories that use safe, ethical and responsible manufacturing practices and premium fabrics and finishes. For your next trip, treat yourself to the luxe upgrades you deserve from Quince. Go to quince.comforever35 for 365 day returns plus free shipping on your order. That's Q U I n c e.com Forever35 to get free shipping and 365 day returns. Quince.com Forever35.

[Dory Shafrir]

Hello and welcome to Forever35, a podcast about the things we do to take care of ourselves. I'm Dory Shafrier.

[Elise Hu]

And I'm Elise Hu and we're just two friends who like to talk a lot about serums.

[Dory Shafrir]

And this is a mini episode where we hear from you, we share your comments and your thoughts, and we answer your questions to the best of our ability. But please do remember, we are not experts. We are podcast hosts. And we always encourage you to seek support, first and foremost, from a medical and or mental health professional as needed. Uh, before we get going, I want to remind everyone that we are doing a listener survey. And you can find that link in our show notes, episode description on our website, on our link in bio, in our Instagram. It's just floating around a lot of different places.

[Elise Hu]

I think of these listener surveys, like calling your congressperson, in that they really, if you do call, they end up extrapolating a lot from the few people who call. And so it's an unscientific survey. But your voice really matters that.

[Dory Shafrir]

I love that.

[Elise Hu]

Because if you are the squeaky wheel, right? You will get the grease, right? So go ahead and fill that out and let us know what you want more of.

[Dory Shafrir]

So true.

[Elise Hu]

And what you want less of. Because even if it isn't an accurate sample of what the listeners at large want, just by filling it out, your voice is overrepresented.

[Dory Shafrir]

I, I, I love this. What a pitch. What a pitch. Elise, how have you been since I last saw you? An hour and a half ago.

[Elise Hu]

This is our big taping day, and so we do catch up a lot. I should actually save up my stories. I should be like, I should make a list and be like, these are my stories for the first taping of the day. And these are my stories for the second taping of the day.

[Dory Shafrir]

Well, we did get, we got a text from a listener that I feel like is actually a good prompt for our conversation, which is any chance y'all can share a skin care product you're currently loving and the full scoop. This would be a throwback. I know, frivolous and whatnot. But it's fucking crazy right now in the US I'd love an old fashioned Forever 35 Escape.

[Elise Hu]

Yeah. Yeah. Do you want to go first? I have to actually call up the name of this so I can tell y'all.

[Dory Shafrir]

Sure. I, I feel like I've maybe mentioned this on the podcast before, but there is a vitamin C serum from a company called May Love M A E L O, V E, and it's called the Glow Maker. It is 15 vitamin C. It also has vitamin E and ferulic acid. You may think those ingredients sound familiar if you have ever come into contact with these SkinCeuticals CE Ferulic. Yeah.

[Elise Hu]

Yes. I'm finally made the connection. Here we go.

[Dory Shafrir]

Which by the way, the patent on that has expired. This was a big discussion in the skincare addiction Reddit recently that the skinceutical C ferulic patent has expired. And this means that companies can copy the formula. Exactly. Now, of course, and, and many people in the comments pointed this out. This formula, which was like very revolutionary when it first launched, is like no longer as revolutionary. Obviously. I think it's, you know, whenever, however long the patent expires. 20 years or something. And obviously a lot of companies like May Love and others have, maybe it's not the exact, exact dupe, but it's pretty close. Like they've figured it out. So it's not like, you know, as, as groundbreaking as you might think, but the SkinCeuticals CE Ferulic is. Let's see, how much does this cost? It is $182 for 30 milliliters. The male of is 3295 for 30.

[Elise Hu]

Wow.

[Dory Shafrir]

So it is $150 cheaper. And look, I, you know, I have tried skinceuticals in my day. They are lovely products. This, this little bottle of vitamin C serum. This 30ml lasts me about a month and I do not want to be paying. I don't think it is an extra $150 per month. Better. I'll put it that way.

[Elise Hu]

Right? Yeah. Okay.

