What to Cook This July

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As I write this the sun is blazing, the temperature is hovering around 80, and my garden is begging to be weeded…. but I don’t think I’m quite in the mood. This is the part of the summer where the oven gets turned on judiciously, and intentional leftovers are the name of the game. I’m not cooking chicken without making extra for salads, extra shrimp will top grain bowls later in the week, even vegetables are sauteed or grilled in big batches so that they can be added to all kinds of throw-together dishes and eliminate unnecessary stove time.

But it’s not like we can get through the summer without cooking, so finding dishes that give us that summery bang-for-the-buck in terms of satisfaction is the name of the game. We surely are relying on our grills if we’re lucky enough to have them, and I’ve not nothing but love for the few farmers’ markets I frequent.

The produce is approaching fever pitch — and I lean heavily into meals that call for less meat and more vegetables. This week I found garlic scapes, baby bok choy, radicchio, all kind of leafy lettuces, sugar snap peas, gorgeous strawberries, and bulbous green onions at the market in New Milford, CT. Not to mention a fat wedge of crumb cake, cinnamon coffee cake, and ciabatta, plus fresh strawberry milk, only in season for a brief blip of time. I also watched two kids successfully convince their parents that homemade ice cream for breakfast was a very reasonable thought. Smart kids. Smart parents.

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19 Seasonal Recipes to Make This July

Here’s what I’m cooking this July!

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