Trader Joe’s is an amazing store for so many reasons, but one consistent complaint from shoppers is that the produce spoils quickly and isn’t necessarily as good as produce from other grocery stores. (See: Why Is the Produce at Trader Joe’s So Freaking Disappointing?) For these reasons, many people pick up their bagged salads (which we totally support!) and then move right through the produce section to shop for snacks, wine, and frozen goodies.

There is one piece of produce, however, that is, for lack of a better word, famous for it’s good value and quality. The item: the 19-cent banana.

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White and gray kitchens have dominated the scene for quite some time now. Sometimes we’ll get lucky and see some blue or green, or even something more dramatic, like black. But for the most part it’s neutrals, and for good reason: You don’t update your kitchen that often, so you want it to last a long, long time before you redo.

If you’re looking for a new neutral, here’s a fantastic alternative to the same old, same old.

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This may look like an inconspicuous tray of roasted veggies, but it is anything but bland and boring. These earthy mushrooms and sweet cherry tomatoes are caramelized with lots of fresh thyme and garlic and then finished with a hit of brightening balsamic vinegar.

It’s so simple, you’ll wonder why it’s been missing from your life for so long! Pile it on toast, spoon it over grilled chicken or steak, toss it with pasta, or just eat it straight from the sheet pan with a fork. I urge you to make this immediately and then reap its meaty, juicy benefits all week long.

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I remember working at Jean-Georges restaurant when I was 22 and someone asking me what my ideal job would be. I had failed to get any kind of real writing career out of college, and most nights I stayed out late with my coworkers spending what little money I did have on food I couldn’t afford. So of course, without hesitation, I said I wanted to be Anthony Bourdain.

Could there have been a different answer? For a writer obsessed with food, Anthony Bourdain represented the very best life. He did everything: He was at one point a chef, a writer, a public speaker, and a host of one of the best travel and food shows that ever existed. And, damn, was he good at all of this. He was a storyteller that made the world feel a little bit smaller. He gave voices to people and cultures that otherwise might not get that voice, and he did it in such a way that never felt gross or appropriative.

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Forget your astrological sign and whether you’re a Carrie or a Miranda, because these days it’s all about what LaCroix flavor you are. Are you a Pamplemousse or a Peach-Pear? People love LaCroix so much that some even want to dress up as their favorite flavor at the beach all summer in LaCroix swimwear.

I have a can of Grapefruit LaCroix in my hand right now, and I’m eyeing the matching swimsuit, so I have my answer – and it looks like I’m in good company, because Grapefruit is apparently the most popular LaCroix flavor by a large margin. (It also makes the cutest swimsuit.)

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Google announced this week that in a move towards greater inclusivity, it would be changing its salad emoji to remove the slice of hard-boiled egg, thus making the salad vegan-friendly. It’s part of an update that includes 157 new emojis and updates to some of the existing ones. Now the bacon is crispier, the goat looks less angry, and the salad is vegan.

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Travel is exciting and adventurous, but let’s be honest — it can also be exhausting. Even worse is when you catch a cold after a long flight and have to battle a snotty nose in addition to that backlog of emails. You might think the guy with the wicked cough three seats down is to blame, or just sharing air with a couple hundred other humans for hours, but the real reason you get sick may surprise you.

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If you’re already obsessed with all things Target (Threshold! Project 62! Hearth & Hand! Archer Farms!), you might want to mark your calendar for June 23. That’s when Target will launch its newest home brand, Made By Design, featuring all sorts of everyday items with a sleek, elevated design.

In the meantime, we got an exclusive sneak peek that you can check out.

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Chicken salad is one of the most deceptively tricky foods in the world. It seems like a simple sort of thing — like it’s just a utilitarian recipe to use up leftover chicken, or something to buy from the deli counter and keep around for the kids’ lunch boxes — but there is a world of difference between good chicken salad and bad chicken salad, and probably the vast majority of chicken salads in the world could best be described as just OK.

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It’s time to grab the sunscreen and the novelty pool floats, because summer party season has officially started. Costco’s boozy, 100-calorie vodka ice pops are back for the summer, and it’s time to have some fun.

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