How are you over there in your kitchen? As I mentioned on Monday, things are a little hectic in mine! If you missed it, bebe Adler will make an appearance a little earlier than we initially expected. So far, both bebe and I are doing well and Quentin’s been an absolutely incredible support.

At one of my many appointments this week, my OB strongl…

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How are you over there in your kitchen? Following some somewhat unexpected news, I am busy in mine. For the past few weeks, I’ve had a gut feeling that bebe Adler would be joining us early. Turns out I was having a little early onset mother’s intuition! Bebe and I are both completely fine, but I’ve had a spot of high blood pressure, so my OB team is recommending an induction at around thirty seven weeks. If you’re not familiar with the ins and outs of pregnancy timing (I wasn’t until nine months ago!), this means our little bundle of joy will most likely be here in about three weeks (if not sooner). We’d originally planned for six! Ah!

And all of this after I so confidently took to the internet to talk about all the things I wanted to get done in the time before bebe’s originally estimated due date. Icarus! Needless to say, Quentin and I are now scrambling to accomplish as much as we can in the now-abridged time leading up to bebe’s arrival. We spent the weekend assembling nursery furniture, washing itty bitty clothing, and doing our best to squeeze in quality time while it’s still *just the two of us.* I also did a good amount of cooking, but more on that in a moment.

I have a feeling bebe’s earlier-than-anticipated arrival and my completely dashed (and admittedly extremely unhinged) Postpartum Prep Plan is an amazing preview of parenting itself. I can plan all I want, but human beings—especially little ones—are unpredictable. So while I’m a bit nervous about this news, I’m doing my best to relax into the chaos and am feeling very excited we’ll get to meet our sweetie a little sooner than expected.

One of the things I had planned that’s getting moved up on the calendar quite a bit has to do with you, dear reader. I was hoping for a few more weeks of writing to ya before going out on mat leave, but it looks like this newsletter will take a pause a bit earlier than expected. The Fresh Letter will go on hiatus after this week with a tentative return scheduled for early 2024. I’ll miss you!

Paid subscribers, you will receive one more menu from me this Friday and you will not be charged for your subscription during my mat leave.

Now, onto the kitchen stuff! Let’s talk about the foodie work I’m doing to prep for bebe.

I’m taking a three-pronged approach. First, I have a bit of a freezer stash built up and will add to it as I can over the next couple weeks. I am also planning on reaching for some prepared foods. And of course, we’ll do some takeout.

Before we dive in, let’s talk a bit about what shaped my postpartum meal prep plan. In crafting It, I leaned on the wonderful book, The First Forty Days. It puts a heavy emphasis on rest and recovery for the birthing person and the author, Heng Ou, has strong familial ties to Traditional Chinese Medicine. The book’s ethos and recipes are reflective of both these things—many soups, porridges, broths, smoothies, and stews that are restorative and easy on digestion. I really connected with most of what Ou had to say and recommend the book highly to any family who’s expecting a little one soon (Quentin read it too!).

Okay, let’s get into the nitty gritty of my plan:

In the freezer:

• Porridges- I made two. First, a really simple congee (3/4 cup sushi rice, 3 quarts water, simmered slowly for 3ish hours). I’ll eat it stirred into bone broth for lunches and topped with silan syrup and berries for breakfast. I also made a simple oatmeal with oats, cinnamon, ginger, and water.

• Bone broth- I’m making a chicken-based one. To boost the nutrients, I like to add chicken feet to mine, which I source from my local butcher. I’m loosely following the recipe found in The First Forty Days.

• Smoothie bags- I made these for personal cheffing clients back in the day: toss all the ingredients (except the milk) for a single serving of a smoothie in a small ziplock. Jot the amount of milk that needs to go into the blender in sharpie on the outside of the bag. Mornings are a lot easier this way because the contents of the bag just get tossed into your blender with the specified amount of milk! I made a stash of PB&J smoothie bags with berries, banana, oats, flax, and peanut butter.

• Lactation cookies- I will make these if I have time! I got the recipe from a former personal cheffing client and have made them for a few pregnant folks since. They have many ingredients anecdotally associated with increased milk production: oats, flax, bananas, and brewers yeast. TBD on if I can squeeze this task into the next couple weeks but I’m hoping to!

Prepared foods:

• Banza frozen pizza- quick, easy, and nutrient dense thanks to the chickpea crust.

• Trader Joe’s frozen rice- I wrote an entire ode to it.

• Miso soup packets- my sister turned me on to these a couple years ago. We both love them as a hangover cure. They’re that restorative! Recovering from giving birth is similar to recovering from a fun night out…right?

• Fruit-based granola bars- again, I really love the Trader Joe’s option, but I’ll also stock Lara Bars for variety.

Takeout:

• When I tire of my broth-based diet, we’ll be turning to takeout! In our household, I usually handle the ordering in, so to make it easy on Quentin, I made him a little cheat sheet with links and typical orders. Here’s a peek:

  

And that covers it! I’m doing my best to keep in mind that this meal prep plan is just that: a plan. And if I’ve learned anything over the past few days, it’s that all good plans have a lot of flexibility built into them. So we’ll have our freezer stash, but in my fast-approaching fourth trimester, I’m hoping to listen really closely to my cravings and honor them as much as possible.

Okay, I cannot believe it I’m saying this, but I’m wishing you a very well-fed week…and rest of your 2023…ahead! Feel free to keep in touch, though my responses will be delayed. Shoot me an email, leave a comment, or drop me a DM over on Instagram .

xx

Erica

Want more? I’m so flattered! You can also follow me on Instagram or TikTok, or check out my tips-laden e-book collection. The newest addition, Meal Prep Made Simple, is available to order now!

