Eat, Read Go: Salsa Verde Soup, "Lake Effect," and Bentonville, Arkansas

EDITOR’S NOTE

Happy Saturday. We’ve officially made it to spring — and after this winter, that deserves a celebration. So instead of waiting until Easter, I’m whipping up these dangerously easy Cadbury Egg Caramel Cookie Bars, which have occupied my every thought for, oh, five days. But that wasn’t the only thing that made me do a double take this week…

• Stylish women everywhere are ditching their basic button-downs for this Nicole Kidman-approved alternative — which really does make every outfit look that much sharper.

• Spring’s standout shoe looks like it was pulled straight from a Delia’s catalog, and I have just one question: Do we actually hate our feet that much??

• If you’ve also been ignoring the space under your oven because you can’t reach it (same), this genius $9 tool fixes that.

• File this under “words I never thought I’d write”: Could this unexpected body part be the new side boob? If the Oscars were any indication, 1000% yes.

• Trader Joe’s is bringing back the best colors of its wildly popular mini canvas tote bags — and they may already be at your local store. (I’m not ashamed to say I got four.)

— Melissa Goldberg / Senior Editor / Washington, DC

Good Luck Getting This Salsa Verde White Bean Soup Out of Your Head

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If you’ve ever looked at a bowl of salsa and thought, I’d rather just eat this with a spoon, we have great news. Plant Based RD’s Creamy Salsa Verde White Bean Soup is a thing that exists. The light, bright, protein-packed recipe starts with a base of zesty tomatillos, tender cannellini beans, vegetable broth, and aromatics, then gets a serious flavor boost from a garlicky, herby salsa that’s stirred in at the end. Serve it with sliced avocado, extra cilantro, and homemade tostones or crispy tortilla chips for dipping — and think of it as your spring jacket in soup form: colorful and fresh, but still cozy. 

The Time Commitment: Just over an hour.

Key Tips: No cannellini beans? Butter beans or chickpeas will also work, according to Catherine Perez (aka Plant Based RD). And if the soup isn’t as thick as you’d like, use the back of a spoon to mash some of the beans before serving.

Other Takes: For more soups that are the culinary equivalent of transitional dressing, try…

• Salt and Vinegar Potato Chip Soup. Your favorite snack, reimagined as a delightfully tangy soup — and topped with crumbled chips, obviously.

• Tikka Masala Soup. The logical next step for anyone who’s ever wanted to drink the classic Indian-restaurant sauce straight from the bowl.

• Tomato and Orzo Soup with Marinated Feta. Loaded with tiny pasta, rich tomato flavor, and a ridiculously delicious cheese, it’s giving grown-up SpaghettiOs.

Lake Effect by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney

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If you thought your teenage years were awkward, imagine finding out your mom — who’s in the midst of a 1970s sexual awakening — is having an affair with your next-door neighbor, whose son is both your first love and your soon-to-be stepbrother. That special kind of nightmare is exactly what unfolds in Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney’s Lake Effect. When their parents’ scandal (and consequent elopement) rock their Rochester, NY, neighborhood, the Larkin and Finnegan kids become a twisted Brady Bunch, forced to navigate new family dynamics and fallout that reverberates for years. The novel traces them through the ’90s, when the siblings reunite for another scandalous wedding — one that dredges up everything they thought they’d left behind. We asked Sweeney, who’s also the best-selling author of The Nest, a few questions. Here’s what she had to say…

Q: What’s one place everyone needs to visit?

Sweeney: The newly renovated Frick. For years, I went to that museum and stood at the bottom of the roped staircase, looking up, wondering what the upstairs looked like. Being able to ascend those stairs after so many decades of denial is transcendent.

Q: What’s your favorite unapologetic indulgence?

Sweeney: Eating an entire pack of Twizzlers at the movie theater.

Q: What’s one thing you’re an armchair expert on?

Sweeney: Italian red sauces. Sunday sauce (which some people call “gravy,” but we never did in our house), marinara, pomodoro, Marcella Hazan’s Tomato Sauce — I’ve made them all, I’ve eaten them all. When I go to a new Italian restaurant, I always order the pomodoro because if it’s not good, nothing else will be good. I also have a minor in meatballs.

This Small Ozarks City Has Better Art and Coffee Than Places Twice Its Size

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We’ll admit, when Bentonville, Arkansas, was named one of the top places to travel in 2026, we had questions. Mainly, since when does everyone want to vacation in the place Walmart made famous? Turns out, the Southern city is way more than the megastore’s headquarters. Located in the foothills of the Ozarks, Bentonville has become a surprising hot spot for world-class coffee, elevated dining, and impressive art and culture — from the Museum of Native American History to The Momentary (a cheese factory turned creative hub) to the city’s 100-plus works of public art. Oh, and did we mention the pilgrimage-worthy mountain biking? Time to get in the saddle.

