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This article is part of <\/span><\/i>Upstream,<\/span><\/i><\/a> The Daily Wire\u2019s new home for culture and lifestyle. Real human insight and human stories \u2014 from our featured writers to you.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n ***<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n Welcome to the Bright Side, a weekly roundup of all the good news and ideas you might have missed from the past week.<\/span><\/p>\n It\u2019s \u201clemonading\u201d season<\/b><\/p>\n Summer invites us to take a break from the daily grind to enjoy life\u2019s less structured pleasures, possibly via lake, beach, or hammock. But, like we\u2019ve heard about turning lemons into lemonade, a science-backed \u201clemonading\u201d mindset offers a mental vacation from negative thoughts. (That cocktail umbrella behind your ear finally makes sense!)<\/span><\/p>\n Research<\/span><\/a> shows that a playful outlook actually helps frame challenging situations in a more positive light. More effective than the unrealistic \u201c<\/span>rose-colored glasses<\/span><\/a>\u201d approach, lemonading allows \u201ccreatively imagining and pursuing positive possibilities to cultivate adaptive, enjoyable experiences while maintaining a clear-eyed realism about challenges.\u201d Effectively turning even small difficulties into opportunities, the strategy also develops personal resilience, deepens enjoyment, and allows us to flourish. Bartender at the swim-up pool bar, we\u2019ll take a glass half-full of that!<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n A post shared by Jill Beck (@j.v.beck)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n Best homemade hummus <\/b>ever<\/b><\/p>\n Other than close friends, there\u2019s not much I miss about Los Angeles since I moved to Nashville a few months ago. But I will forever crave <\/span>Hummus Bar<\/span><\/a> in Tarzana. It cost $20 a pop (don\u2019t miss that!), but even my discerning Israeli friends praised the restaurant\u2019s ridiculously silky, creamy hummus topped with pine nuts, saut\u00e9ed mushrooms, or tender beef, and always drizzled with olive oil with hot za\u2019atar laffa bread on the side.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n I may be in an awkward long-distance relationship with this restaurant, but what I do have in my possession is a good blender. And I found one hummus recipe that almost perfectly matches whatever magic they\u2019re working at Hummus Bar. (All they\u2019ll tell me is that they blend it forever!). <\/span>Cookie + Kate\u2019s Best Hummus Recipe<\/span><\/a> incorporates a few different chef techniques for great results, like boiling chickpeas in baking soda until they\u2019re mushy for maximum smoothness, using tahini from Ethiopian sesame seeds for the best flavor, and adding ice water as you blend for fluffier texture.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n A post shared by Cookie and Kate (@cookieandkate)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n I\u2019m no expert, and mine always turns out gorgeously smooth and full of garlicky, lemon flavor. If only it were this easy to <\/span>bake flatbread<\/span><\/a> on the side of a tandoor oven like a restaurant!<\/span><\/p>\n The era of the fashion hoof\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n Style alert, y\u2019all! Pig feet are so hot right now. Inspired by <\/span>Hailey Bieber\u2019s $1,000 Valentino stilettos<\/span><\/a> that simulate the look of an animal\u2019s hoof with a <\/span>peekaboo style cutout<\/span><\/a> over the first and second toes, I discovered the wonderful world of hoof manicures, AKA the relax-maxxing content you need right now.<\/span><\/p>\n I\u2019ll be honest, I can\u2019t stomach Dr. Pimple Popper videos, or stand listening to the whispering and clicky fingernails of ASMR. What I can do, however, is watch a professional farrier rejuvenate a horse, donkey, or cow\u2019s hoof to full health. If you need a guy, <\/span>Nate the Hoof Guy<\/span><\/a> turns muddy, injured hooves into the pristine footwear Bessie needs when she\u2019s hanging out with the gals around the farm. When you\u2019re done with that, you can always switch things up with <\/span>landscaping<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>pressure washing<\/span><\/a> transformations that serve the kind of restorative calm that comes from everything being clean and in its right place.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n What to bring instead of \u201cnothing\u201d<\/b><\/p>\n Is everyone doing backyard barbecues right now? It stresses me out a little when even a casual dinner party invite includes \u201cdon\u2019t worry about bringing anything!\u201d My mind immediately goes to the episode of \u201c<\/span>Seinfeld<\/span><\/a>\u201d where Elaine gets stuck bringing cinnamon babka as a hostess gift, instead of her preferred chocolate. \u201cWe\u2019ll be going in with lesser babka!\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n This isn\u2019t to say you shouldn\u2019t feel totally comfy just bringing yourself. But if you aren\u2019t sure about showing up empty-handed, you can always add to the festivities. Suggesting you bring \u201cnothing\u201d is often the host\u2019s way of letting guests off the hook and keeping things on theme. But \u201csomething\u201d shows you appreciate the gift of a meal that you didn\u2019t have to cook.<\/span><\/p>\n A classic bottle of wine works whether it gets opened or not. And a sweet and unfussy dessert says you\u2019re not secretly trying to steal the spotlight. Most people would also gladly accept a scented candle, or flowers pre-arranged in a vase. Personally, I love Ina Garten\u2019s strategy for bringing something the host family can casually enjoy the following morning, like coffee and homemade biscotti. But, as an experienced guest, I can confirm that cinnamon rolls from Whole Foods that come in their own pan (ready to bake and drizzle with icing) satisfy the assignment for a busy family that graciously invited you over for homemade pizza the night before.<\/span><\/p>\n Ronaldo the soccer playing dog<\/b><\/p>\n Real footballer Cristiano Ronaldo plays forward, but as soccer fans anticipate the start of the FIFA World Cup across North America this June, f\u00fatbol\u2019s cutest viral sensation has become <\/span>Ronaldo The Football Dog<\/span><\/a>. He\u2019s got stocky little legs, but he\u2019s a natural at goal keeping.<\/span><\/p>\n A Chihuahua dachshund mix (known as a \u201cChiweenie\u201d) from Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania, six-year-old Ronaldo is less interested in fancy footwork and more into snatching softly inflated soccer balls midair with his mouth as they sail toward the net. As Ronald\u2019s human relative <\/span>Sam Katzman<\/span><\/a>\u00a0explained, \u201cHe pretty much just decided that he was a goalkeeper.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n A post shared by Ronaldo The Football Dog (@ronaldothefootballdog)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n TBD on whether furry Ronaldo will be appearing at the World Cup, but just like the Super Bowl\u2019s \u201cPuppy Bowl,\u201d the international football competition is set to feature a \u201c<\/span>World Pup<\/span><\/a>\u201d where rescue puppies will adorably battle it out on the pitch. It\u2019s all part of the fun for a game that can last 90 minutes with zero scoring.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Thank you for spending a little time with us! Feel free to share your own good news and ideas in the comments (or <\/span><\/i>email<\/span><\/i><\/a> me). To paraphrase \u201cSNL\u2019s\u201d Stuart Smalley, \u201cYou\u2019re good enough, you\u2019re smart enough, and doggone it, people like you!\u201d \u2014 Lauren <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n\n
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