Cooking from the Farmers Market & What I Made Last Week

A cozy seasonal home-cooked meal, crispy chicken spiedini with garlic butter, cheesy tostadas, creamy chicken enchilada skillet

Hi everyone,

Hope you’re having a great week! Since Doug and I got back to New York, we’ve loved spending our Saturday mornings at the McCarren Park farmers market. On Sundays, I like to cook a nourishing meal with all the beautiful produce we picked up. Today I’m sharing one of those meals, made entirely with fruits and vegetables from the market, including a recipe for my favorite healthy apple crisp.

Gathering goodies at the farmers market

First, here’s a recipe for chicken spiedini (Italian chicken skewers) I made last week. The chicken bakes in the oven until perfectly crisp, then gets drizzled with garlic butter. It was so delicious it honestly left me speechless after the first bite. I hope you give it a try!

Also, my debut cookbook comes out March 3 and is available for preorder. Preorders are so helpful for first-time authors, so if you’re thinking of getting a copy, I’d be so grateful if you ordered early 🤍

What I Cooked Last Week! ↓

Crispy Chicken Spiedini with Garlic Butter

This dish has layers of flavors because the chicken is first marinated and then coated in a Parmesan-infused breading. Topped with garlic butter, it’s next-level dreamy.

Crispy Chicken Spiedini With Garlic Butter

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You can download the PDF recipe above and watch the video here :)

Cooking from the Farmers Market

Lately, I’ve been trying to pay more attention to what’s in season. On our way to the farmers market, I thought about what produce is best right now: apples, all kinds of squash, leeks, beets (my favorite), carrots, cabbage... It was nice to have some kind of framework, since I can sometimes feel overwhelmed at the market when I don’t have a plan.

That morning, my only goal was to be inspired by whatever looked good and was in season. I started with apples because there were so many varieties. I picked a mix of Granny Smith, Pink Lady, and Honeycrisp. Then I added some beautiful leeks, kabocha squash (my favorite kind of squash!), big leafy spinach, and a bunch of beets. I almost bought two bunches but managed to show some restraint, lol. (They’re so packed with vitamins and always make me feel healthy.) As I was about to check out, I panicked when I realized I hadn’t grabbed any fresh herbs, so I tossed in some chives because they were right there.

We stopped by a pickle stand giving out samples and tried every single one before choosing a jar of spicy jalapeño pickles to take home. I also treated myself to a small bouquet of flowers, knowing I’d be in town to enjoy them. On our way out, we picked up two apple cider donuts for our walk home.

My haul 🍎🌸

The next day, one of Doug’s oldest childhood friends came over to watch football, so I decided to spend Sunday cooking with all my farmers market finds and turn them into a cozy dinner.

I started by roasting the beets (drizzled with olive oil, sprinkled with salt and pepper, and wrapped individually in foil) at 375°F for about 1 hour 20 minutes, until tender enough to be easily pierced with a fork. While they cooked, I prepped the rest of the dishes.

An apple crisp felt perfect for a fall evening. I peeled and sliced the apples, tossed them with lemon juice (for some tartness), cinnamon, and a little salt, then made a simple and healthy topping with flour, oats, butter, and maple syrup as a natural sweetener. Once assembled, I covered the dish with plastic wrap and stored it in the fridge to bake later. (You’ll find the full recipe at the end of this newsletter.)