Friends, hello from Boston via Florida, where we spent the past 5 days. Having only plunged in Upstate New York lakes for the past 13 years, it was glorious to wade into water and not have a near heart attack. I walked on the beach every morning and didn't put on sneakers from the moment I kicked them off last Sunday evening till the moment I slipped them on yesterday afternoon. We ate lots of fish, walked to town for ice cream every night, and spent our evenings lounging on the couch. It was glorious.

And also revelatory. One day, we picked up a few items for dinner at the farmer's market: head lettuce, two loaves of ciabatta, and a few pints of cherry tomatoes. Given that spring produce season hasn't even arrived at home, I had low expectations for the tomatoes.

But Friends, oh my goodness, the tomatoes! One bite filled me with extreme jealousy. We are a good three months away from tomato season up here, and tasting these exceptionally sweet, juicy tomatoes reminded me that many of you might not still be suffering through an Upstate New York spring, still getting excited about cabbage recipes! And crockpot meals!

As noted, I am in Boston (for soccer, with my son), but as soon as I get home, I am making this charred cherry tomato salsa, a recipe I shared roughly this time last year:

The beauty of this salsa is that it requires very little chopping and very little prep overall, and, most importantly, it works well with subpar tomatoes, which I most definitely will be using.

Should you be so lucky as to have proper summer tomatoes on hand, you are in for a treat; if you do not, this recipe will still work, producing just the bright, fresh sauce we need to bridge the very long gap till true tomato season arrives.

Friends, I hope all is well. Have a great weekend ☀️☀️☀️

Charred Cherry Tomato Salsa

Review of the Week

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Quick Fresh Enchilada Sauce

"Been using this recipe for a while. Definitely one of the 4 or 5 life-changing foods I’ve ever tasted in my life (and I’m 65, lol). Not enough adjectives to describe how good this recipe is. If u’ve never made this before, make it today. It will change ur life as it has mine."

— Patrick

PS: The charred salsa recipe I mentioned above is essentially a simplified version of this fresh enchilada sauce, so I thought this recent review was perfect to share this week. Here are two recipes to use with your homemade enchilada sauce:

Bean and Cheese Enchiladas: