I am so excited to partner with Nordic Ware to bring you Sheet Pan Month. I can’t imagine a better partner for this project: Nordic Ware really is the gold standard of reliable, lasts-for-decades aluminum bakeware, including sheet pans.

And thanks to Nordic Ware’s support, each post will be going out without a paywall and this first post will remain free to access forever! We’ve also got a discount for What Are We Having? readers (scroll to the bottom to learn more) and a great giveaway coming at the end of the month, so make sure you’re subscribed to get the entry details.

Without further ado, let’s start Sheet Pan Month! 🍽️

You already know that sheet pan dinners are one of the easiest ways to get a complete meal on the table.

You put a bunch of stuff on a sheet pan. You bake it. You serve it.

But do you love it?

I’m convinced that the reason some home cooks remain skeptical about the genre is because they haven’t embraced these 4 sheet pan truths:

1. The secret is the sauce.

2. You can do brunch/breakfast on a sheet pan.

3. You can stretch beyond the expected proteins.

4. You can even do vegetarian and vegan dinners.

For the rest of the month, I’ll be exploring those fundamentals and sharing a recipe that proves each point one by one. By the end of September, I believe you will feel more confident and more inspired when it comes to easy sheet pan dinners.

For simplicity’s sake, all the recipes featured this month will call for a half sheet pan, the 18” x 13” size. I’ve got to shout out Nordic Ware here: their tried-and-true aluminum sheet pans heat evenly, never warp, and don’t have any sketchy chemicals or coatings.

The easiest way to make your sheet pan meals more exciting is to have a wonderful sauce.

Seasoning each component is important, too. But a sauce is what takes things from good to great by adding tons of flavor to an otherwise simple dinner.

In today’s recipe, we’re going to take a green goddess sauce from marinade to finishing drizzle. We might even have enough left over to use the leftover green goddess for sandwiches or salads for the next few days. Lucky us!

Sheet Pan Trick: If you’re stressing about a sauce being messy and you’re worried about clean up, try lining your sheet pan in tin foil. That said, I didn’t do that for this recipe, and had no problems cleaning my Nordic Ware half sheet pan after. But if you want to, go for it!

Please let me know if you make it! You can share your results in the Chat, tag me in a Substack Note or on Instagram at @hillarydixlercanavan. (There’s a PDF version of this recipe at the bottom that you can download or print if you prefer.)

PS - Here’s another great sheet pan chicken recipe that relies on an amazing sauce: Peter Serpico’s sheet pan dakgalbi.

Ingredients

1 lemon
¼ cup plain whole milk yogurt
½ cup plain mayonnaise
Kosher salt
Fresh black pepper
1 bunch cilantro, chopped (leaves and soft stems)
1 bunch chives, chopped
Leaves from 9 - 12 sprigs tarragon, chopped (about one 3 ounce clamshell)
3 cloves garlic, smashed
2 anchovies
4-6 small boneless skinless chicken thighs (about 1.5 pounds)
1 10 ounce package of broccoli florets or 1 medium head of broccoli, cut into florets
Package of shelf stable gnocchi
¼ cup olive oil
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder

Instructions

1. Start the green goddess sauce. Zest the lemon and set the zest aside. Then slice the lemon in half cross-wise. In a blender or food processor, combine the yogurt, mayonnaise, a pinch of salt, a few grinds of black pepper, juice from half the lemon, the fresh herbs (save some cilantro leaves, chopped chives, and chopped tarragon for garnishing, no more than a tablespoon each), the anchovies, and one smashed garlic clove. Blend until smooth. (You might need to scrape the sides down or give it a few shakes in the process.)

2. Marinate the chicken. In a mixing bowl or large Ziploc bag, marinate the chicken thighs in ¼ cup of the green goddess sauce. Use your hands or tongs to thoroughly coat each piece of chicken in sauce. Cover the mixing bowl, and allow the chicken to marinate on the counter for 30 minutes.

3. Preheat the oven and prep the sheet pan. When the chicken is about halfway through marinating, place an oven rack in the center of the oven, place a sheet pan on the rack, and preheat the oven to 450°F. Add the sheet pan into the oven to allow it to preheat.

4. Prep the broccoli and the gnocchi. In a medium mixing bowl, toss the broccoli and gnocchi with olive oil, garlic powder, onion powder, a pinch of salt (about ½ teaspoon) and a few grinds of black pepper. Toss to coat and combine. Carefully remove the hot sheet pan from the oven and transfer the broccoli and gnocchi to the sheet pan.

5. Add the chicken to the pan. Nestle the marinated pieces of chicken among the broccoli and the gnocchi, allowing each piece of chicken to touch the bottom of the pan. Use a spoon to add any leftover marinade from the mixing bowl on top of the chicken (NOT from the blender! Just any leftover marinade.)

6. Add the garlic and lemon, then bake. Add the two remaining smashed garlic cloves and the unjuiced lemon half face-down to the pan.

Bake at 450°F for 20-25 minutes, until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 then remove from the oven.

7. Finish the sauce. Transfer the roasted garlic to the sauce in the blender, and using tongs, squeeze the juice of the roasted lemon into the sauce. Pulse to combine.

8. To serve: Use a spoon to drizzle green goddess sauce all over the sheet pan. Garnish with fresh herbs and lemon zest, and serve!

Storage: Store leftover sauce separately, in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Store leftover chicken and broccoli in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. I don’t recommend saving the leftover gnocchi, as it gets kind of gummy and weird in the fridge.

Notes:

• I’ve recommended kitchen shears in this newsletter before, and I’ll recommend them again here. Kitchen shears make quick work of chopping herbs. I have and like these OXO kitchen shears, though several chefs prefer these Joyce Chen kitchen scissors.

• I tried to flag it above, but please do be careful about not dipping any spoons that come into contact with your raw chicken into the blender/food processor.

• The recipe will likely yield more green goddess than you need for a single sheet pan meal. That’s okay! It’s SO GOOD for sandwiches, salads, and dips throughout the rest of the week.

• When developing my green goddess, I was very inspired by two very classic preparations: Martha Schulman’s in the New York Times and ’s in Bon Appétit.

• Thank you WAWH contributor for cross-testing this recipe! Catherine helped me brainstorm ways to make the sauce spectacular when I went on her podcast last month. After testing the recipe, she said, “I can’t stop thinking about how delicious that sauce is!!!” I feel like that compliment is for both of us, and you know what, I AGREE.

Swaps & Add-Ins

• The easiest swap would be to just use your favorite bottled green goddess dressing. Feel free to do that! I’d still consider roasting the lemon and the garlic cloves to amp it up at the end, but consider it optional!

• You can swap in boneless skinless chicken breasts. I’d check the temperature right at the 25 minute mark to see if they’re done; breasts aren’t as forgiving of overcooking as thighs are.

• Parsley and/or basil would also be great in the sauce. You could swap the parsley or basil for the cilantro; you could cut the cilantro by half and add in half a bunch of parsley or basil.

• If you can’t find tarragon, swap in dill.

• Instead of mayonnaise, you could use sour cream or greek yogurt.

