so into that #62

the perfect pesto formula, rain gear, and Gaby's new substack!

Hi! We are back from our epic, life-affirming, truly-perfect trip to Patagonia. Next Wednesday I’m going to share a full “So Into Patagonia” photo diary, which I’m really excited for, but for now, let’s talk about a few things me and the team are really into right now.

First up: my perfect pesto formula. I guarantee that you have everything in the fridge or pantry needed to make an absolutely epic pesto right now. Then, some rainy day gear we’re loving, the dress we’re coveting, and some exciting things in the world of baby-feeding! And, of course, the past four years of What To Cook recipes featuring some faves of mine!

Spring is almost here! And nothing says spring cooking like a bright herby pesto. Pesto can make fixing dinner so easy — or make a great dish over-the-top delicious. I always keep my fridge stocked with some (either homemade or store-bought, depends on the week), and here are a few ways I use it:

• Stir a spoonful into any cooked rice.

• Use it as a simple marinade for chicken, shrimp fish, pork, or steak — or just serve it as a condiment alongside any meat.

• Add a layer of pesto inside your grilled cheese. Trust!

• Add it to a cheese board.

• Add a spoonful to bowl of soup to mix up the flavor for your leftovers.

• Use it as a sub for any recipe that calls for Parm, garlic, and fresh herbs (like we did for these messy meatball sliders).

• Drizzle it over any rice, farro, or quinoa grain bowl. If it’s too thick to drizzle, you can add lemon juice or water to dilute it.

• Obviously, stir it into any cooked noodles! Add some pasta cooking water to make it extra creamy and to help the pesto cling to the noodles. To make a more filling but incredibly easy pesto pasta, add a can of drained white beans like navy or cannellini to the mix, plus halved cherry tomatoes (or sun-dried tomatoes if you love them).

My favorite store-bought pestos are Costco’s Kirkland Basil Pesto and Gotham Greens (GG’s vegan, classic, and spicy pestos are all insane!).

Pesto is also SO easy to DIY. The classic ingredients for pesto are basil + pine nuts + Parm + garlic + olive oil. (Or you could leave the Parm out for a vegan pesto.) But I’ve found that pesto is endlessly customizable using whatever I have on hand.

exceptions to hard grated cheese below for my DF girls!!

Using that formula, you can use whatever’s already in your fridge or available at the farmer’s market, including:

• GREENS: Basil, dill, parsley, cilantro, kale, arugula, spinach

• TOASTED NUTS: pine nuts, walnuts, almonds, cashews, Brazil nuts

• HARD GRATED CHEESE: Parmesan, Grana Padano, asiago, manchego. OR! You can also make a “creamy pesto” by using sour cream, yogurt, creme fraiche, labneh, any dairy-free yogurt, etc.! OR nutritional yeast is so great in pesto!

• OIL: Extra-virgin olive oil, olive oil, avocado oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil, grapeseed oil

• ANYTHING ACIDIC: lemon juice, lime juice, any light-colored vinegar

A few ideas:

• Spinach + toasted walnuts + Grana Padano + olive oil + lemon juice

• Parsley + toasted pine nuts + Parm + sunflower oil + rice vinegar.

• Arugula and basil + toasted pistachios + nutritional yeast + olive oil + lemon juice

What’s your favorite use for pesto?!

A catchall of things we wore/ordered/coveted/saw/loved this week

1. It’s rainy today and I’m wearing this trench (plus a baseball hat because no hood!) and these rain-resistant boots. They are both workhorses and will hold up forever.

2. From Molly from What To Cook: It was raining here in Charleston too! My kids wore this rain jacket (they’re really high quality and can be passed down or resold when they outgrow them). I’m in the market for new kids’ rain boots and am eyeing these Hunter dupes. Also, Caro and I agree that kids’ umbrellas make an excellent gift! From Caro: Cashy (age 2) is in his Bogs boots today and they are truly the best for jamming boots onto chubby lil feet!

3. From Molly: I’ve been really into wearing an apron lately! I got one as a gift years ago but never wore it until this year (I think it felt too official/chef-y for me?). It’s practical, of course, but also helps get me in the mood to cook. Something about wearing an apron and drinking from a wine glass (whether it’s filled with wine or just ice water) helps me rise to the occasion. My apron’s about a decade old from Anthropologie, but we love this smock-style one (Caro’s fave), this $30 classic, and this pasta look.

