ft. ‘Mare of Easttown’ & Air Fryer Chicken Sandwich w/ Sriacha Mayo

May 28, 2021 by Sydney Grant

We made it to Memorial Day Weekend! You know what that means: summer is officially here. Whether you plan on marking the beginning of the season by whipping out your best white pants, heaviest pour of rosé, or are looking forward to the extra day of Netflix binge-watching, make the most out of the holiday! After all, it’s the first CDC-sanctioned one since COVID and if that’s not reason to celebrate, I literally don’t know what is.

However you’re planning on spending your weekend, enjoy these quarantivities!

Quarant-streams

‘Mare of Easttown’

Watch this if you’re still not over The Undoing:

If I were to give streaming services superlatives based on content released throughout the past year, I’d easily award HBO Max with “Most Likely To Send the Internet Into a Frenzy Over a Limited Series.” Sure, the pandemic bonded us all in ways that we never could have expected (when we weren’t fighting over the last roll of toilet paper at CVS, that is…), but if you really want to bring people together, just create a whodunit thriller and cast Nicole Kidman or Kate Winslet as the lead. It’s science!

The finale of Mare of Easttown airs this Sunday, meaning the six excruciating weeks of waiting to find out who killed Erin is nearly over. Personally, I’m more of a watch an entire season in one night kind of gal, but even I have to admit that reading everyone’s theories online has created a sense of camaraderie that’s certainly added to the ~excitment of it all~. I won’t give too much away, but what I will say is that in the penultimate episode last week, detective Mare had thought that she solved the grisly murder that’d been plaguing the tiny Pennsylvania town. Until a mysterious photograph was revealed in the final scene that seems to have turned that previous theory upside down…dun dun dun. I don’t know who’s more excited to learn what’s in that photo, me, or all of Reddit, but I do know that I will be tuning in this Sunday to find out!

Stream it via HBO Max.

Quarant-reads

‘The Lost Boys of Montauk: The True Story of the Wind Blown, Four Men Who Vanished at Sea, and the Survivors They Left Behind‘ by Amanda M. Fairbanks

Read this if you’re craving more ~mystery~ after finishing Mare of Easttown:

In 1984, four Long Island fishermen were getting ready to leave on a routine trip to catch some tilefish. They said goodbye to their families as they always did, then set sail as they had countless times before. Then, one of the worst storms in the area’s history hit…and the men never came back. The boat and bodies were never recovered, and the repercussions of the incident are still felt deeply within the community today. The Lost Boys of Montauk attempts to tell the missing men’s true story by weaving together interviews with their families and fellow local fisherman with an analysis on the class divide in Montauk that perhaps contributed to these men’s tragic fates.

Purchase via Amazon.

Quarant-eats

Air Fryer Chicken Sandwich w/ Sriacha Mayo via Skinnytaste:

Make this to take advantage of your roommate’s air fryer:

Watermelon Chaat via NYT Cooking:

Make this to look like you’re fancy while exerting nearly zero effort:

Photo: Christopher Simpson for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Prop Stylist: Paige Hicks.

INGREDIENTS

2 pounds watermelon, cut into 1-inch cubes
¾ teaspoon whole cumin seeds
¼ teaspoon sweet paprika
¼ teaspoon finely ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon amchur powder (dried green mango)
Pinch of cayenne pepper (a generous pinch if you like heat)
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
1 orange, clementine or mandarin, juiced to make approximately 1/3 cup juice
½ teaspoon finely chopped jalapeño pepper
3 to 4 fresh mint leaves, thinly sliced

PREPARATION

Place cubed watermelon in a wide platter with sides or in a large baking or serving dish and spread into a single layer.
In a small pan, toast whole cumin seeds on medium heat for 3 minutes, until fragrant. Remove and coarsely grind with a mortar and pestle. (You can also grind in a spice grinder, but be sure not to grind to a fine powder as the coarse grains of the spice add a wonderful texture.)
Transfer cumin to a small bowl and add all remaining spices and salt. Add citrus juice, jalapeño and mint and mix well. Pour dressing over cubed watermelon and mix to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and let marinate for 1 to 6 hours. Serve chilled the same day.

Rosé Cocktail via Betches:

Make this if you’re basic and you love it (no shame in the rosé game!):

Photo: Alison Richard / Shutterstock.com

Ingredients

1 pint fresh blackberries
5 oz. raspberry simple syrup — make your usual simple syrup but muddle in a few raspberries while the mixture simmers. You don’t need to fish out the seeds or anything—it’ll add to the cocktail.
1 bottle dry rosé
9 oz. strawberry vodka
6 oz. lime juice

How TF To Make It

This pitcher of booze is for a crowd, or all yours—depending on what kind of night you wanna have. Grab a giant pitcher and muddle the blackberries and raspberry simple syrup until the berries are crushed but not totes destroyed. Add in the wine, vodka, and lime juice and stir.

You can strain this if you want, but we felt healthier leaving in the fruit, honestly.

Pour over ice and enjoy. Garnish with more berries and/or limes.