• Instead of plain whole milk yogurt, you could use greek yogurt or tahini.

• If you don’t have anchovies, you could swap in ½ teaspoon of fish sauce.

Sheet Pan Green Goddess Chicken With Gnocchi & Broccoli

1.49MB ∙ PDF file

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Save 10% on Nordic Ware Naturals® Baking Sheets

From now through the end of 2026, What Are We Having? readers get 10% off Naturals® Baking Sheets with code SHEETPANMONTH10. While Sheet Pan Month is focusing on recipes using half sheet pans (the perfect size for weeknight family cooking), I highly recommend using this code to pick up some quarter sheet pans, too! They’re great for solo meals, personal pan pizzas and nachos, toaster ovens, craft activity trays, and even as impromptu organizers for the fridge.

Fine Print: Discount applies to full-priced items only in Naturals® Baking Sheets category on Nordic Ware website. Excludes sale items. Offer can not be combined with other promo codes, and only one promo code may be used per customer. This offer is valid for U.S. online purchases only and ends 11:59pm CT 12/31/26.

_{Today’s post includes affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you buy something — at no extra cost to you. Shopping from What Are We Having? is a great way to support this publication and its contributors! Check out all previous recommendations here.}

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Today, I’ve also got a great cold brew giveaway and I’m also trying out something new before the paywall: sharing a list of some of my favorite finds from the month. What do you think? Let me know if there’s anything I can add to these monthly bonus sends to make them more useful to you!

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💎 This rhinestone set, this glue, these tools: I had so much fun bedazzling book covers with my best friend and our daughters while they visited us in Upstate NY. My friend and I bedazzled two of our favorite romance novels (The Love Hypothesis and Love on the Brain) and are now both fully Into It. I also bedazzled a box of the Fishwife Sardines in Hot Pepper, which 1) came out great and 2) the actual fish is great, too. Fishwife sent me samples because they recently made them ~ spicier ~ and the sardines were fantastic when added to my green bean and chickpea salad of the month (recipe formula below). Use code HILLARY10 for 10% off your next order from the Fishwife website and admire my sparkly sardine creation here.

⭕ Pokémon Guess Who Game: Thankfully my nephew is too young to subscribe to newsletters, because this is a spoiler for his birthday gift. I found this version of Guess Who where instead of randos, it’s different Pokémon characters on Etsy. Got one for my daughter too and she’s loving it. 10/10 gift for first graders.

👂Studs: Girlhood is deciding that what you actually want to do with your best friend when you then go visit her in Massachusetts is to get some new ear piercings. I wish this very clean and very professional piercing place existed when I was a teenager!

🎒Packable kids’ snacks: From the many samples of kid food I test out each month, these two products were standouts among the cousin crew. The HapiNest Smoothie Crisps would be great for toddlers, while the Little Spoon Pizzalicious Veggie Crisps are a crunchy snack with a good dose of protein that pack great in a lunch box. Use code HILLARYDIXLERCANAVAN for 25% off your next order at HapiNest, and use code FREELUNCH50 for 50% off your first order and a free (very cute) lunch box from Little Spoon.

🧋Love Grown cold brew: One of my college friends (who, sidebar, also went on a professional journey from theater to food) sent me samples of her company’s latest innovation: at-home cold brew coffee in plastic-free sachets that you steep overnight in the fridge. This is high quality coffee, and for anyone who, like me, often finds cold brew a bit too caffeinated, there’s even a half-caf option (or you could take my friend Kate’s advice and steep for 8 instead of 12 hours). I really enjoyed mine with oat milk and a packet of brown sugar boba! Use code WAWH20 to get 20% a one-time order or first subscription.

Win a cold brew bundle from Love Grown!

The Love Grown team is offering one lucky subscriber a fantastic coffee care package: One glass brew bottle, two Easy Brew Bags of the winner’s choice, and one bottle of WellDrops. The whole package has a retail value of over $100 and the promise of powering you through back-to-school season.

Here’s how to enter the giveaway. By noon ET on Tuesday, Sept 8:

1. Subscribe to What Are We Having? (free or paid). Already a subscriber? Then go right to step 2.

Subscribe now

2. Tap the heart to like this post. That’s it!

_{Fine print: Must 18 or over to enter, US addresses only, no purchase necessary. This contest is not administered or sponsored by Substack. Limit one entry per person. The winner will be randomly selected, and notified by email and Substack direct message. Ends September 8, 2026 at noon ET.}

Below the paywall:

• The best meals we had in August and a bonus recipe

• Restaurant and family recommendations for Upstate NY/Capital region

• The links you all clicked the most in August

• Exclusive subscriber discount codes for brands like Material Kitchen, Grove Collaborative, Rachel Antonoff, and more.

The Best Meals of August — in no particular order

Read more

I’m feeling good about the first one: My jet-lag strategy is to be a tyrant about bedtime. I won’t allow any of us to go to sleep before 8 p.m. local time. It works like a charm for the East → West direction, which I always find easier anyway.

Getting ready for school is a bit more nuanced. We’ll put up new routine charts (going to give this one a whirl). We’ll shop for various school supplies (I love that Ticonderoga pencils are still a thing for elementary schoolers). We’ll pack our new backpack (and maybe make one more bag charm).

And after a four-week break, I will get back to packing lunch. Below, I’m sharing some of my lunch box strategies as well as ideas you can incorporate into your own back-to-school plan.

And I’d love to hear from you in the comments: Do you have any tips for this transitional time of year? What’s working for you?

Consider this list less an endorsement of pomegranate seeds and cheese and more an endorsement of easy wins (tailored to your kid) in categories like FRUIT and PROTEIN. Likewise, while I whole-heartedly recommend the recipes linked below so you can pack leftovers, I’m more interested in just showing what a leftover cold lunch can look like.

Lunch planning tip:

I took these pictures because I knew I wanted to track lunch ideas to share with you all. But going through them also helped jog my memory and give me inspiration for future lunch boxes. So I’m recommending we all give it a try: Photograph what you pack when you remember to do it, and save it to its own photo album. Then, when you’re making your grocery list, scroll through your lunch box photo album and make sure you have what you need to repeat the wins!

And there are over 50 more lunch ideas right this way:

• This perfectly sized stainless steel bento

• Which fits into most insulated lunch bags, including my family’s favorite style, with room for a refreezable ice pack

• This water bottle

• This ready-to-wake clock (I will probably end up writing about how much this changed our life in a future Cook, Read, Shop)

Food writer and WAWH contributor invited me to join her on her podcast and newsletter Not From Concentrate to talk about back-to-school season as her first second-time guest! We talked cooking with kids, next week’s sheet-pan green goddess chicken recipe, battling lunch box fatigue, my hacks for achieving Pinterest-mom lunch whimsy with real-life-parent effort, and my freezer trick, of course.

You can listen to the full episode on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

Or if you prefer YouTube, you can listen/watch/listen-and-watch here:

I’ve tagged a bunch of my archive content into a new Back to School page. That includes everything I’ve published about: Lunches (remember Lunch Box Month?); super quick dinners; mornings; and product recommendations.

