Monday, August 31, 2026

Good morning from Amanda!

• My understanding of the finance game

• Get on the Ina train or get out of the way. Choo choo!

• This food memoir broke my heart and made me hungry.

Deb is gone! On an extremely well-deserved vacation (she’ll tell you about it when she gets back). But she couldn’t let the end of summer go by without a proper celebration, and so I, assistant Amanda, am here to share some of her — and my — very favorite ways to say goodbye to the bounty of summer produce that currently heaps farmers’ market tables in all colors of the rainbow. I went yesterday and came home with violently purple eggplants, a bag of peaches that look like sunset, and a pepper striped in yellow and orange that was so pretty my three-year-old begged for it even though there’s approximately a negative three percent chance she’ll actually let a bite of it pass her lips.

I’m definitely going to use that bag of peaches to make the newest recipe on the site: peach cobbler loaf. Look at the photo of those cake slices and how those juicy squares of peach somehow resemble a stained glass window; how could you resist? And don’t miss the interview below with Rebecca Eisenberg, whose book about small-batch breads is out now and is already a New York Times bestseller! If you love to bake but keep finding your counters covered in staling sourdough and are running out of neighbors to give leftover babka to, you should either put me on your leftover-babka list or check out her book, which scales down bread recipes to use only a cup of flour.

Now that school is starting or has started in earnest for most of the country (sorry, New York and Minnesota), please don’t forget about the 2026 Classroom Wishlist Project. We just added a new batch of wishlists and continue to hear from delighted teachers. Thank you so much for helping out! The teachers, and their students, appreciate it wholeheartedly.

Finally! When I’m not in the Smitten Kitchen I write books. My next one, Eight Ways to Say I Love You, a slow burn Hanukkah romance set over eight years, follows childhood friends through their messy twenties and tries to settle one of the great debates of our time: what is the best latke topping? It might be early to think about the holidays, but it’s never too early to think about latkes.

Cheers,

Amanda

The Smitten Kitchen Classroom Wishlist Project 2026 is going strong! In the US, a tremendous number of teachers don’t get the funding they need to set their classrooms up for success. Most will end up paying out of their own pockets to buy educational materials, which is all wrong. I’ve asked teachers to send me their wishlists in hopes that we can help clear as many as possible, as we have the last four summers.

If you cannot figure out where to start, let me help: I recommend picking a school in your area, or perhaps where you grew up, or search the descriptions for classrooms that might focus on something particularly meaningful to you. There is no purchase too small to unquestionably make a teacher’s (and their students’) day. Plus, buying crayons, pencils, and books that help kids learn and succeed feels really good. 🖍️📚🍎📓✏️ Thank you for helping out! [Project information. Direct link to spreadsheet.]

I’ve written three cookbooks and one audiobook and I’m a tiny bit biased, but I think you’d love them all. Not sure which one to check out first? Take a look at the recipe index and see which collection jumps out at you most. Looking for recipes that fit this week’s theme? Try the plum poppy seed muffins or the ratatouille sub in The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook, the polenta-baked eggs with corn, tomato and fontina or the halloumi roast with eggplant, zucchini and tomatoes in Smitten Kitchen Every Day, or the zucchini and pesto lasagna or the steak and corn tacos in Smitten Kitchen Keepers.

peach cobbler loaf

New! A magnificent dream of a loaf cake studded with wedges of tender, spiced, pie-like peaches and finished with a craggy streusel. It took me six summers to get this right but all of the best things are worth the wait.

Surprise me with a random recipe!

summer's last hurrah panzanella

Classic panzanella salad is just dressed tomatoes and stale bread but as we inch towards fall, I enjoy this busier version with other chunky vegetables and heartier croutons, a fitting summer sendoff.

corn chowder with chile, lime and cotija

This is my favorite corn chowder: a hearty soup with beans instead of the usual potatoes, with a rich and salty lime and cheese finish, plus baked tortilla chips on the side for all the crunch.

burrata with lentils and basil vinaigrette

Atop a warm lentil and vegetable salad, burrata is treated the way a poached egg would be elsewhere, dressing everything around it. A basil vinaigrette pulls the whole dish together. I wish every summer dinner tasted this good.

eggplant involtini

Eggplant involtini is essentially a summerweight, weeknight-friendly eggplant parm with no skimping on the tangy mix of melted cheese, tomato sauce, and silky eggplant. I get re-obsessed with it every summer, right around now, and think you might too. [Video below!]

corn, cheddar and scallion strata

This strata with corn, scallions, cheddar, and sourdough is a late summer favorite for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. It reheats gorgeously, if you want to plan ahead for a delicious weekend.

baked farro with summer vegetables

A pinnacle-of-summer baked grain dish that has all of the decadence of a pasta bake -- tomatoes, gooey cheese, and a crisp, burnished top. Farro, small, nutty and slightly chewy, provides heft while letting the vegetables star. We love this.

herbed summer squash pasta bake

A freezer-friendly but infinitely summery (light and lemony! fresh herbs! seasonal vegetables!) pasta bake destined to become your favorite summer dish to prep and share.

piri piri chicken

Inspired by the piri piri chicken we had in Portugal, this is a forever summer favorite, perfect for dinner with friends. Plus, it’s flexible: You can make this recipe with any level of heat, a whole chicken or just parts, on a grill or roasted; it’s so streamlined and simple, it always comes out this good.

dimply plum cake

A one-bowl brown sugar and citrus-scented cake dramatically embedded with ripe plum halves, creating jammy pockets. Thank you, Dorie Greenspan, for the forever inspiration.

almond-crisped peaches

Forget pies and crumbles; the peaches here *are* the crisp, maybe even brushed with bourbon before filling their centers with a mound of crumbly buttery almond topping, which bakes into a caramelized brittle lid. Top with ice cream and watch your scaries vanish.

Surprise me with a random recipe!

AN INTERVIEW WITH REBECCA EISENBERG

My shelves are full of wonderful cookbooks I don’t get to talk about enough, so I’ve added this section so you can get to know the cool people behind them. Today we’re chatting with Rebecca Eisenberg. Her cookbook, Small-Batch Breads: 50 Recipes for Loaves, Buns, and Flatbreads Made with 1 Cup of Flour, is out now.

1. What inspired your cookbook?

I launched my blog shortly before the pandemic lockdowns happened. Ingredients were hard to come by, we weren't having dinner parties, and I was working on a full-size focaccia recipe. It was just my husband and I in our small apartment and I was on my eighth focaccia when it occurred to me that instead of baking a full batch of dough every time, I could scale the recipe down to test it using just one cup of flour and then scale it back up in the end. We ended up loving the mini focaccia so much that I decided to share it on my site because I figured other people might want an adorable small-batch focaccia too. It was well received when I first posted it, but a year later I shared it again, and it went mega viral. I started making some other small-batch breads using just 1 cup of flour and they also went viral. I quickly found myself with a list of small-batch bread recipes I wanted to make that was long enough to fill a cookbook. The rest is history!

2. What recipe are you the most proud of in the book, or felt the most triumphant when you got it right?

The mini chocolate babka!!!! Making brioche dough by hand is not for the faint of heart, though it's so rewarding when the dough finally comes together. Getting the shaping right to maximize the chocolate swirls inside without sacrificing height and figuring out how to make a small amount of simple syrup in the microwave instead of on the stove for the finishing touch were real eureka moments for me. I don't like putting extra steps in a recipe if I can help it, and this is one where every single step that feels a little bit extra is totally worth it in the final bake.

3. What recipe is so low-effort, high-reward that it’s worth cooking for dinner tonight, even if we’re tired and don’t want to cook?

The mini ciabatta is a personal favorite. You mix everything together, do a few folds in the bowl over the next couple of hours (great if you're having a lazy weekend or tv binge), plop it out and bake it. You can cut it into breadsticks or dinner roll sized pieces without any fussy shaping, but even if you just plop it out and bake it as is, you get the most amazing soft sandwich roll with minimal effort. It works great in a toaster oven too, if you don't want to turn on the big oven!

4. What’s something you wish more people knew about your book?

You don't need a mixer to make any of these bread recipes!

Thank you, Rebecca! You can order Small-Batch Breads right here.

eggplant involtini

The Staub x Smitten Kitchen Braiser is a lower-walled enameled cast-iron Dutch oven that works as well as a deep sauté pan as it does a soup pot, roasting pan, or even casserole dish that perfectly fits a pasta bake. It’s the ideal size and usability (dishwasher safe!) for everyday cooking. Not a week has gone by in the 14 years I’ve had mine when I don’t cook in it at least three times, so when it was no longer sold in U.S. stores, I asked Staub — a French cast-iron manufacturer originally from Alsace; you can watch me tour the forge/factory here! — if they would partner with me to bring it back, because I knew you’ll fall in love with the pan too. We launched the Staub x Smitten Kitchen Braiser in spring 2024. The Braiser is now sold exclusively at Williams-Sonoma and available in eight gorgeous new colors! The newest two — a classy off-white (pardon, French Crème) and a soft pink (Pink Peony, which you know I sing to the tune of Pink Peony Club) — launched just last month.

• Cranberry (bright red)

• Grenadine (deep red)

• Sage (light green)

• Basil (dark green)

• La Mer (dark blue-green)

• Sapphire (dark blue)

• (New!) French Crème (off-white) ✨

• (New!) Pink Peony (soft pink) ✨

The Staub x Smitten Kitchen Braiser Recipe Starter Pack: Oh, you did get a new braiser? I’m so happy for you. Here are a few recipes you can kick off your cooking with!

• Braiser: An entire category of recipes on smittenkitchen.com

• My “I Dream Of Paris” Menu for the French Crème launch: Dijon Roast Chicken, French Onion Soup for a Crowd, and a Perfect Apple Tarte Tatin

• Baked Ziti with Meatballs and Ricotta (Williams-Sonoma, Video)

• Apple Butterscotch Crisp (Zwilling, Video)

• Braised Chickpeas with Kale and Burrata (Zwilling)

shop my favorites

Ever wonder where I get my cutting boards, paring knives, offset spatulas and more that you see when I cook? I've created a page on Smitten Kitchen with links to some of my favorite kitchen items, the ones I'm asked about the most. This isn’t just an Amazon storefront. For each item, I attempt to provide a range of shopping links so we're not just focusing on one giant retailer.

See you next week!

Note: I occasionally use affiliate links in this newsletter, which means I will earn a small commission from anything you purchase through it.

Monday, August 24, 2026

Good afternoon!

• How to join the “leguminati” [The Guardian]

• My talented friend Irene Wong and her summer on the farm.

• Almost 13 years since this piece on the fries at Balthazar and I still think about it at least once a week.

In the waning days of summer break, you’re either on vacation and don’t wish to cook anything complicated, or you’re already surrendered the reins of summer over to a new school calendar, are busier than ever, and I suspect also don’t want to cook terribly much. For you, for me, for all of us, we need meals that take as a little time, and as little thought, as possible. Below, a few of my favorite simple summer meals: green beans I devour in a single serving, a baked feta for the ages, an eggs-and-tortilla situation that got me through my mid-20s, the corn pasta I’m making tonight, the clam linguine I’d make if you were joining us, the back pocket raspberry dessert that was never meant to be pretty, and what I consider the only brownie recipe you’ll ever need. I hope you’re hungry!

The 2026 Smitten Kitchen Classroom Wishlist Project enters it’s fourth week, teachers are heading back to school and finding boxes of everything they’d needed waiting for them — all due to your generosity. I’ve shared thank you notes, of which there are dozens and dozens, in this Instagram Story. More lists are being added as more teachers get their classroom assignments so please keep checking back. You’re making a big difference.

Finally, we’ve got an interview this week with the talented Pierce Abernathy. His first cookbook, Every Leaf, Every Stem: Craveable, Creative Vegetables All Year Round is out now and I think you’re going to love the way he cooks with vegetables.

Cheers,

Deb

The Smitten Kitchen Classroom Wishlist Project 2026 is going strong! In the US, a tremendous number of teachers don’t get the funding they need to set their classrooms up for success. Most will end up paying out of their own pockets to buy educational materials, which is all wrong. I’ve asked teachers to send me their wishlists in hopes that we can help clear as many as possible, as we have the last four summers.

If you cannot figure out where to start, let me help: I recommend picking a school in your area, or perhaps where you grew up, or search the descriptions for classrooms that might focus on something particularly meaningful to you. There is no purchase too small to unquestionably make a teacher’s (and their students’) day. Plus, buying crayons, pencils, and books that help kids learn and succeed feels really good. Thank you for helping out! [Project information. Direct link to spreadsheet.]

I’ve written three cookbooks and one audiobook and I’m a tiny bit biased, but I think you’d love them all. Not sure which one to check out first? Take a look at the recipe index and see which collection jumps out at you most. Looking for recipes that fit this week’s theme? Try the avocado tartine with cucumber and sesame seeds or the sweet peas and shells alfredo in The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook, the sushi takeout cobb or quick sausage, kale, and crouton sauté in Smitten Kitchen Every Day, or the skillet white beans “caesar” or weeknight lemon chicken wings in Smitten Kitchen Keepers.

watermelon cucumber salad

Cucumber, watermelon, salted pepitas, and matchsticks of ricotta salata, plus three more suggested riffs at the end in case you also dream of having your oven off until September.

green beans with almond pesto

My favorite way to prepare green beans takes longer to eat (which says a lot, given that I usually inhale them) than it does to make. Don’t have green beans? Don’t miss the almond pesto, which tastes good on basically every vegetable.

tomato bread

A staple of Catalan cuisine, pan con tomate hardly requires a recipe, just the right season, which is exactly now. Make this while the tomatoes are still awesome. Make this with the olive oil you’ve been saving for something special. Repeat as needed, which will be often.

corn cacio e pepe

The only thing I love more than the combination of salty, funky pecorino cheese and copious amounts of black pepper on a tangle of linguine is the way I make it in the summer: adding sweet, crunchy corn. It’s the perfect complement; they’re made for each other. Hurry so you can make this before the corn disappears and the cardigans arrive. 🍂 [Video below!]

baked feta with tomatoes and chickpeas

Remember this? Feta, tomatoes, garlic, and chickpeas roast in olive oil until the tomatoes blister and soften, the feta becomes creamy, and the whole mixture is a dream to scoop onto flatbread. It’s almost endlessly tweakable. Weeknight meals should always be this easy.

huevos rancheros

I have never met an intersection of eggs, salsa, and tortillas that I didn’t love, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention this post from way back in 2008 in which I explained this weird little way I made, and still make, huevos rancheros at home, with an egg fried right onto a pan-crisped tortilla and then topped with everything wonderful. Is it breakfast? Is it dinner? All of the above, please, something I’m never not craving.

linguine and clams

A forever summer favorite, especially when having friends over. Fresh clams steamed open in wine, garlic, and butter are sweet and tender and make a delicate sauce that clings to the linguine and the whole meal is ready in 20 minutes. It’s magic.

sticky sesame chicken wings

I was late to find out how easy wings are to roast or grill on short notice, and that picky kids go berserk over them, especially with this glossy, delicious sauce. I have definitely been making up for lost time since.

raspberry brown sugar gratin

Fact! The best recipes are often the ugliest, almost as if they’re trying to warn you: this is going to be impossible not to make over and over again, forever, because you never knew three ingredients could combine so transcendently well.

my favorite brownies

My favorite brownies are intense, fudgy, and a little chewy and fantastically easy too: 7 ingredients, 1 bowl, and you could be eating them 40 minutes from now. [Video below!]

