Where to begin! This past week has been a dream. I have loved meeting so many butter pants in D.C., Charlotte, and Boston, hugging your babies, eating treats in your cities, and seeing MY BOOK IN THE WILD. Seeing y’all cook my recipes and feed them to your families is the coolest feeling in the entire world. Thank you.
I’ve heard this a lot this week — “Caro, there are so many delicious recipes in this book. Where should I start?” SO glad you asked!!
Here are the ten recipes I think you should start with, from protein-heavy to veggie forward options. These are all really easy to make, and part of the reason why I think you should cook them first is that many of them use seasonal ingredients (corn! tomato! grilled steak!) that are fleeting.
What To Cook (First) From WHAT TO COOK WHEN YOU DON’T FEEL LIKE COOKING:
1. Pimento Cheese Everything Bagel Galette, 216
2. Peanutty Pork & Brussels, 39
3. Spicy Ramen & Snap Pea Stir-Fry, 51
4. Summer Soup, 168
5. Grilled Flank Steak With Charred Corn Panzanella, 126
6. Turkey Taco Salad, 119
7. Braised Fish With Tomato & Coconut Chickpeas, 164
8. Pesto Meatballs With Tomato Salad & Labneh, 122
9. Lamb & Hummus Bowls, 99
10. Sheet Pan Artichoke Melts, 167
Keep tagging me so that I can keep sharing what you cook!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you, for loving on this book.
if you’ve already started cooking from the book, what was your first recipe?!
I am having a little bit too much fun on Instagram this week. Yes, some of these trending audio sounds have been over for months, and, sure, I may be ten years older than the target demographic, but I’m here, I’m lip syncing, and I’m not sorry!!! Thanks to everyone who has indulged me so far (like my editor and agent who were born to play Blair Waldorf and Dan Humphrey here). Buckle up for more of this and this and this level of unhinged content during my book. It’s honestly been such a fun and funny creative exercise at the end of every day!
Girls supporting girls. I have been joined by such wonderfully supportive women at my book events and I am so inspired by the generosity, talent, and girl power they each bring to the table. Thank you Sohla El-Waylly, Carla Hall, Esther Tetreault and Katie aka @beachreadsandbubbly for being the greatest conversation partners a gal could ask for. I am SO into their books (and their beer!) this week and always: Start Here: Instructions for Becoming a Better Cook, Carla Hall's Soul Food: Everyday and Celebration,
Book tour content never sleeps, and you may be wondering how one films themselves signing books, getting ready, and doing fit checks when they are alone in a hotel room. The answer is this suction phone case, which makes it a little too easy to capture hands-free content on the go. You just mount your phone on a window/mirror/hard surface and it’s lights, camera, action, baby! I also use it to stick my phone to surfaces while FaceTiming, watching My Lady Jane, etc! Important: make sure to order the right size for your phone.
I’ve said this before but I am genuinely so into the Harper Wilde Bliss Bralette that it I have to mention again. It’s buttery, it’s a great t-shirt bra, I want to wear it every day, in fact, I have worn it everyday of this tour, and it just rocks.
What to Cook launched in December 2020, meaning there are more than 175 recipes in the archives! Here’s what we cooked this week last year, and the year before that, and the year before that.
Sorta Pasta Alla Norma, 2023
One-Skillet Roasted Chicken and Peaches, 2022
The Greatest Kale Salad, 2021
Editor: Sarah Levy
My mom (on the east coast!) and I (from Carmel!) drank wine and made the al pastor enchiladas over the phone together, pretending to be in the kitchen side by side. My little California beast and sweet Connecticut nephews FaceTimed as they shared a bicoastal dinner!
The plan is for each person in my house (4 of us) to pick one recipe per week and then I add on one from your Substack. So far I have made the pesto meatballs, harissa chicken, and turkey patties with cauli mash & spinach. All have been 10/10. Tonight it’s the risotto (my husband’s pick). My new favorite thing is to beat the estimated time for the recipe. It’s like arriving somewhere before my gps says I will.