This post includes affiliate links. Your shopping experience will not be affected, but Erica might earn a small commission on the goods purchased through those links. Thanks for supporting Erica's work!

How are you over there in your kitchen? I’m here in mine craving some comfort food, but with a spring-y spin. On that note, let’s get right into today’s menu:

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How are you over there in your kitchen? The other night at around 11pm (way past my current bedtime) a startled Quentin popped his head out of his office to find me rummaging, rather loudly and frantically apparently, in our kitchen. When he asked what I was doing awake, the answer was simple: I needed a brownie. And not just a brownie, a brownie sundae. So needless to say, I’m dealing with some third trimester cravings in mine.

I managed to stave the craving off with a few mini peanut butter cups (the dark chocolate Trader Joe’s kind are the best and I won’t hear otherwise), but it returned with a vengeance the next day. So I dragged myself to my corner store for a box of brownie mix, some good vanilla ice cream, and the swap we’re going to cover in today’s Fresh Letter: a stick of butter to make browned butter.

For better boxed brownies, swap the recipe’s oil for some browned butter.

I’m a noted boxed brownie enthusiast, but have never made this particular swap before. And let me tell ya, I tasted a difference.

Here’s how:

1. First, identify how much oil your particular box of brownies calls for. I almost always opt for the Ghirardelli Double Chocolate box, which calls for 1/3 cup.

2. Then, measure out an equivalent amount of butter. The sticks of butter I buy have handy tablespoon indicators on their wrappers, so I lop off 1/3 cup, or 5 and 1/3 tablespoons (a quick google can help you convert cups to tablespoons).

3. Brown your butter. Place the measured amount in a small pot on your stove over medium-low heat. Make this easier on yourself and use a light colored pot (i.e. not cast iron) so you can watch for browning indicators. Heat the butter, stirring often. It will melt, then a foam will form, then you will start to see the proteins in the butter sink to the bottom of the pan in flecks. Continue stirring very frequently at this point to prevent burning. These proteins will begin to brown after about 5 minutes and your kitchen will fill with a nutty aroma. I like mine a medium dark shade, so I watch for that then remove it from the stove, stirring for about a minute off the heat to prevent against burning.

4. Allow your browned butter to cool down but not solidify—I did this in the fridge for about 20 minutes.

5. Bake your brownies according to the instructions on the box, obviously omitting the oil and swapping it in for the browned butter.

In my brownie craving fervor, I was not diligent about taking photos at all! So here’s a stock photo of a brownie sundae. Needless to say, mine did not look this good, but thanks to my little swap, I kinda bet it tasted better!

And if you want more detailed instructions and visual indicators for browned butter, I found this write up particularly good.

Alright, we’ve covered it! Let me know if you would give this trick a try—or maybe you already have? Shoot me a note via email, in the comments section, or over on Instagram DMs.

Wishing you a well-fed week ahead.

xx

Erica

Want more? I’m so flattered! You can also follow me on Instagram or TikTok, or check out my tips-laden e-book collection. The newest addition, Meal Prep Made Simple, is available to order now!

How are you over there in your kitchen? Did you see that I’ve got meal prep on my mind in mine? I’ll be talking a bit more about my postpartum meal prep plan over the next couple weeks, likely over on Instagram and TikTok, so be sure to gimme a follow in those places if you’re curious and haven’t already.

In the meantime, you can check out the n…

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How are you doing in your kitchen over there? As the subject of this email indicates, I’m thinking a lot about meal prep in mine for a couple different reasons. First, I’m in the early stages of stocking my freezer with nourishing meals for my postpartum recovery. I’ve been reading The First Forty Days and loosely planning my meals around it. This is a niche recommendation, I know, but I highly recommend grabbing a copy if you happen to be planning for your own little one or will be supporting a loved one in their postpartum days anytime soon.

Second—and probably more relevant to you—Abigail and I have an exciting meal prep-related announcement: as of this morning, we’re offering a major discount on our two best selling e-books when you buy them together! The Meal Prep Bundle includes:

• Meal Prep Made Simple, the e-book we created together with over twenty five meal-prep-appropriate recipes and the game plans and grocery lists to go along with them. And…

• The Beginner’s Guide to Meal Prep, my very first e-book with recipes of course, but also with step-by-step instructions for meal prepping efficiently, guides for crafting your own meal prep menus, and tips and tricks to get you working very efficiently in the kitchen when working with multiple recipes at once.

Meal Prep Made Simple typically retails for $20, but you can grab both books for just $24. And forgive me, I cannot resist the trite marketing tool…nowadays, that extra $4 barely gets you a small coffee (*cries in inflation*), let alone a very no-frills latte, but it can get you access to a whole extra stellar meal prep ebook! What a deal.

Get the Meal Prep Bundle

Abigail and I have excerpted recipes and resources from Meal Prep Made Simple frequently for the past few months, so today, I want to give you a little taste of what you’ll find inside The Beginner’s Guide to Meal Prep.

