🌸🐝May recap

Very good tahini chocolate chunk cookies, the mini food processor Katie loves, & the cutest summer PJs for kids

Hi, friends! Meredith here. It’s June, and in Southern Spain, that means you’re likely to find us in the pool or cooling off at home with a cold bowl of gazpacho or salmorejo. But before we dive into that, we are here to recap the month of May: the best things we made and bought, the things you clicked on, what we wrote, and a couple of good things going on in our lives.

• Slow-roasted chicken and granola from Ready, Set Cook: This was the first time I’ve slow-roasted a chicken, and it won’t be the last. Sure, it took two (hands-off) hours, but when I went to carve the meat, it literally fell off the bone. I also loved the maple-coconut granola from this book; the recipe says it keeps for two months, but my family polished the entire batch off in just under a week. - Katie

• Cod with herby panko in a sun-dried tomato, cream, and white wine sauce: I’ll be making this again soon, because not only was it full of flavor, it was also a people pleaser! And I mean even the littlest people in my family. -Meredith

• One-pan pasta and beans with asparagus: This dish was comforting, nourishing, and downright delicious. And SO easy! I can’t wait to make it again, subbing literally any other in-season vegetable if necessary. -Katie

• Sicilian meatballs from The Secret of Cooking: These meatballs were a refreshing change from my usual classic meatball. I loved them, and actually may defrost some to have with rice tonight! -Meredith

• Marinated tofu with gochujang & almond butter noodles: I adored this tofu, and I agree with Leslie that marinating might just be one of the very best ways to prepare it! Also gochujang and almond butter together is just pure genius. -Katie

• Oven-roasted chicken shawarma with Hailee Catalano’s sourdough flatbreads. I’ve made this chicken so many times that I hardly refer to the recipe anymore, but I wanted to try something new, and Hailee’s flatbreads were calling to me. They were light and puffy, and next time I make them, I’ll double the recipe. -Meredith

• Turmeric-black pepper chicken with asparagus: This dish was so lovely, it came together so quickly, and I loved the step of dredging it in turmeric mixed with flour; it gave the chicken a lovely crust. -Katie

• Tahini chocolate chunk cookies: These cookies blew our minds! The equal parts of tahini and butter give them such a soft, luxurious texture, and they feel like peanut butter cookies but for adults. (Though our kids loved them, too!) -Katie and Meredith

• Mashed black bean tacos: I never think to mash my black beans for tacos, but man, does it change the game! My husband and I loved these. -Meredith

• Asparagus tart with Gruyere and Swiss and blueberry cheesecake danishes: This was the month I realized that I love cooking with puff pastry! The asparagus tart was decadent but light, and I can’t wait to make some tomato-topped tarts this summer. And the danishes! Not only were they stunning, they made an ordinary morning feel special. -Katie

• I got my tax return this month and allowed myself a little shopping spree. For the kids: new pajamas (Lola got these and these, Fernandito got these). For myself: two new cookbooks (Six Seasons and Simply Julia), my new favorite pants (which I don’t see on the US site, but these are similar), another white tee, and two more cropped linen tops, which I bought last year, but the style is a little bit more polished this year. -Meredith

• I also picked up a pair of the pants Meredith got (they are SO good), as well as the same cropped linen top, which I am currently living in. A few months ago, I bit the bullet and bought this mini food processor — I’d always wanted one but always convinced myself it wasn’t necessary. And it might not be necessary, but my goodness, it’s useful. I pull it out ALL the time, and I just throw it in my dishwasher when done. I use it for sauces like pesto and chimichurri, to finely chop veggies and herbs, and to make fresh bread crumbs. Per Amanda’s incredible post full of great recommendations, I also purchased Ripe Figs. For the girls, I picked up the first four books in the Magic Treehouse series — Clara is loving it, and Noelia (in true second-child fashion) is just along for the ride! Last but not least, I got Clara a new nightgown (is there anything sweeter?!), and for me, these new running headphones which go OUTSIDE of your ear?! (I run early in the morning, and it’s nice to be able to hear the music and my surroundings.)

• One-pan pasta and beans with asparagus

• Leslie Bulut’s herby turkey burgers

• The saag paneer that Anna Marie Wainwright turns to on busy weeknights

• Katie’s recap of the unbelievable creamy lemon squares from Start Here

• Cloud-like scones, need we say more?

• Our new favorite cookie recipe and a yummy salmon bowl

• The powdered bone broth Meredith sent to her parents

• Everyone’s favorite creamy corn pasta with basil

• In our kitchens in May, volumes one, two, three, four, and five

• The ultimate round-up of back pocket meals from some of our favorite Substackers!

• A peek into a regular Wednesday in Meredith’s life as a work-from-home mom in Spain

• Our interview with Anna Marie Wainwright, where she shares a recipe for some delicious apple crumble cookies!

• The latest installment of our Cookbook Club!

1. We stayed out at a friend’s pool last night (a Sunday!), grilling, swimming, and chatting, until 10:30 pm. The kids were bathed and in their pajamas before dinner was served, and they fell asleep in the car and were easily transferred to their beds. These are the nights I looked forward to throughout the rainy winter. -Meredith

2. When working at a food tour company years ago, I made some really great friends. Though we’ve all got a lot going on and live all over Spain, we make time once or twice a year to get together. This weekend we did a 24-hour catch-up at my place: there was French rosé, a bubbly Spanish wine from Valencia, hours spent next to the pool, warm biscuits from the oven, dinner at one of my favorite restaurants, laughter, and catching up. But more than that there was conversation and comfort that only comes from a shared history, and a deep love and respect for one another. -Katie

3. Gazpacho season is here!!!! I cannot properly express the joy it brought me to see my blender in action this morning. -Meredith

4. Long, summer days. I am often reminded that this is my kids’ childhood — swimming in the pool ‘til the sun goes down, cold gazpacho from the fridge, late-night plans with friends and family. The rest of the year is routine and order, but these Spanish summers are everything to me (and I think them, too.) -Katie