Hi, happy holiday week!!!
No fireworks for us tomorrow — wildfires keep the fireworks away in Northern California — but we will be celebrating nonetheless! We have friends coming up to the cabin and we’re so excited to share our funny little mountain getaway with them. I can’t wait to swim to the dock in the middle of the lake with my UNC bestie and a bottle of sparkling rosé :) BTW have you checked out MC’s photography? My walls are covered in it.
Keep reading for what me and my team are into this week: a few last-minute ideas for what to eat and drink tomorrow, some things I’ve purchased recently to make outdoor dining more enjoyable, summer cocktails we have our sights on, and more.
The WTC Summer Vacation House Meal Plan!! We shared it on Monday as peak summer travel season begins, and are so excited about the line up. The meals rely on spice blends like Old Bay, taco seasoning, and jerk or cajun seasoning to provide maximum flavor without you having to pack or buy a whole new spice collection on vacay. They’re also all quick and easy to cook and can be easily doubled or tripled if you’re with a group. For the record… a vacation/vacation house is not required!! It’s a perfect 5-day menu (with cocktail, app, and dessert ideas too) for any week this summer, whether you’re traveling or not.
The Olympic trials. Watching the swimming, track, and gymnastics trials over the last few days and weeks has been THRILLING and has me so excited for the Olympics. This video of the girls’ gymnastics team being announced is everything. Look at the parents’ faces!!
Prepping for tomorrow. We’re going to the cabin for the Fourth and I’ve had so much fun meal planning. For lunch we’re having hotdogs with my deviled egg potato salad and watermelon, and that night we’re having grilled sausages, grilled halloumi with tomatoes, and an arugula, basil, and Parm salad. What are you cooking!?
If you’re still trying to decide, let me make the decision for you: cook the cookout chicken + Mexican corn! Go buy the ingredients right now so you can marinate the chicken tonight and not have to think about it until it’s time to light the grill or turn on the oven tomorrow. You can also prep the dressing for the corn salad tonight to make tomorrow even easier. To go along with it, here are some cocktail, mocktail, and app ideas…
Summer peach margs. I want to incorporate ripe juicy peaches into basically everything I eat or drink right now. You too? Make this marg!
Blueberry basil jargarita. I get DMs all the time asking for a link to my jargarita recipes so here ya go! Throw some strawberry slices in there too to make it extra patriotic.
Frozen watermelon margarita. This is a recipe from my first cookbook, Just Married, and it’d be SO good for a hot af Fourth party. To make: In a blender, combine 3 fluid ounces blanco tequila, 1 fluid ounce triple sec, 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice (from about 2 limes), 1 pound seedless watermelon chunks, 2 to 3 cups of ice, and a pinch of kosher salt. Blend on high for 30 seconds, or until smooth. Add more ice if you want a thicker frozen consistency! And/or add 1 teaspoon of agave nectar if you want it sweeter.
Moving onto some non-alcoholic options… how delicious does this Strawberry Basil Lemonade from Gaby look??!
Ghia’s Lime & Salt Le Spritz has been Molly’s poolside drink of choice throughout her third trimester. Grab some to have on hand for non-drinkers tomorrow!
If iced tea’s your thing, Carla Hall’s iced tea mocktails (or cocktails!!) look extremely refreshing.
Hot Corn and Scallion Pimento Cheese. Pimento cheese? Good. Perfectly ripe summer corn? Good. Corn IN PIMENTO CHEESE? Gooooooooood.
Grilled Prosciutto and Brie Wrapped Figs. These last approximately 2 minutes when I serve them at a party. So delicious, everyone gobbles them up.
The Mexican corn from last week would be exceptional served as dip with chips!
Salt & Vinegar Roasted Onion Dip. I wrote this recipe at the start of the pandemic. It’s delicious, and the headnote reads like a time capsule.
Depending where you live, the idea of eating outside may or may not resonate with you right now (friends in the deep South… you OK down there??). We’re having a heat wave in our corner of California too, but the evenings are pleasant, and we’ve been eating almost all of our meals at the cabin outside. Here are some things I’ve bought recently to make it more enjoyable!
I got two of these enamel dishware sets for the cabin and I'm obsessed with them. They just make eating everything feel fun. They’re a hefty aluminum so they feel strong and sturdy to eat off of as an adult but also the kids can't break them.
OK two unsexy recommendations that have been allowing us to eat outside: these fly traps and this mosquito repeller. They really work!!
We don't have a washing machine at the cabin so I'm entering my vinyl tablecloth era and gotta say, with kids, I'm really into them. Just wipe ‘em down and put ‘em away. No washing needed!
We often eat by the lake or pool so these compostable plates make me feel like less of a jerk for using paper plates.
A: OK, this is like asking me to pick a favorite child, but I do have an answer!!
I am obsessed with the Peanutty Pork and Brussels from the 15-minute chapter (have I spilled that the chapters are organized by how many minutes recipes take to cook? Cuz they are!!!). Basically you chop up a bunch of Brussels sprouts and sauté them in a pan with ground pork and a few seasonings and saucy things and it is just the most delightful, healthy bowl of meat and veggies. So simple and so delicious.
Molly’s friend sent her this "coastal grandmother” playlist yesterday and she’s very into it. Crank it while you’re cooking for the Fourth!
Contributor + editor: Molly Ramsey
Contributor: Jillian Voorhees
Thank GOD for the peanutty pork and brussels making it to the cookbook!!!! You made this on Instagram like a year ago just randomly on a reel and I have made it almost weekly since by just watching and rewatching the reel a thousand times. My family will thank you for the rebrand because we just call it "peanut butter chicken veggie rice thing". Can't wait!