Why are they so good?? Plus a Simple Long Weekend Menu + Pan-Roasted Baby Artichokes


Friends hello,

Earlier this summer, I shared a recipe for this charred cherry tomato salsa. It was something I started making this time last year, when the local sun golds abounded everywhere, from my little co-op two blocks away, to all the farmers' markets, to friends' gardens.

But by the time I got photos and a recipe together, sun gold season was nearly over, and everyone, I feared, had moved on to butternut squash, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts. So I waited to share the recipe till May, when I discovered it worked well with subpar tomatoes.

But, Friends! When I saw that the sun golds had returned to my little co-op, I made the salsa with them, and oh my word: it was SO good. I mean, right now, all of the local cherry tomatoes taste like candy, but sun golds, if I may, are the gold standard.

If you happen to be out and about this weekend, keep your eyes peeled for them, and then make this salsa. We love it on tacos and taco bowls, but also spooned over eggs and, of course, on its own with chips.

I'm wishing you all a wonderful long weekend. I am mourning the end of summer and the return to hectic mornings and chaotic afternoons, but I suppose having a little more routine (and a quiet house for a few hours anyway) will be nice, too.

Summer candy!

PS: I kept seeing tubs of baby artichokes at my grocery store, so I revisited an old favorite recipe: Pan-Roasted Baby Artichokes. Unlike globe artichokes, baby ones have no fuzzy inedible choke, which makes them much easier to prepare than the large ones. That said, they still require the outer leaves to be removed and the stems to be slightly peeled — I enlisted my 12-year-old to help, and her little hands were so speedy! Once the prep work is done, the recipe is simple, and the crispy, tender artichokes are irresistible!



Review of the Week

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Detroit-Style Pizza

"Baked it tonight. So good! Made it with pepperoni, sausage, and onions. Let it proof for 2 days in the refrigerator. Crust had a great crumb. "

— Brett Vannatta


A Menu for The Long Weekend: 7 Recipes

My only goal for the next few months is to eat as much corn on the cob as I can before it disappears till next summer — it is so, so good right now. And if I were home this weekend, corn on the cob would be on the menu every night. Here are a few more ideas if you are entertaining for the long weekend:

Greek Salad with 5-Ingredient Vinaigrette

Three-Ingredient Grilled Chicken

The Very Best Iced Tea

Simple White Bean Salad

Strawberry Paloma Slushie (great for a crowd 🎉)

No-Knead, Overnight Fridge Focaccia

Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies


Popular Right Now

You Are Loving These 3 Recipes ...

PS: ALL the popular recipes right here → Popular Recipes


Thank You

Thank you to all who have ordered Pizza Night. If you haven't left a review yet, I would be so grateful if you did! 🙏🙏🍕🍕🥗🥗


5 Free Resources Available to You

PS: All previous editions of this newsletter can be found here.

Hi. I'm Ali.

Bread enthusiast. Vegetable lover. Omnivore. If the kitchen is your happy place, you're in good company. Let's hang.

Read more from Hi. I'm Ali.

Friends hello, We may be two days away from the official start of fall, but we are still many weeks away from the end of tomato season. If you mentally have not moved on to apple and squash season — I'm trying! —here's one more recipe to add to your must-make-before-it's-too-late recipe list: one-pot baked ziti. You'll need 1.5 pounds of cherry tomatoes, some garlic, olive oil, and any tubular, ziti-like dried pasta you like — I have been really liking mezzi rigatoni (which I use in this...

Friends hello, When I first saw variations of cinnamon-sugar focaccia circling through my social media feeds, I thought: Why?! Can't we keep focaccia as it is, oily, salty, and rosemary-flecked, perfect just the way it is? I felt grumpy watching the videos of bubbly dough being brushed and dimpled with cinnamon-sugar butter baths and drizzled with milky glazes. When I received comments with questions about how I might adapt this focaccia recipe into a cinnamon roll, I would reply: Don't know!...

Friends hello, Last week, one of you (hi Lauri 👋) emailed me sharing a solution to the overdone-at-the-edges-but-needs-more-time-in-the-middle problem that arises when baking crackers, specifically these sourdough discard crackers: Crediting a Cooking Light cracker recipe from years ago, Lauri wrote: "After rolling, scoring, and seasoning, I’ve been sliding the parchment onto upside-down sheet pans and baking them at 325. It works fabulously!!" I tried the method immediately as I had a vat of...