Surprise me with a random recipe!

AN INTERVIEW WITH PIERCE ABERNATHY

My shelves are full of wonderful cookbooks I don’t get to talk about enough, so I’ve added this section so you can get to know the cool people behind them. Today we’re chatting with Pierce Abernathy. His cookbook, Every Leaf, Every Stem: Craveable, Creative Vegetables All Year Round, is out now.

1. What inspired your cookbook?

I ultimately decided I wanted to dive deeper into what I was already sharing through social media. I was lucky to have an audience that was already receptive to the type of recipes I was sharing.

I really wanted the book to be as accessible as possible. So even though it’s broken up seasonally, there’s a front section called “evergreen” filled with recipes of produce that is accessible and fairly consistent throughout the year. It was important that the book be valuable for someone no matter where they shop; whether that’s the farmers market, the grocery store, or even a bodega or convenience store.

I also wanted to give people tips, recipes, and tools to reduce their food waste at home. I’ve found so much joy and creativity in finding ways to transform parts of produce that are often discarded and wanted to share that excitement with readers.

2. What recipe are you the most proud of in the book, or felt the most triumphant when you got it right?

I have this layered cabbage lasagna that feels quite unique. A hearty vegan dish that has deep flavor from a sauce that uses sunchokes and cashews! The smaller inner pieces of the cabbage don’t go to waste but transform into a delicious herby sauce served with the lasagna.

3. What recipe is so low-effort, high-reward that it’s worth cooking for dinner tonight, even if we’re tired and don’t want to cook?

Right now it’s the middle of tomato and corn season and one of my favorite summer dishes is tomato toast with corn butter! It’s a great way to transform corn into a creamy, rich spread that keeps in your freezer for months! The combination of sweet and nutty corn with peak-season tomatoes is my perfect summer bite.

4. What’s something you wish more people knew about your book?

The book has a QR code that sends you to a site that will show you where the closest farmers markets to you are and what produce is in season based on the time of the year!

Thank you, Pierce! You can order Every Leaf, Every Stem right here.

corn cacio e pepe

my favorite brownies

The Staub x Smitten Kitchen Braiser is a lower-walled enameled cast-iron Dutch oven that works as well as a deep sauté pan as it does a soup pot, roasting pan, or even casserole dish that perfectly fits a pasta bake. It’s the ideal size and usability (dishwasher safe!) for everyday cooking. Not a week has gone by in the 14 years I’ve had mine when I don’t cook in it at least three times, so when it was no longer sold in U.S. stores, I asked Staub — a French cast-iron manufacturer originally from Alsace; you can watch me tour the forge/factory here! — if they would partner with me to bring it back, because I knew you’ll fall in love with the pan too. We launched the Staub x Smitten Kitchen Braiser in spring 2024. The Braiser is now sold exclusively at Williams-Sonoma and available in eight gorgeous new colors! The newest two — a classy off-white (pardon, French Crème) and a soft pink (Pink Peony, which you know I sing to the tune of Pink Peony Club) — launched just last month.

• Cranberry (bright red)

• Grenadine (deep red)

• Sage (light green)

• Basil (dark green)

• La Mer (dark blue-green)

• Sapphire (dark blue)

• (New!) French Crème (off-white) ✨

• (New!) Pink Peony (soft pink) ✨

The Staub x Smitten Kitchen Braiser Recipe Starter Pack: Oh, you did get a new braiser? I’m so happy for you. Here are a few recipes you can kick off your cooking with!

• Braiser: An entire category of recipes on smittenkitchen.com

• My “I Dream Of Paris” Menu for the French Crème launch: Dijon Roast Chicken, French Onion Soup for a Crowd, and a Perfect Apple Tarte Tatin

• Baked Ziti with Meatballs and Ricotta (Williams-Sonoma, Video)

• Apple Butterscotch Crisp (Zwilling, Video)

• Braised Chickpeas with Kale and Burrata (Zwilling)

shop my favorites

Ever wonder where I get my cutting boards, paring knives, offset spatulas and more that you see when I cook? I've created a page on Smitten Kitchen with links to some of my favorite kitchen items, the ones I'm asked about the most. This isn’t just an Amazon storefront. For each item, I attempt to provide a range of shopping links so we're not just focusing on one giant retailer.

See you next week!

Note: I occasionally use affiliate links in this newsletter, which means I will earn a small commission from anything you purchase through it.

Monday, August 17, 2026

Good afternoon!

• This made me laugh.

• I’d like to try this tofu technique.

• Talking to Ravenous about 20 Years of Smitten Kitchen!

If all goes well, and you quietly spent the winter months sniffing out acquaintances with boats, pools, beach houses, and access to any other open spaces that make summer feel magical, you too might find yourself spending the weeks and weekends of August as a guest. [Mischievous? Brilliant? I’m sorry, I couldn’t hear you over the sound of the flippers my friends keep in their basket of pool toys.] However, out of basic manners — or, sinisterly, a desire to be invited back — it’s important to be a good guest, and good guests do not show up empty-handed, even if told to just bring themselves. Should you need inspiration, today I’m sharing some of my favorite dishes I’ve brought to friends and family, and have been brought by family and friends. Most are perfect at room temperature, requiring no jockeying for limited fridge space, and play well with other dishes, all there to complement, not upstage, anything the host provides.

And that’s not all! This week there’s also a new recipe for the cucumber salad I make the most. We’re also kicking off the fall cookbook season with an an interview with Caroline Chambers, whose second cookbook, What to Cook When You Don’t Feel Like Cooking: Make It Fast, is out now.

And finally, we’re heading into the third week of the 2026 Classroom Wishlist Project. My inboxes have been flooded with thank you notes from overjoyed teachers [you can find some in this saved story on Instagram] and we’ve added a bunch of new lists as more teachers get their 2026-2027 classroom assignments. Thank you for being part of this. Thank you for being some of the kindest, most generous people I know.

Cheers,

Deb

The Smitten Kitchen Classroom Wishlist Project 2026 kicked off two weeks ago! In the US, a tremendous number of teachers don’t get the funding they need to set their classrooms up for success. Most will end up paying out of their own pockets to buy educational materials, which is all wrong. I’ve asked teachers to send me their wishlists in hopes that we can help clear as many as possible, as we have the last four summers. We just added a new batch of classrooms starting later in the fall.

If you cannot figure out where to start, let me help: I recommend picking a school in your area, or perhaps where you grew up, or search the descriptions for classrooms that might focus on something particularly meaningful to you. There is no purchase too small to unquestionably make a teacher’s (and their students’) day. Plus, buying crayons, pencils, and books that help kids learn and succeed feels really good. 🖍️📚🍎📓✏️ Thank you for helping out! [Project information. Direct link to spreadsheet.]

I’ve written three cookbooks and one audiobook and I’m a tiny bit biased, but I think you’d love them all. Not sure which one to check out first? Take a look at the recipe index and see which collection jumps out at you most. Looking for recipes that fit this week’s theme? Try the big cluster maple granola, smoky deviled eggs with crisped jamón and crushed marconas, or the almond and sweet cherry galette in The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook, the charred corn succotash with lime and crispy shallots in Smitten Kitchen Every Day, or the zucchini cornbread with tomato butter, two-bean salad with basil vinaigrette, or the honey thyme baked feta in Smitten Kitchen Keepers.

cucumber salad with sesame and rice vinegar

New! An overdue payment for the dozens of times over the years I’ve told you I served a dish (dumplings, noodles, a stir-fry) with a “simple cucumber salad,” this is it. It’s cold, crunchy, nutty, borderline gently pickled and I see no reason to eat anything else until the weather cools off.

Surprise me with a random recipe!

easiest fridge dill pickles

These are our go-to fridge pickles, and they are ludicrously easy. Do you have salt? Do you have vinegar? You’re set. They’re not bad at all an hour later, excellent 6 to 8 hours later, and you can also enjoy them three weeks from now — though by then, we’ll be on our third batch.

chile-lime melon salad

This is my kind of fruit salad -- a little salty, a little sweet, a little spicy -- inspired by the cups of seasoned fruit you can buy on the street in Mexico. The moment I have a bite, I can no longer remember why I’d ever eat anything else on a hot day.

burrata with crushed cherries and pistachios

Show up empty-handed? Not with this no-cook (I’ve even done it without a knife and cutting board) appetizer you can bring and easily assemble anywhere you go this weekend. It vanishes quickly. Thanks to my friend Ang for always inspiring me!

corn chowder salad

Corn chowder, reimagined as a salad, from only six ingredients and using a single pan. Obviously, this is exactly what we have to cook next.

perfect, forever cornbread

My forever favorite pan of freshly-baked, thick, buttery, crisp on top cornbread, perfect for sharing. A pat of salted butter on top is mandatory. You’ll be so glad you made this.

burst tomato galette with corn and zucchini

Everything wonderful about late summer produce -- burst cherry tomatoes, quick sautéed zucchini, sweet crunchy corn, freshly-dug scallions -- folded into one immensely flaky rustic parmesan-flecked crust. This dish is a forever SK favorite and has holiday weekend written all over it. [Video below!]

pearl couscous with olives and roasted tomatoes

Roasted tomatoes and garlic, slivered olives and an herby dressing have made this a summer staple around here for over a decade, with fantastic leftovers too. It’s also a surprisingly popular kid lunch, should you have any small people with big demands in your life.

triple berry summer buttermilk bundt

This is the happiest summer cake — bronzed with a faint crunch at the edges, tender to the point of pudding-ness in the center, dotted with jammy berries, and welcome wherever you get to share it.

crispy peach cobbler

Chunky wedges of peach, dressed only with lemon, are baked until slumped under a crisp lid that is as fun to impatiently tap your way through as the best crème brûlée. Resistance is futile.

easy strawberry lemonade

An easy, lazy strawberry lemonade that is the most vivid and delicious I’ve ever made. It tastes the way cotton candy smells at a carnival, and which is about the highest praise I can give anything. [Video below!]

Surprise me with a random recipe!

AN INTERVIEW WITH CAROLINE CHAMBERS

My shelves are full of wonderful cookbooks I don’t get to talk about enough, so I’ve added this section so you can get to know the cool people behind them. Today we’re chatting with Caroline Chambers. Her cookbook, What to Cook When You Don’t Feel Like Cooking: Make It Fast, is out now.

1. What inspired your cookbook?

My readers and my own lived experience of being around people who want to eat good food, but don’t always have the time or energy or willpower to cook it. I was pregnant with my fourth kid while I was writing it, so I was really living the ethos of the book -- my desire for quick, easy recipes had never been stronger. But I still wanted to eat really delicious food - I didn’t want dinner to feel basic. So, I wrote a book of 15- and 30-minute recipes that still feel special and make you feel proud.

The other piece was watching people cook out of my Substack over the past almost six years, and out of the first WTC book. That book had 15-, 30-, 45-, and 60-minute chapters, and everyone really gravitated to the 15s and 30s. Those were the recipes people memorized, texted to friends, brought on vacation. So, I wrote a whole book of them!

2. What recipe are you the most proud of in the book, or felt the most triumphant when you got it right?

The Triple Tomato Oven Orzo, and it’s the one that fought me hardest!

It started out as a rice dish with chicken in it and getting that version right was genuinely difficult. I needed the rice fully cooked and crispy on top, the chicken cooked through but still juicy, and the liquid measured so precisely that everything finished at the same moment. Too much stock and the rice goes to mush. Too little and it’s crunchy. And the chicken doesn’t care about any of that; it’s just going to dry out if you leave it in there a minute too long. I tested it over and over.

Then I submitted the first draft of the manuscript, and my editor came back and said, essentially, you have way too many rice recipes in this book. Which - fair! She was right. But it meant this one went back to the drawing board entirely, as a pasta dish instead.

So, I swapped in orzo, but orzo behaves completely differently than rice. So, it was starting over. When I finally got it - the orzo perfectly cooked, everything holding together, feta and butter melting into the tomatoes - I was so triumphant. Some recipes come together on the first try. This one absolutely did not.

3. What recipe is so low-effort, high-reward that it’s worth cooking for dinner tonight, even if we’re tired and don’t want to cook?

Smoky Black Beans! So easy, so satisfying. The recipe is two cans of black beans, butter, and five spices you already own. Ten minutes on the stove. You smash about half of them against the side of the pan so they go creamy, squeeze in some lime, done.

The reason it’s the answer is that it isn’t really one dinner, it’s five. I have a “five ways” section in each chapter. So, on the first night, it can be tacos. The next night it’s a loaded sweet potato with a herby yogurt sauce. Or a bowl. My baby eats them plain, my pickiest eaters will eat them as flautas they can dunk in sour cream, and George and I usually end up with a tamale bowl. I’m no short-order cook, but on smoky black bean nights, I don’t mind customizing plates.

Black beans are also my favorite panic purchase - the thing I buy every single time I’m at the store because I can’t remember if I have any at home. So, odds are you already have what you need.

4. What’s something you wish more people knew about your book?

The back of the book is a real tool, not filler. There are guides organized by protein, so if you have frozen shrimp you've been meaning to use, you can just look it up. There are guides organized by mood - including one for when you're the person in charge of the meal train. And the index is deliberately extensive so you can look up a half bunch of parsley or a leftover lemon half and find something to do with it. I put a lot of work into that, and I don't think people expect an index to be useful beyond its basic purpose!

Thank you, Caro! You can order Make It Fast right here.

burst tomato galette with corn and zucchini

easy strawberry lemonade

The Staub x Smitten Kitchen Braiser is a lower-walled enameled cast-iron Dutch oven that works as well as a deep sauté pan as it does a soup pot, roasting pan, or even casserole dish that perfectly fits a pasta bake. It’s the ideal size and usability (dishwasher safe!) for everyday cooking. Not a week has gone by in the 14 years I’ve had mine when I don’t cook in it at least three times, so when it was no longer sold in U.S. stores, I asked Staub — a French cast-iron manufacturer originally from Alsace; you can watch me tour the forge/factory here! — if they would partner with me to bring it back, because I knew you’ll fall in love with the pan too. We launched the Staub x Smitten Kitchen Braiser in spring 2024. The Braiser is now sold exclusively at Williams-Sonoma and available in eight gorgeous new colors! The newest two — a classy off-white (pardon, French Crème) and a soft pink (Pink Peony, which you know I sing to the tune of Pink Peony Club) — launched just last month.

