meet our mysterious guest of the week!
 Hi! Whether you have kids or not, life seems to be structured around the start and stop of the *school year.* For many of us — whether you’re a parent, teacher, or are in college or grad school yourself — school is back in session, which makes for a more routine (but also packed) schedule. All of team What To Cook’s kids are now back in school and we’ve been loving the predictability of our days — it’s been helping us settle back into a routine of cooking homemade dinners after a summer filled with pizza delivery and chicken fingers at the pool. Caro hasn’t been cooking much thanks to her meal train, but when she has, it’s been sheet-pan gnocchi (a new version of which will be hitting your inbox next week!) — carbo-loading to party all night with Tav! Molly’s been really into What To Cook the book lately — especially the panko honey mustard chicken (on page 144) and the turkey taco salad (page 119). And Jillian’s been cooking her way through all of these 30-minute broccoli shrimp alfredo riffs! What are you cooking this week?! We love when you all share your dinner pics, recs, and success stories in the chat! From Caro: We're approaching clog season! Although it's always clog season in my world — I think I wore my beloved Rothy’s clogs every day of pregnancy, when my feet needed all the help they could get. They came with me to the hospital (see the photo montage above, ha!), and, on the rare occasion that I've put shoes on over the past month, it's been my Rothy's clogs. All their shoes are machine washable, so I don’t have to worry about getting them dirty — they’re also sustainable (made with recycled plastic!), go with any outfit, and are just so very comfy. I have some exciting news to share with my fellow Rothy’s clog lovers today: they make kids’ clogs — and men’s clogs — now, too! My boys love their camo clogs and I love that they are closed-toed shoes that don’t require socks (if you get children dressed every day, you know that’s a win). If you haven’t joined the Rothy’s clog fan club yet, what’re you waiting for?! Basically everyone in my life owns a pair at this point — anytime someone comes to visit us they try to steal mine and I tell 'em to get their own!! I don't say this often but: you need 'em. PS, the Rothy’s team told me that the casual clog (the style I’m wearing in the bottom left pic) has sold out 10 times, but just got restocked! Thank you to Rothy’s for making my favorite footwear and sponsoring this edition of So Into That! And a reminder that So Into That is only sponsored by brands that we seek out because we love them and want to spread the good word. A few more wardrobe staples we’ve been wearing on repeat this summer The Alex Mill team shared their chic monogrammed totes with us and they’re our new go-to! Caro has the perfect weekend tote in khaki and uses it to lug around all of her and Tav’s stuff, Molly has the perfect weekday tote in cobalt and has been using it as a diaper/laptop bag all summer, and they also have a smaller perfect daily tote. They’re all made from high-quality, sturdy canvas, have pockets right where you want them, snaps that let you adjust their size, and two different strap lengths. The hand-painted monogram gets compliments everywhere we go!Caro went on a sleep deprivation-fueled rant about her favorite white button-downs on Insta this week! She’s been wearing oversized button-downs nonstop since getting home from the hospital — loving that you can unbutton them when you’re at home with baby to tuck them in close for skin-to-skin, or hide baby fully underneath for minimal nip slips if breastfeeding in public. Three of her favorites, in order from priciest to most affordable: this investment piece Frank and Eileen button-down, the Gap Big Shirt (a longtime fave!), and this chic one with high side slits from Lands’ End, which is currently on sale for $29. Molly’s worn this linen top nearly everyday this summer. It’s machine washable, can be dressed up or down, hits at your natural waist, and is VERY light and breezy (a necessity for summer in South Carolina). It’s sold out in a lot of sizes, but there are some still available (on sale!), and you can get notified when they’re back in stock. The Alex Mill team shared their chic monogrammed totes with us and they’re our new go-to! Caro has the perfect weekend tote in khaki and uses it to lug around all of her and Tav’s stuff, Molly has the perfect weekday tote in cobalt and has been using it as a diaper/laptop bag all summer, and they also have a smaller perfect daily tote. They’re all made from high-quality, sturdy canvas, have pockets right where you want them, snaps that let you adjust their size, and two different strap lengths. The hand-painted monogram gets compliments everywhere we go! The Alex Mill team shared their chic monogrammed totes with us and they’re our new go-to! Caro has the perfect weekend tote in khaki and uses it to lug around all of her and Tav’s stuff, Molly has the perfect weekday tote in cobalt and has been using it as a diaper/laptop bag all summer, and they also have a smaller perfect daily tote. They’re all made from high-quality, sturdy canvas, have pockets right where you want them, snaps that let you adjust their size, and two different strap lengths. The hand-painted monogram gets compliments everywhere we go! Caro went on a sleep deprivation-fueled rant about her favorite white button-downs on Insta this week! She’s been wearing oversized button-downs nonstop since getting home from the hospital — loving that you can unbutton them when you’re at home with baby to tuck them in close for skin-to-skin, or hide baby fully underneath for minimal nip slips if breastfeeding in public. Three of her favorites, in order from priciest to most affordable: this investment piece Frank and Eileen button-down, the Gap Big Shirt (a longtime fave!), and this chic one with high side slits from Lands’ End, which is currently on sale for $29. Caro went on a sleep deprivation-fueled rant about her favorite white button-downs on Insta this week! She’s been wearing oversized button-downs nonstop since getting home from the hospital — loving that you can unbutton them when you’re at home with baby to tuck them in close for skin-to-skin, or hide baby fully underneath for minimal nip slips if breastfeeding in public. Three of her favorites, in order from priciest to most affordable: this investment piece Frank and Eileen button-down, the Gap Big Shirt (a longtime fave!), and this chic one with high side slits from Lands’ End, which is currently on sale for $29. Molly’s worn this linen top nearly everyday this summer. It’s machine washable, can be dressed up or down, hits at your natural waist, and is VERY light and