Kitchen Notes: May

Highlights from the kitchen, family life, and travels for the month of May.

Welcome to my new series, Kitchen Notes! (PS: these are free for all subscribers!) At the end of each month, I’ll highlight little bits about life and baking, including a list of all the new Everyday Baking recipes shared in my newsletters from that month, so you can find them all in one place for easy reference.

I will also be sharing some of my favorite things from that month—a best bite from a bakery I discovered while traveling, a new kitchen tool I can’t live without, what I’m harvesting from the garden, and so much more. I hope you enjoy these, and leave me a comment if there’s something you’d love to see in future newsletters!

All of the new recipes from this month are in one list for you! (I included a few of my favorite ones from March and April, too, since this is my first round-up.)

1. Berry Glazed Shortbread Cookies

2. Piña Colada Cake

3. Blueberry Cream Scones

4. Raspberry Pop-Tarts

5. Ingredient Spotlight: Vanilla

6. Lemon-Blueberry Oatmeal Cookies

7. S’mores Ice Cream Sandwiches

8. 1 Dough 5 Ways: Chocolate Chip Cookie Edition

9. Carrot Coffee Cake

10. Lemon Meringue Pie Bars

11. Almond Croissant Cinnamon Rolls

12. Blueberry Streusel Bread

Little moments from my life, kitchen, and travels in May.

The boys turned 9!

I can’t believe George and Lachlan turned nine this month! Time feels like it’s flying by. We had a fun time celebrating them with both grandmas coming to visit. I also did two different birthday cakes, so they could each have their favorite—George got a strawberry cake, and Lachlan had a chocolate cake. Their current obsessions are Pokémon and Legos, so we had a good time playing together with those, too.

Lachlan and George in Central Park

We planted the kitchen garden!

The weather is finally warm enough to plant! This is one of my favorite times of the year because I get so excited to choose what goes into the garden and what we will be enjoying all summer long. It’s so satisfying to see the garden go from looking a bit shaggy and drab from the harsh winter to feeling fresh, organized, and ready to grow!

We weeded the gravel and cleaned up the herbs and perennial fruits that overwintered. Some of my heartier herbs came back earlier this spring—oregano, thyme, mint, and chives! The blueberry bushes are also flowering now, and I’m hopeful to get a bigger harvest this year since the bushes are another year older. (It’s hard waiting on fruit trees and such to mature!)

In the other beds, we planted cherry and heirloom tomatoes, zucchini, yellow squash, rosemary, basil, and a few peppers.

The garden beds this week after planting and weeding.

Chive blossoms are so happy with the warmer weather. A new squash seedling ready to grow.

The apple trees have also started to form fruit! You can see the tiny apples starting to grow, below. They currently look like little berries. The strawberry patches were a bit thin last year, and I’m hoping they'll come back stronger this year, but it’s possible we’ll have to add some new plants. They are flowering now, and some have started to set fruit—we had a really great season three years ago, so fingers crossed.

Tiny apples starting to grow. Strawberry plants flowering.

I have several delicious new recipes for you next month! I’ve been working on some summer bakes featuring seasonal fruits like blackberries, strawberries, and cherries. I have a new pastry technique to share, along with a video to walk you through every step. And I’m currently testing an idea that I can’t wait to share with you! (Hint: a breakfast classic meets a new cooking method, involving a sheet pan and plenty of butter...)