• Cranberry (bright red)

• Grenadine (deep red)

• Sage (light green)

• Basil (dark green)

• La Mer (dark blue-green)

• Sapphire (dark blue)

• (New!) French Crème (off-white) ✨

• (New!) Pink Peony (soft pink) ✨

The Staub x Smitten Kitchen Braiser Recipe Starter Pack: Oh, you did get a new braiser? I’m so happy for you. Here are a few recipes you can kick off your cooking with!

• Braiser: An entire category of recipes on smittenkitchen.com

• My “I Dream Of Paris” Menu for the French Crème launch: Dijon Roast Chicken, French Onion Soup for a Crowd, and a Perfect Apple Tarte Tatin

• Baked Ziti with Meatballs and Ricotta (Williams-Sonoma, Video)

• Apple Butterscotch Crisp (Zwilling, Video)

• Braised Chickpeas with Kale and Burrata (Zwilling)

shop my favorites

Ever wonder where I get my cutting boards, paring knives, offset spatulas and more that you see when I cook? I've created a page on Smitten Kitchen with links to some of my favorite kitchen items, the ones I'm asked about the most. This isn’t just an Amazon storefront. For each item, I attempt to provide a range of shopping links so we're not just focusing on one giant retailer.

See you next week!

Note: I occasionally use affiliate links in this newsletter, which means I will earn a small commission from anything you purchase through it.

Monday, August 10, 2026

Good afternoon!

• “Turns out you’re not even a real vegetable”

• Wedding food is becoming part of the entertainment [NYT, gift link]

• Talking to the Columbia Journalism Review about 20 years of Smitten Kitchen

I wait all summer for peak tomato season, the point when even people who are historically very bad at growing tomatoes (it’s me) find themselves with more tomatoes that they can go through in a week (it’s also me, but humblebragging) and start hunting for more recipes to tuck them into. This is my moment, my momentum, waving my hand frantically in class and hoping to be called upon, because boy do I have some ideas to reel off: roasted with chiles, onion, and garlic into a salsa, fanned gorgeously in a tart that makes you dream about the French countryside, blended into sauces that let the tomatoes shine, and so much more: raw, stuffed, dried, I could keep going — and I will. I am here to support our tomato season hopes and dreams.

Plus, we’re now in our second week of the 2026 Smitten Kitchen Classroom Wishlist Project, in which we try to help teachers everything what they need to set their classrooms up for success. Teachers are already sending photos of gifts and writing thank you notes from all that you’ve helped with so far. If you’re looking to jump in, all of the details are below, and on this page (including how to add a classroom if your school starts later). Thank you for being part of it.

Cheers,

Deb

The Smitten Kitchen Classroom Wishlist Project 2026 kicked off last week! In the US, a tremendous number of teachers don’t get the funding they need to set their classrooms up for success. Most will end up paying out of their own pockets to buy educational materials, which is all wrong. I’ve asked teachers to send me their wishlists in hopes that we can help clear as many as possible, as we have the last four summers.

If you cannot figure out where to start, let me help: I recommend picking a school in your area, or perhaps where you grew up, or search the descriptions for classrooms that might focus on something particularly meaningful to you. There is no purchase too small to unquestionably make a teacher’s (and their students’) day. Plus, buying crayons, pencils, and books that help kids learn and succeed feels really good. 🖍️📚🍎📓✏️ Thank you for helping out! [Project information. Direct link to spreadsheet.]

I’ve written three cookbooks and one audiobook and I’m a tiny bit biased, but I think you’d love them all. Not sure which one to check out first? Take a look at the recipe index and see which collection jumps out at you most. Looking for recipes that fit this week’s theme? Try the tomato scallion shortcakes with whipped goat cheese or the seared halibut with gazpacho salsa and tomato vinaigrette in The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook, the roasted tomato picnic sandwich in Smitten Kitchen Every Day, or the tomato salad with cottage cheese and bagel seeds, the farro salad with roasted tomatoes, or the tomato and corn cobbler in Smitten Kitchen Keepers.

three-ingredient summertime salsa

My favorite summer salsa is also the easiest, just fresh tomatoes, jalapeños, and garlic (plus optional onion) broiled or grilled until charred and blended with seasoning.

tomato salad with crushed croutons

Perfect summer tomatoes need little to make them amazing, but I don’t think anyone has ever placed tomatoes near garlicky, crunchy bread and regretted what happened in the middle.

green bean and cherry tomato salad

If you ever need a reminder of how little seasonal vegetables need to shine, Alice Waters is the place to go, because this looks like a happy bowl of summer to me.

rice-stuffed tomatoes

Don’t let tomato season pass without making these, doubly so if you’ve only had terrible ones to date. The rice absorbs the most clear-noted pure tomato sauce you’ll ever scoop onto a fork; the ingredient list couldn’t be less complicated. It’s total summer dinner bliss.

naked tomato sauce

My favorite tomato sauce is made from tomatoes and almost nothing else. Not onions or carrots or celery. No tomato paste, no slow-roasted garlic, no tomato variety so rare, you need to grow it yourself. Just tomatoes, cooked until saucy, finished with a quickly-steeped basil and garlic oil. [Video below!]

mediterranean baked feta with tomatoes

This in a foil packet on a grill + some hearty olive oil-brushed bread, grilled and rubbed with a clove of garlic + a glass of rosé with a couple ice cubes clinking around in it (not sorry at all) = the perfect kind of summer afternoon.

mathilde's tomato tart

A gorgeous peak-summer tomato tart that tastes the way I imagine a vacation in France would feel right now, from Sanaë Lemoine’s novel, The Margot Affair. It deserves to be eaten outside with a big green salad, glass of wine, and the kind of friends who drop everything when they hear you’re making dinner.

tomato and corn pie

Among iconic summer dishes, this tomato and corn pie is the undisputed champion. Every bite screams summer. Gourmet updated the Laurie Colwin and James Beard classic in 2009 with market-fresh corn and a biscuit-like crust and the result is so good, it will be your new summer habit.

slow-roasted tomatoes

There is no higher tomato calling than slow-roasting, which basically turns them into tangy tomato candy. They’re dreamy with pasta, in omelettes, salads, and on sandwiches, or you can just eat them straight. Because: candy.

one-pan farro with tomatoes

Dinner tonight? I think you should make my One-Pan Farro, the recipe that converts all of the farro skeptics. It’s easy (everything cooks at once, all together, with ingredients you probably already have around), quick, vegetarian, and yet tastes anything but austere. [Video below!]

Surprise me with a random recipe!

naked tomato sauce

one-pan farro with tomatoes

The Staub x Smitten Kitchen Braiser is a lower-walled enameled cast-iron Dutch oven that works as well as a deep sauté pan as it does a soup pot, roasting pan, or even casserole dish that perfectly fits a pasta bake. It’s the ideal size and usability (dishwasher safe!) for everyday cooking. Not a week has gone by in the 14 years I’ve had mine when I don’t cook in it at least three times, so when it was no longer sold in U.S. stores, I asked Staub — a French cast-iron manufacturer originally from Alsace; you can watch me tour the forge/factory here! — if they would partner with me to bring it back, because I knew you’ll fall in love with the pan too. We launched the Staub x Smitten Kitchen Braiser in spring 2024. The Braiser is now sold exclusively at Williams-Sonoma and available in eight gorgeous new colors! The newest two — a classy off-white (pardon, French Crème) and a soft pink (Pink Peony, which you know I sing to the tune of Pink Peony Club) — launched just last month.

• Cranberry (bright red)

• Grenadine (deep red)

• Sage (light green)

• Basil (dark green)

• La Mer (dark blue-green)

• Sapphire (dark blue)

• (New!) French Crème (off-white) ✨

• (New!) Pink Peony (soft pink) ✨

The Staub x Smitten Kitchen Braiser Recipe Starter Pack: Oh, you did get a new braiser? I’m so happy for you. Here are a few recipes you can kick off your cooking with!

• Braiser: An entire category of recipes on smittenkitchen.com

• My “I Dream Of Paris” Menu for the French Crème launch: Dijon Roast Chicken, French Onion Soup for a Crowd, and a Perfect Apple Tarte Tatin

• Baked Ziti with Meatballs and Ricotta (Williams-Sonoma, Video)

• Apple Butterscotch Crisp (Zwilling, Video)

• Braised Chickpeas with Kale and Burrata (Zwilling)

shop my favorites

Ever wonder where I get my cutting boards, paring knives, offset spatulas and more that you see when I cook? I've created a page on Smitten Kitchen with links to some of my favorite kitchen items, the ones I'm asked about the most. This isn’t just an Amazon storefront. For each item, I attempt to provide a range of shopping links so we're not just focusing on one giant retailer.

See you next week!

Note: I occasionally use affiliate links in this newsletter, which means I will earn a small commission from anything you purchase through it.

Monday, August 3, 2026

Good afternoon!

• Pralines roses

• The glorious burden of stockpiling little glass jars [Vox]

• Talking to the CBC about AI

If it’s August, it doesn’t matter whether or not my body is on vacation (sadly, it is not), my brain acts like it is, sending back an out-of-the-office auto-reply when I try to tackle my to-do list, and chuckling the way you would a tiny puppy trying and failing to climb a stair when I try summon a sense of urgency. My cooking is similarly nonchalant. It wants little fuss, few steps, and to be easy to pull off no matter where you are — home, if we must, or perhaps decamped to a vacation rental house, with its own particular batterie de cuisine roulette. Will there be a single decent pan? A sharp knife? One never knows. The recipes in this week’s newsletter were selected for their their adaptability. They won’t make you think too hard or have too much stuff, because they know better. Plus, there’s a new recipe on the site for what I consider the ne plus ultra of vacation house cooking, Spaghetti Aglio e Olio. It could be your dinner tonight.

But even more exciting: This week, for the 5th summer in a row, we’re launching the 2026 Smitten Kitchen Classroom Wishlist Project, in which we try to help teachers everything what they need to set their classrooms up for success. All of the details are below, and on this page (including how to add a classroom if your school starts later). This is one of my favorite side projects. I love schools, I love teachers, and I love buying crayons and books. I hope you can be part of it too.

Cheers,

Deb

The Smitten Kitchen Classroom Wishlist Project 2026 kicks off today! In the US, a tremendous number of teachers don’t get the funding they need to set their classrooms up for success. Most will end up paying out of their own pockets to buy educational materials, which is all wrong. I’ve asked teachers to send me their wishlists in hopes that we can help clear as many as possible, as we have the last four summers.

If you cannot figure out where to start, let me help: I recommend picking a school in your area, or perhaps where you grew up, or search the descriptions for classrooms that might focus on something particularly meaningful to you. There is no purchase too small to unquestionably make a teacher’s (and their students’) day. Plus, buying crayons, pencils, and books that help kids learn and succeed feels really good. 🖍️📚🍎📓✏️ Thank you for helping out! [Project information. Direct link to spreadsheet.]

I’ve written three cookbooks and one audiobook and I’m a tiny bit biased, but I think you’d love them all. Not sure which one to check out first? Take a look at the recipe index and see which collection jumps out at you most.

spaghetti aglio e olio

New! A low-effort, short ingredient list, make-anywhere, back pocket pasta recipe celebrating the aromatic wizardry of garlic sizzling in olive oil, as will everyone around you when you make it. Dinner tonight is going to be 10/10.

Surprise me with a random recipe!

blueberry bread and butter pudding

The blueberries are wonderful this year! Let’s sprinkle them with lemon sugar and scatter them between slices of buttered bread and pour a vanilla custard over it and bake it until the top is crisp and bronzed and the center is luxe, all in the name of extra-perfect weekend french toast. (Just tell me when to come over.)‬

bacon corn hash

Breakfast today has four ingredients -- crisped bacon, potatoes, corn cooked in the renderings, and a heap of scallions -- plus one very crispy egg on top and we’re going to immediately wonder why we don’t make this more often.

greek salad with lemon and oregano

Too hot to cook again? I have just the salad for that. A mostly authentic (the lemon is my thing) Greek salad that will provide all of the salty tartness and refreshing crunch we need. Or hold us over until someone can transport us to a breezy Greek island. Do know I’m open to either.

beach bean salad

This is my platonic ideal of a summer bean salad -- one that keeps well, getting better as it marinates, and travels fantastically to anyplace your sunny afternoon takes you.

tomato and fried provolone sandwich

Not sure what to make for dinner? Not sure you even want to make dinner? Welcome; you’re among friends. What we can all agree on: Tomato sandwiches are the perfect no-fuss August dinner, and this one has one glorious extra: Slices of provolone, griddled until crisp. [Video below!]

angel hair pasta with raw tomato sauce

Dinner tonight is going to take 15 minutes to make and showcase tomatoes in nearly their purest form, naturally sweet and faintly tangy, then garlic-kissed and tangled with fresh basil and the wispiest strands of spaghetti into everything you could ever want in a summer meal.

minimalist barbecue sauce

A 3-ingredient (plus 2 optional ones), no-cook, 2-minute sauce for everything worth grilling, chicken or tofu skewers, or even as a base for what I call Fake Baked Beans. This is the perfect recipe to tuck away in your repertoire for when you’re short on time or long on things you’d rather do than cook.

lobster rolls

It’s August and we haven’t made lobster rolls yet? We cannot let this continue. These are my favorite best-of-both-worlds (butter, mayo) lobster rolls, here shown as sliders for a party, but equally good in a few hearty sandwiches you don’t have to share with anyone.

peach blueberry cobbler

Peaches and blueberries baked together in a loose, jammy filling that’s sopped up dreamily by cornmeal drop biscuits. Quick to make; even quicker to disappear.

ridiculously easy butterscotch sauce

Did you know that deadly good butterscotch, butterscotch so transcendent it might bring tears to your eyes, is ridiculously easy to make? Five ingredients + five minutes on the stove = eating ice cream for dinner during a heat wave has never tasted so good.

two classic sangrias

It’s not a summer holiday weekend if I’m not thinking about sangria. Refreshing and forgiving, one version here is classic and uncluttered and the other is finished with a low-sugar orange soda (we’ve seen this often in Spain). Why choose? Make both.

