What We’re Growing This Week

A magnolia tree, a few big feelings, and a crush on banana bread.

Friends, hello! We get another Sunday!

This week, I planted a magnolia tree in the front yard—a 15-gallon beauty gifted to us by Will’s aunt for our wedding. It’s the first new tree this land has seen in decades, and as I wrestled roots into this stubborn Texas clay, it felt like more than just yard work. Dripping with sweat and questioning my abilities with a shovel - eventually it felt like something hopeful.

I posted the fruits of my labor on Instagram and a neighbor immediately messaged me about leafcutter ants and… well, I wish I didn’t know what I know now. Still, even in the heat and humidity, we’re blooming. We’re doing it!

Welcome to this week’s Sunday post—I’m so glad you’re here.

Let It Be Sunday, 520!

Our friend Amy Estes is a self-proclaimed change-averse girlie, but this week she’s saying goodbye to the classroom and hello to her new role as a vice principal (!). This week Amy offers an honest look at big transitions, summer grill intentions, and treating yourself to something sparkly along the way. Come for the life update, stay for the hot dog count and pajama recs. We love a Sunday with Amy!

Read it here: A New Chapter (But First, Summer)

Fresh From The Archives

Here are a few favorite recipes from the archives that feel just right for June. We’re talking peak Costco fruit, magenta lemonade, and an easy cobbler with ice cream.

• This Summer’s Peach (or Nectarine) Crisp A sunny adaptation of the apple crisp I posted over a decade ago, this version was made for the first peaches (or nectarines!) of the season. Add a handful of raspberries if you’ve got them! This crisp is buttery crisp and sweet. We’re talking equal parts jammy fruit and oat crumble. Read: unapologetic.

• Beet Lemonade This bold beauty dates back to my first summer in New Orleans, when I was learning how to live (and sweat) in the swamp. I’ve come to appreciate the humidity (dewy skin, we love to ssee it), but this vibrant, magenta lemonade still hits like a cool(-ish) breeze. It’s my favorite way to make pink lemonade, which is to say: full magenta.

• Sweet, salty, crisp, and cool - this summer salad hits every note. On repeat until further notice: Watermelon Feta Mint and Cucumber Salad

If you’ve ever wondered what magic tastes like in pie form, let me introduce you to Nicole Rucker. She’s a pie genius, a butter devotee, and the force behind LA’s Fat + Flour bakery. Her latest cookbook, Fat and Flour, is full of bold, buttery bakes that make you want to throw your apron on immediately. Today, I’m sharing one of my favorite recipes from the book—consider this your nudge to treat yourself to a copy (or at the very least, enter the Fat and Flour giveaway below).

Nicole Rucker’s Classic 1980’s Mom Banana Bread

I had to start the banana-bread chapter with the version closest to my heart, a banana bread that keeps it classic, utilizing what I think of as the hallmarks of a good banana-bread recipe: melted or liquid fat, sour cream or yogurt, and a crunchy baked sugar-top crust. The pecans are an optional addition; I would have picked them out of a slice as a child, but I’ve come to love them as an adult.

Makes one 9 x 5 inch loaf

4 medium (472g) very ripe bananas

⅔ cup (158ml) neutral oil, such as grapeseed, + more for greasing the pan

1 cup packed (213g) dark-brown sugar

1 teaspoon (5g) vanilla extract

2 large eggs (100g)

⅓ cup (85g) full-fat sour cream

1½ cups (187g) unbleached all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon (6g) baking soda

1 teaspoon (4g) baking powder

1 teaspoon (4g) ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon (1g) ground nutmeg

1 teaspoon (3g) Diamond Crystal kosher salt

1 cup (114g) roughly chopped walnuts or pecans, toasted (optional)

3 tablespoons (36g) demerara sugar

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (176°C). Lightly oil a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan, and line it with parchment paper.

2. In a large mixing bowl, smash the bananas, using the back of a fork or a potato masher. Add the oil, brown sugar, vanilla, eggs, and sour cream. Whisk to combine everything.

3. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a small bowl. Fold this into the banana mixture until it’s just combined. Add the nuts, if using, and mix to combine them; then transfer the batter to your prepared pan. Sprinkle the surface with the demerara sugar.

4. Bake it for 40 to 50 minutes, on the center rack of your oven, until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean and the top of the cake has set and is browned. Leave it to cool in the pan for about 30 minutes, then transfer it to a wire rack to cool completely. Store leftovers at room temperature in a sealed container for up to 1 week.

🎂 Win a Copy of Fat and Flour by Nicole Rucker!

To enter:
Answer this sweet little question in the comments:

✨ What dessert do you always say you’ll share but never do?
(Be honest. This is a safe space for dessert hoarders.)

Giveaway closes Wednesday at 9pm CST. U.S. mailing addresses only, please! Winner will be notified via Substack message. Love you, byeee!