I’ve also made a scrollable, shoppable list of all the various school products that have been recommended either by me or by food-world parents in What Are We Having? right here.

Shop Back-to-School Gear

You’ve got this!

Today’s post includes affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you buy something — at no extra cost to you. Shopping from What Are We Having? is a great way to support this publication and its contributors! Check out all previous recommendations here.

For reasons that are not especially interesting or unique, I am yet another mom you know who is trying to eat more protein. And when I want interesting and delicious recipes that prioritize protein, I head to recipe developer Grace Elkus’s Instagram and website. A long-time food writer and vegetarian, Grace just gets it when it comes to cooking well while trying to boost specific nutrients.

“When I first started prioritizing protein, I found that so much of the advice didn’t apply to me as a vegetarian — or as someone who genuinely loves to cook,” she told me. “I wasn't interested in eating the same thing every day just to simplify the nutrition component or planning my meals around lean ground beef.” Same!!

Her new cookbook, Protein-Packed Vegetarian: Easy, Nourishing Recipes to Fuel Your Day feels like a breath of fresh air in the often preachy, diet culture-y, or otherwise boring nutritional cooking space. That’s on purpose. “I wanted to cook fun, flavorful, practical recipes that my whole family would enjoy and that would help me hit my protein goals. I wrote the book that I felt this space was missing.”

That means BBQ Tofu Sandwiches with Green Apple Slaw (29g of protein per serving), Cheesy Corn and Scallion Egg Boats (23g), and more clever cottage cheese swaps than I could ever come up with in a lifetime. “Cottage cheese is one of my favorite ways to add extra protein into last-minute meals,” Grace says. “I’ll stir it into boxed mac and cheese, blend it with marinara sauce and toss with protein pasta, blend it into a carton of tomato soup, or whisk it into eggs for scrambled egg tacos or a frittata.”

Today’s recipe, Grace’s Sheet Pan Summer Veggie Parmesan, is one I instantly gravitated to. Not only does it fit brilliantly with our collective Cooked Veg Summer™, it’s a recipe that can please nearly every family member — even the avowed carnivores won’t leave the table hungry after this dinner, where each serving clocks in an impressive 26 grams of protein. And yes, it calls for cottage cheese. But Grace says if you’ve got ricotta instead you can feel free to swap it in. Likewise, if your garden (or CSA delivery) is overflowing with zucchini, go ahead and skip the eggplant. You do you!

I also love this recipe to get us all in the mood for SHEET PAN MONTH, coming to What Are We Having? in September! This recipe proves just how easy and versatile sheet pan dinners can be.

Protein-Packed Vegetarian hits shelves next week and is available for pre-order now wherever you like buying cookbooks. Bookshop.org | Barnes & Noble | Amazon

PS - Want another easy vegetarian dinner? Check out this tikka masala orzotto!

Win a copy of Protein-Packed Vegetarian!

Here’s how to enter the giveaway. By noon ET on Tuesday, August 25:

1. Subscribe to What Are We Having? (free or paid). Already a subscriber? Then go right to step 2.

Subscribe now

2. Tap the heart to like this post.

3. Leave a comment on this post. That’s it!

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Fine print: Must 18 or over to enter, US addresses only, no purchase necessary. This contest is not administered or sponsored by Substack. Limit one entry per person. The winner will be randomly selected, and notified by email and Substack direct message. Ends August 25, 2026 at noon ET.

If you follow me on social media, you know I have a thing for blanketing vegetables with sauce, cheese, and bread crumbs. It started with zucchini, evolved into eggplant, and blossomed into this multiveggie masterpiece (CSA members will thank me). I like to give the edges an extra sprinkle of bread crumbs so they get super crispy. Serve big slices with bread, pasta, or salad.

Serves 6

Ingredients

1 medium eggplant (about 1 pound)
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
Kosher salt
2 medium zucchini or yellow squash, or a combo (about 1 pound total)
1 red, orange, or yellow bell pepper
Freshly ground black pepper
1 (16-ounce) container
2% or 4% cottage cheese (about 2 cups)
½ cup loosely packed chopped fresh basil, plus more for serving
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

8 ounces low-moisture mozzarella cheese, grated (2 cups), divided
2 ounces Parmesan cheese, finely grated (about 1 cup)
½ cup panko bread crumbs
1 (24-ounce) jar marinara sauce (about 3 cups), divided
2 ears corn, shucked

Instructions

1. Arrange oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 450°F.

2. Trim the ends off the eggplant. Slice in half crosswise, then lengthwise into slabs ¼ inch thick. Place in a large bowl, drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the oil, and season with ½ teaspoon salt and several grinds of black pepper. Toss to coat and arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet.

3. Trim the ends off the zucchini and prepare the same way as the eggplant (slice in half crosswise, then lengthwise into slabs). Place in the now-empty bowl. Trim and seed the bell pepper, slice into 1½-inch slabs, and add to the bowl. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon oil and season with ½ teaspoon salt and several grinds of black pepper. Toss to coat and arrange in a single layer on a second baking sheet.

4. Transfer the pans to the oven and roast, switching racks halfway through, until the veggies are knife-tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Leave the oven on.

5. Meanwhile, in that same large bowl, combine the cottage cheese, basil, red pepper flakes, 1½ cups of the mozzarella, a pinch of salt, and several grinds of black pepper.

6. In a smaller bowl, stir together the Parmesan, panko, and the remaining 1 tablespoon oil.

7. Combine the roasted veggies onto one baking sheet. On the now-empty pan, spread 2 cups of the marinara sauce all the way to the edges. Arrange all of the veggie slices on top, mixing them so the different types are evenly distributed. They should mostly fit in one layer, but it’s okay if they overlap slightly.

8. Lay the ear of corn flat on a cutting board. Slice off a strip of corn kernels, rotate so the flat side is on the cutting board, and continue until all of the kernels are removed. Sprinkle over the vegetables.

9. Dollop the cottage cheese mixture on top, followed by the remaining 1 cup marinara sauce (add in spoonfuls and spread evenly). Sprinkle the remaining ½ cup mozzarella evenly over the baking sheet, followed by the panko mixture. (Be generous around the edges of the pan to get the bread crumbs extra crispy.)

10. Carefully adjust one of the oven racks to the center position (it will be hot). Bake (still at 450°F) until the sauce is bubbling and the cheese is browned in spots, 20 to 25 minutes.

11. Let sit at least 5 minutes to firm up slightly and make it easier to slice. Top with more basil.

_{Excerpted from Protein-Packed Vegetarian by Grace Elkus. Copyright © 2026 by Grace Elkus. Photos copyright © 2026 by Linda Pugliese. Published in the United States by Clarkson Potter/Publishers, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC.}

Today’s post includes affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you buy something — at no extra cost to you. Shopping from What Are We Having? is a great way to support this publication and its contributors! Check out all previous recommendations here.

“My kitchen is my office, which means dinner is technically always a work meeting,” says .