Surprise me with a random recipe!

tomato and fried provolone sandwich

The Staub x Smitten Kitchen Braiser is a lower-walled enameled cast-iron Dutch oven that works as well as a deep sauté pan as it does a soup pot, roasting pan, or even casserole dish that perfectly fits a pasta bake. It’s the ideal size and usability (dishwasher safe!) for everyday cooking. Not a week has gone by in the 14 years I’ve had mine when I don’t cook in it at least three times, so when it was no longer sold in U.S. stores, I asked Staub — a French cast-iron manufacturer originally from Alsace; you can watch me tour the forge/factory here! — if they would partner with me to bring it back, because I knew you’ll fall in love with the pan too. We launched the Staub x Smitten Kitchen Braiser in spring 2024. The Braiser is now sold exclusively at Williams-Sonoma and available in eight gorgeous new colors! The newest two — a classy off-white (pardon, French Crème) and a soft pink (Pink Peony, which you know I sing to the tune of Pink Peony Club) — launched just last month.

• Cranberry (bright red)

• Grenadine (deep red)

• Sage (light green)

• Basil (dark green)

• La Mer (dark blue-green)

• Sapphire (dark blue)

• (New!) French Crème (off-white) ✨

• (New!) Pink Peony (soft pink) ✨

The Staub x Smitten Kitchen Braiser Recipe Starter Pack: Oh, you did get a new braiser? I’m so happy for you. Here are a few recipes you can kick off your cooking with!

• Braiser: An entire category of recipes on smittenkitchen.com

• My “I Dream Of Paris” Menu for the French Crème launch: Dijon Roast Chicken, French Onion Soup for a Crowd, and a Perfect Apple Tarte Tatin

• Baked Ziti with Meatballs and Ricotta (Williams-Sonoma, Video)

• Apple Butterscotch Crisp (Zwilling, Video)

• Braised Chickpeas with Kale and Burrata (Zwilling)

shop my favorites

Ever wonder where I get my cutting boards, paring knives, offset spatulas and more that you see when I cook? I've created a page on Smitten Kitchen with links to some of my favorite kitchen items, the ones I'm asked about the most. This isn’t just an Amazon storefront. For each item, I attempt to provide a range of shopping links so we're not just focusing on one giant retailer.

See you next week!

Note: I occasionally use affiliate links in this newsletter, which means I will earn a small commission from anything you purchase through it.

Monday, July 27, 2026

Good afternoon!

• Me cutting dill

• How to Be a Good Guest at a Dinner Party [NYTimes, gift link]

• An article about pizza from 1949 [Atlantic, gift link]

What a week! It’s been absolutely gorgeous in New York City, I just ate a peach the size of a softball I brought home from the Union Square Greenmarket this morning, still warm, and I basically don’t want to be inside, ever, which seems like a perfect moment to gush about my favorite recipes to cook outside. Because standing over an open flame, tongs in hand, yapping with friends, and pretending I didn’t mean to get that much char on the vegetables (I did; I I always do) is the kind of thing I miss so much when it’s 22 degrees in February, it’s almost painful to think about, so it’s my job to tuck in as much as I can right now, mosquitos and all. Below, a list of my favorite things to cook on my tiny, dinky terrace grill (so you know if it works for me, it will be even better on a decent one) — grilled pizzas are absolutely going on this week’s cooking agenda.

But that’s not all! This week, for the 5th summer in a row, we’re kicking off the Smitten Kitchen Classroom Wishlist Project, in which we try to help teachers everything what they need to set their classrooms up for success. Many schools in the US go back in early to mid-August so the lists we collect this week will focus on those; we’ll add more closer to September for schools with later start dates. Details below on how to add yours. This is one of my favorite side projects. We love schools, we love teachers, and we love buying crayons and books for kids. I hope you can be part of it too.

Cheers,

Deb

The Smitten Kitchen Classroom Wishlist Project 2026 is kicking off this week! In the US, a tremendous number of teachers don’t get the funding they need to set their classrooms up for success. Most will end up paying out of their own pockets to buy educational materials to support their students, which is all wrong. I’m asking teachers to send me their wishlists here at this link: [Classroom Wishlist Submission Form]. We’ll share these submissions next week in hopes that we can help clear as many as possible, as we have the past four summers.

I’ve written three cookbooks and one audiobook and I’m a tiny bit biased, but I think you’d love them all. Not sure which one to check out first? Take a look at the recipe index and see which collection jumps out at you most.

grilled nectarines with gorgonzola and hazelnuts

From Jess Damuck’s Salad Freak, an aperitif hour [or dessert, or brunch] salad that feels vacationy right now, even if we are not. The grilled nectarines take on a pie-like fragrance even before you put anything on top, but the crumbled blue cheese, honey, mint leaves, toasted hazelnuts, and flaky sea salt coordinate blissfully into something so good, I wanted to eat the plate.

grilled zucchini ribbons with pesto and white beans

Ribbons of grilled lemony zucchini wind around white beans that have been rolled in a pesto vinaigrette, then finished with a blanket of grated parmesan is basically all I want to eat right now.

grilled shrimp cocktail

My husband’s favorite dish (we just ignore him if he says steak or a martini, we know the truth) cooked the very best way. Is this brunch food? Afternoon food? A cocktail party standard? Around here, always.

cabbage and halloumi skewers

Hearty chunks of cabbage and halloumi are threaded on skewers and grilled until charred -- sweet, smoky, salty -- and perfect all over, brushed with an unforgettable lemony garlic and herb oil. No grill? Roast it (with or without skewers) on a sheet pan. [Video below!]

summer ricotta with grilled vegetables

A love letter to homemade ricotta and my favorite way to serve it in the summer, that is with whatever vegetables and bread look good, grilled. It’s great for potlucks, host gifts, and it’s also the warm-weather light meal of my dreams. I hope you’re inspired.

grilled pizza

Grilled pizza tastes incredible -- better texture, charred spots reminiscent of the best brick-oven stuff -- and once your dough is prepared or purchased, can be heading for your belly in 10 minutes, leaving you more time to sit outside with ice clinking in your glass, enjoying a summer weekend.

exceptional grilled chicken

Exceptional grilled chicken — grilled chicken that’s forgiving of human (whoops I left it on a couple minutes too long), grill (my grill suggests heat more than it blasts it), and chicken (you can buy what the grocery store has in stock that day) imperfections — is absolutely failproof with this method, and your dinner deserves nothing less.

summer steak with corn and tomatoes

This is my go-to summer steak and it’s got everything that matters: ease, bright seasonal vegetables, and just enough tips to make sure you nail it every time. Plus, a menu suggestion! You’ve got it from here, promise.

grilled peach splits

This is my favorite grilled dessert: peaches drizzled with salted bourbon caramel, sprinkled with pecan sandies crumbles then heaped with a belly-full of ice cream. No peaches where you are? Try with rings of pineapple.

chocolate ice cream sandwiches

One-bowl, one-pan classic chocolate ice cream sandwiches with a perfect yield, perfect texture from the freezer, all from perfectly little effort. Our summers are going to be even more amazing with these in them. [Video below!]

Surprise me with a random recipe!

cabbage and halloumi skewers

chocolate ice cream sandwiches

The Staub x Smitten Kitchen Braiser is a lower-walled enameled cast-iron Dutch oven that works as well as a deep sauté pan as it does a soup pot, roasting pan, or even casserole dish that perfectly fits a pasta bake. It’s the ideal size and usability (dishwasher safe!) for everyday cooking. Not a week has gone by in the 14 years I’ve had mine when I don’t cook in it at least three times, so when it was no longer sold in U.S. stores, I asked Staub — a French cast-iron manufacturer originally from Alsace; you can watch me tour the forge/factory here! — if they would partner with me to bring it back, because I knew you’ll fall in love with the pan too. We launched the Staub x Smitten Kitchen Braiser in spring 2024. The Braiser is now sold exclusively at Williams-Sonoma and available in eight gorgeous new colors! The newest two — a classy off-white (pardon, French Crème) and a soft pink (Pink Peony, which you know I sing to the tune of Pink Peony Club) — launched just last month.

• Cranberry (bright red)

• Grenadine (deep red)

• Sage (light green)

• Basil (dark green)

• La Mer (dark blue-green)

• Sapphire (dark blue)

• (New!) French Crème (off-white) ✨

• (New!) Pink Peony (soft pink) ✨

The Staub x Smitten Kitchen Braiser Recipe Starter Pack: Oh, you did get a new braiser? I’m so happy for you. Here are a few recipes you can kick off your cooking with!

• Braiser: An entire category of recipes on smittenkitchen.com

• My “I Dream Of Paris” Menu for the French Crème launch: Dijon Roast Chicken, French Onion Soup for a Crowd, and a Perfect Apple Tarte Tatin

• Baked Ziti with Meatballs and Ricotta (Williams-Sonoma, Video)

• Apple Butterscotch Crisp (Zwilling, Video)

• Braised Chickpeas with Kale and Burrata (Zwilling)

shop my favorites

Ever wonder where I get my cutting boards, paring knives, offset spatulas and more that you see when I cook? I've created a page on Smitten Kitchen with links to some of my favorite kitchen items, the ones I'm asked about the most. This isn’t just an Amazon storefront. For each item, I attempt to provide a range of shopping links so we're not just focusing on one giant retailer.

See you next week!

Note: I occasionally use affiliate links in this newsletter, which means I will earn a small commission from anything you purchase through it.

Monday, July 20, 2026

Good afternoon!

• It’s me [TikTok]

• My Picky Kids Made Me a Better Eater [Ravenous]

• Why Are Berries Everywhere, in Every Season? Driscoll’s. [NYTimes, gift link]

I was heading through Washington Square Park earlier with a friend on our way back from our five years and counting (!) Monday morning walk when we discovered that the Dosa Man was already open and had only two people on line, which absolutely never happens. It would have been a crime to not seize the moment — and on such a gorgeous day too — so we sat down and had a giant masala dosa for breakfast, a 10/10 NYC experience and no, I do not have a recipe for dosas today (way to tease, Deb) but I do have a newsletter filled with many of my other favorite vegan summery dishes, from a lentil salad you scoop with tortilla chips, an SK favorite one-pan farro, a perfect pizza, and plush vanilla cupcakes for extra cheer. Plus, there’s a love letter to homemade lemonade and the most perfect formula for it on smittenkitchen.com right now, and you just know it would go splendidly with all of the above.

Cheers,

Deb

I’ve written three cookbooks and one audiobook and I’m a tiny bit biased, but I think you’d love them all. Not sure which one to check out first? Take a look at the recipe index and see which collection jumps out at you most.

house lemonade

New! Strong opinions on the very best way to make the very best summer beverage, so you can spend your weekend utterly refreshed, ice clinking in your glass.

Surprise me with a random recipe!

my favorite lentil salad

My favorite lentil salad is really, truly inhalable: one part salsa, one part lentils, plus tomatoes, avocado, hot sauce, and a dream of a lunch scooped up with tortilla chips.

avocado salad with carrot-ginger dressing

This restaurant-style avocado salad has the most unmissable, habit-forming carrot-ginger dressing and makes enough for leftovers, which is good because we will want to eat it again tomorrow and all the days after that.

caponata

A great caponata -- the kind that’s like a tangy, garlicky eggplant jam -- can be prepped once and used in infinite ways but my favorite is dolloped on grainy bread over a thick slice of mozzarella (for the non-vegans), repeated as needed, which will be often.

smashed potatoes with sweet corn relish

I bet this layered and complex summer vegetable feast from Bryant Terry -- crispy smashed potatoes, slow-cooked onions, a spicy pea sauce, and an unforgettable corn relish -- will become an instant summer favorite for you, too. If you make nothing else, make the corn relish because you’re going to want to put it on everything from toasts to tacos to salads.

roasted tomatoes with white beans

One of my favorite easy summer meals -- it’s wildly simple, just cherry tomatoes quick-roasted with olive oil, garlic, and salt until saucy, and then we tumble in a can of beans and let them drink it up. Finish with basil and eat straight from the pan, or ladle it over crostini. Repeat as long as tomatoes last.

one-pan farro with tomatoes

Dinner tonight? I think you should make my One-Pan Farro, the recipe that converts all of the farro skeptics. It’s easy (everything cooks at once, all together, with ingredients you probably already have around) and quick, and yet tastes anything but austere.

potato pizza, even better

This pizza is covered with only potatoes, onion, olive oil, salt, and pepper but tastes like so much more than the sum of its parts. It goes spectacularly with a big spring salad and a crisp glass of wine. Not yet sold? From the oven, it looks and tastes like potato chips.

peanut sesame noodles

I’ve been making these cold sesame noodles since college and will never not crave them. The sauce is perfect every time and I like to doctor them up with matchsticks of everything from carrots to cucumber, peppers, and tofu so it feels even more like a full meal. [Video below!]

black pepper tofu and eggplant

Eggplant and tofu are fantastic together in this stir-fry; the tofu holds its shape, the eggplant collapses and partly joins the sauce and the result was too dark and pretty to even bother garnishing with chiles or scallions, but you could. You’re in charge.

plush confetti cupcakes

To make the most plush, moist, tender-crumbed vanilla-scented confetti cupcakes? Skip the eggs and butter. These cupcakes are vegan, one-bowl, and can be entirely finished in under an hour. You can use the same recipe to make a full-sized party cake as well; instructions in the recipe.

Surprise me with a random recipe!

peanut sesame noodles

The Staub x Smitten Kitchen Braiser is a lower-walled enameled cast-iron Dutch oven that works as well as a deep sauté pan as it does a soup pot, roasting pan, or even casserole dish that perfectly fits a pasta bake. It’s the ideal size and usability (dishwasher safe!) for everyday cooking. Not a week has gone by in the 14 years I’ve had mine when I don’t cook in it at least three times, so when it was no longer sold in U.S. stores, I asked Staub — a French cast-iron manufacturer originally from Alsace; you can watch me tour the forge/factory here! — if they would partner with me to bring it back, because I knew you’ll fall in love with the pan too. We launched the Staub x Smitten Kitchen Braiser in spring 2024. The Braiser is now sold exclusively at Williams-Sonoma and available in eight gorgeous new colors! The newest two — a classy off-white (pardon, French Crème) and a soft pink (Pink Peony, which you know I sing to the tune of Pink Peony Club) — launched just last month.

• Cranberry (bright red)

• Grenadine (deep red)

• Sage (light green)

• Basil (dark green)

• La Mer (dark blue-green)

• Sapphire (dark blue)

• (New!) French Crème (off-white) ✨

• (New!) Pink Peony (soft pink) ✨

The Staub x Smitten Kitchen Braiser Recipe Starter Pack: Oh, you did get a new braiser? I’m so happy for you. Here are a few recipes you can kick off your cooking with!