Let’s talk about the two different meal prep styles—this little excerpt from Beginner’s Guide will help you understand the difference between the two, plus decide which style will work best for you and your family. Let’s take a peek:

What Is Meal Prep

(Excerpted from The Beginner’s Guide to Meal Prep, find it in The Meal Prep Bundle)

Family Style/Buffet Meal Prep

Picture yourself in the Italian countryside at the height of summer. You find a seat at the table situated on your villa’s sprawling patio just as the setting sun turns the sky pink-y orange. Platters heaped with fresh pasta, still-warm focaccia, and a bright salad of bitter greens are whisked to the table then passed amongst your family. Everyone takes a bit of whatever they’re interested in eating and conversation momentarily pauses as you all enjoy the first few bites of your meal. You catch Armie Hammer smirking at you out of the corner of your eye and you avert your gaze.

Oh, what’s that? Call Me by Your Name fan fiction seems out of place in this cookbook, you say? Well, I guess I can see your point, and while family style meal prep won’t transport you to Timothée Chalamet’s Italian Villa, my general point is family style meal prep is about interacting with large portions of food, selecting what and how much you’d like to eat right before you are about to eat, and enjoying it in that moment. When it comes to meal prep, what this means is that you will be making discrete dishes and storing them separately in large containers, then making a meal by mixing and matching those items throughout the week. The major upside of this type of prep is that you can shuffle your main and side dishes to create variety that will keep you interested throughout the week. This is the style of prep that works best for me and my family because I crave variety, and work from home enough that plating my meals is feasible. But read on--composed may be your preferred method.

Family Style/Buffet Meal Prep

If you’d prefer to have ready-made meals you can pull right out of the fridge, composed meal prep might be right for you. Composed prep involves pre-selecting a main and side dish that pair well and storing individual portions in smaller containers for you to pull out of your refrigerator and eat without worrying about plating anything. While you lose the variety inherent in the family style method, you gain the convenience of having something ready to grab and go. This is great if you’re interested in prepping for your lunch at an office job or you’re very busy and don’t want to put any thought into your meals after you’ve done your prep.

Each style has its advantages and disadvantages, but know that whichever you choose, the important thing is that you’re making meal prep work for you and you will ultimately spend the same amount of time on the prep itself regardless of style. And I’m happy to say that this book can be used to create both family style and composed meal preps.

You’ll find detailed meal prep info like this throughout The Beginner’s Guide (plus two complete menus and recipes to go along with all the tips and tricks). And if you want to keep the good food coming, Meal Prep Made Simple is much more recipe and menu focused, with five full menus and over twenty five recipes to execute them. You can get both in The Bundle at a big discount.

$24 for over 40 recipes!

Alright, we have covered it for today! If you’ve also got meal prep on your mind, I’d love to hear what you’re cooking up—shoot me an email, leave a comment, or drop in via my DMs over on Instagram.

As always, wishing you a well-fed week ahead.

xx

Erica

Want more? I’m so flattered! You can also follow me on Instagram or TikTok, or check out my tips-laden e-book collection. The newest addition, Meal Prep Made Simple, is available to order now!

This post includes affiliate links. Your shopping experience will not be affected, but Erica might earn a small commission on the goods purchased through those links. Thanks for supporting Erica's work!

How are you and your kitchen doing? I’ve reached the “contemplating dragging a chair into mine” stage of this pregnancy, but am happy to be cooking up a storm, chair or not.

This week’ I’ve got some really fun recipes on deck for ya, including a hot pink pasta! Let’s take a look:

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How are you and your kitchen doing? I’m over here in mine all but guzzling the topic of today’s newsletter. I don’t have much of a preamble for you today, other than to say that I threw this little sauce together for the first time a couple weeks ago and have made a point to keep a consistent supply of it around since. It checks a lot of my flavor boxes—it’s rich and creamy, tangy, and just a little bit sweet, and it comes together in under two minutes, which is probably why I cannot get enough.

Let’s dive into (figuratively, though if it were an option, I might just make it literal) this quick little sauce recipe:

Yogurt Sauce with Maple, Tahini, and Balsamic Vinegar

Yields about 1/2 cup sauce

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup Greek Yogurt (sub for a vegan option if you’d like!)

• 2 Tbsp well-stirred tahini

• 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

• 1 Tbsp maple syrup

• 1/4 tsp Salt

Procedure

1. Whisk together the yogurt, tahini, balsamic vinegar, maple syrup, and salt. Whisk together with a fork until well-combined. If it seizes up at all (mine usually does not, but you never know with tahini!), add water 1 tsp at a time until a nice, thick, yogurt-like consistency is achieved

2. Transfer the sauce to a container with a tightly fitted lid, or go ahead and use it right away—some ideas below!

Some ways to enjoy it:

1. Serve it as a dipping sauce with this salmon, a simple salad, and some perfectly cooked rice (or use this shortcut).

2. Thin it out with a little water and an additional Tbsp balsamic vinegary and use it as a salad dressing for your next chopped salad. You may need to add a bit of extra salt to amp the flavor back up.

3. Use it as a dip for crudités. It’s especially yummy with endive, radishes, and snap peas. Side note, have you seen the lettuce chip trend that’s been going around the ‘net these days? Controversial!

4. Make Maple Tahini Balsamic Roasted Veggies. Toss chopped veggies in this sauce, then roast until browned and cooked through. Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, and sweet potatoes all take very well to this treatment.

5. Spread it inside a pita sandwich. I stuff mine with hummus, feta, and diced cucumbers, bell peppers, and red onions for a veg-forward lunch.

Okay, we did it. Would you try this? Or do you already make a variation of it in your kitchen? I’d love to hear from you! You can leave a comment on this post for the group to see, respond to this email, or shoot me a note over on Instagram.

