In the last days of summer, trying out the Cooking newsletter can feel a bit like speed dating. Who replaces Sam and Melissa? Is it Julia? Priya? Mia? Today, at the start of a long weekend that ends the holiday season, I’m your date.
Not to harm the franchise, but I’ll start with a simple pig in a blanket recipe (above). Raise an eyebrow if you must, but like onion dip and ruffles, these are the first to go at a party.
If you can’t find those little cocktail hot dogs, use a quartered Sabrett or Hebrew National. Personally, I think a thinner sausage allows for the optimal dough-to-dog ratio. And if, like some readers, you don’t want to use dough from a tube, a good cookie recipe will do. We have a simple honey mustard sauce for dipping, but I use sweet chili sauce for ketchup and add a little Dijon.
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Pigs in a dress
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Those little doggies would be nice on a plate next to my cucumber and watermelon salad that combines hoisin, lime juice and fresh jalapeño in a plethora of deliciousness. I picked it up several years ago when I was looking for the perfect watermelon in Hope, Ark., where they celebrated the town’s 47th annual watermelon festival in August. (Bonus points for those who remember that other thing Hope is famous for.)
I grew up in an Italian household and learned a lot about cooking during several formative years reporting on California food. While Cal-Ital cuisine is my go-to kitchen go-to, I always welcome a recipe that expands my repertoire. This silken tofu version of sook mei faan, the Cantonese corn and rice dish offered at diners across Hong Kong, changes regularly.
Bonus: It gives me another way to use up the seemingly bottomless bushel of silver queen corn I bought last week while driving through North Carolina. Sixty corns of super sweet corn for $30 is a steal, but wow, that’s a lot of corn. I’ve blanched and frozen some, but have resorted to leaving ears on my friends’ porch like a corn fairy.
Let’s go back to my culinary comfort zone for a moment. My family loved sausage and peppers so much that we ate them for breakfast. Here’s a Kay Chun pasta dish that I’m sure my mom would have approved of. The addition of broccoli sautéed in the same pan you use for the sausage gives it some extra nutritional value and makes it an even more appealing one-bowl supper. I like to use broccoli rabe, which I dip in the pasta water as it begins to cook for just a minute or two, to tame the bitterness.
Now something about basil. Rebekah Peppler has developed an invigorating end-of-season cooler that uses basil-infused vermouth, lightly tapping the leaves to release the herb’s aromatics. Celebrate the life where you have time to appreciate what hitting a basil leaf can do. If booze isn’t your thing, here’s my annual reminder that any summer fruit can make a great bush. Drink it with a splash of soda on ice.
All of these recipes are just the tiniest hint of what our team has for you at DailyExpertNews Cooking if The Price is Right. And it is! A monthly subscription will cost you less than a mediocre oat milk coffee drink. If you run into technical problems, don’t ask me for help. You are much better writing to cookingcare..
I’ll be back on Sunday. In the meantime, enjoy a great long weekend and remember: when the rhythm is happy, there’s nothing to be sad about on the planet of the bass.