🎨 At the heart of Bentonville’s art scene is the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. Set on 134 acres of verdant Ozark forest, the institution (which is wrapping up a major expansion) is home to: works by Norman Rockwell, Andy Warhol, and Georgia O’Keeffe; an entire Frank Lloyd Wright house (painstakingly moved piece by piece from New Jersey); and over five miles of trails dotted with James Turrell and Yayoi Kusama sculptures.  

🍦 Sure, the Walmart Museum is exactly what it sounds like — but hear us out. Recently reopened after more than two years of renovations, the museum is part retail history, part nostalgia trip. You’ll find founder Sam Walton’s original office (meticulously preserved with over 700 artifacts exactly as they were during his lifetime), his first five-and-dime store, and The Spark Café, an old-school soda fountain serving shakes, malts, and Arkansas-made Yarnell’s ice cream, including Walton’s favorite flavor.

🛍️ Big-boxed out? The rest of downtown (dubbed Bentonville Square) tells a largely different story — packed with locally owned shops, galleries, and restaurants. First, fuel up with a Lemon Poppy Matcha or Salt Mocha from Onyx Coffee Lab, recently named the number one coffee shop in the world. Then flip through used titles at Once Upon a Time Books, pick up chic vases and whimsical prints at Hemma Homewares, and pop in Art on the Square for paintings, glass sculptures, and wood tables.

🚲 With more than 80 miles of urban trails, Bentonville claims to be the “Mountain Biking Capital of the World.” That includes Coler Mountain Bike Preserve, where you can find everything from beginner-friendly routes to popular Esther’s Loop to more-challenging options like Here’s Johnny. Prefer to stay on two feet? Check out the aptly named multiuse trail Family Flow. Either way, don’t miss Airship, a coffee shop tucked in the woods only accessible by bike or foot. 

🍴 Yes, The Preacher’s Son is housed in a historic church, but don’t expect sweet tea and Communion wafers. Instead, the buzzy restaurant’s menu rotates with the seasons (think: artichoke and potato croquettes, grilled swordfish with sweet and sour cabbage) and includes an inventive take on a Swiss roll cake (consider it a nonnegotiable). After dinner, head downstairs to its speakeasy, Undercroft, for a nightcap and live jazz.

It’s our duty to mention that you don’t need to pay full price for a place to stay on vacation. We’ve been using Whimstay to find vacation rentals that are cheaper (and easier to book) than the big-name sites, and they can accommodate last-minute bookings. Time to take that girl’s trip you’ve been talking about for years.

Your carry-on’s new favorite pieces are here. Vuori’s Villa Collection is designed for wherever the road leads next, with effortless silhouettes and silky-soft performance fabric that stretches, breathes, and naturally resists wrinkles (translation: it’s very suitcase-friendly). Standouts like the Villa Wideleg Pant and Villa Short hit the sweet spot between polished and comfy — meaning they’re ready for travel days, exploring, and dinner plans. Even better? They pack light and style easily, so a few pieces can go a long way. Shop the Villa Collection before your next getaway.*

We asked you to vote on an etiquette question you’d like answered. The winner was:

I was invited on a friend’s bachelorette trip — but one person in our group wasn’t. I see her frequently, and I’m dreading the moment she finds out. Do I give her a heads up or wait until she says something?

“There’s no perfect move here, but the more respectful one is the heads up. It doesn’t have to be a dramatic sit-down. You can say something like: ‘Hey, I wanted to give you a quick heads up — I’m going on X’s bachelorette trip. I didn’t plan it, but I realized you might hear about it and I didn’t want it to feel weird or like I was hiding something.’ That’s it. You’re not apologizing for going. You’re not throwing the bride under the bus. You’re not colluding in silence. She still might feel hurt — you can’t control that. But there’s a big difference between ‘They didn’t invite me’ and ‘They didn’t invite me and then everyone hid it.’ One is disappointing. The other feels like betrayal. This moment isn’t just about managing awkward logistics — it’s a test of the kind of friend you are. Are you someone who protects your own comfort, or someone who can tolerate a little discomfort to be real with people? You don’t need to overfunction. Just don’t disappear.”

Skimm’d by: Jamie Feldman and Melissa Goldberg. Fact-checked by Jordan Mamone.