Hi Reader,

I don't know about you, but I treat September as a second new year. The minute the kids go back to school, you can feel everyone resetting. Summer's over, and we all slide back into real life. I pull up my annual goals, see what's drifted, and right the ship before the last stretch of the year.

When I lived in Europe, I loved that everyone there makes the shift out loud. There are actual names for it. The French call it la rentrée; the Italians, il rientro. It translates to "the return," but it really means the renewal. Towns that were dead quiet all August are suddenly humming again.

It reminds me of the opening of Beauty and the Beast (yes, a deep cut, I know). Belle walks through the village singing bonjour, and everyone pops out from behind their shutters to say it back. That's pretty much September... a whole town waking up with the same renewed sense of purpose.

September Sends Me Back Into The Kitchen

The shift hits the kitchen too. You're still chasing the last of summer but not quite ready for pumpkin spice and holiday everything. You want summer's ease even as the grill goes away. For me, that means a non-committal cooking relationship. Fast, low effort, done. Here are four recipes that fit the bill.

My Mother's Slow Cooker Move

If you grew up with a working mom as I did, you know the drill. In the 80s and 90s, parents threw something in a slow cooker, walked away, and dinner made itself. My version is this slow-cooker chicken tinga. It's built almost entirely from what you already have on hand: canned chipotles, canned tomatoes, and (if you're like me) chicken in the freezer. Still good on day three, over rice, on tostadas, in a burrito, or over greens.

A Modern Chinese Chicken Salad

Next to my high school we had a spot with the most on-point Chinese chicken salad, and we'd order it before crossing the street to study at the library. The only problem is that salad isn't exactly health food, so I modernized it.

The result is this crunchy romaine salad. For me it's all about the crunch, and this one delivers. Loads of crisp veg and walnuts instead of those lackluster fried wonton bits. But the real key is the maple mustard soy vinaigrette. Make a jar, keep it on hand, and you'll never touch bottled dressing again.

The Big Batch That Gets Me Through The Week

Then there's our quinoa and feta salad. As someone who works from home and still wants to eat well, this is the one I turn to. I make a big batch Monday and graze on it all week.

Dinner That Tastes Like You Ordered In

Our spicy vodka sauce is one of the most popular recipes on the whole site, which tracks, because it's one of the best pasta sauces I've ever developed. It makes a weeknight feel like you ordered DoorDash when you absolutely didn't have to.

Do yourself a favor, make a batch of this and a batch of our pesto, then freeze them in portions. When you need dinner, pull one out and boil some pasta. By the time it's drained, you fold in the sauce, and you're done.

Those are just a few of my go-to recipes right now. If your September looks anything like mine, put one of them in the rotation this week!