Saturday, July 11, 2026

A Fun Addition to Summer Salads, Updated Kouign-Amann, Zucchini Scarpaccia & More

Friends, hello! Greetings from Queens via Denver, where I am/was for soccer, with various children. Culinary highlights have included First Watch avocado toast and salads (in Denver) and Matsunori hand rolls (in Queens). I love these trips for the time with my children and the food explorations they offer, but — and I hate to complain — after eating every meal out for nearly a full week, I am so looking forward to being home for a Sunday night dinner in. My salt-swollen joints are looking forward to it, too.

A few things to share! Hidden in the salad pictured up top from First Watch are corn nuts, a convenience-store snack I've long loved but never considered throwing into a salad.

But why not? They provide a crunchy, salty element, not unlike a toasted nut or seed, and in a salad with a Tex-Mex vibe, they complement the other elements so well. I've added corn nuts to my grocery list.

Also: On Monday, before leaving, I found myself needing to clean out the fridge and landed on this recipe for zucchini scarpaccia to help with the job. I mostly followed the recipe, but doubled the zucchini and upped the salt. It did not emerge from the oven crispy (perhaps because of the 2x zucchini), but it was very tasty, and I find myself wondering how the recipe might be tweaked for a crispier result. Or maybe crispy is overrated? If I experiment further, I will report back.

Finally, with the Cheater's Croissant Dough recipe I posted recently, I revisited another old recipe, kouign-amann, pronounced "queen ah-MAHN," a buttery, sugary pastry originating from Brittany. Of all of the pastries I have made with this cheater’s croissant dough, kouign-amann is the simplest: the only addition to the master dough recipe is sugar — there are no egg washes, no fillings, no toppings. Shaped into a flower and pressed into a muffin tin to bake, kouign-amann caramelize so beautifully in the oven:

They are irresistible and fun to make, too:

I've updated the post with new notes and photos. Have a great weekend, Everyone! 👋👋👋


Review of the Week

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Veggie-Loaded Stuff Peppers

"These peppers were AMAZING! I’ve made them twice already. Roasting the peppers is a game-changer (and makes my house smell so good)!"

— Michelle


7 Recipes to Make Right Now

Savory Galette with Corn and Tomatoes

Watermelon Gazpacho

Cold Peanut Noodles with Cucumbers

Roasted Poblano Peppers with Quinoa, Corn, and Monterey Jack cheese:

Raw Corn, Tomato, and Feta Salad

Zucchini Parmesan

Peach-Frangipane Galette


Farm Share Friends:

... it's here! The season of ALL the greens, herbs, radishes, and more. While I am no longer updating The Farm Share Newsletter, these posts from previous years may be helpful:


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Thank You

Thank you to all who have ordered Pizza Night. If you haven't left a review yet, I would be so grateful if you did! 🙏🙏🍕🍕🥗🥗


5 Free Resources Available to You

PS: All previous editions of this newsletter are available here.

Happy Cooking,


Alexandra Stafford



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