With that, wishing you a well-fed (tahini-soaked, perhaps) week ahead.

xx

Erica

Want more? I’m so flattered! You can also follow me on Instagram or TikTok, or check out my tips-laden e-book collection. The newest addition, Meal Prep Made Simple, is available to order now!

How are you? How about your kitchen? I brought mine outside for a little picnic to celebrate the unseasonably warm weather we’re having here. I kept it simple and served roasted veggie sandwiches and a cucumber-avocado chopped salad. I finished things off with a little yogurt parfait with raspberries and homemade coconut caramel for dessert. I’…

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How are you over there in your kitchen? Here in mine, I’ve been hyper-fixating on a very specific breakfast: toasted sourdough topped with butter, avocado mash (half an avocado, a quarter lemon, a big pinch of salt), and a six and a half minute egg. It’s delicious, yes, but it was also born of necessity. I’ve been testing a TikTok hack for you and my little kitchen experimentations have left me with quite a few boiled eggs.

Have you seen this? If you’re not into TikTok links or don’t have two minutes and forty three seconds to spare, TL;DR the original poster claims that tapping an egg using the back of a spoon until you hear a very specific ping (watch the video if you want to hear it—the tapping starts at 1:24—I can’t really convey it in writing) is the key to seamlessly peel-able boiled eggs.

The tapping and subsequent ping are supposedly an indication that the egg has separated from its inner membrane—if you’ve ever struggled to peel a hardboiled egg, then I’m sure you know that the pesky membrane between the shell and the egg itself can be a paper-thin but mighty barrier between you and a beautifully peeled boiled egg.

This particular cooking tip more than intrigued me, so over the past few days, I set out to testing it. Let’s get into the results:

But first, let me explain how I went about testing this hack. We all learned about the scientific method in elementary school, right? In keeping with it, I designed a little experiment where the only variable I changed was whether or not an egg had been tapped and pinged. Otherwise, I boiled both tapped and untapped eggs the exact same way, here’s how:

I like a soft-ish boiled egg. My typical method is to bring a full pot of plain water (side note: have you made it to WaterTok, yet? fascinating stuff…) to a rolling boil, then slowly lower my room-temperature egg into it and let the egg bathe for six and a half minutes. After its dip in the boiling water, I move the egg over to an ice bath, where it stays until it’s fully chilled down (around 3 minutes). To peel my egg, I like to use the convex side of a spoon to give some firm taps—much firmer than the ones used when the egg was raw—to break the shell all over, then peel it away. I used this method across all the eggs I tested.

My findings:

In my tests, all my eggs—tapped and pinged or not—peeled extremely easily. This could be for a variety of reasons that I can think of: my eggs are supermarket eggs that have been in my fridge for around a week, so not extremely fresh, some say an ice bath after boiling makes for easier peeling, and I know that cracking the egg all over before attempting to peel it often makes for faster peeling.

So, does it work?

I mean, kinda? In scientific method speak, I’d say that my results are inconclusive. All the eggs peeled easily, so the tapping and pinging certainly didn’t hurt in a peel-ability sense. The main difference I found between the eggs that had been tapped and those that hadn’t was that the tapped eggs were more prone to cracking once they were in the boiling water. This is, obviously, not ideal. And to be clear, the tapping and pinging does not break the shell at all. Give it a try yourself, it’s pretty interesting to hear and see IRL.

Because my current method works for me and doesn’t lead to many prematurely cracked shells, you likely won’t find me tapping away at my eggs before boiling them in the future.

However! The tapping and pinging does seem to work well in another, slightly less sensational way. I found that tapping away at the egg before cracking it open raw for use in a scramble or baked good is a worthwhile pursuit. After that very specific ping, and a good thwack on the side of a bowl, the entire raw egg comes pouring right out of the shell with almost no albumin (egg white) left over in the shell. It’s considerably less messy than cracking an un-pinged raw egg. Next time I’m making an omelet or a cake, I can absolutely see myself taking an extra second to tap my eggs. There’s a way to avoid getting uncooked egg white all over our hands and countertops and this is it!

So! In conclusion, this little hack does seem useful, just not in the way I was expecting it to be. I’m so curious, had you seen this before? Have you tried it? Would you? I’d love to hear from you via email, in the comments section of this post, or in my DM inbox.

And with that, I’ll leave you with my wishes that you have a well-fed week ahead.

xx

Erica

Want more? I’m so flattered! You can also follow me on Instagram or TikTok, or check out my tips-laden e-book collection. The newest addition, Meal Prep Made Simple, is available to order now!

How are you? And how about your kitchen? Mine’s been busy again and I’m so happy about it. And just in time for spring produce season. For our menu this week, I have a bunch of seasonally appropriate recipes, along with an unexpected dinner suggestion I think you’ll absolutely love. Let’s get into it:

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How are you over there in your kitchen? I cannot overstate how glad I am to be back in mine. Only now that I’m out on the other side of it can I see how much my lack of interest in food during the earlier months of my pregnancy impacted my sense of self. It was a temporary but significant loss of an extremely precious party of my identity. (Turns out the road to motherhood is a huge identify shift, who knew?!)

Finding renewed joy in all my favorite foodie activities—perusing grocery store shelves, painstakingly composing a well-balanced chopped salad, even scrolling aimlessly on my social feeds which are comprised mainly of edible content—feels like coming up from an entire winter spent underwater and taking a desperate gasp of fresh, spring-y air. The sense of relief and delight in my kitchen is palpable.

