The August-to-Autumn Shuffle

Karlee’s Sunday links, my kitchen reset, and a few recipes bridging summer into spice season.

It’s the last week of August which means Labor Day is practically breathing down our necks. We’re going camping this weekend and by “camping” I obviously mean eating pasta salad, ranch dip, and at least three kinds of snacks outside. Will handles the trailer and activities (no small feat), I handle the menu, and together we wrangle too many dogs. Call it chaos, call it teamwork. It’s so much fun!

I hope you’re easing into this week with something to look forward to at the end of it—whether that’s a long weekend away or maybe just a really good nap. In the meantime, let’s procrastinate together with a few links for reading and some kitchen inspiration.

Let’s get into it!

Let It Be Sunday, 530!

Karlee Sisler Flores is back this week with a Sunday post that’s basically a seasonal mood board in link form. Since you last heard from her, she’s been busy making salsa verde from her garden, drafting a fantasy football team, and working Floso (her dirty soda biz in Oregon). Not a moment of summer goes to waste!

Her links this week are equal parts fall prep and late-summer chaos: a peek into how she resets her kitchen for autumn (spice jars at the ready), a refresher on the wild Menendez brothers parole hearings, comfort TV from Gilmore Girls to Jersey Shore, and even a horror movie that actually impressed her. And this just dawned on me! Now would be a perfect time for Karlee’s End of Summer Peach Butter. It’s the perfect bridge between summer and fall.

If you want a blast of autumn energy with one foot still in summer iced coffee and peach toast, this is the scroll for you.

Read Karlee Let It Be Sunday, here!

New on the Blog This Week!

On the blog this week, I’m also sharing 10 little ways I reset my kitchen for fall—from clearing out sad spices to stashing pie dough in the freezer. Think of it as preseason training for holiday baking.

Summer to Cinnamon Season: 10 Ways I’m Flipping My Kitchen for Fall

Fresh From The Archives:

• S’mores Bars - Is this our last weekend to sneak in a gooey, chocolatey s’mores moment before the season shifts? It might be! Don’t risk it. Make these bars.

• Pesto Butter Grilled Cheese Sandwich – My garden basil is the only thing that’s actually thriving right now, and this sandwich is how I turn that basil into a win. Golden bread, melty cheese, and a smear of pesto butter that really tastes good on just about anything!

• Cilantro Cucumber Margarita – Because an end-of-summer margarita always hits just right. Crisp, herbal, and not too sweet! It’s so fresh.

• No-Chop One-Pot Chicken Meatballs – True story: I’ve made these meatballs two times this week. They’re easy, cozy, I love anything on a bed of rice, and there’s literally no chopping involved. Add to your weeknight rotation immediately, friends!

Have a great week!

xo Joy