Friends, hello!

This weekend we head to Lake George for our annual trip with Ben's family. We are a small crowd of 12, but a crowd nonetheless, and over the years we have learned to keep the nightly mealtime formula very, very simple: something grilled + a salad + bread.

Minimal prep, minimal clean up is the name of the game with minimal kitchen space and without all of the tools/gadgets we rely on regularly.

This year, for the first time ever, I made a few things ahead of time — some loaves of bread (this one and this one), large-batch Caesar dressing, double-batch Greek dressing — and a double batch of this pesto pasta salad I've been making a lot recently because my children love it, and it truly takes no time.

Ready for it?

1. Boil one pound of rotini in well-salted water. Drain, rinse under cold water, and pat dry.

2. While the pasta boils, halve 12 ounces of tomatoes and 8 ounces of ciliegine mozzarella:

3. When the pasta is drained and dried, toss it with 8 ounces of pesto. (Local friends: Buddhapesto is so good and available in many local grocery stores.) Add the tomatoes and mozzarella, and toss again.

4. Pack up, store in the fridge, and pull out for lunch and dinner as needed.

Note: this "recipe" is not on the blog... it's for for you readers only. This is what you need:

1 lb. rotini
kosher salt
8 ounces pesto, homemade or purchased
12 ounces cherry tomatoes
8 ounces ciligiene mozzarella

Have a wonderful weekend, Friends! ☀️☀️☀️

Review of the Week

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Very Best Iced Tea

"Thanks so much for sharing this recipe! I made it for the 4th and everyone loved it. I’ve made 3 more pitchers this week!"

— Shawn

How to Cook Corn for a Crowd

At some point this summer, you may find yourself cooking corn for a crowd. Here's a great method: stuff the ears, broken in half, into a large pot, add two cups of water, cover with foil, bring to a boil, then set a timer for 5 minutes.

When the timer dings, turn off the heat, remove the pan from the burner, and let the corn sit until serving time, another 5 minutes or so. The corn will emerge firm and juicy, cooked just enough, which is all it needs.