It’s the latter of those foodie activities that has me writing to you today. Thanks to third trimester insomnia, which has me awake between 2am and 5am more nights than not, I’ve been doing a lot of aimless scrolling these days. But it hasn’t been fruitless—an intended pun, as you will soon see! During one of my midnight media perusals, I came across a video so mouthwateringly captivating that I watched it three or four times on a loop, and literally, my mouth watered. I chalked my intense reaction up to pregnancy hormones, but saved the video for later, you know, for science…and to get a second opinion.

At a more civilized hour, I propped my phone up in front of Quentin (“watch this, should I make these?”), and I got the (albeit very slight) nudge I needed (“sure, if you want”). I got to work getting these Lemon Rolls in the oven the next day.

I’m fairly sure I cannot do them the justice they deserve with words, but by way of a brief description, I’ll tell you that they’re all the best parts of a cinnamon roll and a lemon bar, mashed into one breakfast-or-dessert-appropriate dish. And after baking these this past weekend, I can officially confirm, Ginny of In Bloom Bakery really nailed it with this one, they taste as good as they look. Like I said, I don’t think words (or even my photos included here) can really do them justice, so I strongly urge you to click this link to see them in action, then bake them yourself!

And if you do bake them yourself (perhaps for an Easter brunch?), I want to offer you a tip for when you do. Today’s tip is inspired by Julia Turshen’s Small Victories, one of the most loved cookbooks in my collection. Along with each of the book’s recipes, Julia offers a tip, or what she calls a small victory. Of these small victories, she says, “Think of small victories as the corners of the puzzle, the pieces that help us become inspired, relaxed cooks who know how to fill in the rest.”

I love this! Of course I do, I write to you weekly about kitchen and cooking tips, I think anyone can cook (and host!) with confidence, and I love offering little tidbits to help with that where I can.

Now, for that helpful little tidbit that we’ll call a small victory: rolls, whether they be of the traditional cinnamon kind, or their spring-y lemon-y counterparts, can be (mostly) made in advance!

Making cinnamon rolls or lemon rolls from scratch is a labor of love. Emphasis confidently on labor. As this lemon roll recipe is written, it’ll take you about three and a half hours from start to finish. Not all of that is hands-on time, but still, I think of this dish as a breakfast food, and the idea of a 4am wakeup call in service of an elaborate baked good is not all that appealing to me.

Well, you can have your cake and eat it too. Or, more aptly, bake your rolls and sleep in too. Here’s how:

Most yeast-risen rolls will call for two rounds of proofing: the first before the dough is rolled out and the buns are assembled and the second right afterwards, once the buns are in their baking vessel. That’s true of the lemon roll recipe I’m recommending today, so we’ll use it as our example.

For freshly baked rolls that don’t require any missed sleep, do all the steps up to and including the second round of proofing—for our recipe, that’s steps up to and including step 5 in the Assembling and Baking the Lemon Rolls section of the recipe—the day (or even two days) before you plan to eat them. Then cover your rolls with foil or plastic wrap, and pop them in the fridge until you’re ready to bake them! Proceed with the rest of the recipe at a civilized hour the morning you plan to enjoy them. Simple, and so much more restful!

This weekend, I did the majority of the work on my lemon rolls on Saturday afternoon, transferred them to the fridge overnight, then pulled them out to bake at around 8am on Sunday. By 8:30am we were enthusiastically enjoying the fruits (see! a lemon pun!) of Saturday’s labor. That could be you!

Okay, we’ve covered it (it is the topic of today’s newsletter and our platter of rolls overnight in the fridge.) And now I’d love to hear from you. I have a feeling this is common knowledge among experienced bakers, so please let me know if you’ve done the make-ahead method for cinnamon—or otherwise—rolls before. And if you haven’t I’d also love to know if you would give it a try. Finally, please weigh in, did you find these lemon rolls as captivating as I did upon first glance? Respond directly to this email or drop a comment with your thoughts!

As always, wishing you a well-fed week ahead.

xx

Erica

Want more? I’m so flattered! You can also follow me on Instagram or TikTok, or check out my tips-laden e-book collection. The newest addition, Meal Prep Made Simple, is available to order now!

This post includes affiliate links. Your shopping experience will not be affected, but Erica might earn a small commission on the goods purchased through those links. Thanks for supporting Erica's work!

How are you doing in your kitchen? Earlier this week, I wrote about cleaning mine out in an effort to satisfy the primal corner of my brain menacingly whispering “nest, or else” on a never-ending loop these days.

In my frantic freezer rummaging, I unearthed a crumpled bag of frozen Tyson chicken tenders, an early pregnancy craving that morphed i…

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How’s your kitchen? And how are you? Over here in mine, the urge to nest has been overwhelming—I’ve been spending every spare moment I have rooting out the recesses of every cabinet, crevice, closet, and cubbyhole I can get my pregnant little paws on. I can barely think about anything else, but clearing space for the little one joining our family so soon (hello, third trimester!) has been incredibly satisfying.

In all my rummaging, I found one area in my kitchen needs a little extra attention: the freezer. Freezers are, by nature, places where things pile up. But mine got particularly out of hand during my somewhat gruesome first trimester when I had zero desire to cook and little appetite to speak of. So I found myself ordering takeout and stashing leftovers in the freezer, stocking it with various convenience foods I thought Quentin might find enticing enough to cook for himself (he never did), and without the energy to maintain any semblance of order. Needless to say, I have not been keeping up with this particular kitchen “glow up.”

Because I’ll want the storage for some meal prepped postpartum meals and space to eventually stash breast milk (!!!), freeing up real estate in the freezer has felt especially urgent in my nesting frenzy. In making my way through the bits and bobs in there, I came across the subject of today’s letter:

Frozen rice.