breezy (a necessity for summer in South Carolina). It’s sold out in a lot of sizes, but there are some still available (on sale!), and you can get notified when they’re back in stock. Molly’s worn this linen top nearly everyday this summer. It’s machine washable, can be dressed up or down, hits at your natural waist, and is VERY light and breezy (a necessity for summer in South Carolina). It’s sold out in a lot of sizes, but there are some still available (on sale!), and you can get notified when they’re back in stock. We are so excited to “introduce” you to this week’s maternity leave guest. Why the quotes, you may wonder? Because we — along with the many millions of others who follow him on Instagram and TikTok — don’t actually know who he is! is a London-based cook and food influencer who has amassed a truly huge following since he started rolling out home cooking videos on social media during the pandemic in 2020. His reels are hypnotic works of art, with ASMR-y food sounds, theatrical choreography (just look at this veggie twirl!), and moody lighting, often set to dramatic scores. He’s known for cooking insanely delicious “project” meals like wagyu steak sandwiches with chimichurri, caramelized onions, and confit garlic butter, and classic shepherd’s pie — and also for not revealing his name! NF now also shares his recipes through the Notorious Foodie newsletter, in which you’ll find raw long-form videos and behind-the-scenes photos in addition to the recipes, plus restaurant reviews and travel guides. We promise you’ll be in awe of his work, and highly recommend bookmarking his recipes for what to cook on nights that you DO feel like cooking and, in fact, want to show off! NF: Honestly, I’ve never had one! No professional training or restaurant jobs, just a real love for high-quality cooking and seasonal ingredients. I suppose I’ve just always been interested in the food scene, whether it be eating out at incredible new restaurants, cooking at home for friends and family, or simply getting lost in YouTube recipe rabbit holes. I started Notorious Foodie on Instagram about seven years ago as a sort of food diary. Back then it was really just for fun, sharing restaurant reviews of cool places I was visiting and what I was eating. It was during Covid that I transitioned into cooking content and the page has since grown to what is now a community of over 21 million people with one shared passion: food. NF: Put simply, I create food content online. Everything from home cooking videos and recipes to sharing my experiences at some of the best restaurants in the world. It’s crazy to see how far things have come, but I love it and couldn’t ask for a better community. I recently started my restaurant-quality cookware line at www.notoriousfoodie.com (soon to be www.notoriouscookware.com). This is currently home to my signature end-grain chopping boards and Japanese chef’s knives, but it’ll soon feature lots of other high-quality cookware that I’ve been designing too. I think a great home cook only really needs a few key tools and I hope to be the place to offer exactly that. NF: Hitting over 7 billion views on my cooking videos across all platforms is quite a mad one. It’s surreal to think how many people have seen some of my cooking and that I still make everything in my tiny home kitchen. People always ask me for a kitchen tour but I can assure you, it really isn’t all that interesting! Give me a stove and an oven and I’m happy. NF: The summer weather is always welcomed. It means I can get back to cooking outside, grilling over fire, using the BBQ, and taking my dogs out for long walks. The sun makes everything better. Nothing like summer produce, right! NF: Chilli oil. I put it on pretty much everything. That or beef tallow. NF: Either a bench scraper (so underrated) or a good pair of chef’s tongs. Once you use these multi-purpose tools a few times, you’ll realise how much easier certain tasks become. Microplanes are also great! NF: To be honest, any time the cameras aren’t rolling are the best, but cooking with friends is always fun. Throwing ideas around, experimenting, eating as we go, and having a few drinks — that’s the best. I love new kitchen set ups too, so any kitchen that’s not my own is a treat. NF: Haha, I knew the name request was coming! No name reveal here unfortunately — this is all about the food. Elevated home cooking and the best ingredients, always! What To Cook launched in December 2020, which means there are more than 230 recipes in the archives. To help you cook through them, let’s revisit what we cooked this week over the last few years! This soup is a delicious cousin to gazpacho and salmorejo! Pack it up in jars and serve it straight from the cooler for the easiest, fanciest lunch on the go. A quicker, one-pot take on the Sicilian classic — eggplant gets jammy and tender, then mingles with sausage (very untraditional, but very delicious), marinara, and pearl couscous (or orzo!) for a rich and cozy late-summer supper. Magic happens when the chicken and rice cook together here — the schmaltz from the chicken drips down into the pesto rice (yes, PESTO RICE!), making it rich, savory, and full of flavor. Juicy peaches add sweet brightness, and the whole thing comes together in one skillet with minimal cleanup. This one’s a twofer! You get Caro’s go-to kale salad that pairs well with any protein, plus a recipe for kid-friendly crispy chicken fingers. OK, so we kinda glossed over a major milestone in last week’s newsletter: What To Cook When You Don’t Feel Like Cooking the book turned ONE this month! To celebrate, we want to send WTC the book to 3 of you! To enter to win a copy1, comment on this post with your favorite What To Cook recipe to date (from either the book or the newsletter). If you already own the cookbook, you could gift it to a friend, or give us the name of someone in your life who you want us to mail it to instead! Leave a comment While we’re talking WTC the cookbook: if you’re a newer owner of it, click here for the 10 recipes Caro recommends starting with. We also have checklists that you can print off and mark up as you cook your way through the book! Here they are, organized by either cook time or protein. PS, congrats to , who won the subscription to ! A note about links! We use affiliate links when sharing product recs, which means we may earn a small commission off of purchases you make through those links. This does not cost you anything extra and is a way to support the production of and team behind What To Cook. Sponsorships are another way we partner with brands that we authentically love and can personally vouch for. 1 Giveaway open to paid subscribers of this newsletter who are at least 18 and live within the U.S. No posts