father's day + outdoor cooking
plus: slushy paper plane cocktails
Monday, June 9, 2025
Good morning!
I love this series about what kids are eating for lunch at school so, so much. [Here, here, and here]
On Instagram, Recipe-Sharing Automation Is Here to Stay [Eater, with some input from me]
This Year’s Hot New Tool for Chefs? ChatGPT. [NYTimes, unlocked]
After yet another oddly gloomy and cold weekend in the Northeast, you might ask: grilling? ice cream sandwiches? frozen cocktails? Deb, you’re dreaming. But rather than accepting this — a constant drizzle, hoodies outside, and soup for dinner in June — please, daydream with me. Perhaps we can summon warmer days and sustained sunlight into existence. Below, some of my favorite foods to grill and to cook outside on a summer weekend, just in time for Father’s Day. Plus, I’ve got a new cocktail for you that’s magically frozen and blended and texture, with no ice or blender required. Yes, we’re a little obsessed and I hope you will be too.
Cheers,
Deb
I’ve written three cookbooks and I’m a tiny bit biased, but I think you’d love them all. Wondering what you might cook from Smitten Kitchen Keepers now that summer is finally here? I thought you’d never ask! Try the two-bean salad with basil vinaigrette, tomato and corn cobbler, zucchini and pesto lasagna, and steak and corn tacos. To finish, I recommend the big crumb pie bars and the strawberry summer stack cake. Were you looking for a list of all the recipes in each of my cookbooks? I’ve added these in a separate page and hope it makes it easier for you to find everything you want to cook.
“One of the winning elements of ‘The Recipe’ is that it’s not prescriptive — rather than settling on one universal ‘perfect’ recipe, the chefs explain their personal preferences, then give listeners the information they need to make their own adjustments. By breaking their recipes down ingredient-by-ingredient, digging into what each one is doing, they make the science of cooking approachable and fun.” — New York Times, 7 Podcasts to Inspire a New Hobby
“J. Kenji Lopez-Alt and Deb Perelman’s new podcast gets to not only the heart of how they make their recipes—but also the why behind each decision, too.”
The latest full episode of my podcast with J. Kenji Lopez-Alt, The Recipe with Kenji and Deb, is a Mailbag Episode! You can listen to it anywhere you get your podcasts, such as Apple, Spotify, and more.
slushy paper plane
New! 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.
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.
not your mama's coleslaw
If you've only ever experienced bland, limp and overly-dressed coleslaw, you're in for a treat: this is cabbage *salad* -- crunchy and bright. For summer picnics and barbecue prep: Keep the vegetables shredded in a bag and the dressing in a big jar and assemble as needed. Which, of course, will be often.
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?
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.
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!]
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.
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.
brownie ice cream sandwiches
Ice cream sandwiches made with thin sheets of fudgy brownies > ice cream sandwiches made with cookies, unquestionably. Now that we have that sorted, you could be eating these in all of 90 minutes. Your future self thanks you.
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.
cucumber lemonade
This is the most refreshing thing I know how to pour in a glass on a gloriously sunny, summery week. Can you put gin and a splash of seltzer in this? I can't believe you'd even have to ask.
summer steak with corn and tomatoes
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 — yes, including the the Smitten Kitchen x Staub Braiser (which is back in stock!). For each item, I've attempted to provide a range of shopping links so we're not just focusing on one giant retailer.
What’s the Smitten Kitchen x Staub Braiser? It’s an 11-inch, 4-quart braiser — essentially a lower profile enameled cast-iron Dutch oven that works as 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. Not a week has gone by in the decade I’ve had mine when I don’t use it at least three times. And we just got in a limited run of a stunning blue color for spring!
Your braiser purchase contains three new recipes (two savory, one sweet) by me that work perfectly in your new pot. If you’re looking for even more ideas, I created a category on the site to highlight some of my favorite dishes I make in mine.
See you next week!