The Trader Joe’s frozen Organic Jasmine Rice, to be precise. I’m a noted rice cooker devotee, so to say I was skeptical of the little plastic bag encasing a rock-hard alabaster lump that would supposedly, after just three minutes in the microwave, transform into rice that was “not just cooked, but cooked to perfection” is an understatement.

But to my surprise (and begrudging delight) perfection it was. And truly, in just three minutes.

If you’re looking to hop aboard the frozen rice train as well, or happen to have some already hanging out in your freezer and are looking for some inspiration, here’s my plan:

• For our pre-Succession screening meal yesterday, I served simple seared salmon with a greens, feta, and cucumber salad (dressing: 1 part rice vinegar, 1 part neutral oil, and a big spoon of each dijon mustard, toasted sesame oil, and maple syrup, plus salt to taste). I rounded things out with a bag of rice.

• Later this week, I’m going to cook up a pouch, then pop it in a storage container in my fridge to stale-up a bit overnight. The next day, I’ll make this vegan fried rice.

• I’ve been super into various cocktails of cereal grains + yogurt + compote at breakfast time lately. I’ll likely turn my last rock hard rice baggie into a porridge of sorts using this guide as a template.

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Because the contents of this box very much live up to the promises made on its mauve-ish exterior (Simple. Delicious. Perfect. Now.) I can absolutely see frozen rice making its way into my regular dinnertime rotation, valuable freezer real estate and nesting urge be damned.

I’m curious, is this a convenience food you’ve tried before? Would you? Are there other easy foods you recommend having on hand for the hazy early postpartum days in my very near future? You can always shoot me an email here, respond in the comments section, or write to me via Instagram DMs.

Okay, as always, wishing you a well-fed week ahead.

xx

Erica

Want more? I’m so flattered! You can also follow me on Instagram or TikTok, or check out my tips-laden e-book collection. The newest addition, Meal Prep Made Simple, is available to order now!

How are you and how is your kitchen? I’ve been over here in mine busying my hands with various decluttering and baking projects (nesting!), while mainlining podcasts to keep my mind just as occupied. Nora Ephron has been the topic of a couple different shows I regularly listen to, first on Celebrity Book Club—they covered I Feel Bad About my Ne…

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Happy spring! I hope you’re doing well over there in your kitchen. I’ve been celebrating the seasonal shift (Nor’easter be damned) here in mine with a couple spring-y meals and of course, our little springtime sale.

A quick reminder that today is the last day to grab 10% off Meal Prep Made Simple—use code DAYLIGHT to grab your discount at checkout.

Last Chance!

As I mentioned, I’ve been leaning into springtime meals this past week—I’ve made a couple extremely acidic simple salads, whipped up a dutch baby for brunch on Sunday, and threw together not one but two different quiches. I served both at dinner, then enjoyed the leftovers at lunch for a couple days after. I associate the savory custard dish with warm-ish weather brunches, Easter celebrations, and chic breakfast-for-dinner situations. For me, there’s just something about a quiche that captures the levity of the anticipation of warm weather to come.

Today, I want to share my method (a recipe, kinda) with you. This quiche has a very creamy, custard-y egg base and a lot of flexibility around fillings. It’s adapted from a few different recipes, but most closely resembles Melissa Clark’s Bacon Cheddar Quiche. Let’s take a look:

Springtime Quiche

• Butter (to grease your pan)

• Store-bought frozen pie crust

• 4 large eggs, divided

• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream

• 1/4 tsp sea salt

• 1 Tbsp dijon mustard

• 3/4 cup cheese of choice, grated and divided

• Fillings of your choice (see note)

Procedure

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Grease your 9“ pie dish, then follow the instructions on the package to blind bake your favorite frozen pie crust. I use the Trader Joe’s frozen pie crust and have been incredible impressed with it.

Meanwhile, prepare your fillings (see note), then, in a large bowl, whisk together 3 whole eggs plus one egg yolk until fully combined. Be sure to reserve the remaining egg white in a separate small bowl, you’ll use it in a minute. Whisk the heavy cream, salt, and mustard into the whole egg mixture until fully combined. Set the eggs aside

Grate your cheese. Once the crust is done blind baking, remove it from your oven and brush it with the reserved egg white. Sprinkle about 1/4 cup of the cheese on the bottom of the crust, set the rest of the cheese aside, and return the quiche to the oven for 5-10 minutes—until the cheese is just melted.

Remove the crust from the oven, pour about 1/3 of the cheese mixture into it, followed by about 1/3 of your prepared fillings, and 1/3 of the remaining grated cheese. Repeat this process twice more, until you’ve added all your eggs, filling, and cheese to your crust. Return the quiche to the oven and bake 30-40 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and the eggs are fully set and going a little golden on top.

Let cool at least 10 minutes. I enjoy mine warm for dinner, but love it cold or at room temperature for lunches throughout the week.

Note on Fillings:

I’ve made this quiche a couple times with a few different fillings variations. To prepare your fillings, you’ll want to get them cooked most of the way before adding them to your quiche. Here are a couple examples:

• For a simple kale and spinach quiche, heat a glug of olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet on the stove. Add a handful of kale, roughly chopped, and a pinch of salt to your pan and cook until wilted. Stir in the spinach and cut the heat. Cook the spinach until just wilted. I used a gruyere with this filling.