With What to Cook When You Don’t Feel Like Cooking, Substack’s #1 cooking newsletter, a New York Times bestselling cookbook, a new cookbook on shelves as of yesterday, a husband, a brother and his girlfriend in the guest house, and four kids in need of feeding, Caroline’s kitchen is a very busy place. As a centerpiece of her home in Carmel Valley, it’s also capital-g Gorgeous. (Head to the kitchen tour she did here if you want some Pinterest inspo!)

“On the upside, my family eats really well,” Caroline, or Caro to friends and readers, says. “On the downside, I can never just cook a meal without being like, ‘oooh this would be a good one for What To Cook,’ or, ‘ok I need to shorten this process a little.’ I’m constantly recipe testing, even if I’m not doing it on purpose.”

That relentless tinkering and real-life stress testing is on full display in Caro’s incredibly user-friendly new cookbook, What to Cook When You Don’t Feel Like Cooking: Make It Fast. The book opens with recipes that are 15 minutes and under (hello, Crispy Sausage Meatballs and Caramelized Cabbage Pasta with Burrata; yes, please, Sheet Pan Kielbasa and Okra with Cheesy Grits). Then there are lots that are 30 minutes start to finish (my many bookmarked recipes from this section include One-Pot Creamy Chicken and Mushroom Orzotto, Dilly Feta Salad with Feta-Brined Grilled Shrimp, and Lamb Chops with Potatoes, Fennel, and Orange-Shallot Vin). And there are some “walk away” recipes that max out at 30 minutes of prep but have you leaving the dish in an oven or simmering for a good long while (Caro’s pineapple jerk ribs, for example, stay in a low oven for about 3 hours and look *so so good*).

As with her last book (and her newsletter), Make It Fast has tons of tips, tricks, and swaps to reduce the friction between seeing a recipe in the cookbook and getting it onto the table. Make It Fast also has additional index-like guides that sort recipes in the book by protein and by mood/scenario (What to cook when… you’re feeling especially healthy; you cannot be bothered to chop a single thing; you’re in charge of the meal train.) As someone who also develops weeknight-friendly recipes for real life, I am always inspired by how Caro finds innovative ways to pass along so much helpful information to home cooks on each page.

In the interview below, we go deeper into how Caro approaches feeding her big family, how she navigates picky eating, and what recipes have been getting her through this season of life. One of her current favorites is grilled flank steak with elote salsa — and she’s generously shared that recipe with us today. (And if you don’t have a grill don’t worry, she’s got instructions for using a pan, too.)

If there’s one thing I hope you take away from this interview, it’s this: Even a bonafide weeknight cooking legend relies on short cuts and truly fast recipes when it comes to feeding her family. Reader, you’re doing great, too!

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Interview: Caroline Chambers, What to Cook When You Don’t Feel Like Cooking

This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity and length.

Hillary Dixler Canavan: Please introduce yourself and tell us about what you do.

Caroline Chambers: I’m Caroline Chambers, a recipe developer, cookbook author, and Substack creator based in Carmel Valley, California. I write a weekly newsletter called What to Cook When You Don’t Feel Like Cooking, which is exactly what it sounds like! I create complete, efficient, delicious recipes for people who love good food but don’t always have the time or energy to make it happen. I’m also a mom of four boys, so I am very much my own target audience.

What might surprise someone about your food job?

That I genuinely don’t feel like cooking a lot of the time! I think people assume that because I do this for work, I must be one of those people who finds cooking meditative and joyful every single night. And sometimes I am! But often I’m staring into my fridge at 5:30 p.m., exhausted after a day of working and momming and trying to take care of myself and be a good friend and daughter and also maybe even get a little exercise… just like everyone else. That’s what keeps the recipes honest.

How have you been feeling about your home cooking lately?

Really good, actually!

Testing recipes for Make It Fast gave me a whole new arsenal and I’ve been on a grilling kick lately. There’s something about summer produce and a hot grill that makes me excited to cook even on the longest days. Grilling is the ultimate make it fast hack. Throw meat and veg on a platter. Toss with oil and seasonings. Grill. Stir a little harissa into labne. Or grab some teriyaki sauce. Or some Costco pesto. Serve your grilled meat and veg with your sauce. Done!! A truly delightful way to cook and eat. Summer forever!

The flank steak with elote salsa from Make It Fast [excerpted below] is my recipe of the summer and I cannot wait for people to make it!

What are some shortcuts or hacks you use to make cooking at home faster?

Frozen crushed garlic cubes are my secret weapon — I always have them in the freezer. Pre-chopped store-bought mirepoix for soups and braises. A rotisserie chicken can become three different meals if you think about it right. And I always make extra of anything that reheats well: grains, roasted vegetables, sauces.

Do you have any big picture rules when it comes to family dinners?

No short order cooking. I make one meal, and everyone finds something on the plate they can eat. I also try really hard to always eat together as a family, even if it’s chaotic. Especially if it’s chaotic, honestly. I am blessed with a long fuse – my mom is always like “you’re lucky you think they’re funny” when my kids are acting particularly unhinged.

How do you think about what to feed your family?

I think about balance more than perfection. I want my kids to grow up with a really healthy, curious, loving relationship with food — not anxiety about what they eat. So yes, we have vegetables at dinner. They don’t always eat them, but they’re always there. I cook with whole ingredients as much as possible, but I’m not precious about it. A rotisserie chicken and some good store-bought pasta sauce can be just as nourishing as something made entirely from scratch, if it means we’re sitting down together.

I will also say, as a word of encouragement to parents with kids younger than mine (my oldest is 7), that they do start eating again! My 7 year old was so, so picky when he was around 4 or 5. But I kept putting the food on his plate, even if he didn’t touch it. I tried not to make it a huge deal if he wouldn’t try new things or eat his vegetables. And then one day, he just started eating again. Now he’s the captain of the clean plate club pretty much always!

What do you find yourself making over and over again, either for yourself or for your family?

Sheet pan everything. It’s the workhorse of my kitchen. I can throw a protein and whatever vegetables are about to turn on a pan, season everything well, and have dinner on the table in 45 minutes with one dish to wash. Always with a good sauce!

15 minute peanut noods. Because they are outrageously easy to throw together even on the easiest night and everyone will eat them.

Do you go out to restaurants to eat as a family?

All the time — though it requires a certain kind of restaurant. We’ve gotten pretty good at identifying which places will actually be enjoyable with four kids versus which ones will just be stressful for everyone including the staff. We seek out places where the kids can run around outside. Locally, that’s Baja Cantina, Folktale, Stationæry has a great courtyard, Alvarado Brewery in Carmel is in a plaza they can roam around…

What makes a restaurant family friendly?

Fast service, more than anything else. Kids can handle a lot if the food comes quickly. An outdoor area nearby to run around while the adults attempt a moment of peace is a huge plus. And a staff that genuinely seems happy to see children rather than tolerating them.

Since we’re getting into back-to-school season, do you have any favorite tips or tricks that help you manage school lunch planning/lunchbox life?

Make double of whatever you’re having for dinner and pack the leftovers. My kids get a much more interesting lunch than if I were starting from scratch every morning, and I save so much mental energy. Also: Never underestimate the power of a good dip. Ranch, hummus, whatever your kid will eat — everything is more appealing with something to dunk it in.