• Braiser: An entire category of recipes on smittenkitchen.com

• My “I Dream Of Paris” Menu for the French Crème launch: Dijon Roast Chicken, French Onion Soup for a Crowd, and a Perfect Apple Tarte Tatin

• Baked Ziti with Meatballs and Ricotta (Williams-Sonoma, Video)

• Apple Butterscotch Crisp (Zwilling, Video)

• Braised Chickpeas with Kale and Burrata (Zwilling)

shop my favorites

Ever wonder where I get my cutting boards, paring knives, offset spatulas and more that you see when I cook? I've created a page on Smitten Kitchen with links to some of my favorite kitchen items, the ones I'm asked about the most. This isn’t just an Amazon storefront. For each item, I attempt to provide a range of shopping links so we're not just focusing on one giant retailer.

See you next week!

Note: I occasionally use affiliate links in this newsletter, which means I will earn a small commission from anything you purchase through it.

Monday, July 13, 2026

Good morning!

• The only thing I love more than this cartoon is the number of friends who sent it to me.

• How to Be a Good Guest at a Dinner Party [NYTimes, gift link]

If you’ve opened this email, sighing at the zucchini in the title (or at my need to insert Dirty Dancing references into all summer things), reluctant because you find the vegetable watery, bland, low in texture, and omnipresent in summer cooking though you wish it wasn’t, it’s okay, I totally get it. I never expected to be such a zucchini enthusiast, either. I started cooking with it mostly to be of service to Smitten Kitchen readers pleading for ways to use their CSA/garden/friendly neighbor hauls. But slowly — through latkes, through savory pancakes, through ribbons of summer salads, it won me over and now there are so many ways to use it in the SK archives, I’d like to think I have your whole summer squash haul covered, and I don’t find any of them boring or bland. Below, one dozen favorites plus a new video for the easiest summer squash pizza in the world. I hope you’re inspired.

Finally, my annual zucchini PSA: Zucchini is a type of summer squash. When a recipe calls for zucchini, almost any other kind summer squash works too and the reverse is true.

Cheers,

Deb

I’ve written three cookbooks and one audiobook and I’m a tiny bit biased, but I think you’d love them all. Not sure which one to check out first? Take a look at the recipe index and see which collection jumps out at you most.

zucchini bread pancakes

Crisp edges, plush interiors, fragrant and filling, these are one of our favorite weekend pancakes that also manages to address summer’s real torment: zucchini population control.

quick zucchini sauté

This is your annual reminder — 19 years and counting! — that my favorite summer vegetable dish takes 5 minutes to make, uses all of 3 ingredients, and tastes like 10x the sum of its parts. Plus, it helps keep summer’s real torment at bay: insurmountable heaps of zucchini.

zucchini fritters

Minced scallions and just the right amount of seasoning turn a humdrum pile of shredded zucchini into gorgeous fritters that lift off the pan as they crisp. Dollop with a garlicky lemon yogurt and give yourself a pat on the back for passing pancakes off as dinner.

braised chickpeas with zucchini and pesto

Chickpeas are braised in broth and olive oil with zucchini, onion, and garlic until they’re plump and almost falling apart, then we stir in pesto, burrata, and parmesan and scoop the whole blissful lot onto grilled bread and repeat again every week for the rest of summer. We can’t get enough of this.

herbed summer squash and potato torte

There’s no such thing as too much zucchini; it’s just more excuses to make this crazy delicious crispy-edged easy summer dinner. We have wedges with salad for a light meal; grilled sausages for a heartier one. I have never regretted making two.

zucchini quesadillas

Not just any quesadillas, these are filled with zucchini that’s been cooked until tender and concentrated, then stuffed into bronzed tortillas with messy, lacy brown edges that form when the melted cheese lands on and crisps in the skillet. We eat those first.

zucchini butter spaghetti

My favorite simple summer pasta is just a heap of zucchini cooked until it has melted into a puddle of butter and garlic, laced with a little heat, then tossed with basil, parmesan, and spaghetti. It’s perfect: cozy, seasonal, and simple enough to be made anywhere. I hope it becomes your summer staple, too.

zucchini and ricotta galette

Basil, ricotta, mozzarella, garlic and coins of zucchini assemble in what is basically a flaky nest of high summer and a forever Smitten Kitchen favorite.

summer squash pizza

One of the best pizzas I have *ever* made, this is the very best kind of dinner: it has five ingredients including the ones to make the pizza dough. It’s seasonal and it doesn’t care what else you had planned; it wants to be moved to the front of your cooking queue. [Video below!]

kefta and zucchini kebabs

Tiny spiced lamb or turkey meatballs and coins of marinated zucchini are grilled on skewers and served with a minty garlic yogurt sauce. I always wish I made these more often because I don’t think it’s possible to get tired of a combination this delicious.

ultimate zucchini bread

This is it, the best zucchini bread I’ve ever made and I hope the last recipe you’ll ever need. It’s tall with a craggy, crunchy top, has a significant amount of zucchini inside, can be mixed in one bowl (with a fork, no less) and even tells you how to store and when to eat it for Peak Zucchini Bread Bliss. It’s a thing, or we’re going to make it one.

double chocolate zucchini bread

This is a phenomenally fudgy chocolate loaf cake with a crunchy top that has the better part of a pound of zucchini in it and while we’d never put zucchini in the corner in the Smitten Kitchen, the reality is that if your eyes were closed, you’d never know that there was a vegetable inside. Is this the best news ever? An abomination? Should zucchini bread taste like a brownie? I’m going to let you sort this out for yourself. Cheers!

Surprise me with a random recipe!

summer squash pizza

The Staub x Smitten Kitchen Braiser is a lower-walled enameled cast-iron Dutch oven that works as well as a deep sauté pan as it does a soup pot, roasting pan, or even casserole dish that perfectly fits a pasta bake. It’s the ideal size and usability (dishwasher safe!) for everyday cooking. Not a week has gone by in the 14 years I’ve had mine when I don’t cook in it at least three times, so when it was no longer sold in U.S. stores, I asked Staub — a French cast-iron manufacturer originally from Alsace; you can watch me tour the forge/factory here! — if they would partner with me to bring it back, because I knew you’ll fall in love with the pan too. We launched the Staub x Smitten Kitchen Braiser in spring 2024. The Braiser is now sold exclusively at Williams-Sonoma and available in eight gorgeous new colors! The newest two — a classy off-white (pardon, French Crème) and a soft pink (Pink Peony, which you know I sing to the tune of Pink Peony Club) — launched just last month.

• Cranberry (bright red)

• Grenadine (deep red)

• Sage (light green)

• Basil (dark green)

• La Mer (dark blue-green)

• Sapphire (dark blue)

• (New!) French Crème (off-white) ✨

• (New!) Pink Peony (soft pink) ✨

The Staub x Smitten Kitchen Braiser Recipe Starter Pack: Oh, you did get a new braiser? I’m so happy for you. Here are a few recipes you can kick off your cooking with!

• Braiser: An entire category of recipes on smittenkitchen.com

• My “I Dream Of Paris” Menu for the French Crème launch: Dijon Roast Chicken, French Onion Soup for a Crowd, and a Perfect Apple Tarte Tatin

• Baked Ziti with Meatballs and Ricotta (Williams-Sonoma, Video)

• Apple Butterscotch Crisp (Zwilling, Video)

• Braised Chickpeas with Kale and Burrata (Zwilling)

shop my favorites

Ever wonder where I get my cutting boards, paring knives, offset spatulas and more that you see when I cook? I've created a page on Smitten Kitchen with links to some of my favorite kitchen items, the ones I'm asked about the most. This isn’t just an Amazon storefront. For each item, I attempt to provide a range of shopping links so we're not just focusing on one giant retailer.

See you next week!

Note: I occasionally use affiliate links in this newsletter, which means I will earn a small commission from anything you purchase through it.

Monday, July 6, 2026

Good morning!

• The Absurdly Optimized Pancake

• The Sweet Life Of Tom Carvel

• A Golden Age of Fancy Jell-O Shots

Did you have a nice holiday weekend? Did you melt a little? Me too. It was a two-shower-a-day, biting my tongue and failing at trying to talk about anything but the heat wave weekend. Fortunately, there were also ribs and fireworks, lots of hanging out with friends, and beach and tennis time too. The weather may have cooled off a bit this morning (I’m soaked, thanks) but my desire to avoid overheating hasn’t wavered. Below, I’m sharing some of my favorite recipes to get us through the hottest days ahead — lots of crisp salads, scoopable ones too, my favorite vegetarian beach sandwich, cold noodles, breakfast popsicles, and the very best thing to pour over ice cream. Plus, I’ve got a new recipe for hot dogs exactly the way I like them and I’m thrilled to have converted several of you over the holiday too.

Plus, three new short recipe demos:

• Strawberry Chiffon Shortcake, Perfected [Instagram, TikTok, Recipe]

• Slow-and-Low Dry Rub Oven Chicken [Instagram, TikTok, Recipe]

• Chocolate Pudding Pie [Instagram, TikTok, Recipe]

Cheers,

Deb

I’ve written three cookbooks and one audiobook and I’m a tiny bit biased, but I think you’d love them all. Not sure which one to check out first? Take a look at the recipe index and see which collection jumps out at you most.

hot dogs with vinegared iceberg and potato chips

New! Just in time to avoid the worst of the heatwave by cooking inside, a recipe for hot dogs exactly the way I like them: butterflied (perfect for an indoor griddle) and topped with vinegared iceberg (lightly pickled and so perfect here), minced onion, salty crumbled potato chips. Happy cook = happy everyone.

Surprise me with a random recipe!

burrata with crushed cherries and pistachios

Show up empty-handed? Not with this no-cook (I’ve even done it without a knife and cutting board) appetizer you can bring and easily assemble anywhere you go this weekend. It vanishes quickly. Thanks to my friend Ang for always inspiring me!

mama canales-garcia's avocado-shrimp salsa

When the heat wave demands nothing but chips and salsa for dinner, who are we to argue?

cucumber crunch salad with tofu

This is the only thing I want to eat when it’s this hot out: a no-cook salad with thick batons of cold tofu + crisp cucumbers + a heavenly dressing that does all the lifting + a finishing layer of crunchy, salty, spicy stuff. I can’t wait to find out if you get as obsessed with it as we are. [Video below!]

nolita-style avocado toast

For the first time in my avocado-buying life, I’ve been able to not miss the approximately 5-minute window in which they’re neither rock hard nor mush. This is how we’re celebrating. I realize the idea of a recipe (a recipe!) for avocado toast is bonkers but this one is truly the best classic version I’ve ever had.

hummus heaped with tomatoes and cucumbers

A small-diced salad heaped on a great swirl of hummus to be scooped with grilled pita wedges is the only thing I want to eat for the rest of the summer. With a few chocolate ice cream sandwich intermissions, for balance and stuff.

chickpea pan bagnat

A hearty, well-seasoned and picnic basket-/cooler-ready sandwich for wherever your day takes you. Inspired by the pan bagnat, which is the sandwich version of a salade niçoise, I swapped the tuna here with a smashed chickpea salad, added layers of crunch, richness, and seasoning and never looked back.

cold rice noodles with peanut-lime chicken

Cold noodles + grilled chicken + crunchy vegetables + two perfect sauces, one loud with chiles, lime and fish sauce and the other cozy with ginger, peanuts and sesame = I could eat this forever.

swirled berry yogurt popsicles

Lightly sweetened Greek yogurt + half-blended fresh berries = popsicles for breakfast are sheer heat wave brilliance.

best hot fudge sauce

This hot fudge sauce takes fewer than 10 minutes to make, keeps seemingly indefinitely in the fridge, is forgiving of almost all human error, and makes all days that include it better than those that do not.

slushy paper plane

A dream of a frozen cocktail that requires no blender, it just magically freezes to the perfect slush texture: thick but pourable with the most delightful crunches of thin ice flakes everywhere. We’re going to win at summer this year, and it starts with this.

Surprise me with a random recipe!

cucumber crunch salad with tofu

The Staub x Smitten Kitchen Braiser is a lower-walled enameled cast-iron Dutch oven that works as well as a deep sauté pan as it does a soup pot, roasting pan, or even casserole dish that perfectly fits a pasta bake. It’s the ideal size and usability (dishwasher safe!) for everyday cooking. Not a week has gone by in the 14 years I’ve had mine when I don’t cook in it at least three times, so when it was no longer sold in U.S. stores, I asked Staub — a French cast-iron manufacturer originally from Alsace; you can watch me tour the forge/factory here! — if they would partner with me to bring it back, because I knew you’ll fall in love with the pan too. We launched the Staub x Smitten Kitchen Braiser in spring 2024. The Braiser is now sold exclusively at Williams-Sonoma and available in eight gorgeous new colors! The newest two — a classy off-white (pardon, French Crème) and a soft pink (Pink Peony, which you know I sing to the tune of Pink Peony Club) — launched just last month.

• Cranberry (bright red)

• Grenadine (deep red)

• Sage (light green)

• Basil (dark green)

• La Mer (dark blue-green)

• Sapphire (dark blue)

• (New!) French Crème (off-white) ✨

• (New!) Pink Peony (soft pink) ✨

The Staub x Smitten Kitchen Braiser Recipe Starter Pack: Oh, you did get a new braiser? I’m so happy for you. Here are a few recipes you can kick off your cooking with!

• Braiser: An entire category of recipes on smittenkitchen.com

• My “I Dream Of Paris” Menu for the French Crème launch: Dijon Roast Chicken, French Onion Soup for a Crowd, and a Perfect Apple Tarte Tatin

• Baked Ziti with Meatballs and Ricotta (Williams-Sonoma, Video)

• Apple Butterscotch Crisp (Zwilling, Video)

• Braised Chickpeas with Kale and Burrata (Zwilling)

shop my favorites

Ever wonder where I get my cutting boards, paring knives, offset spatulas and more that you see when I cook? I've created a page on Smitten Kitchen with links to some of my favorite kitchen items, the ones I'm asked about the most. This isn’t just an Amazon storefront. For each item, I attempt to provide a range of shopping links so we're not just focusing on one giant retailer.

See you next week!

Note: I occasionally use affiliate links in this newsletter, which means I will earn a small commission from anything you purchase through it.

Monday, June 29, 2026

Good afternoon!

• I have to see this movie.

• Where Has All the Cottage Cheese Gone? [NYTimes, gift link]

• America’s Greatest Food Export [The Atlantic, gift link]

Right on schedule, we're about to get our first big heat wave of the summer in the Northeast, which feels like the perfect time to point out that the vast majority of my forever-favorite Fourth of July recipes let us skip the Great American Tradition of cooking over hot metal grates in near-triple-digit temperatures and instead make use of that perfectly good kitchen we keep inside. From oven ribs and roast chicken to the corn salad that causes a ruckus every time I put it on the table, these recipes deliver all the best holiday foods without threatening a chef meltdown. And, like, not the kind that entertains TV audiences.