• For a caramelized onion and broccoli quiche, heat a glug of olive oil over medium-low heat in a medium skillet on your stove and caramelize thinly sliced onion (a full onion is good) until deep golden brown. Toss in a large pinch of salt and a couple handfuls of broccoli florets (I used frozen for ease) and cook until thawed. I also used gruyere with this filling, but it would be great with some jarlsburg as well.

• For a bacon and spring pea quiche, cook 6 strips of bacon in a medium skillet on the stove. Set aside to cool and once cooled, crumble into bite-sized pieces. Cook a couple handfuls of frozen peas with a big pinch of salt in the bacon grease until fully thawed.

And that’s it! Serve your quiche with a side of simple salad and a whole lotta joy that warmer days are on their way.

We’ve covered it for today, but don’t forget to snag MPMS at a discount. Today’s your last day to do so!

Use code DAYLIGHT

Alright, as always, wishing you a well-fed week ahead.

xx

Erica

Want more? I’m so flattered! You can also follow me on Instagram or TikTok, or check out my tips-laden e-book collection. The newest addition, Meal Prep Made Simple, is available to order now!

How are you and how is your kitchen? After a wee little nor’easter earlier this week, it’s finally starting to feel like spring in mine. And just in time for St. Paddy’s day. So let’s take a week at this week’s very green menu.

Pssst, actually, before we dive in, a reminder that you can use code DAYLIGHT to get 10% off Meal Prep Made Simple, our…

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How’s your kitchen? And how are you? At the moment, I’m doing a little happy dance in mine—the “spring forward” type of daylight savings happened this past weekend and I’m thrilled about it. I know this may be a divisive take, but to me, the loss of an hour of sleep this past Sunday is well-worth the extra hour of daylight we’ll have in the evenings as the weather warms.

To celebrate this little harbinger of longer, warmer days, I have two things: first, a sale! Over the years, Abigail and I have bonded over a number of things: good food, good gossip, and good writing immediately come to mind. But there are few things we love more than a good, late sunset. We couldn’t resist the opportunity to relish the brighter afternoons and evenings.

To celebrate with us, you can use code DAYLIGHT to save 10% on Meal Prep Made Simple.

celebrate longer days

Second, I know I may be jumping the gun a bit here, but picnic season is upon us and I want to walk you through how I like to throw ‘em. But because I know it might still be a little chilly where you are (it’s 45 and raining here…) this is a friendly reminder that an indoor picnic is VERY fun and very chic. For picnic vibes sans picnic-appropriate weather, just lay a blanket out in your living room and pretend it’s a sunny spring day. Or enjoy a dinner eaten directly from a parchment-lined tabletop.

Okay, let’s get right into it:

The Blanket

We’re gonna need a place to sit. If you want something that screams picnic, you want this one. You can also save your coin and go for something really simple, but if you’re looking to splurge, my in laws recently gifted us this stunning tartan number. If you do a little digging, there are so many cute vintage options—I love how this one is incredibly on the nose. And finally, here’s one that works at the beach, in the bath, or as a sweet little spot to place your picnic for one or two.

The Basket (and such)

I think a picnic is best packed into whatever zip-topped tote or well-insulated cooler you already have lying around, but if you’re extremely aesthetically minded and love to go all out, you might want to take a peek at this over-the-top, fully-loaded wicker guy.

For the containers within your basket, leak-proof. We all love pasta salad, but not when it’s hanging out with our granola. These are my longtime favorite glass containers, mason and retired jam jars always work great, and I’ve used these lightweight ones at clients’ homes in the past.

Pack the appropriate dish and silverware of course, and please, don’t forget to pack a nice sharp pairing knife and a few napkins for spills and such.

The Menu

The Big Fancy Snacks format lends itself incredibly well to picnicking. To make sure my meal is well-rounded, I like to have at least one representative from each of the following comestible categories on my blanket: a protein, a cheese, a veggie, a crunchie-crusty item, a dip, a fruit or fruit-adjacent goodie, and a little sweet. Here are a couple (fully-store-bought!) ways that can come together:

• Throw a portable tinned fish date night. Pack up one or two of your favorite tins, a nice gouda, some zesty pesto, sliced cucumbers plus some briny cornichons, a good crispbread style cracker, plump medjool dates, and some chocolate dipped pretzels.

• Go fully vegetarian with hummus as your protein and your dip. Serve it alongside a sharp cheddar, carrots, some sliced apples and a fig spread. I’d probably opt for something classic like a ritz cracker, and round everything out with a nostalgic childhood dessert, like oreo cookies.

• I really love a little Mediterranean moment and will often fill my basket with a spicy Italian sausage, some cubed feta, a tzatziki, bell peppers and some olives, pita chips or a crusty baguette, some grapes (sliced peaches in the summer!), and a bar of fancy dark chocolate.

If you want to go for a more homemade vibe, so many of the recipes in Meal Prep Made Simple are picnic-ready. For outdoor gatherings, I’m especially partial to our Orzo Pasta Salad with Tomatoes and Feta, the Choose Your Own Adventure Slaw, and our super light and bright Green Goddess Grain Bowl. For dessert, our Trail Mix Inspired Cookies, or the One Bowl Almond Apricot Granola work great. You know what to do: code DAYLIGHT gets you that discount.

Okay, we’ve covered it! I hope you’re as excited for this seasonal shift as I am. And if you do happen to have a picnic (indoor or outdoor!) anytime soon, I’d love to hear about it. You can respond directly to these emails, leave a comment, or DM me over on Instagram.