And what is your favorite Adult Dinner? (Adult Dinner is my term for when I make a meal that’s for pleasing the adults/myself as the primary priority).

Curry!! I love making curries. I always have Mike’s Curry Paste, Mae Ploy curry paste, and coconut milk in the pantry, so a curry is always just a few minutes away. Literally I throw ANYTHING into a curry. One night it’s a chicken and cabbage curry. The next week it’s a summer veggie curry. Yum.

Thanks so much, Caroline! And readers, I’d love to hear from you: What are some of your favorite make it fast hacks?

Leave a comment

Win a copy of Make It Fast!

Here’s how to enter the giveaway. By noon ET on Tuesday, August 18:

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I first tasted authentic elote — grilled corn coated with mayo, Cotija, and tons of chili powder, lime juice, and cilantro — years ago on a street in Sayulita, Mexico, during a stroll from the beach back to our $40/night Airbnb. Street vendors set up full grills to perfectly char the corn to order before slathering it in all the toppings. I can’t even count all the ways I’ve remixed elote since that trip, but this elote salsa served with perfectly grilled flank steak has to be one of my favorites. Grilling, IMO, is the ultimate move on a night when you don’t feel like cooking!

Serves 4

Ingredients

½ cup mayonnaise
1 lime
2 teaspoons taco seasoning, store-bought or homemade
Kosher salt
1½ to 2 pounds flank steak 4 ears corn, shucked
½ small red onion
½ bunch cilantro, plus more if needed for serving
2 ounces Cotija or brine-packed feta cheese

Instructions

Heat an outdoor grill to medium-high (400° to 450°F).

Place the mayonnaise in a large bowl. Halve the lime and squeeze in the juice. Add the taco seasoning and 1 teaspoon salt and stir to combine. Transfer half this mixture to a medium bowl.

Add the steak and corn to the mayo mixture that’s left in the large bowl—yes, it’s okay for them to touch. Toss to coat well. Sprinkle with a big pinch of salt.

Transfer the steak and the corn to the grill. Grill the steak for 5 minutes, then flip it and grill for about 5 minutes longer, until the meat reaches 130°F internally for medium-rare, 140°F for medium, or 150°F for medium-well. Grill the corn, rotating it as it cooks to grill all sides, for about 9 minutes total.

Meanwhile, finely chop the onion and the cilantro leaves and tender stems (about 1 cup) and add them to the mayo mixture. Crumble the Cotija into the bowl.

Transfer the corn and steak to a cutting board. Let the steak rest while you slice the corn off the cob (see Learn) and add it to the bowl with the mayo mixture. Toss to combine. Taste and adjust the seasoning (you’ll likely need to add a big pinch of salt!).

Slice the steak against the grain, arrange it on a serving platter, and serve with the elote salsa over top. Finish with more cilantro if you’re feeling fancy.

Tip: No grill? Use a cast-iron skillet instead. Cook the corn first over medium heat (make sure the skillet is piping hot first!), then crank the heat up to medium-high and cook the steak.

Learn: To slice the corn kernels off of the cob, lay the corn on its side—don’t stand it up on its end—and run a sharp knife along the length of the cob. Now those kernels will fall neatly onto your cutting board instead of flying all over the place. • If you look closely at a steak, you can see the muscle fibers; they’re the lines running through the meat like tiny ropes. When you slice steak “against the grain,” you’re cutting across those fibers, not parallel to them. This makes the steak more tender and much easier to chew.

Shortcut: Use a bag of frozen corn instead of grilling and cutting kernels off the cob. Warm a little oil in a skillet over high heat until it shimmers, add the corn, and cook until it’s charred in spots. You can even stir the rest of the elote salsa ingredients straight into the skillet off the heat to save on dishes!

Extra Extra: For deeper flavor, let the steak and corn marinate in the mayo mixture for a few hours or even overnight (in the fridge if more than an hour-ish)!

_{Recipe reprinted with permission from What to Cook When You Don’t Feel Like Cooking: Make it Fast by Caroline Chambers © 2026. Published by Union Square & Co., an imprint of Grand Central Publishing, a division of Hachette Book Group. Photography by Erin Scott.}

Today’s post includes affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you buy something — at no extra cost to you. Shopping from What Are We Having? is a great way to support this publication and its contributors! Check out all previous recommendations here.

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The 10 best meals of July — in no particular order

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With all the focus on packing meals to go in the cooler, avoiding the kind of cooking projects that heat the house, and a vestigial sense of wanting to have my life together before I show up as a whole new person on the first day of school, I tend to have the most momentum for the grunt work of making my kitchen more functional in June and July.

This year, I’ve been working slowly rather than doing a three-day marathon session. I highly recommend it. Now, I’m on the East Coast with my family for the next few weeks, content in the knowledge that when we come home things are nice and tidy thanks to putting in 15 to 90 minutes several days a week for the past six weeks.

Below, I’m sharing my keep vs declutter lists from this summer’s session. If you’re looking for more info on how professional chefs with kids tackle kitchen organizing, head here:

And I’d love to hear from you: What kitchen projects are you tackling befo…

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I always get anxious shopping for baby gifts. And now that I’m having a baby, I am wondering what’s actually worth registering for? It’s a lot.

This is such a fun question, thank you ! Let’s get into it, shall we?

My go-to baby gift strategy

Here’s my trusted baby gift formula:

Registry item + thoughtful bonus

When it comes to the extras, I tend to go for meaningful picture books (classics I love, a favorite from when my daughter was little, things like that). Write a nice note inside, too. Another favorite extra is to get an on-theme piece of clothing, reflecting the parents’ interests (music, books, plants, tennis) or general vibe (NPR onesie, Sally’s Apizza onesie, etc).

If there isn’t a registry to shop from, if there’s nothing left on it, or if the baby has already arrived, my go-to is a Goldbelly delivery of bagels and lox from Russ & Daughters. If that’s a bit more than I was planning on spending (or if I don’t know with 100% certainty that the parents will enjoy having so much good lox), I go for a DoorDashgift card. Delivery is a really helpful gift to give a new parent.

Another great gift: A newsletter subscription that supports cooking for their new family. Cough cough ahem ahem here’s a link to get a WAWH subscription.

Got more go-to baby gift ideas? Let’s brainstorm in the comments!

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My top tips for building your own baby registry

1. Put some big ticket items on there. Think strollers, furniture, car seat. If you have family members looking to give generously it helps them to know what you want; and you might find that your friends would like to go in on a big gift together.

2. Register for clothing sizes through 18 months. The infant clothes are so sweet and fun to shop for, but you’ll be thankful that you won’t need to instantly buy a new wardrobe when you have a drawer with larger sizes from your registry waiting for you.

3. And focus the clothes on higher quality brands. It’s easy enough to get quick, very affordable onesies from big box stores if you find yourself in a pinch. Register for the nicer cottons and higher quality at brands like Maisonette, Pehr, and Mori — the kind of thing you love but hesitate to buy.

4. No matter what your plan is, put some bottles on there. It’s never a bad idea to have alternative ways to feed your baby at the ready at home. A variety pack like this helps set you up for whatever style ends up working best for your baby.