Plus, I’ve got a bunch of new short recipe demos I hope will inspire you:

• Foolproof Cacio e Pepe [Instagram, TikTok, Recipe]

• Fresh Strawberry Tart [Instagram, TikTok, Recipe]

• Broccoli Slaw [Instagram, TikTok, Recipe]

• Snow Pea Salad with Avocado [Instagram, TikTok, Recipe]

• Pink Lady Cake [Instagram, TikTok, Recipe]

• Confetti Cookies [Instagram, TikTok, Recipe]

• One-Pan Farro with Tomatoes [Instagram, TikTok, Recipe]

• Chicken Salad for Celery Enthusiasts [Instagram, TikTok, Recipe]

Cheers,

Deb

I’ve written three cookbooks and one audiobook and I’m a tiny bit biased, but I think you’d love them all. Not sure which one to check out first? Take a look at the recipe index and see which collection jumps out at you most.

black bean confetti salad 2.0

A forever favorite salad, more vibrant than ever: more lime, heat, crunch, herbs, and avocado too. It’s a little bit party snack, but an easy lunch too. We scoop it up with tortilla chips and marvel as the giant bowl disappears. [Video below!]

broccoli slaw

A forever summer staple that’s secretly a love letter to buttermilk-and-cider-vinegar ranch dressing, but the homemade kind. It makes great “buckets” of broccoli inhalable, and converts all broccoli skeptics. I hope you love it, too.

corn salad with chile and lime

Loosely modeled on the flavors of esquites, this salad has a creamy, cold and sharp dressing below, warm charred corn in the middle, and a mix of lime, pickled onions, and chile powder on top. The result is basically inhalable. I could eat this every week all summer long.

rosanne cash's all-american potato salad

A classic, perfectly seasoned, never overdressed, a little crunchy, always-disappears-first potato salad is a non-negotiable part of our summer bbq spreads and this is my forever go-to. Just make it; you’ll be so glad you did.

oven ribs, even better

Holiday weekend agenda: Ribs party! Trust me, nobody would dream of missing it. No grill required, these are perfect from the oven every time and the recipe has been updated and streamlined with cooking times that adjust to your schedule and the simplest, most balanced rub yet. Your friends are going to ask you to make this an annual feast.

slow-and-low dry rub oven chicken

What if we gave chicken the oven ribs treatment, that is thickly coated with dry rub, slow-roasted until falling apart, and finished it with a sauce from the drippings? Indoor barbecue magic, is what.

flag cake

This is not only the most delicious flag cake I’ve made (in my totally unbiased opinion), it’s also the easiest: one-bowl cake, dreamy cream cheese frosting, plus all the fresh berries.

grilled peach splits

This is my favorite grilled dessert: peaches drizzled with salted bourbon caramel, sprinkled with pecan sandies crumbles then heaped with a belly-full of ice cream. No peaches where you are? Try with rings of pineapple.

picnic pink lemonade

Pink lemonade > regular lemonade. It’s basic lemonade math; don’t even fight it. Just make sure the blush is real -- in this case, raspberries, strawberries, or blackberries (or shown here, all three).

perfect, forever cornbread

This is my summer wish for us: I think we should bring a pan of freshly-baked, thick, buttery, crisp on top cornbread to our next picnic/potluck/barbecue to share with friends and I think it should be this one, my forever favorite. A pat of salted butter on top is mandatory. You’ll be so glad you made this.

Surprise me with a random recipe!

black bean confetti salad 2.0

The Staub x Smitten Kitchen Braiser is a lower-walled enameled cast-iron Dutch oven that works as well as a deep sauté pan as it does a soup pot, roasting pan, or even casserole dish that perfectly fits a pasta bake. It’s the ideal size and usability (dishwasher safe!) for everyday cooking. Not a week has gone by in the 14 years I’ve had mine when I don’t cook in it at least three times, so when it was no longer sold in U.S. stores, I asked Staub — a French cast-iron manufacturer originally from Alsace; you can watch me tour the forge/factory here! — if they would partner with me to bring it back, because I knew you’ll fall in love with the pan too. We launched the Staub x Smitten Kitchen Braiser in spring 2024. The Braiser is now sold exclusively at Williams-Sonoma and available in eight gorgeous new colors! The newest two — a classy off-white (pardon, French Crème) and a soft pink (Pink Peony, which you know I sing to the tune of Pink Peony Club) — launched just last month.

• Cranberry (bright red)

• Grenadine (deep red)

• Sage (light green)

• Basil (dark green)

• La Mer (dark blue-green)

• Sapphire (dark blue)

• (New!) French Crème (off-white) ✨

• (New!) Pink Peony (soft pink) ✨

The Staub x Smitten Kitchen Braiser Recipe Starter Pack: Oh, you did get a new braiser? I’m so happy for you. Here are a few recipes you can kick off your cooking with!

• Braiser: An entire category of recipes on smittenkitchen.com

• My “I Dream Of Paris” Menu for the French Crème launch: Dijon Roast Chicken, French Onion Soup for a Crowd, and a Perfect Apple Tarte Tatin

• Baked Ziti with Meatballs and Ricotta (Williams-Sonoma, Video)

• Apple Butterscotch Crisp (Zwilling, Video)

• Braised Chickpeas with Kale and Burrata (Zwilling)

shop my favorites

Ever wonder where I get my cutting boards, paring knives, offset spatulas and more that you see when I cook? I've created a page on Smitten Kitchen with links to some of my favorite kitchen items, the ones I'm asked about the most. This isn’t just an Amazon storefront. For each item, I attempt to provide a range of shopping links so we're not just focusing on one giant retailer.

See you next week!

Note: I occasionally use affiliate links in this newsletter, which means I will earn a small commission from anything you purchase through it.

Monday, June 22, 2026

Good morning!

• I usually julienne like this. But I tried this trick last week and really liked it.

• Can Chicken Nuggets Grow Up? [Taste]

• Why Dinner Never Gets Easier [The Atlantic, gift link]

Happy Second Day of Summer! We had the kind of not-too-hot, low-humidity weekend that makes me fret that summer doesn’t last long enough (I will not feel this way when the heat waves set in) and in the spirit of this, I’ve got a fresh new teeming-with-inspiration summer cooking bucket list for us, as ambitious as a perfectly organized Trapper Keeper (definitely showing my age) on the first day of school. But instead of working our way through fractions and sentence diagrams (shudder), we’re going to master the art of the best summer galette, coax tomatoes into candy, drown clams in a brothy, winey, garlic butter broth, make a showstopping peach crisp, and blend cubes of frozen watermelon into a cocktail so refreshing, you’ll also want summer to never end.

Plus, I’ve got a new recipe for a best-in-class Strawberry Chiffon Shortcake that doubles excellently should you require a big party-sized cake. Or, perhaps, you can make the cake and let the party come to it; it has that effect on people.

Cheers,

Deb

I’ve written three cookbooks and one audiobook and I’m a tiny bit biased, but I think you’d love them all. Not sure which one to check out first? Take a look at the recipe index and see which collection jumps out at you most.

strawberry chiffon shortcake, perfected

New! She’s here at last! My new, best-yet strawberry chiffon shortcake is a towering but weightless, melt-in-your-mouth dessert with almost all of the fussiness of chiffon cakes eliminated so we can make this again and again this summer.

Surprise me with a random recipe!

slow-roasted tomatoes

There is no higher tomato calling than slow-roasting, which basically turns them into tangy tomato candy. They’re dreamy with pasta, in omelettes, salads, and on sandwiches, or you can just eat them straight. Because: candy.

poolside sesame slaw

A colorful, crunchy salad with optional protein and the best miso-sesame dressing I know how to make, designed with portability in mind. It wants to tag along with you on the good life, lounging by a sparkling blue pool this weekend (just tell me what time to arrive) or wherever the warm weather takes you.

burst tomato galette with corn and zucchini

Everything wonderful about summer produce -- burst cherry tomatoes, quick sautéed zucchini, sweet crunchy corn, freshly-dug scallions -- folded into one immensely flaky rustic parmesan-flecked crust. This dish is a forever SK favorite.

corn butter farro

This is the coziest summer dish I’ve ever made. It uses corn two ways: some left in kernels that stay lightly crunchy and sweet, and some blended with butter into a silky, lush sauce stirred in at the end, giving farro a risotto-like decadence (but not heaviness). I can’t wait for you to try it. [Video below!]

zucchini butter spaghetti

My favorite simple summer pasta is just a heap of zucchini cooked until it has melted into a puddle of butter and garlic, laced with a little heat, then tossed with basil, parmesan, and spaghetti. It’s perfect: cozy, seasonal, and simple enough to be made anywhere. I hope it becomes your summer staple, too.

simple eggplant parmesan

Really simple, weeknight-friendly, breading-and-frying-free eggplant parmesan that’s baked until blistered, cozy, and absolutely spoonable, with stretches of cheese trying to drag each spoonful back to the pan. Spoiler: It will fail; you will win.

garlic wine and butter steamed clams

Small, sweet clams steamed open in wine, butter and garlic with a tumbler of cold wine and a side of grilled bread is the kind of meal that makes it feel like you’re at a restaurant overlooking a beach sunset, or the next best thing for those of us who cannot make this their current reality.

focaccia sandwiches for a crowd

A ridiculously easy no-knead, no-fuss, quick-rise focaccia you can use to make sheet pans of sandwiches, perfect to easily feed a crowd. Choose a filling of your own or try one of mine -- I’ve got suggestions and directions for the two vegan ones shown here. 

crispy oven pulled pork

A low-effort, high-reward pulled pork roast that channels the masterful simplicity of David Chang’s Bo Ssam. There are only 10 ingredients -- including the fixings. This is one of my favorite summer recipes of all time.

salted caramel peach crisp

I (humbly) consider this the summer peach crisp to end all peach crisps, infused with and sweetened by an easy (promise!) salted butter caramel sauce that’s also drizzled over the final crisp, along with melty scoops of ice cream which are not optional, I’m sure you understand.

ultimate zucchini bread

This is it, the best zucchini bread I’ve ever made and I hope the last recipe you’ll ever need. It’s tall with a craggy, crunchy top, has a significant amount of zucchini inside, can be mixed in one bowl (with a fork, no less) and even tells you how to store and when to eat it for Peak Zucchini Bread Bliss. It’s a thing, or we’re going to make it one.

frozen watermelon mojitos

There is no time like today to find new, amazing things to do with watermelon, in this case, freezing it in cubes and blending it with lime juice, rum, and mint for the best frozen mojito I’ve ever had. (P.S. It’s also extremely delicious without the rum.)

Surprise me with a random recipe!

corn butter farro

The Staub x Smitten Kitchen Braiser is a lower-walled enameled cast-iron Dutch oven that works as well as a deep sauté pan as it does a soup pot, roasting pan, or even casserole dish that perfectly fits a pasta bake. It’s the ideal size and usability (dishwasher safe!) for everyday cooking. Not a week has gone by in the 14 years I’ve had mine when I don’t cook in it at least three times, so when it was no longer sold in U.S. stores, I asked Staub — a French cast-iron manufacturer originally from Alsace; you can watch me tour the forge/factory here! — if they would partner with me to bring it back, because I knew you’ll fall in love with the pan too. We launched the Staub x Smitten Kitchen Braiser in spring 2024. The Braiser is now sold exclusively at Williams-Sonoma and available in eight gorgeous new colors! The newest two — a classy off-white (pardon, French Crème) and a soft pink (Pink Peony, which you know I sing to the tune of Pink Peony Club) — launched just last month.

• Cranberry (bright red)

• Grenadine (deep red)

• Sage (light green)

• Basil (dark green)

• La Mer (dark blue-green)

• Sapphire (dark blue)

• (New!) French Crème (off-white) ✨

• (New!) Pink Peony (soft pink) ✨

The Staub x Smitten Kitchen Braiser Recipe Starter Pack: Oh, you did get a new braiser? I’m so happy for you. Here are a few recipes you can kick off your cooking with!

• Braiser: An entire category of recipes on smittenkitchen.com

• My “I Dream Of Paris” Menu for the French Crème launch: Dijon Roast Chicken, French Onion Soup for a Crowd, and a Perfect Apple Tarte Tatin

• Baked Ziti with Meatballs and Ricotta (Williams-Sonoma, Video)

• Apple Butterscotch Crisp (Zwilling, Video)

• Braised Chickpeas with Kale and Burrata (Zwilling)

shop my favorites

Ever wonder where I get my cutting boards, paring knives, offset spatulas and more that you see when I cook? I've created a page on Smitten Kitchen with links to some of my favorite kitchen items, the ones I'm asked about the most. This isn’t just an Amazon storefront. For each item, I attempt to provide a range of shopping links so we're not just focusing on one giant retailer.

See you next week!

Note: I occasionally use affiliate links in this newsletter, which means I will earn a small commission from anything you purchase through it.

Monday, June 15, 2026

Good morning!

• I don’t see what the problem is here.

• Fruit Is Too Sweet [The Atlantic, gift link]

• One theory on why we love home-cooked meals [Tasting Table]

When Memorial Day weekend is as cold and rainy as ours was this year, I consider Father’s Day weekend the true kickoff to grilling and all the backyard, terrace, fire escape, and roof deck entertaining I want my summer to be packed with. This weekend’s predicted weather understands the assignment.

I’m impossibly excited about the recipes I’m sharing today. As far as I see it, we have only a few jacket-free, peak-growing-season, truly outdoor months each year in the Northeast, and the best way to soak up the most joy from them is to live and eat deeply in the moment—tomatoes, corn, berries, cold salads, and grilling everything we can. I hope you’re inspired. I hope you get to share them with your favorite people.

