Lately In My Kitch, 05.09.25

This month I’m feeling so inspired by the seasonal shift of Spring and all things fresh and bright. I'm sharing a new recipe, seasonal produce tips, and what I'm loving in and out of the kitch.

Welcome to my inaugural “Lately In My Kitch” post, aka my monthly newsletter. I’m feeling so inspired by the seasonal shift of Spring and all things fresh and bright and happy. And I hope you feel the same way while reading this!

In this series, I’ll share a bit of everything: a new recipe I’m loving, the seasonal produce that’s inspiring me, the kitchen products I’m reaching for, the playlists I’m cooking to, and other general musings in and out of the kitchen. Sometimes the recipes will be tested, while others will be more of a loose framework. You might even get a peek into what’s in my toddler’s lunchbox. There will be products and ingredients I am obsessed with. Some items will be referenced with links for you to shop, some won’t (looking at you, fresh bunches of mint at my local farmer’s market).

Everything I’m sharing feels like a small treat that breaks up the demands of everyday life. Whether it’s something to cook, shop, or just look at and be inspired by, we all deserve lots of little treats in our days. So let’s get into it!

What I’m Cooking

Cucumber Scallion Toast

Kicking things off with my current hyperfixation: Cucumber Scallion Toast. It’s the snacky meal I keep coming back to for a quick bite —like a loaded tartine or bagel from a bakery, but it comes together in 5 minutes at home. The gist: toast some good bread, add something creamy (labne, smashed avo, cottage cheese), and pile it high with thinly sliced cucumber and scallions. Finish with a big ‘ol drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, lemon, chili flakes, and flaky salt.

You don’t really neeed a recipe. But you *do* need to make it. I’ve shared a loose framework below, perfect for scaling up (hii, spring brunch crostini!). And don’t skip the Riffs section for easy swaps and product recs.

Serves 1

Ingredients:

• 1 large slice rustic bread, such as sourdough

• Few spoonfuls of something creamy, i.e. labne, smashed ripe avocado, cream cheese, whole-milk cottage cheese, ricotta, etc.

• 1-2 small cucumbers, such as Persian cucumbers, or ½ large cucumber

• 1 large scallion, thinly sliced

• Extra virgin olive oil

• Fresh Lemon

• Chile flakes, ie Turkish chilies or Aleppo pepper

• Flaky salt

Instructions:

Toast The Bread

1. Toast the bread. While it toasts, you’ll prep the rest of the ingredients.

Slice The Cucumbers + Scallions

1. While the bread toasts, very thinly slice the cucumber and the scallions. I like to use a mandolin to slice the cucumbers but a very sharp knife will get the job done. I want those cucs to be paper thin so if you don’t feel confident with the knife skills or mandolin to get the job done - use a vegetable peeler to peel super thin cucumber ribbons and follow the remaining recipe steps. No mandolin needed for the scallion. *Please promise me that if you use a mandolin for the cucs that you’ll use the guard or a cut-resistant glove!

2. Get whatever creamy element you’re going to use. I typically use labne or avocado. Optional: fold the scallions into the labne or smashed avocado in a small bowl to really let the scallions lend their flavor to the mix.

Assemble + Enjoy

1. When bread is toasted, slather it with labe or whatever creamy element you’re using. Pile it high with sliced cucumbers and scallions. Drizzle generously all over with extra virgin olive oil, and squeeze a juicy lemon wedge on top. Sprinkle with flaky salt, top with pepper flakes if you’ve got ‘em. Enjoy!

Let’s Riff

• The Carbs: My go-to is a rustic sourdough. Have some bagels from a great local spot? Use ‘em!

• The Luscious Creamy Element: Use a creamy dairy product or a ripe smashed avocado. For the dairy things: labne, cream cheese, cottage cheese, or ricotta all work. Labne is my go-to, you can usually find it near the yogurt, regular cheese section, or more speciality cheese section where you’d find feta in the brine.

• The Cucumbers: I love Persian cucumbers, they’re smaller and I think they have a more concentrated sweet flavor. Any type of cucumber will do the trick here, though. I’ve meant to plant Persian cucumber seeds for years in our yard - will this be the year I do it? Will someone please hold me accountable?!