5. Add some products for starting solids, too. It feels miles away from the newborn phase, but starting solids happens quickly, and it can help to have some basics in your cabinet.

What to register for

I actually created a running list of products I loved in real time during the baby phase. I think it was my service journalism brain plus tons of late nights sitting in a glider. I’d just write and write, not wanting the little tips and tricks I was amassing to be forgotten. Now, when friends like Alexis get pregnant, I send them my crazy doc.

I revisited that list and created this shoppable collection of my registry picks.

And below the paywall, I’ve got a guide with all those picks, plus an edited version of the OG google doc, including thoughts from the trenches on things like sleep, pacifier weaning, and more in one PDF. Download it and share it with anyone who needs it!

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Despite the fact that I make them at least once a month, I’ve never actually shared my family’s favorite salmon bowl recipe in this newsletter. It’s more template than recipe; customize it at will to make it work for you. It’s great for summer: Using smoked salmon and frozen rice means you don’t need to turn on the stove or oven!

Recipe: The Easiest Salmon Bowls

1. Microwave frozen rice. I use Anyday cookware rather than the plastic packaging, then use the glass bowl for serving.

2. Meanwhile, prep the salmon. Using kitchen shears, chop sliced smoked salmon in a medium mixing bowl. Add a large squirt of Kewpie mayo and a splash of soy sauce (I love Hey Doh, and I’ve got a discount code: HILLARY for 15% off). If you’ve got some, you can also add a splash of toasted sesame oil. Stir to combine. (I actually use my kitchen shears for that, keeping one less utensil out of the sink/dishwasher.)

3. Serve. Serve with any extras you like. I usually put out sliced cucumber, sliced avocado, edamame, toasted sesame seeds, furikake, and sriracha, along with roasted seaweed for wrapping.

For another easy breezy bowl dinner, how about these hummus bowls? This one does involve the stove, but it won’t be on for long I promise!

The Family Commons

The Secret to Better Weekends with Kids

Both of our weekends as parents used to suck, and neither of us could figure out why. We had a lot of theories: Lindsay thought she might need more time to herself, so she and her husband started doing more shifts. But no, that didn’t really solve it. Maybe they were doing…

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5 months ago · 155 likes · 14 comments · Chloe Sladden and Lindsay Meisel

Strong YES to this article by and . Social weekends = better weekends with kids!! And summer is the perfect time to start trying out deep casual hosting (h/t ) and low key meetups. Get the reps in now so that by the time the school year starts, you’re in the swing of it.

We’re big on doing a playground meetup with another family then walking back to our apartment for lunch. Even as a professional food person, I don’t always make the lunch a big deal. I often do pbj for the kids and leftovers + salad for the adults.

By this point, friends know that our apartment is never going to be the one with no clutter. We’re the “arts & crafts all over the living room” house, the “make a new recipe on the fly in our tiny kitchen” house, the “send you home with some gifted products from the pile near my desk” house. And after years of practicing not being perfect for company, I’m proud to say I’m actually okay with it!!

What’s one thing you do that makes it easy to be more social? Let us know in the comments so we can learn from each other!

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Still, I do love getting OUT of the apartment as much as possible. One of the ways I make it easy to leave with my daughter the moment inspiration strikes is by keeping a tote bag stocked. Right now I’m using this beachy tote (in this exact pink), which is large enough to hold all the essentials AND the whole family’s change of clothes when I bring it to the pool.

Here are some things I’ve been keeping in my bag this summer, in partnership with Grove. I’ve starred the items I tested from Grove below. Use code HILLARY25 for 25% off orders from the site. Thanks, Grove!

• Wipes: *For dirty hands and/or faces, and if a public bathroom is out of toilet paper (it happens!). I like these because my daughter says they don’t “sting” and they are flushable.

• Hand sanitizer spray: *Always a good idea, I go for sprays over gels because my daughter prefers the texture. Me too!

• Water resistant sunscreen: We go through so much sunscreen over the summer, lately I’ve just been buying whatever is on sale.

• And my new favorite SPF lip balm: A reader rec (h/t), this one has a good minty flavor and stays put.

• A card game: In case we end up with time to kill or a wait somewhere, cards always help.

• On-the-go first aid kit: *For bonks and bruises, I like this brand because they actually stick on and have cute designs.

• Mosquito Repellent Wipes: *As a bonafide mosquito magnet, I like these wipes so much more than sprays and oils. Less messy on me and no accidental spills into the tote.

• Snacks like this and this: I stash shelf-stable options so they can live in the bag and eventually get eaten.

Today’s post includes affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you buy something — at no extra cost to you. Shopping from What Are We Having? is a great way to support this publication and its contributors! Check out all previous recommendations here.

Instead of taking the week off for the 4th, I’m sending that roundup to everyone. Free subscribers, if you like today’s newsletter, I recommend upgrading to paid so you get next month’s unlocked in your inbox. I also recommend bookmarking this so you can return to these exclusive discount codes when you’re shopping!

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The 10 best meals of June — in no particular order

1. My IG algorithm influenced me to make chicken caesar smash tacos. I followed this basic gist, and I seasoned my ground chicken with salt, pepper, and garlic powder for some oomph.

2. I took a girls’ trip to Palm Desert with Claire and my mom, and as per tradition, we stopped at Hadley Fruit Orchard in Cabazon for date shakes. I love that they have non-dairy shakes! And it’s at just the right part of the road trip to stop for a stretch and a b…

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Last week was all about packing up the cooler and heading to the park or pool. This week, I’ve got a recipe that will make it easy to stay home for dinner. Because despite my best efforts, I can’t actually relocate my family to a shady cabana indefinitely.

Instead, we can sit down at our regular kitchen table for garlic-lime shrimp on a bed of jasmine rice, topped with all sorts of bright, crunchy good things.

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Now that we’re transitioning to a lot more home time vs. school time, I’d love some snack inspiration! Things that are easy to pack/take to the pool, toss in a backpack.

Same, reader, same. I am trying to spend as much of the weeks between school and camp at the pool as possible. It keeps my small apartment tidier, keeps my kid (and me!) happier, and helps me reframe these weeks without childcare as a family staycation rather than just… stressful.

And while I don’t want to brag, taking food to the pool is kind of my thing

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I am very pro baking from a box, and I especially support it when baking with kids to keep the chaos slightly more contained. Claire and I love to bake, take a portion for ourselves, and then deliver the treats to the local fire station. And now that school’s out, we’ll be doing this even more often.

A few weeks ago we baked the new sticky carrot cake mix from Cravings by Chrissy Teigen, after the team there sent a sample box my way. I especially liked adding caramel sauce to the cake before frosting it; I’m definitely going to do that for future baking projects.

What are some of your favorite low-stress kids’ baking projects? I’m trying to keep this kid busy before camp starts in a couple weeks.

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3 Thrillers With Something to Say (no spoilers)

Here are three thrillers that would make for great beach/pool reads and have strong audiobook narrators if you, like me, like to listen while cooking (or crafting). All three play with genre-fiction tropes, are compulsively readable, and have enough point of view and critique to make them thought-provoking, too. (Shout out to this post by , which got me thinking about this mini list.)