Cheers,

Deb

I’ve written three cookbooks and one audiobook and I’m a tiny bit biased, but I think you’d love them all. Not sure which one to check out first? Take a look at the recipe index and see which collection jumps out at you most.

grilled shrimp cocktail

My husband’s favorite dish (we just ignore him if he says steak or a martini, we know the truth) cooked the very best way. Is this brunch food? Afternoon food? A cocktail party standard? Around here, always.

napa cabbage wedge with miso dressing

A crunchy, vibrant, and wildly delicious Napa cabbage wedge-style salad with an unforgettable miso dressing, crispy shallots and radishes. You should just go ahead and double everything because I don’t think you’ll want to just eat this once.

grilled pepper and torn mozzarella panzanella

This is one of my favorite summer dishes, ever, cooked almost entirely on the grill (or under the broiler, if you’re grill-less). I could eat it every day. If you do not fall in love, I promise to come and rid you of your leftovers, deal?

dilled potato and pickled cucumber salad

This is my family’s favorite potato salad, one that’s as populated with vegetables — crunchy, delicious ones, like radishes and lightly pickled cucumbers — as it is with potatoes, so it feels like something you might eat with dinner in warmer weather, and not only as a bbq side.

garlic-mustard glazed skewers

A complex marinade from simple ingredients that takes no time and little forethought to make and brush on skewers of whatever you like to grill. Yes, please.

summer steak with corn and tomatoes

This is my go-to summer steak and it’s got everything that matters: ease, bright seasonal vegetables, and just enough tips to make sure you nail it every time. Plus, a menu suggestion! You’ve got it from here, promise. [Video below!]

grilled pizza

Grilled pizza tastes incredible -- better texture, charred spots reminiscent of the best brick-oven stuff -- and once your dough is prepared or purchased, can be heading for your belly in 10 minutes, leaving you more time to sit outside with ice clinking in your glass, enjoying a summer weekend.

easy drop berry shortcakes

A tall, craggy, crunchy-edged shortcake that’s a cinch to make, requiring no rolling pins, round cutters, unusual ingredients, or more pressingly, advanced planning to put together. Just add berries and cream.

s'more pie

An overhaul of a 2008 s’more pie with everything that matters: buttery graham crust, rich chocolate filling, and a mountain of toasted marshmallow, now more doable than ever. The result is luxe and decadent, a total showstopper.

bourbon peach smash

A very summery muddle of macerated peaches, their syrup, mint, bourbon, and a little splash of ginger beer that is so unforgettably complex and delicious, it deserves to be a rest-of-summer habit. (Plus a simple tweak to make it alcohol-free.)

Surprise me with a random recipe!

summer steak with corn and tomatoes

The Staub x Smitten Kitchen Braiser is a lower-walled enameled cast-iron Dutch oven that works as well as a deep sauté pan as it does a soup pot, roasting pan, or even casserole dish that perfectly fits a pasta bake. It’s the ideal size and usability (dishwasher safe!) for everyday cooking. Not a week has gone by in the 14 years I’ve had mine when I don’t cook in it at least three times, so when it was no longer sold in U.S. stores, I asked Staub — a French cast-iron manufacturer originally from Alsace; you can watch me tour the forge/factory here! — if they would partner with me to bring it back, because I knew you’ll fall in love with the pan too. We launched the Staub x Smitten Kitchen Braiser in spring 2024. The Braiser is now sold exclusively at Williams-Sonoma and available in eight gorgeous new colors! The newest two — a classy off-white (pardon, French Crème) and a soft pink (Pink Peony, which you know I sing to the tune of Pink Peony Club) — launched just last month.

• Cranberry (bright red)

• Grenadine (deep red)

• Sage (light green)

• Basil (dark green)

• La Mer (dark blue-green)

• Sapphire (dark blue)

• (New!) French Crème (off-white) ✨

• (New!) Pink Peony (soft pink) ✨

The Staub x Smitten Kitchen Braiser Recipe Starter Pack: Oh, you did get a new braiser? I’m so happy for you. Here are a few recipes you can kick off your cooking with!

• Braiser: An entire category of recipes on smittenkitchen.com

• My “I Dream Of Paris” Menu for the French Crème launch: Dijon Roast Chicken, French Onion Soup for a Crowd, and a Perfect Apple Tarte Tatin

• Baked Ziti with Meatballs and Ricotta (Williams-Sonoma, Video)

• Apple Butterscotch Crisp (Zwilling, Video)

• Braised Chickpeas with Kale and Burrata (Zwilling)

shop my favorites

Ever wonder where I get my cutting boards, paring knives, offset spatulas and more that you see when I cook? I've created a page on Smitten Kitchen with links to some of my favorite kitchen items, the ones I'm asked about the most. This isn’t just an Amazon storefront. For each item, I attempt to provide a range of shopping links so we're not just focusing on one giant retailer.

See you next week!

Note: I occasionally use affiliate links in this newsletter, which means I will earn a small commission from anything you purchase through it.

Monday, June 8, 2026

Good morning!

• Wait, this is a great tip. [King Arthur]

• Easy chickpea dinners [Cup of Jo]

• The World Capital of French Fries Has a Problem: Too Many Potatoes [NYTimes, gift link]

I’m having a very big birthday this week and my mind is, predictably, not on the greater significance of the years passing, what kind of legacy I want to leave, or why my brain still thinks I’m 25 (but my knees sometimes a weekend of tennis, 75), but on cake and what kind I want the most. Because it’s absolutely not a party without cake, and these cakes are each unapologetically a little extra, layered or stacked or sprinkled or nostalgic, as good for a “refuses to grow up” birthday party as they’d be for a graduation, engagement, anniversary, or father’s day celebration.

Because there’s also no way it’s a party without french fries, I’ve worked them into a perfect-for-me birthday dinner menu. I bet it’s perfect for a lot of other people too.

And finally, a dead simple new salad recipe I want you to make as soon as possible and marvel at how fast it disappears. Quick salad recipes leave more time for big cake recipes, after all, so your priorities will be on point.

Cheers,

Deb

I’ve written three cookbooks and one audiobook and I’m a tiny bit biased, but I think you’d love them all. Not sure which one to check out first? Take a look at the recipe index and see which collection jumps out at you most.

snow pea salad with avocado

New! Slaw-like strands of fresh snow peas tangle with crunchy toasted walnuts and soft pillows of avocado into the dead simple salad I can’t get enough of right now.

Surprise me with a random recipe!

Ten Perfect Birthday Cakes

best birthday cake

This is It, this is what I consider the Best Birthday Cake out there: two moist and flavorful vanilla cake layers swathed in a shiny, simple chocolate frosting.

confetti party cake

This is the happiest cake I know how to make, all butter, sugar, vanilla, and confetti.

chocolate peanut butter cake

This one of the most epic birthday cakes I’ve made my chocolate-obsessed husband to date. Chocolate, peanut butter, and then more chocolate and more peanut butter, this cake broke my server when it was first published. #worthit

strawberry graham icebox cake

A graham-cracker cookie cake filled with a lightly cheesecake-d filling and paper thin layers of fresh strawberries, which soften quickly (no overnight nap needed, hooray) into the happiest summer thing.

chipwich ice cream cake

I turned my favorite ice cream sandwich into a spectacularly easy giant ice cream sandwich cake, and now we know exactly what our week needs. Plus, a few things I learned along the way about getting the texture and flavor just right. [Video below!]

double chocolate layer cake

Chocolate layer cake this good needs to be matted in your Top Honors Cookbook for every chocolate-lovers birthday to come, for all time.

opera cake

A stacked, striped, and I think quite dapper dessert with thin almond cake layers soaked in espresso syrup, chocolate ganache, and an astoundingly delicious espresso buttercream. This is one of my favorite cakes on earth. I hope you fall in love with it too.

baked alaska

Homemade ice cream cakes — or even this Baked Alaska with a brownie base, marbled ice cream, and swirl of torched meringue — are so much easier than they sound to make. You’re in for a treat.

layered mocha cheesecake

This six-layer stacked cheesecake, part chocolate, part coffee, is less complicated (one-bowl cookie layers, one-bowl cheesecake, everything bakes fast) and even more wildly delicious than it looks. I think it’s got Weekend Baking Project written all over it, don’t you think? 

pink lady cake

Did you know that here at the Smitten Kitchen, we believe you don’t need a good reason to make a layer cake? This charming pink cake I fell in love with in 2008 just got even better: explosive with strawberry flavor and fragrance (it honestly smells like you’re making strawberry jam as it bakes) and more moist than ever. The best part? You can make it even when it’s not strawberry season because it uses frozen strawberries.

One Perfect Meal

steamed artichokes

A love letter to my favorite vegetable, with a couple new-to-me tips from Hailee Catalano that altered the way I’ve always cooked artichokes, making it quicker, neater, and prettier, too. You’re in for such a treat.

easiest french fries

The best french fries I make at home are also the easiest, thanks to this method which requires no peeling, soaking, twice-frying, deep-fry thermometer or even temperature monitoring. It also uses a fraction of the oil of the classic kind. It really wants us to have a delicious week.

skirt steak salad with blue cheese

Steak salads are a favorite of ours because they check so many boxes -- a little luxurious, lots of greens, and a bright vinaigrette makes them anything but sleepy. Add a crusty baguette and some wine and wonder why you don’t do this more often.

Surprise me with a random recipe!

chipwich ice cream cake

The Staub x Smitten Kitchen Braiser is a lower-walled enameled cast-iron Dutch oven that works as well as a deep sauté pan as it does a soup pot, roasting pan, or even casserole dish that perfectly fits a pasta bake. It’s the ideal size and usability (dishwasher safe!) for everyday cooking. Not a week has gone by in the 14 years I’ve had mine when I don’t cook in it at least three times, so when it was no longer sold in U.S. stores, I asked Staub — a French cast-iron manufacturer originally from Alsace; you can watch me tour the forge/factory here! — if they would partner with me to bring it back, because I knew you’ll fall in love with the pan too. We launched the Staub x Smitten Kitchen Braiser in spring 2024. The Braiser is now sold exclusively at Williams-Sonoma and available in eight gorgeous new colors! The newest two — a classy off-white (pardon, French Crème) and a soft pink (Pink Peony, which you know I sing to the tune of Pink Peony Club) — launched just last month.

• Cranberry (bright red)

• Grenadine (deep red)

• Sage (light green)

• Basil (dark green)

• La Mer (dark blue-green)

• Sapphire (dark blue)

• (New!) French Crème (off-white) ✨

• (New!) Pink Peony (soft pink) ✨

The Staub x Smitten Kitchen Braiser Recipe Starter Pack: Oh, you did get a new braiser? I’m so happy for you. Here are a few recipes you can kick off your cooking with!

• Braiser: An entire category of recipes on smittenkitchen.com

• My “I Dream Of Paris” Menu for the French Crème launch: Dijon Roast Chicken, French Onion Soup for a Crowd, and a Perfect Apple Tarte Tatin

• Baked Ziti with Meatballs and Ricotta (Williams-Sonoma, Video)

• Apple Butterscotch Crisp (Zwilling, Video)

• Braised Chickpeas with Kale and Burrata (Zwilling)

shop my favorites

Ever wonder where I get my cutting boards, paring knives, offset spatulas and more that you see when I cook? I've created a page on Smitten Kitchen with links to some of my favorite kitchen items, the ones I'm asked about the most. This isn’t just an Amazon storefront. For each item, I attempt to provide a range of shopping links so we're not just focusing on one giant retailer.

See you next week!

Note: I occasionally use affiliate links in this newsletter, which means I will earn a small commission from anything you purchase through it.

Monday, June 1, 2026

Good morning!

• He Invented the Basque Cheesecake. He Prefers Chocolate. [NYTimes, gift link]

• Cookie Queens: This movie looks so fun.

• Help, I went down the Rate My Chives rabbit hole.

June is the best month, and not only because it’s my birthday month. Produce begins hitting its summer stride — berries, stone fruit, zucchini, corn, and herbs fill the table at the markets, and make cooking simply even easier because they need so little zhuzhing to taste amazing. If you’ve got a grill, you can even channel your inner pioneer spirit and cook outside, keeping our kitchens clean and ours homes lingering food smells-free. Even if I don’t get dinner ready until spectacularly late, I’m absolved from guilt because it’s still light enough out that we can eat outside. And if we’re lucky, it’s hot and sunny, but not horribly so yet. I’m ready.

Below, a few of my June favorites, leading with the easy chocolate chip cookies that make happy end-of-year gifts for teachers, students, and whatever school event tomorrow your kid won’t tell you about until 8pm tonight. Weeknight nachos, smashed meatball sliders, and steak noodle bowls will hopefully make it fun enough to make dinner that I won’t bail on it, as I mostly did last week. And not one, but two of the happiest strawberry recipes. I hope you’re inspired.

Cheers,

Deb

I’ve written three cookbooks and one audiobook and I’m a tiny bit biased, but I think you’d love them all. Not sure which one to check out first? Take a look at the recipe index and see which collection jumps out at you most.

crispy chewy chocolate chip cookies

The crispy chewy chocolate chip cookies from way back in the archives recently got a refresh and a glow-up. They remain quick, fragrant with vanilla and brown sugar, and well-studded with chocolate but they’re now one-bowl, mixed by hand, and I’ve added tips about how to further deepen the flavor and rumple the texture.

summer pea salad with unexpected dressing

What do you do when your kids leave you for a month? [Aside from all the margaritas and queso, of course.] Cook the kind of salad they’d have hated but that we grownups love: a heap of peak summer vegetables, some crunch, salty cheese, and a dressing with a shunned ingredient so good here, I’m certain it’s going to convert you.

focaccia with zucchini and potatoes

The focaccia everyone hopes you’re bringing with you wherever you go this weekend. Golden with deeply crunchy edges and a hydrated, chewy interior and shingled with zucchini and potatoes, I’m also sharing five things I learned along the way to getting this exactly the way I wanted it.

pasta with pesto genovese

Welcome to the point in each summer when I only want to eat pasta with pesto genovese (basil pesto), plus a couple extra mezze for eating alongside or stirring in. This is my go-to recipe, one that’s got all of the things I always wish others did (weights, warnings, and lots of tips).

roasted tomatoes with white beans

This is one of my favorite summer meals of all time and it’s wildly simple, just cherry tomatoes quick-roasted with olive oil, garlic, and salt until saucy, and then we tumble in a can of beans and let them drink it up. Finish with basil and eat straight from the pan, or ladle it over crostini. Repeat as long as tomatoes last.

corn and black bean weeknight nachos

In my forever quest to have more nachos in my life, I’ve found that 3 vegetables, 9 salad-y toppings and 0 skimping on the melty cheese is the magic formula.

smashed chicken meatball sliders

A smashed chicken meatball slider with barbecue sauce and a buttermilk slaw we would happily eat for dinner once a week all summer. The meatballs are inspired by How Sweet Eats, who we should all be following if we’re not already.

garlic lime steak and noodle salad

A salty-tangy-sweet-spicy steak salad with an emphasis on fresh colorful ingredients has become a summer staple around here. We serve it assemble-your-own style, so everyone can fix their plates with as much or as little of each element as they wish. I think our weeks will be better with this in it.

strawberry brita cake

My favorite part of this brita cake is the barely controlled chaos of it all -- a teetering stack with raw edges, whipped cream against crackly meringue, and berries that tend to tumble out as they wish. It’s begging for us to throw a party this weekend. [Video below!]

the red and black

You are a few muddled strawberries, a sparkly kicky black pepper simple syrup, some lime juice, and white tequila from making one of my favorite cocktails of all time. I think you will love it, too.