[Dory Shafrir]

You know what I mean? So I've actually, I've actually put it on a subscription from the site so I can kind of set it and forget it. It also apparently won the Strategist Beauty 100 Award in 2021.

[Elise Hu]

Or the original skins the May love.

[Dory Shafrir]

This is, this is like the thing that I am, you know, it's one of my.

[Elise Hu]

Okay, so I have two product recs. One is less of a skincare wreck, more of a makeup wreck. Because we had a Rachel Goodwin episode on recently and I remember somebody wrote in saying they would love a lip stain or a lip tint that actually stayed and lasted. And I think Rachel responded saying you can just use your lip pencil and draw all over your lip and that'll stay as a base.

[Dory Shafrir]

She did say that.

[Elise Hu]

But there is a line of lip tints from the Korean brand Rome and ND that is incredible. And it stays, it's very long lasting without being too drying. And if you do feel like it's too dry, obviously you can wear a lip oil over It. But Rome and nd, it's spelled R, O, M and just the letter N and D. It's a very big Korean makeup brand. And their lip tints are excellent in terms of just, like, staying power. Yeah. They're workhorses. They're. And then I like their colors. And you can get that online or in some, depending on where you're shopping in some stores. So that's my lip tint wreck. And then the other product that I think is, like, tried and true, especially when I'm on long flights or I just feel dry or. Or I want to kind of feel super indulgent. It's like a $16 face mask. It's a $16 sheet mask. It's not a sheet. It's the rubber face mask, and it covers everything. It's the Dr. Jart Cryo Rubber Face mask.

[Dory Shafrir]

Oh. Yeah.

[Elise Hu]

It looks a little scary on the package, but I enjoy this so much. I love it. I do it maybe once a month because I'll do a sheet mask pretty regularly. But if I'm on, like, a long flight, I'll put on one of these rubber face masks. Scare the out of my children and other children.

[Dory Shafrir]

Amazing.

[Elise Hu]

It's a lot of fun. But you arrive at your destination so glowy.

[Dory Shafrir]

Yes.

[Elise Hu]

After scaring so many children and some flight attendants.

[Dory Shafrir]

Exactly. Whatever. Well, those are. Those are some. Some great wrecks. I also. Did you hear about this whole Beauty of Joseon thing a couple months ago where they were no longer going to be selling their Korean formulas direct to U.S. consumers?

[Elise Hu]

Yes. And some people were like, what?

[Dory Shafrir]

Yeah. So I was. I. I bought a few sunscreens just to, like, stock up, and I've been using them, and I'm. I'm getting to the end of. Of a couple, which I'm kind of sad about.

[Elise Hu]

I got you. I got you. Because my business partner Rachel is in Korea right now. What? Yeah. And she's flying back the day after tomorrow, so I'll just have her pick you up some at the airport. Yeah. Do you like the sticks or do you like the kind of.

[Dory Shafrir]

No, I don't like the sticks. I'll. I'll. I'll send you. I'll send you exactly products that I like the best.

[Elise Hu]

Okay. Yeah, we'll just have her meal those.

[Dory Shafrir]

Wow. I am glad that I mentioned this.

[Elise Hu]

I am, too, because it's just in time to help you out.

[Dory Shafrir]

Seriously. My gosh. Wow. Okay. That's awesome. This is like a combo, like, thing to bring you joy slash beauty thing. But I started getting Manicures again.

[Elise Hu]

Oh, yay.

[Dory Shafrir]

I went for a really long time without getting a manicure. And then when my tennis team was going to sectionals, I got like a tennis themed manicure.

[Elise Hu]

I remember that from your insta story.

[Dory Shafrir]

Yes. And then when it came time, because. And it was a gel manicure, because I got a little bit of nail art, I got a tennis ball and a tennis racket. And when it came time to take it off, you know, I. I can remove my own gel manicure, but I really prefer to have a professional do it. So I was like, I'll go back and have them take it off and then I'll get another gel manicure.

[Elise Hu]

Yeah.