The It Girl by Ruth Ware | Ruth Ware is the queen of fast-paced, twisty-turny thrillers. This one toggles between the present and the now-pregnant narrator’s college days, particularly the days leading up to her roommate’s, the titular “it girl’s,” murder. While I didn’t find this one overly scary, there are #MeToo themes: Narrator Hannah is retreading the details of her roommate’s murder because the man imprisoned for it — the college’s security guard who routinely harassed and then assaulted Hannah — is the subject of a posthumous podcast that has evidence of his innocence. Because it’s Ruth Ware, things do get a little bit over-the-top mystery-wise, but this is one of only a few of her novels that I find myself still thinking about (even years after I first read it). Bookshop.org | Barnes & Noble | Amazon | Libro.fm

The Compound by Aisling Rawle | For fans of Ruth Ware and/or reality television and/or dystopian fiction, The Compound is the eponymous set of a Big Brother-meets-Love Island-style reality show. The contestants love and fight to stay in the compound, not just for money and prizes but because life on the outside is pretty grim, too. The glimpses of the weird, climate-disaster “real world” beyond the set were my favorite part. This is a debut novel from a young writer; there’s something extremely Gen Z to me about the fatalism of the premise. But there’s also space for hope here too, as our narrator confronts the emptiness in her life that led her to join the show in the first place. Bookshop.org | Barnes & Noble | Amazon | Libro.fm

Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke | A “tradwife” influencer wakes up in 1855, forcing her to confront the stark realities of the traditional gender roles and fundamentalist Christianity she’d been peddling on her popular social media channel. Propulsive and satirical, this book is dominating the discourse for good reason. (Sorry, haters!) Yesteryear shines a light on the sometimes overlooked elements of performativity baked into so much of contemporary womanhood: the performative elements of gender, sure (hey Judith Butler!), but also the performance baked into motherhood, both internally and exhibited publicly, whether for an audience of family members or followers. Not to say the novel was perfect — a perfect novel would have dealt with SA and coercion in a more nuanced way — but I’m not sure why this author is being held to a standard of perfection I’ve rarely seen applied to debuts. I have my guesses, though!!!! Bookshop.org | Barnes & Noble | Amazon | Libro.fm

What are you reading this summer?

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For my husband’s birthday in April, I gave him a shopping spree at our favorite local bookstore, Vroman’s. I took our daughter up to the kids’ section while he browsed and put various books in his basket in peace. He LOVED it. And if you’re looking for a low-lift Father’s Day gift idea, you can take this gift strategy. What’s the place for the dad in your life to have this experience? Is it his favorite local book shop, like Mike? Is it the record shop? The bike shop?

If you need more Father’s Day gift ideas, head here:

• 2026 Father’s Day gift guide

• 2025 Father’s Day gift guide

If you’re looking for a great Father’s Day recipe, consider these steak sandwiches by . Buying a steak always feels special — and sandwiches are a great way to serve steak for a daytime get together.

Some of my biggest freelance projects of 2026 are now live in the world!

For The Infatuation, I came on as Contributing Managing Editor to lead their expansion into a bunch of new markets. That meant hiring local writers, curating restaurant picks, and editing reviews. Did I mention that the Infatuation also has some of the strongest ethics guidelines I’ve seen in current food media? I got to give each writer a generous dining budget, and no restaurants could make our list without a visit. And those visits? Couldn’t be booked through PR or announced ahead of time. Some of my favorite new dining guides are Sacramento, St. Louis, Cincinnati, Tulum, and Cancún.

For Cherry Bombe, I wrote a guide to growing your restaurant business with vision. I interviewed amazing chefs and restaurateurs like Missy Robbins and Mei Lin, as well as PR legend Becca Parrish to get their insights into how to approach entrepreneurship and growth while staying true to your values and goals. The guide is free to read — and if you’re in process of growing any kind of business, I guarantee there’s something for you in here.

Also for Cherry Bombe, I came on board to help curate and launch their second annual Power List. Every woman featured in this year’s awards program is truly inspiring — go read more about them here.

And I spent a few months brainstorming with my friends and former Eater colleagues as they got their new media venture Ravenous off the ground! Ravenous is a worker-owned new media venture, where some of the best reporters in the business are covering the world of restaurants, food, culture, and labor with passion, edge, and gonzo spirit. I am loving what they’re up to now that they’re live (especially this piece on Katz’s expansion and this one about the enshittification of bagels thanks to VC money). The Ravenous founders are offering WAWH readers 20% off for the first year’s subscription with the code What Are We Having (or subscribe through this link here and the discount will be automatically applied).

20% off Ravenous

PS: If you want to work together, let’s chat!

Today’s post includes affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you buy something — at no extra cost to you. Shopping from What Are We Having? is a great way to support this publication and its contributors! Check out all previous recommendations here.

But after reading ’s new cookbook Grill Time! Why You Should Be Grilling for Better, Healthier, Easier and More Delicious Meals I’m feeling inspired.

Mark my words: This summer, I’m going to become a griller. And I’m going to take Noah’s advice and think of the grill less as a hamburger-and-hot-dog-machine and more like an extension of my kitchen.

Noah’s thesis is … right in the title. And it’s kind of mind blowing. Grilling, he argues, is simply the superior way of cooking for a family or for a crowd. It’s faster, easier, and more conducive to accommodating dietary restrictions and preferences than working at the stove with a million pans. Grills = easier cleanup, deeper flavor, and more fun.

I’ve bookmarked so many recipes in this cookbook that are exactly what I want to be eating this summer. Pickle-brined drumsticks with spicy honey. Spicy grilled chicken caesar salad with garlic bread croutons. Tofu bánh mì. But before I dive into my summer of grilling, I wanted to ask Noah some questions about HOW to become a griller. And lots of you sent in questions, too!

In the video above, Noah tackles all the questions WAWH readers submitted including:

• Best beginner grilling recipes for hosting a crowd

• How to maximize flavor with a gas grill

• Must-have grill tools

• How to grill whole fish

And I asked plenty of my own questions including:

• Grilling with shared set ups like at apartment buildings, pools, and parks

• Tips for grilling when you’re relying on a cooler

On that last question, the recipe we’re sharing from Noah’s cookbook is a great example of a shared-grill dinner. Marinating the meat ahead of time, and then bringing it with you works perfectly. Of course, if you’re making it at your home grill, you can take advantage of one of Noah’s other favorite grill strategies: turning on a rice cooker before firing up the grill.

Grill Time! is now available wherever you like buying cookbooks. Bookshop.org | Barnes & Noble | Amazon

PS - For another grill-friendly steak recipe, check out these steak sandwiches with quick-pickled shallots and chimichurri sauce by , which I mentioned in the video above!

Win a copy of Grill Time!

Here’s how to enter the giveaway. By noon ET on Tuesday, June 9:

1. Subscribe to What Are We Having? (free or paid). Already a subscriber? Then skip step 2.

2. Tap the heart to like this post or leave a comment to enter. Do both for two total entries!

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Fine print: Must 18 or over to enter, US addresses only, no purchase necessary. This contest is not administered or sponsored by Substack. Limit one like and one comment entry per person. The winner will be randomly selected, and notified by email and Substack direct message. Ends June 9, 2026 at noon ET.

