Dinners & treats for not-quite spring

Lifestyle pancakes, chicken meatballs & a giant sandwich

Hello!

One of the surprising things about writing this newsletter is noticing what foods I really like. I genuinely had no idea I liked pancakes that much, but I seem to have a new recipe to share every month. This time round it’s weekday-friendly pancakes, along with two easy chicken dinners and the most delicious roast veggie sandwich for a crowd (yes, one worth following a recipe for!).

Chicken parm meatballs, I love you!

I’ve been meaning to try this recipe by Jenny Rosenstrach for years. For some reason my brain couldn’t compute how this could be weeknight friendly. But it really is, and the slice of mozzarella that’s melted over each meatball is genius. The recipe calls for jarred pasta sauce, I’m a fan of simple ones from either Barilla or Mutti. While it didn’t need it, we ate leftovers with mashed potato and I went to bed really happy.

Lifestyle pancakes for weekdays

Pancakes are usually a Sunday thing for me but this recipe, from Clare De Boer’s Substack, is meant for busy mornings. You won’t even need a mixing bowl or whisk to make them, just a big ramen bowl and a fork. The base is almond meal rather than flour, so the texture is less fluffy than a weekend pancake, but it’s a fun way to break up the week! Also, they don’t leave me hungry for a snack too early, which I love.

For weekend breakfasts, I remembered the Irish-inspired scones from a past edition the other day and can confirm they’re still speedy and special.

Iced chai & a castle breakfast

Creamy miso pasta

Having an excellent dinner to look forward to really matters when it’s meant to be spring but is very much still winter. Tony made this delicious creamy miso spaghetti from NYT Cooking one night, which was made even better by some wasabi furikake (this one is similar). It took me right back to sampling fusion pasta in Tokyo!

One-pot chicken and tomato rice

Some of my favourite recipes are the ones I can throw together after a weekend away when I’m craving something home cooked but want to keep the holiday vibe going. Lina Jebeile’s one-pot chicken and tomato rice is both low-effort and delicious, and great alongside a crunchy salad. This recipe also makes a lot, which is handy for the week ahead or for stashing in the freezer.

Big rainbow roast veggie sandwich

This is the best weekend sandwich, which combines two things I love: big beach sandwiches and muffaletta, a layered meat sandwich which I made sure to order on my final day in New Orleans earlier this year.

Hetty Lui McKinnon made a vegetarian version and I love the tanginess of the olive salad that soaks into both sides of the bread (she recommends spongey bread like focaccia or ciabatta). Be sure to wrap the whole sandwich in baking paper before slicing so you don’t lose any filling.

Vanilla bean syrup

I made a simple vanilla bean syrup so I could replicate the vanilla iced latte I had at this a bright and relaxing cafe in LA. I made half a quantity, but with a full vanilla bean so drinks come out extra speckled. It’s also lovely in matcha.

In other vanilla news, it was extremely satisfying to decant my first ever batch of vanilla extract, which I made by soaking vanilla beans in vodka for about nine months.

More granola snacking cookies

I am now realising that I’m a huge fan of anything granola related, whether it’s in cookie, muffin or cereal form. I made these sunny cookies from Zoe Bakes and they’re so nice to have with my morning tea.

P.S After much procrastination, I’m excited to share some recommendations for visiting lutruwita/Tasmania soon.