i dream of beaches
plus: pasta with longer-cooked broccoli
Monday, February 20, 2023
I will settle for no less than this for my afternoon snack going forward. [TikTok] Gorgeous buttercream tiles [Instagram]
When did we stop flipping our eggs? [Marian Bull Substack]
Adobo every vegetable [Eater]
The Ice Cream Conspiracy [NPR]
Good morning from … the airport, but not for book tour this time! If all goes well, we should be on our way somewhere very warm for the week and I promise not to rub it in, but I can’t wait to see the ocean, sand, and get too many freckles. Even when I’m not boarding a plane late in February, I’m dreaming about it. Late February is exactly when winter, if it ever charmed you, stops doing that, especially when there are so many weeks left of it. And I feel the same about “winter” food. I begin craving foods with the suggestion of sunlight behind them, meals that evoke warmer places (but can still be made with what you can get at the stores). Below, a few menu suggestions for a week where we might want to beam ourselves elsewhere.
Cheers,
Deb
Smitten Kitchen Keepers, my third cookbook, has been out for three wonderful months and I love to see everything that you’re cooking from it. While the majority of the book tour is behind us, I’ll be in Columbus, Ohio in March, and I’ll be sprinkling in a few other events throughout the spring. You can keep up to date with all of the details on this page.
pasta with longer-cooked broccoli
New: A one-pan pasta dish with broccoli that's intentionally cooked longer, so it's tender, almost silky, and you can really taste the olive oil, garlic, and lemon. It's cozy and perfect on an overcast day.
mango slaw with cashews and mint
This crunchy/sour/sweet/spicy slaw is one of my favorite ways to celebrate mango season -- it's colorful, refreshing, and never lasts.
crisp black bean tacos with feta and slaw
These tacos are a stealth archive favorite for 14 (!) years now -- they seem so simple but they hit all the perfect weeknight dinner notes with a quick black bean filling, easy slaw, and pan-crisped taco shell we should never be deprived of.
simplest spaghetti al limone
The simplest way to make spaghetti al limone is also my favorite, enlisting an uncooked sauce, but no cream, butter, or other clutter. It's sunny and triumphant, a delicious way to end a long way.
obsessively good avocado cucumber salad
Do you have a cucumber? Avocado? You should make this impossibly good salad and then eat it standing up in the kitchen, as I may or may not do at least once a week.
crispy tofu pad thai
This is one of my favorite dishes and my best effort to do it crispy/crunchy, sour/sweet, salty/funky justice at home. The best part? The speed. Once you get a little prep out of the way, the faster you cook it, the better it tastes.
braised ginger meatballs in coconut broth
Deeply flavorful meatballs cooked in a coconut broth are a favorite for family, friends, or just us because it's so flexible -- you can add rice or skip it, add heat or limit it, or load it with every single herb and garnish you see here and be very glad that you did.
key lime meltaways
Bright, buttery, tart and sweet, these little cookies pack an incredible flavor and texture, and will make your Monday instantly better. Regular limes will work just fine here, too.
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.
See you next week!