[Dory Shafrir]

Because they use this, like, premium gel. And at first I was sort of. I like, rolled my eyes. I was like, premium gel, like, whatever. But I was like, after I did it, I was like, oh, this, this, this really is better. It lasts. It lasts for so long, and my nails have gotten, like, so much stronger. It's kind of crazy. So I've been going, it lasts a month and probably would last longer, but my nails just get so long that I need to get another manicure.

[Elise Hu]

Yeah.

[Dory Shafrir]

So I'm getting a gel manicure once a month.

[Elise Hu]

Oh, nice. What a little luxury. And it's a little time for yourself too. Since I have written a book about kind of a feministy book about beauty culture and all the ways that it can be exhausting, I worry that the message or the duality doesn't come through clearly, which is that there's another side of beauty culture that's really lovely, which is kind of that feeling of touch and nurturing when we go to a salon or have the privilege of going to get our nails done. And that feels really connective with other people, whether you're going with other people or you're getting a treat.

[Dory Shafrir]

Yeah. And, you know, like, salon culture is so funny. And when I was there, there was a mom and a daughter next to me, and the parents were clearly not together because the mom was like, her dad took her to get this, like, bad gel manicure. And she had come into the salon to get it taken off.

[Elise Hu]

Yeah.

[Dory Shafrir]

And get it fixed. And she kept being like, yeah, her, like her father took her.

[Elise Hu]

Oh, I like, very.

[Dory Shafrir]

Yeah, very, like dramatically. And I don't know, it's just the conversation was just, like, funny to me. But. But it was true. Like, you could tell the. The manicure she'd gotten was. Was not good. So, yeah.

[Elise Hu]

Time to get the premium. Time to get the premium gel.

[Dory Shafrir]

So long they spent so long deciding on what color she was gonna get. Like, it was, it was really like. And they had a really sweet relationship and the daughter was like, mom, I had an idea we could get the same color. And like, it was just like, really this, like, sweet, you know, mother, daughter bonding moment. Yeah. I was like, oh, yeah. Like this happens.

[Elise Hu]

Love it. Love it. I know. That's, that's, that's the kind of thing that you do appreciate about beauty culture.

[Dory Shafrir]

Exactly. Exactly. All right, well, let's take a little break before we get to some more of your voicemails and emails. And just a reminder, you can call or text us at 781-591-0390. You can email us at forever35podcastmail.com Our website, Forever35 Podcast has links to everything we mention on the show. We are also on Instagram at february35podcast. We have a newsletter at forever35podcast.com newsletter and we are going to take a short break and we'll be right back.

[Elise Hu]

We'll be right back.

[Dory Shafrir]

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[Elise Hu]

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[C]

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[Dory Shafrir]

All right, we are back and we have a couple of voicemails.

[Elise Hu]

Great.

[Dory Shafrir]

We love. Yeah. So I don't know if you remember like a week or two ago, we got a voicemail from a listener whose friend's baby was in the nicu.

[Elise Hu]

Yes.

[Dory Shafrir]

And she was asking for advice about how to support her friend. So we got a voicemail about this.

[Elise Hu]

Great.

[Dory Shafrir]

Here we go.

[D]

Hi, Dori and Elise.

[E]

I am calling in response to Claire who called in about her best friend Rachel, who had just turned 35 and had her first baby, who was in the NICU with a congenital anomaly. I have two kids that are both NICU babies of a 5 year old and a 2 year old. I just wanted to say, you know, my situation was a little bit different. My kids were both just early. They didn't have anything wrong with them. So I'm sure this caller may be dealing with more doctor's visits, more surgeries, but there is an aspect of the NICU where, you know, as a parent, there's only so much you can do. You can be there to snuggle, have thin to skin, to have that kind of personal time with the baby, which obviously is so important. But I guess what I was going to say to really the nurses and doctors are so wonderful and are so great and to the one that the NICU taught me was that it really allowed me honestly to have time for me to recover. I had been home, I wouldn't have had to have as much time for myself to recover. But because I was actually able to go home and not have a baby that I had to be with through the whole night, I was able to sleep, take the time that they need to recover so that when the baby does from home, they feel fully themselves to like go on the date night with the husband or their partner, whoever it is, to just have that time for themselves when they aren't there with their baby, to be able to physically and mentally recovery. That to me was one of the like blessings of the nicu. I really felt like I was much more able to focus on myself than I expected. But you have like the most amazing babysitters, honestly, and so take advantage of that. And also make sure you have a really good thick hand cream because you're washing your hands like a thousand times a day. I always use the locutane spirit butchering the pronunciation, the shea butter hand Cream which is like super thick and fantastic. Okay, that's it. Thank you guys so much.

