Happy Friday, friends! And thanks for hanging on while we took a brief break last week. I was in NYC soaking up every city second I could, but now I’m back and ready to get to work. And by work I mean share the first Flavor Buffet of the month with you. 🤗

It’s a great one today filled with an ice cream tour, uses for clarified butter, your August horoscope, summery recipes to make while the weather is still hot, and a selection of tote bags I’m currently browsing. And more!

Have a great weekend! And welcome to the best month of the year. 😎

Read

Of course, I found a guide to the best NYC ice cream shops once we were back from our trip! Check out this set for a variety of awesome scoop shops all across the city. And look at that - I’ve been to one of them! ☺️

There’s no denying that I love fashion and my time in New York last week proved, once again, that my shopping gene is quite possibly my strongest. Here’s a fun series, Week of Outfits, featuring Caroline of Cup of Jo, who has great style and is also a great writer in general. Shameless: I’m proud we have similar taste in shoes. :) This series is one I read regularly and enjoy seeing the style of such a varied group!

Per usual, the Alex Beggs newsletter from Bon Appétit this week is a treat. Hilarious, informative, and just plain fun. Exactly how I like to take in food (and food-related) news.

Have you ever wondered about clarified butter? Maybe? Well! Here’s your chance to learn all about it. I’m an easy sell so I’ll probably be making my meals extra-joyful by cooking with clarified butter once in a while. Yum! #treatyoself

It’s August! 😀 And my birthday is quite soon… ten days to go! I’m a Leo. 😏 Check out your own “August Tomato horoscope,” here.

Cook

Coconut-Creamed Corn and Grains - a dairy-free way to enjoy this month’s best veggie (the tomato is a fruit)? Sold! Just be sure to use a gluten-free-grain when following the recipe (I may try this with brown rice).

We’ve been keeping pasta nights on the back-burner, but this Summer Bolognese may just change our thinking. It sounds divine! Perfect August fare.

It’s almost my birthday! Yes, I’ve said that way too many times already. But! A birthday calls for a celebration. And cake. Or pie. Maybe it’s time to break out the Milk Bar Pie. It’s utterly awesome and quite excellent for any sort of reason to celebrate. Not just a birthday! Please note that I have previously made this pie gluten free without much difficulty; it’s possible!

Dine

I know you’re anxiously waiting for my third volume of Bar Bites Beyond: New York City. I am equally excited. My plan is to have it on the blog next week! However, you’ll need somewhere to go this weekend so I’d recommend checking out…

Boston guides, here.

New York City, volume I and volume II.

Maine, right here.

Shop

It’s mid-August, but I still refuse to admit that this joyous season won’t be around forever. I’m usually six pairs of jeans and a wool coat into planning for fall by now, but for some reason I just don’t want summer to end.

But that’s the great thing about handbags. You can use them all year long. 😉

I’m keeping an eye on these…

This Cuyana classic black leather tote looks chic and timeless. The other colors are great, too.

This quilted MZ Wallace tote bag looks like it could be great for commuting and the gym. And I really like the color-block design.

And just for some luxe fun, I love this Longchamp leather logo tote that’s kind of loud, but quite fun. How can I resist?

Enjoy!

Mollie

Gluten Free Mollie D