• The Chilies: Good ‘ol crushed red pepper flakes are lovely but why not get yourself some tart fruity chilies with some mild heat? They will make everything savory more exciting. I love Aleppo chili flakes but the thing I reach for the most are my Marash Turkish Chili flakes, or the “silk chilies” from Burlap & Barrel. Highly recommend!

• The Flaky Salt: I love Maldon Sea Salt Flakes and Jacobsen Pure Flake Sea Salt.

• The Other Fixins: Adding any kind of smoked or cured fish takes this further into loaded bagel territory. Always a good thing. While you’re at it, all of the other loaded bagel fixin’s would be delicious, even sans smoked fish - thinly sliced tomatoes, capers, the works.

What I’m Listening To

• I forgot how good this cooking playlist is. Even our toddler can’t help but dance to it! I promise it’ll make cooking feel more fun when nothing sounds worse than getting dinner on the table.

• Ina Garten’s, “Be Ready When The Luck Happens”. An easy and completely inspiring read. I’ve been listening to it as an audiobook which is fun because it’s read by the queen herself!

What’s In Season + How To Enjoy It

Here’s a list of produce that’s in season right now. I’m also sharing a few seasonally inspired recipes. Snag these gorg produce items while you can. I’m sure I’m not including everything - so you must tell me, what are you seeing at your local farmers market or on restaurant menus?

Seasonal Spring Produce

• Strawberries

• Cherries

• Sugar Snap Peas

• Radishes

• Beets

• Chard

• Asparagus

• Cucumbers

• Artichokes

• Mint

• Rhubarb

• Spring Alliums (leeks, green garlic, ramps, green onions/scallions)

• Fava Beans

Seasonal Recipes To Make

A Rough Recipe: Snap Pea + Radish Salad with Lots of Mint + Lemon

Thinly slice sugar snap peas on a bias (at a sharp angle) and add to bowl with thinly sliced radishes. Toss with extra virgin olive oil, fresh lemon juice, and a few pinches of kosher salt. Add in a few handfuls of chopped or torn fresh mint. Taste and adjust with more evoo/lemon/salt/mint until it tastes fabulous. Top with crumbled briny feta (or not). Enjoy as a salad or spoon over rustic toast slices slathered with something creamy (a la cucumber scallion toast).

*Oh, and a tip: if your snap peas and radishes are lookin’ a little sad in the fridge, put them in a bowl of ice water for a bit. Drain, dry, and slice, and you’ll see a little ice bath brings that snappy crunch back to life!

Tried + True Recipes:

• Creamy Asparagus + Potato Soup

• Ricotta Pasta with Peas + Prosciutto

• Toasts with Burrata + Smashed Minty Peas

• Springtime Salad with Cilantro Citrus Dressing

• Cucumber Salad with Preserved Lemon Vinaigrette, Fresh Herbs, + Pistachios

• Herby Marinated White Beans (throw a bunch of thinly sliced sugar snap peas in there to give it a seasonal spin - yum)

• Creamy Pasta with Zucchini, Leeks, + Lemon

• Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

• Strawberry Rhubarb Crostata

What I’m Reaching For In The Kitch

• Yogurt (But Not Greek Yogurt lol) - I’m slowly allowing myself to admit that Greek yogurt is not my favorite yogurt. Spoiler alert: my favorite kind of yogurt is Icelandic style yogurt, skyr. It’s so luxurious and not too tart. I usually keep a few styles of yogurt on hand and mix ‘em together for a bowl. Top with seasonal juicy af fruit, toasted nuts and seeds or your favorite granola. And throw on some hemp seeds for health! These are the brands and products that have earned permanent spots in my fridge:

  • Icelandic Style/Skyr:

    • Painterland Sisters - Plain and Vanilla Bean (so. good.). I also buy the individual portion size of the passion fruit flavor - it’s basically like an ice cream and it’s a lovely little sweet treat for a weeknight.

    • Norr Organic - Their plain skyr, nonfat or whole milk, are equally fab.

    • Siggi’s - I can often only find the vanilla bean flavor of the Painterland Sisters brand and I mix it with the Siggi’s plain flavor, it’s delightful.