[Elise Hu]

Bye. Really good tips.

[Dory Shafrir]

I hadn't thought about the like the washing hands aspect.

[Elise Hu]

Me neither. Yeah, I, I know that hospitals are freezing and staying in hospitals can be freezing and so I had mentioned the blankies and just being warm. And also it that note about how these care these caregivers or these doctors and nurses, medical professionals are like great careg is another excellent dimension of this because my daughter's good friend Leah was a NICU baby and I don't think she get to got to come home for three months. But by the time she did get to go home, her mom was like she was on such. She was on the NICU schedule. She had a sleep schedule, a feeding schedule and all we had to do was follow it. Like we didn't have to kind of figure it out for ourselves or get the baby on a schedule. She was just all she came pre wired, you know, with a schedule. So that was, that was one thing that I just remembered from people who have been through it too. And that reminded me of it.

[Dory Shafrir]

Well, thank you listener for calling in. On a totally different note, we got a bunch of suggestions for weeknight dinners.

[Elise Hu]

Ooh, Dory's dinner rut. Dory's dinner dilemma.

[Dory Shafrir]

Rut. Dory's dinner dilemma. So this first email this person wrote Dory, here we are in a dinner rut again tale as old as time. I I really, I feel seen. I feel seen by our listeners. Here I will plug again the recipes of the marvelous Ali Slagle, who routinely contributes recipes that are accurately billed as low effort, high reward for the New York Times think one pot and sheet pan. But genius level. She also has her own excellent cookbook, I Dream of Dinner, which is almost, if not entirely comprised of recipes using six ingredients or fewer and an inspiring substack called 40 ingredients forever. Some of her recipes that I return to over and over again are these are all New York Times cooking subscription required. Cheesy White bean Tomato bake I. E. Pizza beans.

[Elise Hu]

Ooh.

[Dory Shafrir]

Crispy rice with dill and runny eggs. Eggs Crispy gnocchi with sausage and broccoli. I sub in plant based sausage for this as I don't eat meat. For what it's worth, the sad meal you described didn't sound all that sad to me. You even said you thought it was tasty. Well, I do recognize that you've managed to land on a satisfactory division of labor with Matt. Regarding cooking and cleaning. I have a similar arrangement with my husband. I would submit it's not an entirely equitable trade. There's so much more work that goes into preparing meals every day beyond simply the execution of the recipe. The mental load of simply coming up with ideas for meals that will satisfy everyone in your household's preferences is quite a lot of work. So I would A, advise you to give yourself a break and some grace because they simply cannot all be bangers, and B, enlist Matt and Henry to weigh in on ideas for what they want to eat so at least some of the creative burden is shared. I'm not certain of the best way to administer this task. I know you used to have sort of a weekly schedule for what food or food type was for each specific day, but I could see this getting sort of boring and repetitive. Would it be worth creating a Forever35 shared spreadsheet for recipes? Might be annoying to organize slash categorize, but we have such a great pool to draw from for inspiration. Just a thought. XOXO goat Lauren.

[Elise Hu]

Not a bad idea. Not a bad idea.

[Dory Shafrir]

So you might be wondering what goat Lauren refers to.

[Elise Hu]

Oh, yes, I did. Yeah, good point. I didn't even really think about that. So now I am wondering.

[Dory Shafrir]

This is a listener who has been listening for a long time named Lauren Gitlin. And she used to work in media in New York, and now she owns a goat farm in Vermont called Villa Villa Coola Farm. And they make yogurt and butter and all kinds. And it looks like they're starting a retired goat sanctuary. Oh, I love goats. Lauren has. Has been very supportive of the show.