4. From Molly: I’m currently coveting this new nap dress for spring.

5. From Jillian from What to Cook: I’m normally such a scaredy cat when it comes to thrillers, but my book club (the one Caroline's in too!) picked None of This is True by Lisa Jewell, and I could not put it down. I listened to the audiobook version (highly recommend) and devoured the whole thing in a day! It's twisty, suspenseful, and the kind of story that makes you question everything.

6. From Jillian: My friend recently gifted me some Primally Pure products, and I am full-fledged obsessed. Their Normal Skin Cleansing Oil has become my favorite way to wash my face, and the Clarifying Cream is honestly working miracles — my skin has never looked clearer. Everything smells amazing and makes me feel like I’m at the spa, even if I'm just hiding from my kids for five minutes! From Caro: I am obsessed with all things Primally Pure too!! Especially the Clarifying Mask for my hormonal breakouts.

7. My dear friend Gaby Dalkin of What’s Gaby Cooking launched a newsletter TODAY called Little Mouths, Big Palates, where she’s going to be sharing tips and info on all things feeding babies and kids! Expect delicious recipes, interviews with experts, and batch-cooking strategies. Click here to check it out and subscribe!

8. Speaking of feeding babies, this is our team’s favorite bib — the sleeves keep you from having to change their clothes after every dang meal. Molly’s using one now with Cole and I used the same one with my boys, too! Can’t wait to whip it out again for baby number four.

illustration by Sophia Joan Short

I just got back from a trip where the extraordinary was so big and in my face all day everyday. It was absolutely incredible, but I also know that noticing the extraordinary within ordinary days is the real key to joy, so I’m trying to carry that perspective with me now that I’m home. Thank you Sophia Joan Short for letting us share your illustration! Click here to see the whole carousel.

Here are a few extraordinary things we’ve noticed in the last 24 hours!

• Caro: Cash’s curls. Watching my kids climb into my parents’ laps because they’re just as comfortable there as they are in mine. Feeling a tiny thump inside my belly. When a friend calls you right as you’re thinking about them.

• Molly: My son Eli’s eyes — they’re light blue but have a dark blue rim that stops my in my tracks! My 7 month old, Cole, belly laughed for a full minute last night and it was pure magic. Small talk with the cashier at the grocery store yesterday (she was hilarious). The Boudreaux gumbo I cooked last night — so delicious!

Our friends at One Tricky Pony saw that I was in Patagonia last week and offered to share some peanut butter goodness with What to Cookers (their peanut butter is made from Argentinian peanuts and Patagonian sea salt!). To enter to win a 3-pack of One Trick Pony PB, comment with something extraordinary you’ve noticed lately (or anything you want to chat about)! Two winners¹ will be randomly chosen next Tuesday, 3/11.

What to Cook began in December 2020, which means there are more than 200 recipes in the archives. To help you cook through them, let’s revisit what we cooked this week over the last few years.

roasted red pepper and butternut squash soup, 2024

If it’s cold and rainy where you live too, here’s a delicious vegetarian soup we haven’t discussed in a while. Sometimes we get asked for meal recs that yield a smaller serving size. This is one of those, so if you are typically cooking for one or two people, bookmark this recipe! If you love soup (or having leftovers to freeze), double this recipe!

no-stir mushroom risotto, 2023

… with chili walnut crunch! We’re using brown rice instead of arborio rice to pack in extra nutrients, and we’re baking it to make it v easy. I love, love, love this recipe — don’t skip the crunch!

sriracha shrimp sushi rolls, 2022

This is a BELOVED recipe by many — so customizable. Recipes where everyone in the family can choose their own adventure and add their own fave toppings are always huge winners.

blackened fish taco bowls, 2021

These bowls are fresh and delicious and taste like spring. This would be a great meal to cook this Sunday to celebrate the extra hour of daylight. Also, if you’ve ever been intimidated to cook or buy fish, read this post — I go into tons of detail to demystify all things fish. Make rice, but also grab some great tortillas so that people can either make bowls or tacos.

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1. You must be in the U.S., at least 18, and a paid subscriber of this newsletter to enter the giveaway.