  • Not Icelandic Style But Often In My Fridge:

    • Bellwether Farms - Plain full-fat sheep’s milk yogurt. Tangier and drippier. I like it on its own or mixed with any and all of the above.

    • Wallaby Organic Aussie Style Greek Yogurt - Plain whole milk Greek Yogurt, super mild style of Greek Yogurt that I love to use in dips and sauces.

Moving on from yogurt!

• Marmalade Grove Cara Cara & Hibiscus Marmalade - my gal pal Sylvie brought this to me in a care package the day we brought our daughter home from the hospital. It is SO good. It would make a perfect hostess gift, a treat for yourself, or take a note from Sylvie’s book and put it in a care package of goodies for the new mom in your life!

• Salted Butter - We’ve all been told that we can only use unsalted butter in our cooking. But grass-fed, salted butter is what I reach for. It makes everything from a simple slice of toast to finishing a pasta with a few knobs of it that much more flavorful. I even use it in my baking! Kerrygold or the Kirkland brand are both very flavorful. If you want to branch out into the upper echelons of salted butter - my go-to recs are Isigny Sainte-Mère and Rodolphe Le Meunier Salted Butter (I could cry at how cute the butter in the cow-shaped-mold is). I keep my Kerrygold or Kirkland brand at room temp on the counter in a butter keeper, and I keep the European salted goods in the fridge.

• Aperitifs - I like to keep an aperitif on hand, something with subtle bitter and sweet notes that can be enjoyed on the rocks and/or with some fresh citrus and sparkling water as a low ABV option. If I’m drinking, I love the Mommenpop Blood Orange and the Lo-Fi Gentian Amaro. If I want a non-alcoholic option I absolutely LOVE Drink Ghia - truly any and all of their aperitifs or spritzes. For another NA option, the Martini & Rossi Vibrante (the red one) is a really delicious option too.

Who + What’s Inspiring Me (in and out of the kitch)

In The Kitch

• Mia Rigden - Mia is a board certified nutritionist, a cookbook author, a mom, and writer of the Substack, Btwn Meals. She demystifies truly anything I want to better understand about nutrition and overall wellness. She’s approachable, and slightly crunchy while still focusing on the science. As a newish mom who identifies as (a millennial stressed out by microplastics) slightly to moderately crunchy , I love her content. I have been meaning to buy basil seeds because of her. She also shares my love of Icelandic style yogurt! A queen who I highly recommend following on IG and here on Substack!

• Aimee France - just watch her videos and you will understand. Currently coveting every sandwich combo she makes for lunch, and I loved her recent Italy content from her artist residency.

Out Of The Kitch

Image via Art History Project

• Agnes Martin - Agnes Martin was a painter known for her minimalist and abstract works that often featured soft washes and subtle patterns. I’d love to see a collection of hers IRL and for now I’m saving pieces with patterns and colors I’m feeling drawn to for my own interior inspiration, like her piece, Buds, pictured above, from 1959.

• A Gorgeous Tile - We’re doing a low-key fireplace remodel, nothing structural, just the outside fireplace surround and hearth. We’re keeping it simple with a plaster surround (I think) and I’m on the hunt for a tile accent on the hearth. I’ve been leaning towards solid terracotta colors but this tile that Layfayette Studio posted ages ago has been sitting in my saved folder on IG. Do we do a little pattern?! One day I want to do some terracotta tile on the kitchen floor and I think this could complement that… thoughts? Recs?

• Birth Month Perennial Flower Calendar - I use this to keep track of birthdays, anniversaries, and other significant recurring dates. It’s designed by local artist Maria Schoettler and I love it just for her illustrations alone! In a time when I’m trying to reduce my screentime, you can’t beat the good old fashioned utility of having the dates written down in one place.

And there we have it! I hope you found this useful and inspiring. I’m brainstorming the different series or types of posts I plan to share on Substack so you can have a sense of what to expect. I’m hoping to do my regular recipe posts, a monthly or bi-monthly post just like this, deep dives into specific topics and techniques, and I’m thinking some kind of series about feeding a family/ baby-led weaning/ feeding babies and toddlers because that’s a whole rabbit hole. Is there anything you want to see? Drop me a note in the comments! Thanks so much for reading!