Wednesday, September 28, 2022
Good afternoon!
Does anyone drink hot coffee anymore? (NYT, unlocked)
“Deb, your newsletter is 1.5 weeks late.”
[I stare blankly. It works for my kids!]
“What do you have to say for yourself?”
Well, here’s what I’ve been up to:
Two weekends ago, my son — who was very recently this small and slumpy — both turned 13 years old and had his Bar Mitzvah. We had a luncheon after to celebrate and if you’ve ever tried to plan a small, simple party but ended up spending every waking second pondering balloon inflation fees and hiring an accordionist at the 11th hour because why not, whee, that’s where my brain still was when I utterly forgot to send out last week’s newsletter. This week was delayed by the Jewish new year which brings us to today: I’ve missed you too!
Creating recipe demos, which I really enjoy: Zucchini Rice, and Cheese Gratin [Reel, Tiktok]. Marbled Banana Bread [Reel, TikTok]. Eggplant Involtini [Reel, Tiktok]. Cinnamon Sugar Scones [Reel, Tiktok]. And just for the fun of it, a Justine Snacks-inspired Cream Cheese Board [Reel, Tiktok].
Tidying up details for a fall book tour for Smitten Kitchen Keepers. It’s getting so close!
Working on a site redesign about four years in the making. I know we all hate change but I promise, this looks so good and makes everything better.
Taking lots of walks, because NYC has about 3 weeks of perfect weather a year and we’re in one of them. [While also worrying about friends in Florida. Please stay safe!]
Cooking! September has always been my favorite cooking month because you get all of the summer produce but just-nippy-enough weather that you don’t mind turning your oven on, at least in the Northeast. Below, I’m rounding up some SK fall classics that get me so excited for the new cooking season. Part bucket list, part cravings, I hope you now know exactly what to cook next.
Cheers,
Deb
A back-to-school project: A tremendous amount 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 feels all wrong. I asked teachers to send me their wishlists so I could share as many as possible to a wider audience that might be able to help clear them. Help out if you feel you're able. [Smitten Kitchen Teacher Wishlists, or click the screenshot below]
apple dumplings
New today! Fixation-worthy apple dumplings. When you cut into each packet, flakes of buttery crust strew everywhere, a trickle of brown sugar caramel floods your plate and mingles with the whiskey-infused glaze that had melted over the sides. Please make these soon; you'll be so glad you did.
turkey pesto meatballs and orecchiette
A resolutely summery (in flavor) but fall (in coziness) dish of turkey meatballs, zucchini, and orecchiette (which acts like tiny meatball catching mitts) with pesto everywhere -- in the meatballs, in the brothy sauce, and dolloped at the end. Finished with a shower of parmesan, I cannot decide whether to eat this with a fork or spoon, so we use both.
✨ My third cookbook, Smitten Kitchen Keepers, will be out in just 48 but-who’s-counting days and I cannot wait to share it with you. Next Thursday, October 6, I will finally announce the fall book tour schedule and I’m so excited. I hope this means we finally get to meet, or meet again. Stay tuned!
Recipes that get me excited about fall
broccoli cheddar soup
Broccoli cheddar soup, exactly the way I always wanted it to be -- a lot of broccoli, a little bit of richness. I turn this into an epic quiche in Smitten Kitchen Keepers and I can’t wait for you to be able to make it too!
classic grilled cheese + cream of tomato soup
Better-than-classic tomato soup with a depth and complexity that makes it a forever favorite. Plus, grilled cheese sandwiches, as unfussy as they should be. I made this for dinner on Monday and it perfectly hit the spot.
squash toasts with ricotta and cider vinegar
One of my favorite fall combinations, ever, here roasted winter squash is half-mashed with a tangy mess of onions (cooked down with cider vinegar and maple syrup), heaped on ricotta or goat cheese toasts and finished with fresh mint. It's ridiculously good with green salad and could make a squash convert out of anyone.
pizza beans
It is exactly the right weather to bake giant white beans as if they were ziti -- vegetables, a robust sauce, and a finish with bronzed, melty cheese. We call this classic from Smitten Kitchen Every Day, my second cookbook, pizza beans, because it brings more bean-skeptics to the table. Did I forget to mention that we serve them with garlic bread? I hope that sweetens the deal for you, too.
roasted cabbage with walnuts and parmesan
I love this cabbage dish -- wait, come back! It's so much more than it sounds: A warm salad for cold weather. Starter Cabbage for people who are cabbage suspect. Better from the tray than a serving dish, rewarding laziness, you're welcome. It takes 20 minutes total, including prep. Don't sleep on those lacy, crunchy edge pieces -- they tend to "disappear" before we even get it to the table.
pumpkin bread
I want this to be the last recipe for pumpkin bread you'll ever need: towering with a crisp cinnamon-sugar lid that's impossible not to pick off in deeply satisfying bark-like flecks. It's also one-bowl and uses a full can of pumpkin in a single loaf. I refuse to believe that a fall weekend cannot be improved by one of these coming out of the oven.
big apple crumb cake
A bouldered and plush intersection of baked apples and New York-style crumb cake, i.e. 50% cinnamon-brown sugar topping, 50% golden, sour cream-enriched cake, and 100% the best kind there is.
the perfect manhattan
My favorite place, my favorite drink, and my favorite way to make it: not too dry, not too sweet. So perfect for the first fall week with a nip in the air.
shop my favorites
Ever wonder where I get my cutting boards, paring knives, offset spatulas and more than 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. For each item, I've attempted to provide a range of shopping links so we're not just focusing on one giant retailer. Recent additions: The glass pot you might have seen in some recipe demos, and my go-to nonstick crepe pan. Let me know if there’s anything I’ve left off that you need!
See you next week!