Surprise me with a random recipe!

strawberry brita cake

The Staub x Smitten Kitchen Braiser is a lower-walled enameled cast-iron Dutch oven that works as well as a deep sauté pan as it does a soup pot, roasting pan, or even casserole dish that perfectly fits a pasta bake. It’s the ideal size and usability (dishwasher safe!) for everyday cooking. Not a week has gone by in the 14 years I’ve had mine when I don’t cook in it at least three times, so when it was no longer sold in U.S. stores, I asked Staub — a French cast-iron manufacturer originally from Alsace; you can watch me tour the forge/factory here! — if they would partner with me to bring it back, because I knew you’ll fall in love with the pan too. We launched the Staub x Smitten Kitchen Braiser in spring 2024. The Braiser is now sold exclusively at Williams-Sonoma and available in eight gorgeous new colors! The newest two — a classy off-white (pardon, French Crème) and a soft pink (Pink Peony, which you know I sing to the tune of Pink Peony Club) — launched just last month.

• Cranberry (bright red)

• Grenadine (deep red)

• Sage (light green)

• Basil (dark green)

• La Mer (dark blue-green)

• Sapphire (dark blue)

• (New!) French Crème (off-white) ✨

• (New!) Pink Peony (soft pink) ✨

The Staub x Smitten Kitchen Braiser Recipe Starter Pack: Oh, you did get a new braiser? I’m so happy for you. Here are a few recipes you can kick off your cooking with!

• Braiser: An entire category of recipes on smittenkitchen.com

• My “I Dream Of Paris” Menu for the French Crème launch: Dijon Roast Chicken, French Onion Soup for a Crowd, and a Perfect Apple Tarte Tatin

• Baked Ziti with Meatballs and Ricotta (Williams-Sonoma, Video)

• Apple Butterscotch Crisp (Zwilling, Video)

• Braised Chickpeas with Kale and Burrata (Zwilling)

shop my favorites

Ever wonder where I get my cutting boards, paring knives, offset spatulas and more that you see when I cook? I've created a page on Smitten Kitchen with links to some of my favorite kitchen items, the ones I'm asked about the most. This isn’t just an Amazon storefront. For each item, I attempt to provide a range of shopping links so we're not just focusing on one giant retailer.

See you next week!

Note: I occasionally use affiliate links in this newsletter, which means I will earn a small commission from anything you purchase through it.

Tuesday, May 26, 2026

Good morning!

• Spargelzeit! [Food & Wine]

• Garlic that’s totally fine to eat [Cook’s Illustrated]

• When times are hard, we eat more beans. [NPR]

I find spring’s progress to be haphazard, nonlinear, like attempting to walk down a street with toddler, or watching a Roomba meander anywhere but where you were hoping it would clean. I fall for Spring of Deception at least five times before a heat wave sets in and then, just when I think we’re going to get to pack up the car for a weekend at the beach, rainy November weather descends on us and we’re wearing tall boots and wool sweaters again. Which is it say that I glitched and almost missed the arrival of the asparagus, ramps, rhubarb, strawberries, and now sugar snaps and now I’m scrambling to catch up before they vanish. I think we all should. Below, several unmissable (I’m biased… but I suspect I’m correct) spring recipes, perfect to make with all of that still-here-for-now spring produce.

Plus, a new, highly opinionated recipe for chicken salad. I can’t wait for you to try it.

Cheers,

Deb

I’ve written three cookbooks and one audiobook and I’m a tiny bit biased, but I think you’d love them all. Not sure which one to check out first? Take a look at the recipe index and see which collection jumps out at you most.

chicken salad for celery enthusiasts

New: Strong opinions on the very best way to make chicken salad (crunchy and scallion-ed) and how to serve it, from hinged butter-toasted slider rolls to the correct texture of potato chips (ruffled, naturally) on the side of the plate. This has easy summer lunch/dinner vibes all over it.

Surprise me with a random recipe!

snacky asparagus

Asparagus, the easy way: Perfectly cooked, crisp-tender, bright green asparagus doused in olive oil, lemon juice, crunchy salt, pepper flakes, and swooped through mayo (but you can use any dressing you like) is my favorite way to accidentally inhale a pound of spears. I can’t stop making it, so I have to pass it on.

blistered peas-in-the-pod with lemon and salt

Have you ever grilled fresh peas in their pod until blistered, finished them with some salt and lemon, and eaten them like edamame? If not, you’re in for a treat, one you’re going to want to make again and again as long as the season lasts. This is the easiest summer recipe since... a slice of watermelon on a plate. Good thing they go perfectly together. [Video below!]

shaved asparagus frittata

Ribboned asparagus (requires no trimming or parcooking), crumbled goat cheese (requires no grating) and optional crisped (in the final skillet) prosciutto make a quick spring frittata so easy, you’ll want it again tomorrow.

bowties with sugar snaps, lemon and ricotta

This pasta is always a massive hit for something so seemingly simple. Ricotta is dolloped in near the end but not stirred or cooked (because we love finding the unmixed pockets later) and then the whole dish is finished with olive oil, lemon juice, parmesan, mint, and seasoning.

ramp pizza

This simple pizza hits all the best notes: not too heavy, abundantly flavorful, and it celebrates one of my favorite spring vegetables, equal parts spring onion and delicate greens in flavor. We make it every May.

spring asparagus pancetta hash

Breakfast for dinner? This potato hash has bits of pancetta and crisp-tender segments of asparagus, yielding a ton of flavor from only four (!) ingredients, making it a weeknight hero. Add an egg or two, then repeat again tomorrow.

asparagus with chorizo and croutons

Did you know that Jacques Pépin has a recipe for a 6-minute one-pan sauté that makes a spring weeknight meal so gorgeous, I kind of want to paint it? Crunchy, spicy and colorful, this is my kind of fast food.

rhubarb upside-down spice cake

I have just the cake for a gorgeous spring day: lemony, pink on top, spiced and cozy underneath. Trust me, we want our kitchens to smell like this.

strawberry-rhubarb crumble

At the bright pink intersection of rhubarb and strawberry seasons (that is, exactly now) is this, one of those Why Do I Even Bother Making Other Desserts desserts, a generous balance of rubbly, buttery, lemony crumbs and perfectly cooked berries and rhubarb. It wants to be your favorite, too.

rhubarb cordial

The rhubarb is here! Here’s an old-fashioned but wonderfully refreshing use for it from David Lebovitz so you can be all ready for a summer of rhubarb gin-and-tonics (with a squeeze of lemon, please).

Surprise me with a random recipe!

blistered peas-in-the-pod with lemon and salt

The Staub x Smitten Kitchen Braiser is a lower-walled enameled cast-iron Dutch oven that works as well as a deep sauté pan as it does a soup pot, roasting pan, or even casserole dish that perfectly fits a pasta bake. It’s the ideal size and usability (dishwasher safe!) for everyday cooking. Not a week has gone by in the 14 years I’ve had mine when I don’t cook in it at least three times, so when it was no longer sold in U.S. stores, I asked Staub — a French cast-iron manufacturer originally from Alsace; you can watch me tour the forge/factory here! — if they would partner with me to bring it back, because I knew you’ll fall in love with the pan too. We launched the Staub x Smitten Kitchen Braiser in spring 2024. The Braiser is now sold exclusively at Williams-Sonoma and available in eight gorgeous new colors! The newest two — a classy off-white (pardon, French Crème) and a soft pink (Pink Peony, which you know I sing to the tune of Pink Peony Club) — launched just last month.

• Cranberry (bright red)

• Grenadine (deep red)

• Sage (light green)

• Basil (dark green)

• La Mer (dark blue-green)

• Sapphire (dark blue)

• (New!) French Crème (off-white) ✨

• (New!) Pink Peony (soft pink) ✨

The Staub x Smitten Kitchen Braiser Recipe Starter Pack: Oh, you did get a new braiser? I’m so happy for you. Here are a few recipes you can kick off your cooking with!

• Braiser: An entire category of recipes on smittenkitchen.com

• My “I Dream Of Paris” Menu for the French Crème launch: Dijon Roast Chicken, French Onion Soup for a Crowd, and a Perfect Apple Tarte Tatin

• Baked Ziti with Meatballs and Ricotta (Williams-Sonoma, Video)

• Apple Butterscotch Crisp (Zwilling, Video)

• Braised Chickpeas with Kale and Burrata (Zwilling)

shop my favorites

Ever wonder where I get my cutting boards, paring knives, offset spatulas and more that you see when I cook? I've created a page on Smitten Kitchen with links to some of my favorite kitchen items, the ones I'm asked about the most. This isn’t just an Amazon storefront. For each item, I attempt to provide a range of shopping links so we're not just focusing on one giant retailer.

See you next week!

Note: I occasionally use affiliate links in this newsletter, which means I will earn a small commission from anything you purchase through it.

Monday, May 18, 2026

Good morning!

• Roz Chast on leftovers

• Hot dog towers? [Eater]

• We watched this video at least 5 times. 🥭

If this past weekend’s summer preview weather is any indication, every single person in New York City appears to be out to settle an imagined debt with what the extra-cold, extra-snowy winter deprived us of. The sidewalks were packed. It would have been quicker to go home and churn ice cream than wait on a line for it, not that Cafe Panna isn’t worth it. If there there are any Aperol spritzes left in the five boroughs, I will be surprised. I am not immune, either. We planted herbs and tiny tomatoes, and considered a bird feeder for our terrace. On Saturday had linguine and clams, the perfect summer meal, with friends. I brought this asparagus salad, skipping the eggs. On Sunday, we made corn (too early in the season but I’ve had worse), a crunchy salad with homemade ranch (do you need a recipe?), and boiled lobster. And I’m counting down the seconds to this holiday weekend, summer’s official kick-off. Below, a few of my Memorial Day weekend go-to recipes that I hope you feel ready for summer, too, including the best pasta salad on earth.

Cheers,

Deb

I’ve written three cookbooks and one audiobook and I’m a tiny bit biased, but I think you’d love them all. Not sure which one to check out first? Take a look at the recipe index and see which collection jumps out at you most.

burrata with charred and raw sugar snap peas

My favorite way to eat burrata (butterflied!) and a favorite thing to put on top of it, a mixture of grilled and fresh sugar snaps, finished with lemony crumbs, mint, and as much chile heat as your heart desires.

napa cabbage salad with buttermilk dressing

A giant salad that’s at the halfway point between a salad and slaw with a lightweight ranch dressing that would be good on anything on earth, but especially crunchy raw vegetables, is the exact kind of dish I crave on a hot day.

dilled potato and pickled cucumber salad

This is my family’s favorite potato salad, one that’s as populated with vegetables — crunchy, delicious ones, like radishes and lightly pickled cucumbers — as it is with potatoes, so it feels like something you might eat with dinner in warmer weather, and not only as a bbq side.

pasta salad with roasted tomatoes

Stop swearing off pasta salad -- just the gloopy ones. This one is all texture and zip: al dente noodles, slow-roasted tomatoes, crunchy nuts, salty cheese and a garlic-oregano vinaigrette. I wish I always had some in the fridge.

fake shack burger

My favorite kind of burger is thin and smashed to a salty craggy-edged crisp and you don’t even need an outdoor grill to make it. I’ll walk you through every part of making a glorious imitation of a Shake Shack burger; you’re in for such a treat. 

exceptional grilled chicken

Exceptional grilled chicken — grilled chicken that’s forgiving of human (whoops I left it on a couple minutes too long), grill (my grill suggests heat more than it blasts it), and chicken (you can buy what the grocery store has in stock that day) imperfections — is absolutely failproof with this method, and your dinner deserves nothing less.

carrot and white bean burgers

An unfussy veggie burger recipe with simple pantry ingredients from Lukas Volger. Add smashed avocado, pickled red onion, and hot sauce and you’re in for a colorful treat, a perfect beginning to your summer.

strawberry summer sheet cake

With sunken strawberries that melt into jammy puddles and edges that brown and become faintly crisp as it bakes, here our favorite summer cake is one-bowl-ed and scaled up, ready to feed the crowd that forms wherever you bring it. [Video below!]

chocolate ice cream sandwiches

One-bowl, one-pan classic chocolate ice cream sandwiches with a perfect yield, perfect texture from the freezer, all from perfectly little effort. Our summers are going to be even more amazing with these in them.

vermontucky lemonade

We’ve been on a kick with maple syrup-sweetened lemonade and bourbon over ice cubes clinking in a very cold glass, and encourage you to join us. If you’ve got any mint, it’s extra refreshing shaken with a sprig or two.

Surprise me with a random recipe!

strawberry summer sheet cake

The Staub x Smitten Kitchen Braiser is a lower-walled enameled cast-iron Dutch oven that works as well as a deep sauté pan as it does a soup pot, roasting pan, or even casserole dish that perfectly fits a pasta bake. It’s the ideal size and usability (dishwasher safe!) for everyday cooking. Not a week has gone by in the 14 years I’ve had mine when I don’t cook in it at least three times, so when it was no longer sold in U.S. stores, I asked Staub — a French cast-iron manufacturer originally from Alsace; you can watch me tour the forge/factory here! — if they would partner with me to bring it back, because I knew you’ll fall in love with the pan too. We launched the Staub x Smitten Kitchen Braiser in spring 2024. The Braiser is now sold exclusively at Williams-Sonoma and available in eight gorgeous new colors! The newest two — a classy off-white (pardon, French Crème) and a soft pink (Pink Peony, which you know I sing to the tune of Pink Peony Club) — launched just last month.

• Cranberry (bright red)

• Grenadine (deep red)

• Sage (light green)

• Basil (dark green)

• La Mer (dark blue-green)

• Sapphire (dark blue)

• (New!) French Crème (off-white) ✨

• (New!) Pink Peony (soft pink) ✨

The Staub x Smitten Kitchen Braiser Recipe Starter Pack: Oh, you did get a new braiser? I’m so happy for you. Here are a few recipes you can kick off your cooking with!

• Braiser: An entire category of recipes on smittenkitchen.com

• My “I Dream Of Paris” Menu for the French Crème launch: Dijon Roast Chicken, French Onion Soup for a Crowd, and a Perfect Apple Tarte Tatin

• Baked Ziti with Meatballs and Ricotta (Williams-Sonoma, Video)

• Apple Butterscotch Crisp (Zwilling, Video)

• Braised Chickpeas with Kale and Burrata (Zwilling)

shop my favorites

Ever wonder where I get my cutting boards, paring knives, offset spatulas and more that you see when I cook? I've created a page on Smitten Kitchen with links to some of my favorite kitchen items, the ones I'm asked about the most. This isn’t just an Amazon storefront. For each item, I attempt to provide a range of shopping links so we're not just focusing on one giant retailer.

See you next week!