ft. ‘Black Widow’ & McDonald’s Ice Cream Iced Coffee
We did it — we made it to the end of both the shortest and longest week of the summer! Why are four-day-weeks even more exhausting than regular ones? Asking for a friend. This week, we’ve got an action-packed blockbuster to heat things up (as though the heatwave wasn’t doing enough of that already), then a McDonald’s iced coffee hack to cool us down. And where did I learn said hack, you may ask? Well, where does anyone learn anything nowadays? Tik Tok, of course.
However you’re planning on spending your weekend, enjoy these quarantivities!
Quarant-streams
‘Black Widow’
Watch this bc it only took 11 years and one pandemic for Black Widow to get her own movie:
Would it really be summer without a superhero blockbuster? Escape the heat this weekend with Black Widow, Marvel’s farewell film to super spy and all-around baddie Natasha Romanoff. Of course, given the events that occurred in Endgame, the movie rewinds the Marvel Cinematic Universe clock and is set immediately following Captain America: Civil War. A prequel of sorts, it finally takes the time to tell the story behind the black jumpsuit — something that Marvel had miserably failed at thus far. Why does it always take someone dying for people to appreciate them??
The movie picks up where Civil War left off but forces Natasha to confront a past we as viewers have never seen before — her life before she ever became an Avenger. With a dangerous new threat hot on her trail and her history catching up to her, Natasha is forced to reconcile with the people she left behind, specifically her Russian spy family. It’s all very The Americans, except the MCU family-friendly version. Think less Philip Jennings and torture scenes, more David Harbour and cheesy banter. Come for the action, stay for the on-screen chemistry between Johansson and Pugh. It’s not quite the Black Widow redemption story this hero deserves, but hey, it’s an excuse to sit inside a movie theater with AC that I’m not paying for blasting, so I’ll take it!
Stream it via Disney+.
Quarant-reads
‘People We Meet on Vacation’ by Emily Henry
Read this if you’re ready for your next Summer Friday:
Don’t actually meet people on vacation this summer — read this book instead! Kidding, you should definitely meet people, but then you should recommend that they read this book so you have something to talk about when you pretend to stay in touch after the trip.
Best friends Alex and Poppy rarely see each other in person — Poppy lives in NYC and Alex lives in their small Ohio hometown — but at least they have their annual summer vacation. Every year for the past decade, the two have spent one blissful week together…until one fateful summer ruins it all. Determined to get her friend back, Poppy convinces Alex to go on one last trip with her, knowing that either way when they return, their relationship will never be the same. Will true love prevail? Or is their relationship as doomed as you are after that fourth mai tai at the hotel swim-up bar? You’ll have to read this to find out!
Purchase via Amazon.
Quarant-eats
Loaded Steak Salad Bowl with Yogurt Green Goddess via What’s Gaby Cooking:
Make this bc nothing hits harder than a good summer salad:
Nonnie’s 5 Ingredient Peach Dump via Half Baked Harvest:
Make these bc it’s peach szn:
McDonald’s Ice Cream Iced Coffee via Tik Tok??:
Make this bc Tik Tok made me do it:
Quarant-memes
& Some Other Fun Stuff …
Go here bc one of SoCal’s biggest outdoor food festivals is back:
Shop here to support Black-owned businesses and local artists:
Attend this bc I literally can’t think of a better combo than wine and succulents:
Try these if you’re sick of eating at the same three restaurants each weekend:
10 Exciting Dinner Spots To Try In LA Right Now
Head here if you love a good vintage find:
Try these bc it’s officially the best week of the year (Burger Week, baby!):
Or if you can’t decide, read this to help make up your burger-confused mind:
Check out this, bc you know what they say: “One man’s trash is another man’s…art exhibit?”:
The Plastic Bag Store Immersive Exhibit
Or this if you love a good post-party after hours:
Natural History Museum Extended Summer Hours
Cook these if you think turning on the oven might actually kill you right now:
30 No-Cook Summer Dishes for When You Absolutely Cannot Turn On the Oven
RSVP to this to embrace your inner space cowboy tonight: