The Weekly Wrap: July 5, 2026

I tried to start this intro a dozen separate times. I went through numerous topics and first sentences. None of my attempts stuck.

Was it the heat dome? Maybe.

​Was it my to-do list running through my head? Possibly?

Mostly, however, nothing felt right. 

So we're not forcing it. It's a holiday weekend after all.

Here's the Wrap.

---

• Do you need to refrigerate that condiment? [NYT - may be paywalled]
• This is a useful baking recipe. [Sally's Baking Addiction]
• A timeline of American food culture. [NYT - gift link]
• Taxes don't make sense. They really don't make sense if you fall in the marriage gap. [WaPo - gift link]
• The tastes of wine. [Wine Folly]
• And this is why I avoid the food trucks on the National Mall. [Washingtonian]
• Signs you might have been hacked. [Lifehacker]

• Constraints are good, actually. [Planet Money]
• What's next for the Kennedy Center? [City Cast DC]
• Ticks are everywhere this year, but a bite doesn't mean you'll get Lyme disease. [Short Wave]
• A kit that can turn your gas car into a hybrid. [Booming]
• My flag is awesome. [City Cast DC]

• We finished up the most recent season of Clarkson's Farm. I appreciate that they show every aspect of farming. It's not pretty, it's emotionally hard, and things get gross. Some episodes were a lot harder to watch than others. This season may not have been the happiest, but there were still many tender and funny moments. [Amazon Prime]
• I knew most of the findings in Downfall: The Case Against Boeing before we watched. The short of it - don't put earnings before safety. Boeing brought this all on themselves and it makes me sad there have not been more business ramifications. [Netflix]

• After a weekend full of eating out, I whipped up a panzanella salad for us to enjoy. When I last made the recipe, the husband said it felt more like a side and than main. So, this time around, I made it with shrimp. That did the trick! Grilled chicken would go well with this too. [Skinny Taste]
• Summer produce is in full force. Corn and zucchini quesadillas was easy to whip up. This one was good for the kiddo as is (minus the jalapeño). I do wish I had mixed in a diced chipotle in adobo for the the husband and I. That smoky heat would have been a welcome flavor boost. [Serious Eats]
• We were invited to a party for the Fourth. I volunteered to bring dessert. I risked making a new recipe without testing it first. Raspberry oatmeal bars were easy and forgiving. I swapped the raspberry for some blackberry preserves we had on hand. It was hard not to nibble these before we brough them to the party. [Budget Bytes]