Late-night text from me to a friend: Hiiiiii, so my girls need sneakers and I would love to not spend a lot. AND they need to be cute, and also last for the whole summer. Did you find anything cute for yours? Help a friend out.

Her reply? Shoin.

It’s not just with “stuff.” I want healthy recipes, but also easy, but also different, but of course delicious. I want to do everything on my to-do list, but also go to sleep early, but also have time for family and friends, but also wake up to an immaculate house. And no, this is not asking too much, why would you think that?

In this instant-gratification age, our expectations are simple. Having it all, at high quality, low effort, and low cost. And next-day delivery/free shipping/free returns, of course.

When I think about it objectively, it is kind of ridiculous. Who can maintain these kinds of standards? Accepting and embracing what we can and can’t do isn’t easy, but it’s a good goal (to add to my to-do list!).

Many of you have gotten there, and you’ve prioritized what you want; the most common request we get across the board is for something easy. I hear it a lot from you when you flip through the pages of our visuals and crafts, which is why many of my conversations with Esther O. start and end with “But is it easy enough?”

This week, we wanted to flood you with lots of ideas for Lag B’omer and upsherens. But we also wanted them to be easy. (And also inexpensive. And super cute and irresistible.) And while we can’t have it all, I hope you will find that in general, our content is doable, appealing, and checks all your boxes.

CHANIE NAYMAN
Food Editor, Family Table

Crazy, But It Works

Turn on a (gas) burner and warm up a knife for a second in the fl ame. Then slide it over a ziplock bag to divide the bag into two smaller, narrow bags!

Roasted Frozen Broccoli, But Better

Preheat your oven to 425°F (220°C). Place broccoli on a baking sheet and spread out as much as possible (if it’s too close together, the broccoli will steam rather than roast). Don’t add oil or spices at this stage. First you just want to evaporate all the moisture that’s locked in from the freezing process. After about 15 minutes, drizzle on oil and spices, and return to a 450°F (230°C) oven for another 5–10 minutes until crispy.

(Originally featured in Family Table, Issue 739)