Oh I’m not hosting, I don’t have room to. Just being a generous contributor to the pot luck. Unfortunately the chores of daily life don’t take holiday weekends, lol

First barbecue of the summer! First barbecue with friends as an independent adult too, really. I love to cook for people and have two perfect summer recipes picked out to make this weekend- arugula salad with steak and parm, and a spicy cucumber-watermelon salad. And then Sunday will be full of chores :(

Sure thing! Also I forgot something very important: beans take FOREVER to soften in acidic conditions. My biggest bean fails have been attempting dried beans (even pre-soaked ones) in tomato based sauces from the start. They just never fully soften. Instead, save tomatoes and vinegar for the end. If you’re doing something like chili, I’d recommend cooking the beans in a separate broth. Keep it simple but well seasoned, cook until tender or just shy of tender, and then add to the chili to finish cooking them in the sauce.

My suggestions would be to learn how to cook a perfect pot of beans on their own. Beans are wonderful and can be the star of their own solo show, complimented by salt, fat, and some humble aromatics. Carla Lalli Music is a bean queen and following her bean philosophy has given me the best pots of beans. This is a good starter recipe for brothy basil beans and this is more of a ‘beans and other things’ kind of recipe. Carla talks a lot about using fat liberally and as far as beans go, I have yet to overdo it. Don’t be afraid to really let that bottle of olive oil glug glug glug away.

If you’re going for canned bean ideas, I like doing crispy roast chickpeas or a simple chana masala. I find other canned bean applications are fairly lackluster compared to the flavor and texture payoff you can get from cooking from dried. That said, canned beans are great in a pinch and I always have a few kinds in my pantry.

I’m a big fan of 1925 Serum Run to Nome and The Tempest Prognosticator.