This is a recipe I’ve thoroughly enjoyed for years, since developing a menu for a charcoal-grilled rice bowl concept that never got off the ground. This was the flagship recipe—inspired by marinated arrachera from Los Angeles carnicerías, but with its flavors dragged through the Japanese grocery store.

In the end, this is California backyard cooking at its core. Citrusy, savory, lightly spicy, and super-tender marinated beef, which is great for almost all ages of eaters, and goes as well in a rice bowl as it does with a side of Perfect Grilled Potatoes (page 58), over a bowl of soba noodles, or in a flour tortilla with pico de gallo. I prefer a thicker piece of skirt steak if I can find it, as it’s easier to char well and keep cooked to medium, but any skirt steak or even flap steak will work well.

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 ½ pounds skirt or flap steak, ideally on the thicker side
2 chiles de árbol or other small dried hot chile, stemmed (or 1 teaspoon of any ground, dried red chile that you like)
5 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
3 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 scallion, torn into rough pieces
1-inch knob fresh ginger, rinsed
2 teaspoons sake or dry white wine

Instructions

1. Lay your steak on a cutting board and cut it with the grain, into pieces that are roughly 6 inches long—this is just to optimize its size for grilling, to be sliced again (against the grain) after it is cooked.

2. In a small saucepan, toast the chiles over high heat just until they are fragrant, shaking the pan frequently, about 60 seconds once the pan is hot. Transfer them to a blender and add the garlic, tamari, lemon juice, lime juice, olive oil, scallion, ginger, and sake. Blend until smooth.

3. Pour the marinade into a resealable container, add the steak pieces, and turn to make sure all of the pieces are coated in marinade. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours and up to about 18.

4. When you are ready to grill, preheat the grill to high heat (the hotter the better), then clean and oil the grates well.

5. Lay the steaks on the grill in a single layer and let them cook until they are nicely charred on the first side, 3 to 4 minutes. Flip the steak and cook the other side until cooked to your desired internal temperature. I prefer about 135°F for a medium steak, 1 to 3 more minutes depending on the thickness of the steak and the heat of the grill.

6. Transfer the steaks to a cutting board. For best results, slice against the grain and serve immediately.

From Grill Time! © 2026 by Noah Galuten. Excerpted by permission of Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Penguin Random House LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

Today’s post includes affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you buy something — at no extra cost to you. Shopping from What Are We Having? is a great way to support this publication and its contributors! Check out all previous recommendations here.

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Below the paywall:

• The best meals we had in May

• Fresh restaurant recommendations

• The links you all clicked the most in May

• Exclusive subscriber discount codes for brands like Material Kitchen, Grove Collaborative, Craft Club Co., Rachel Antonoff, Koala Eco, and more

The 10 best meals in May — no particular order

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In the past four weeks, we’ve had two recitals, three field trips requiring a parent, and tomorrow is Open House. Somehow it’s also time to sort the class party, the birthday party, and summer plans. Maycember might be a trendy internet word, but the overscheduled-for-no-good-reason feeling is very real. 🫠

Luckily, I’ve been keeping this recipe in my back pocket since developing it earlier this year.

A pasta for the brine lovers among us, this is my noodley ode…

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For this 14th installment (!!!), I’ve decided to experiment with the formatting and the length a bit. I’d love to hear from you: Do you prefer this column to be on the shorter side or the longer side? Let me know in the comments!

I’ve also got a craft giveaway happening today — scroll down for info on how to enter and to access my new craft night guide!

Folks, it’s officially Cool(er) Mom Summer! Our swim club is open as of last week, and my daughter and I have gone multiple times already. Now, I’m bookmarking all the recipes I want to pack to bring in our cooler in the coming months.

• This sandwich with potato chips and olives (I’ll just pack the ingredients and assemble on site)

• And these sandwiches with focaccia, turkey, and pesto (pictured above)

• A lemony caesar take on “dense bean salad” (pictured above)

• And I plan on asking Grill Time! author for ideas about using my pool’s shared barbecues in our Substack Live grill-themed AMA on May 21. Drop your own grilling questions in this subscribers’ chat thread (open to free and paid readers!) or reply to this email.

• More cooler-friendly recipes recs here

Cook from the Archives: When it comes to packing up the cooler, you can’t beat pasta salad. This one calls for one of my family’s favorite salad mixes from Trader Joe’s, but really you can use any salad mix you want. You could even skip the salad entirely for a classic deli-style pasta salad!

In Cook, Read, Shop #12, I recommended Heated Rivalry. If the show or the book piqued your interest in MM romance, I’ve got another to shout out — and this one would be a fun pool or beach read. It would also be great to cook or craft to if you get the audiobook!

I devoured A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske this winter for my book club and then I ended up reading/listening to the whole trilogy. The series is set in Edwardian England and has a compelling magic system and a richly drawn queer romance.

Book 2 didn’t quite land for me, but book 3 made up for it by being my favorite of the series, pushing further into the class and power dynamics that come from a society with both landed gentry and inherited magical ability. If you like stories with battles for good and evil, tenderhearted jocks, bookish people saving the day, and a bit of smut (complimentary), give A Marvellous Light a try. Bookshop.org | Barnes & Noble | Amazon | Libro.fm

What’s on your summer reading list? Let me know in the comments!

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Continuing on with the pool theme, here are some recommendations based on what’s been working for us so far this season.

• Owala water bottle, for filling with ice cubes and using it to stash a freezer popsicle for my daughter

• Refreezeable “ice” for the cooler

• Arch-supporting flip flops

• Waterproof rings, to wear instead of my wedding jewelry (which I leave safe at home)

• An underwire bikini top plus a rashguard on top with high waisted bottoms for me

• This pink swim skirt plus a mermaid swim shirt for my daughter

• Also her non-hair-pulling tinted goggles

I’ve been needlepointing a lot lately, and judging by the response over on Notes, a lot of you are feeling craft-curious too.

So I partnered with Craft Club Co. to gift one lucky subscriber their extremely cute Fruit Market Needlepoint Pouch Kit! And all subscribers can use the discount code HDC10 to get 10% off their first order.

Enter by noon ET on May 19 2026:

1. Subscribe to What Are We Having? (free or paid)

2. Tap the heart and leave a comment on this post

One winner will be selected at random and notified by email and Substack DM.

But even if you don’t win the kit, all paid subscribers can also access Adult Dinner: My Solo Craft Night Guide, with recommendations for beginner-friendly crafts, audiobook recommendations for crafting and cooking, cozy set-up tips, and menu ideas for the perfect night in.

I hope you love it!

Fine print: Must 18 or over to enter, US addresses only, no purchase necessary, void where prohibited. This contest is not administered or sponsored by Substack. Ends May 19, 2026 at noon ET.

Today’s post includes affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you buy something — at no extra cost to you. Shopping from What Are We Having? is a great way to support this publication and its contributors! Check out all previous recommendations here.