picks vol. 42

what we're wearing

easy, considered, nothing trying too hard.

shop all three looks → liketk.it/6j5a2

what we're sipping

cherry martinis

gather:

2 oz vodka 1 oz cointreau 1.5 oz tart cherry juice 0.5 oz fresh lime juice

create:

shake with ice vigorously. strain into a chilled glass. garnish with a fresh cherry.

what we're making

whipped feta dip with marinated zucchini

gather:

8 oz feta cheese 2/3 cup greek yogurt 1 clove garlic, minced juice of half a lemon 1½ tsp extra virgin olive oil salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste 1 zucchini juice of 1 lemon 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil a small bunch each of parsley, dill, and mint, finely chopped

prepare:

in a food processor or using an immersion blender, blend the feta, yogurt, garlic, lemon juice, and olive oil until smooth and airy. season to taste with salt and a little black pepper.

wash the zucchini. use a vegetable peeler to create ribbons — start at one end and peel down the entire length, applying light pressure to get thin ribbons. place the ribbons in a bowl and toss with lemon juice, olive oil, and a pinch of salt. let sit for at least 10 minutes to soften and soak up the flavors. then mix in the herbs.

spread the whipped feta onto a shallow bowl or plate. pile the zucchini salad on top or to the side. finish with a good drizzle of olive oil.

this is a summer appetizer that doubles as a reason to linger, you can make it before anyone arrives, and serve it with whatever bread is in the house.

what we're reading

the next day: transitions, change, and moving forward — melinda french gates

most people know melinda french gates through the foundation — the global empire, the marriage, the brand. the next day shows the side we rarely see: a woman in the process of rediscovering who she is beyond all of it. she reflects, for the first time in print, on the transitions that have most defined her — becoming a parent, the death of a close friend, her departure from the gates foundation — and draws from them a framework for navigating the space between an ending and what comes next.

it isn't a crisis memoir and it isn't self-help in the conventional sense. it's thoughtful, honest, and quietly powerful — the account of a woman who started, like most of us, by winging it and looking to the people who came before her for guidance. we're recommending it because the veritas edit has always been interested in what it looks like to rebuild on your own terms — not dramatically, not performatively, but with clarity and intention.