Halfway Through, Full Speed Ahead

Summer dreaming, cucumber scheming, and a cookbook giveaway for your next dinner party.

Friends, we blinked and we’re halfway through the year! June always surprises me like that. This week, I’ve been taking small (but also somehow giant?) steps toward one of my daydreams: turning our garage workroom into a proper little bake room and transforming the backyard into a monthly pop-up bakery come fall. The oven’s on order. I’m sketching out the first round of recipes (including dog and horse treats). There’s no chill. I’ve never had chill. I think that’s the fun of it all.

As we slide into summer, into the heat, the laziness, and the sweet corn, I hope you’re dreaming big, too. Or at least sitting in the shade with something cold. This week’s newsletter is an invitation to summer, a celebration of homegrown cucumbers, and a conversation with cookbook author Casey Elsass that you won’t want to miss.

Let’s get into it!

Let It Be Sunday, 519!

This week’s Sunday post is a not-so-definitive guide to a joyful summer! Think elastic-waist shorts, grilled strawberry shortcake, and a handful of little luxuries. If you're ready to ease into summer, this is a nice start:

My Not Entirely Definitive Guide To a Joyful Summer (pun intended)

Can We Talk About Cucumbers?

If we’re measuring wealth in cucumbers, I’m a very rich lady. Granted, not a single one of these homegrown beauties came from my own garden (which, for reasons unknown, is producing only male cucumber flowers like it’s auditioning for a frat house), but my friend Beth knows how to grow the gals. She came over with armfuls, and I feel like I’m hoarding emeralds in my crisper drawer.

Naturally, I’ve been slicing them into everything. My favorite move this week is this Creamy Cucumber Salad from our friend Mississippi Vegan. It’s fresh, rich, bright and would also be dreamy with a few shaved carrots thrown in for color and crunch. (Bonus: the leftovers are excellent straight from the fridge after a long dog walk.)

And speaking of cucumbers—Casey Elsass has an incredible Smashed Cucumber Salad in his new cookbook which we’ll talk about even more in our interview below.

There are so many fun cookbooks landing on our kitchen counters this spring, and I love bringing you these little interviews and cookbook giveaways as a way to meet the brains (and hearts) behind the recipes.

Our latest is with Casey Elsass, a food writer, stylist, and cookbook author who’s cooked his way through Brooklyn dinner parties and backyard hangs in L.A. His new cookbook, What Can I Bring?, is a colorful, clever, and endlessly useful guide to answering the age-old question of dinner party etiquette—and doing it with style.

An interview with Casey Elsass of What Can I Bring?

Let’s start with the origin story. What was the spark that made you think, Yep, this cookbook needs to exist?

The pandemic, weirdly enough! I spent years taking for granted how easily we could get together, then suddenly it wasn't an option anymore. I said the title as a joke in a group chat, and then was like, Hold on, that's a great idea. So I just kept a Google Doc running in secret for years with recipes and drafts of ideas until I felt like I was ready to write the book.

What’s the recipe in the book that people will come back to over and over again? That one deeply satisfying dessert, cozy weeknight dinner, or “this always works” recipe that feels like an instant classic.

I hope all of them! I wanted to make a book of very familiar party foods—like potato salad, guacamole, Rice Krispie treats—and give them fun, inventive spins so they feel new again. Watching my friends flip through the book, I've realized that each person connects with totally different recipes and I think that's the point. As you return to the book for different events in different times of the year, I hope new ideas will jump out at you, until you feel ownership over your own set of go-to recipes.

Marry, shag, kill: buttercream frosting, whipped cream, jam.

Oh this is easy. Marry whipped cream, shag jam, kill buttercream, and I won't be taking questions at this time.

What’s a cooking or baking hill you’re willing to die on? (Maybe you swear by salted butter in everything or refuse to sift flour - no judgment.)

My buttercream slander was probably enough for one day, so I'll take this moment to share an invaluable tip my friend Sam Seneviratne shared with me. If you’re like me and you’re never going to remember to set your butter out to soften, here’s what you do: Stand your sticks (in their wrappers) vertically in the microwave. Microwave for 5 seconds, flip them to the other side, 5 seconds, flip. Keep going, giving them a little squeeze each time, until they’re softened.

We’re going to a dinner party with a recipe from your book? What are we bringing to impress?

I say in the introduction, "Bringing a dish to a party is definitely not a competition, but it also kind of is." And I think a great dessert is the perfect time to show off. Everything in my book is ranked by effort because I want anyone at any level of comfort to find something they can nail. So the "In Your Sleep" dessert would be something like Party Krispies or Burnt Cheesecake. For the "Roll Up Your Sleeves" category, I'd say Mosaic Jell-O or Pumpkin Carrot Cake are going to kill it every time. And for all the "Bragging Rights", Raspberry Meringue Tart with a pile of toasted meringue is a stunner!

What’s a kitchen task you secretly love that everyone else seems to dread? (Do you enjoy shelling pistachios or organizing the spice drawer alphabetically?)

The number one thing that made me forever fall in love with cooking was learning to clean as I go. An uncluttered and clean workspace will do more for your mental health than anything else. Before you do any prep, start by wiping down your counters, scrubbing your sink, and washing your hands thoroughly. Then do your best to keep those three things as clean as possible. I keep a kitchen towel around to constantly swipe the counter and I wash anything in the sink the second I have some down time. When you get to the end of a recipe and the dishes are already done, you will feel absolutely unstoppable.

What’s the most you recipe in this book? The one that feels like your signature in edible form?

The Subway Cookies! Spoiler alert, they are not a dupe of the sandwich place Subway. I call them Subway Cookies because years ago when I was first developing this recipe, I packed a batch up and took them on the New York City subway with me. The deep black cocoa against the brown chocolate chips makes these oddly striking in person and the woman next to me was asking about them. After chatting for a minute, I asked, “. . . is this weird? Do you want one?” She quickly whipped out her empty meal prep container, and I gave her one. But when I cracked the lid open, the woman on my other side said, “Oh my god, those smell incredible. Can I buy one off you?” So I gave her one for free, and we all giggled over cookies on the subway. This book is all about community and sharing, and I think that story is the core of how I want these recipes to pull people together.

What’s your current cookbook crush? What are you dog-earing, gifting to friends, or quietly obsessed with lately?

Zaynab Issa is my crush in general, I've never met someone more naturally beautiful and elegant. But Third Culture Cooking is a masterpiece, so beautifully written and photographed. I have my recipes picked out for later this summer when my book tour is over and I'm ready to jump back in the kitchen!

We’re giving away a copy of What Can I Bring? by Casey Elsass—aka the patron saint of subway cookies.

To enter, just answer this question in the comments:

👉 What’s your “I have to bring this to the party” dish?
Is it your famous deviled eggs? Store-bought French onion dip disguised in your own bowl? Brownies with flaky salt?

Giveaway closes Wednesday June 4th at noon CST. One winner will be selected at random and contacted directly.

Have a great week, friends! xo