As always, wishing you a well-fed week ahead.

xx

Erica

Want more? I’m so flattered! You can also follow me on Instagram or TikTok, or check out my tips-laden e-book collection. The newest addition, Meal Prep Made Simple, is available to order now!

This post includes affiliate links. Your shopping experience will not be affected, but Erica might earn a small commission on the goods purchased through those links. Thanks for supporting Erica's work!

Are you hanging in there in your kitchen? I whipped up a batch of sheet pan nachos in mine earlier this week (I wrote about their large format big sister in Monday’s newsletter) and then fell down a one pot/pan/dish rabbit hole. Here I am, on the other side of that rabbit hole, sharing some ideas for meals with big flavor and small cleanup. Let…

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How are you doing? And how about your kitchen? If you can believe it, I’m getting ready to leave mine again. Later this week, Quentin and I are fleeing the city for rural New Hampshire to spend a long weekend eating, lounging, and skiing with close friends.

Last week’s meal plan worked out in my favor, so I spent yesterday afternoon crafting an abridged dining roadmap for our short week ahead. We had enough leftovers from other meals that I didn’t get around to making the big pasta bake I’d planned for last week—that’s on deck for tonight—and last Thursday’s quesadillas left me with half a can of refried beans I didn’t want to go to waste, so I turned those into yesterday evening’s big nachos for two. Which brings me rather directly to the topic of this afternoon’s missive: today, we’re talking nachos.

Specifically, I’d like to draw your attention to the joy, efficiency, and ever-so-slight absurdity (but in the best possible way) of Table Nachos.

For the uninitiated who are unwilling or unable to click this link, I’ll explain: table nachos are nachos served on and eaten directly off a large table. I’ll explain further.

I came across the linked TikTok shortly before another trip out of the city (with the same group of friends we’re traveling with this weekend, actually!) and I was immediately captivated by the idea. I am no stranger to encouraging a large group of people to eat directly off a parchment-lined tablescape. But before I’d laid eyes on this particular and very affecting 44 second clip, I hadn’t considered the vast possibilities for this tabletop format beyond charcuterie and grazing boards.

But thanks to the wonders of TikTok, consider the possibilities I did and Table Nachos have had a grip on me ever since. Want to experience the wonder of a heavily adorned tortilla chip eaten directly off a tabletop as well? I promise, you do!

Here’s exactly how:

1. Gather your crowd. I think this format works best for groups of 6-12 people. I love it for trips with friends, and it would work great for a family get together. I definitely don’t recommend it for a dinner party or gathering comprised of mainly colleagues or acquaintances—this is for kinfolk only, we’ll talk about why in a bit.

2. Line your table. With tinfoil! The whole table. Yes, the whole table. And be especially certain you haven’t left any gaps.

3. Prep your ingredients. Let me break that down a bit:

   1. Your base is tortilla chips & cheese. For the chips, buy at least 1 large bag for every three people you’re serving, then add an extra bag to your total for good measure. For the cheese, queso works best. I opt for the store-bought jarred stuff but you could definitely go homemade if that’s more your style. Warm the cheese on the stove in a large pot and keep it ready and warmed until just before serving.

   2. Your primary toppings are your proteins. I go for stewed black beans for my vegetarians and some sort of seasoned ground meat for any omnivores in my group.

   3. Your secondary toppings are the fixins you typically think of for nachos: shredded romaine lettuce, salsa, sour cream, minced red onion, diced avocado, pickled jalepenos, wedged limes, shredded cheese (more cheese!), destemmed cilantro, pico de gallo, diced tomatoes, and I could go on and on. Pick and prep whatever you enjoy on your nachos, then divide your prepped ingredients among small bowls. I usually like to split each topping into two or three bowls, which brings us to our next step.

4. Set out your toppings. Now it’s time to build. Spread the primary and secondary toppings out in the center of the table. Make sure each bowl has a utensil or two in it for later.

5. Lay out your base. Just before you’re ready to beckon your guests for the meal, spread your tortilla chips directly on the table in a relatively flat, even layer surrounding the toppings bowls. Top the chips generously with queso, then call everyone for dinner.

   

6. Dig in. Encourage your guests to add the toppings of their choice to the nachos directly in front of them and to tuck in as soon as they’re ready. As I’m sure you’ve gleaned, this dining experience is far from buttoned up, which is what makes it best for close friends and family. The communal nature and surprising format is delightful, interactive, and as I mentioned, just a little bit absurd. It makes for a satisfying meal and a highly memorable experience—believe me, search for the phrase “table nachos” in my group chat, and you’ll find it mentioned on a more-than-semi-regular basis.

7. Cleanup. Thanks to the careful job we did with step 2, this part couldn’t be easier. Clear the toppings bowls, then pull the foil off the table, gathering it in the middle to contain any remnants of your meal. Toss, wash, and that’s it!

8. Optional but encouraged: a little rapid test action with your group before this communal dining experience can’t hurt!

I am so curious—would you try this? There’s a pretty high likelihood I’ll be executing it again on my trip this weekend and if I do, I’ll be sure to document it closely to share with the group. You can keep up with those antics over on Instagram and TikTok if you’d like. And feel free to leave a comment or respond directly to this email with any thoughts you might have about Table Nachos.

Alright, we’ve covered it. As always, wishing you a well-fed (nacho-tastic?) week ahead.

xx

Erica

Want more? I’m so flattered! You can also follow me on Instagram or TikTok, or check out my tips-laden e-book collection. The newest addition, Meal Prep Made Simple, is available to order now!