Welcome to this edition of Dimanche (That Means Sunday), a roundup of things that caught my eye this past week.

The last week in St. Louis was challenging weather-wise. We enjoyed beautiful, spring-like temperatures last Sunday and now, there’s an ice storm raging. Winter is always a tough time for me because I hate the cold, but it gets even worse when there’s a spring weather tease and then the next day I’m back to wearing 80 layers and hibernating in my apartment.

Still, there was a glimmer of nice weather yesterday and I took advantage of it by meeting my friend for coffee. We basically did a food crawl of Watson Road, a street in South City that has a lot of good food and drink options. We started at Pint Size Bakery (pictured above) and made our way to Blueprint Coffee, my favorite place to get a cup of coffee in St. Louis. We sat near the window, basked in the sunshine, and enjoyed pastries and coffee.

This morning I made a muffin recipe from the Huckleberry cookbook. I visited Huckleberry, a cafe and bakery in Santa Monica, a couple years ago when I went to Los Angeles for the first time. In the cookbook, the owner of the cafe talks about how enjoying a pastry and a drink is good for your health. I couldn’t agree more.

Sometimes I get frustrated that we live in a culture that shames people for enjoying these simple pleasures. Yeah, you probably shouldn’t eat a whole tin of muffins in one sitting, but there’s something to be said for taking a half an hour or an hour out of your day, eating something sweet and delicious, and savoring every bite. I think if more people did this, the world would be a better place.

Anyway, before I get too carried away, I’ll get to the links. Without further ado, here is Dimanche:

As I mentioned before, I made some lemon cornmeal muffins with lemon glaze from the Huckleberry cookbook and they are out of this world. I found the cookbook last week as I was digging through old books and these muffins immediately caught my eye. Sweet, tart, and fluffy, they’re the perfect distraction from terrible winter weather. Stay tuned for the recipe on the blog later this week!

A popular gelato shop in Chicago is expanding to the West Loop. Black Dog Gelato, one of my favorite gelato shops in the world, is adding a new location downtown. I’d highly recommend checking it out if you’re in the Windy City. Read more about it in this Eater story.

Samin Nosrat can do no wrong. Every time I watch the author and star of the TV series “Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat” make something in the kitchen, I immediately want to make it, too. My friend sent me this video of her making grilled artichokes and they looked so delicious. You can watch the full clip on YouTube.

I’m really into this story about niche pasta in the U.S. A lot of restaurants are adopting more out-of-the-box pasta shapes into their menus, partly due to a rise in YouTube videos showing cooks how to make the shapes from scratch. The noodles are fun to look at and even more fun to eat. Read more about the different pasta shapes in this Grub Street piece.

Have I mentioned how much I love Cardi B? I’m a big fan of her music and I’ve been enjoying her impromptu confessional videos on Twitter. My sister showed me this video of her participating in “Carpool Karaoke” and I can’t stop watching it. Watch the full clip on YouTube.

One of my favorite politicians passed away last week and I was very sad to hear about it. John Dingell, the longest-serving congressman and a native of Michigan, was popular on Twitter, where he didn’t hold back giving his opinion on current events and politics. Read some of Dingell’s best tweets in this Detroit Free Press article.

Speaking of politics… I really enjoyed this piece about Beto O’Rourke, a former Texas congressman who is weighing a run for president. I didn’t realize that O’Rourke had such a bohemian lifestyle in his early years. Read more about him in this New York Times story.

The cast of “My Best Friend’s Wedding” had a reunion and I love the interview. The film is one of my favorites and it was fun to see what cast members including Julia Roberts, Dermot Mulroney, Rupert Everett, and Cameron Diaz had to say about the movie. Read the full interview and watch clips in this Entertainment Weekly piece.

I had dinner at Barg Continental earlier this week and I enjoyed every dish. I’d highly recommend checking out the restaurant if you’re in or around St. Louis Hills. Make sure to order the fried potato cakes and the mantu, or steamed beef dumplings. 

Last but certainly not least, I bookmarked this article about tips for traveling cheaply in any city. Even though I’m not sure how I feel about booking hostels for every trip, I definitely agreed with what the writer said about packing less and avoiding tourist traps. Check out the tips in this New York Times piece.

Enjoy your week! Here’s a song to get you started.