[Elise Hu]

Thank you, Lauren. And how lovely that you are now on a goat farm, because I love goats. I always say that I really relate to goats because we share the same diet. Like, we both eat trash and so, like, goats eat everything. So do I. So we have that in common.

[Dory Shafrir]

Wow.

[Elise Hu]

This. This reminds me. This is, like, maybe something I should have brought up in the top of the show when we catch up. But this goat, this mention of a goat reminded me that I brought this yak, this felt yak back from Nepal last summer.

[Dory Shafrir]

Ooh.

[Elise Hu]

And I was so excited about my felt yak. And it's adorable. And it's carrying, like, a pack on its back, you know, because the yaks often help the climbers get up the Himalayas. Right. And the many other multiple peaks Nepal has. The tallest mountains, is home of the home to the tallest mountains in the world. And I was so excited about my yak and that I displayed it in my living room. And today Oscar got out of his kitchen, fenced area.

[Dory Shafrir]

No, no.

[Elise Hu]

And my mom came home from the grocery store, and he had killed my yak. Like, it was in a million pieces, and some of it might be in his stomach. And my yak is over.

[Dory Shafrir]

Oh, no.

[Elise Hu]

The yak is Oscar. I only have to go 9,000 miles to Nepal to get one.

[Dory Shafrir]

Oh, my God.

[Elise Hu]

No big deal.

[Dory Shafrir]

Wow.

[Elise Hu]

My mom was like, what is this dog? And I'm just like, it's hard to explain.

[Dory Shafrir]

Started.

[Elise Hu]

He's so poorly trained.

[Dory Shafrir]

Oh, my goodness. Wow. Okay.

[Elise Hu]

Anyway, so goat. Lauren, thank you for the call and thank you for this. Time to go on a little yak reverie.

[Dory Shafrir]

Yeah. Rip, rip, yak. Okay. Oh, and just to respond to her comments about the mental load. Yes, I agree. I do enlist Henry, and sometimes I enlist Matt. Matt has very poor executive function, so anything sort of planny is a challenge for him. So I, you know, it. Like, I actually enjoy. I like cooking, and I like making dinner and stuff, and I truly hate doing dishes. So I know it feels. And it is inequitable in a lot of ways. But it's also like, you know how they say, like, for siblings, it's not about everything being the same? Like. Right. It's about everything being, like, just.

[Elise Hu]

Or what is the Right.

[Dory Shafrir]

Exactly.

[Elise Hu]

Yeah.

[Dory Shafrir]

Yeah. So I. I'm saying this very, like, awkwardly, but I guess what I'm saying is, like, I don't need everything that Matt and I do to be the same. You know what I mean? Like, I. I would rather take on the mental load of planning dinner than do dishes. I. True. Like, I truly hate doing dishes is great.

[Elise Hu]

Yeah. No, it's.

[Dory Shafrir]

You know, so it's like, yeah, the.

[Elise Hu]

Norm has to work for the people in the relationship.

[Dory Shafrir]

Exactly. Now, that said, it is helpful, obviously, when they do weigh in with suggestions. Now, Henry's suggestions are often like, macaroni and cheese. Like, well, but, yes, I agree. All right, Elise, we're going to take another break, and we'll be back with a couple other recommendations.

[Elise Hu]

All right.

[Dory Shafrir]

All right. We are back. I loved this suggestion from another listener named Fiona who said, when my kids were little, I would make a giant batch of baked meatballs and then freeze them in ziploc bags. I would then serve them in different styles over rice, pasta, couscous, mashed potatoes, et cetera. So one time as Italian with marinara, another time with teriyaki sauce. Add pineapple and bell pepper, another time with barbecue sauce, another time is Swedish. Had to make the sauce from scratch, but not bad since I wasn't making the entree. Just change the sauce and you have a totally different and very quick to the table meal. And when they're already cooked and in the freezer, you can heat them in sauce, frozen or defrost. Day of in the fridge tip. I use my large cookie scoop to make them all the same shape and size quickly. And then Fiona linked to the recipe from Fountain Avenue Kitchen.

[Elise Hu]

We will link that for you in the show notes.

[Dory Shafrir]

We will. That is a hot tip. Thank you so much, Fiona. All right, I'm going to play a voicemail.

[F]

Oh my gosh.

[Elise Hu]

During.

[F]

Elise, I just called a second ago to talk about surefire meals for feeding picky families and I forgot about the other surefire thing in our family, make your own sushi bowls. So we got ourselves a rice maker which is such a game changer and my husband occasionally can be coerced into hot smoking salmon. But even if you just like roasted salmon or any other kind of fish or tofu and then we just make like a DIY sushi bowl with veggies and soy and avocado and edamame and whatever other protein and like the kids gobbled it up. So if you haven't thought about doing something similar, definitely recommend that as well.

[Elise Hu]

Okay, bye.

[E]

For real this time.

[Elise Hu]

That's so great.

[Dory Shafrir]

They left another. They left another voicemail that I didn't play. But I. I just love this rice cooker tip for this.

[Elise Hu]

Yeah, that's so great. Yes.

[Dory Shafrir]

Okay. One other voicemail.

[D]

I am listening to the most recent episode where Dory is talking about being stuck in a rut in making and I had some ideas. First of all, I'm also a mom and I'll just say sometimes you just get into these dinner funks and it is like nothing seems good. You don't feel like making anything so it will eventually go away. But one thing that I usually do when I'm in a cooking rut is I look at what's in season. Because when you don't know what to make, you feel like you've been making the same things over and over again and you're bored bringing from the joy back into cooking by just seeing what looks like really pretty and delicious at the market or even going to like making a special trip to the co op or the farmer's market or wherever you can just see what's in season and get something especially yummy and delicious and then make the meal that's featuring that item. Spring is actually a great time for that because there's all sorts of vegetables and fruits that only come in springtime. And you can only make these great salads or whatever just in this special time when there's a good asparagus or peas. And it's way better for the environment, too, because you're eating the things that are in season. You're not getting stuff that's trucked from all over the world. In California, we're very lucky to have access to these seasonal produce. And then you can just use your phone to Google a seasonal recipe out of what looks good, or just start with your phone and see what seasonal recipe you might want to do. So that's my recommendation. Lean into the season and make something new. Okay, thanks.

[Elise Hu]

I love Lean into the Season.

[Dory Shafrir]

Yeah, Lean into the Season.

[Elise Hu]

And now we have an episode title, too.

[Dory Shafrir]

Lean into the Season. Yes, exactly. All right, one last text with a Costco wreck.

[Elise Hu]

Okay.

[Dory Shafrir]

Buy the giant brick of Parmesan. You'll have freshly shaved Parmesan on your pasta for months. It stays well in the fridge. I wrap the brick in beeswax wrap to keep it fresh. We also buy the block, the brick of Parmesan. It does not last us for months because I think we cook with Parmesan probably more than the average bear, but delicious. It is delicious. And it is such a deal. So, yes, cosine.

[Elise Hu]

I was supposed to go to a concert on Friday night at around 9pm last Friday night. It was gonna be. It was at the Troubadour and I was supposed to go and I was kind of on my way and then I just didn't feel like it and I turned around and went to Costco and got a hot dog and some stuff.

[Dory Shafrir]

You made the right choice.

[Elise Hu]

It was awesome. It was awesome. But, oh, wait, no, I couldn't get a hot dog. I went. I turned around and got to Costco and they were closing the cafe, but I ended up shopping for some bulk items. So.

[Dory Shafrir]

Amazing.

[Elise Hu]

Yeah.

[Dory Shafrir]

All right, well, everyone, thanks so much for listening. Thanks for your dinner recommendations. Keep them coming and we will talk to you soon.

[Elise Hu]

Okay, bye. Bye.

[Dory Shafrir]

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[Elise Hu]

Yeah, absolutely.

[Dory Shafrir]

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