Welcome to Let’s Get Lost! I’m Rebecca, a recipe developer, food photographer, passionate people watcher, and chaser of new experiences. You might know me from my recipe websites, Of Batter and Dough and A Little and A Lot.

My husband and I are nomads without a home base but with many modes of transportation, namely an RV, a motorcycle, and a sailboat. I write recipes and stories for curious people who believe experiences are more important than things and who want more adventure.

—> Get this and every issue and recipe directly on rebeccablackwell.com.

Are you a fellow food writer or recipe developer? Here are three resources just for you!

I am not one for New Year’s resolutions.

They feel too much like goals, and I feel a strong resistance to words like goals and goal-setting.

Some of the best decisions I’ve ever made, and the best experiences I’ve ever had, came from abandoning the original plan, taking an unexpected turn, and saying yes to possibilities I didn’t know existed until they appeared in front of me. Doggedly sticking to a goal misses the point.

In other words: Resolutions restrict my freedom. And we can’t have that.

I do however, start the new year with a kind of theme… a general idea of something that I want to grow into. It might be something I want to incorporate more of, or less of, or it might just be a word that I want to use as a kind of lighthouse for the thousands of decisions that come up on a daily basis.

I started 2026 with this simple question typed at the top of my to-do list so I would see it every single day: What if this were easy?

I know why this felt like the right question to ask. I ended 2025 with the kind of existential crisis I’ve perfected over the years. I won’t go into that now, but I know you know what I mean because you also have many years of practice perfecting your own brand of existential crisis.

My personal brand is hallmarked by questions of competence, capability, and a deep sense of failure. It’s a good time. For me and everyone around me.

I am also prone to overthinking and have a tendency to make things much harder than they actually are. So, stepping into January, I thought it might be wise to give myself a daily reframe for how I approach the daily pressures of life.

What if this were easy?, I ask myself while staring down a difficult problem, or shuffling an impossible schedule, or confronting all the worries and heartbreak that comes with being a human.

So, here we are heading into August and I have realized my mistake. The universe has seen my question and countered with a steady supply of challenges that has me, once again, questioning my competence and whether I am actually capable of being a successful business owner. Honestly, let’s just forget the word successful and say a business owner who manages to stay in business.

My challenges are not unique. Every business owner knows what I’m talking about and the reality is, not all businesses survive. It feels like this is a particularly difficult time to be in business. The other business owners I know are also struggling. I am not alone.

And it’s not just business owners, is it? My husband’s company just went through yet another huge round of layoffs. There’s no such thing as a guaranteed paycheck. Job security is an illusion and that’s true if you work for someone or for yourself.

The only thing that’s certain is that nothing is.

What if it was easy?

What if nothing is easy and it’s just, really, really hard?

Well, ok then. What if it is?

In 2020, after our son died, I learned something that is maybe the truest thing I know about being a human: We are capable of experiencing two seemingly contradictory emotions at the same time. For example, extreme pain and extreme joy.

I don’t know where you’re reading this from, or what is happening in your life as you do. But, if you’ve stayed with me this far, it’s likely you relate on some level. Possibly on every level.

And, this points to the thing I needed to work out when I sat down to write to you this morning: When I manage to raise my nose from all my navel gazing and look around the world, I am forced to acknowledge the real truth of the situation: Even when it’s hard, my life is easy.

And this, my friends, might be the entire perspective shaping moral to this story. We are only able to see the truth when it’s reflected back to us in others. The truth of our life exists within the context of others. Within the context of the whole, wide world.

Hey, Rebecca, before you look inward, look up. Look out.

I am but one person, experiencing a tiny part of the world during a very small period of time in a universe that’s too large and vast for my comprehension. The experience is not meant to be easy or hard. It’s just meant to be my experience.

Everything as it is.

Road Food!

A new series for Paid Subscribers (members of The Lost Supper Club)

Let’s give credit where credit is due and the idea for this new series came from the incomparable . My husband and I have built our entire life around travel and somehow it never occurred to me to create a collection of recipes for life on the go.

This is why we need friends.

Here’s what this series is about: Yes, these recipes are for road trips. But they are also for airplanes, hikes, picnics, beach days, potlucks, boats, camping trips, and even trains. Those of you with kids in sports who spend a LOT of time in bleachers, they are for you too. They are for all the occasions when you need to take your lunch with you, to work, to school, or anywhere else you happen to go.

More than anything, these are recipes for real life because so much of real life happens on the go.

I hope, with all my heart, you are going on a trip somewhere soon. But even if you’re not, there’s a good chance you’re driving to work, taking the kids to school, running errands, squeezing dinner into busy weeknights, or simply trying to be better about eating more real food and less of what’s handed to use through a drive-through window.

Some of you love to cook and some of you would happily never wash another cutting board again. But, we all have to eat and sometimes we have to eat on the go. That’s what these recipes are for.

If you’re a paid subscriber, you’ll see the first recipe in this series below. If not and this sounds like the kind of thing you could get into, I invite you to upgrade. You’ll also receive some other awesome goodies like cookbooks and an entire year of the most fun cooking classes you’ll ever attend. ❤️

Upgrade to Paid

A few photos from my current corner of the world

*The homemade goodies in the last photo are from . Thank you, my friend. We are enjoying them immensely.

Small luxuries

Some of my favorite things.

August is for ice cream!

Ok. I actually feel that every day of every month is for ice cream. But maybe especially August, because that’s what month it is right now.

Our daughters gave me a Ninja Creami for Christmas in 2025 and I actually don’t think it’s possible to use it more than I have since then. I love it so much I’ve considered getting a second one just so I have a backup. (Not really, but also, yes really.)

If you already have one you know what I mean.

Here’s how it works: You pack whatever you want into the pint containers it comes with. Freeze the container for 24 hours then, put it into the machine and in 2 minutes you have ice cream.

What do I mean by “pack whatever you like”? I mean, pack whatever you like.

I mean, ice cream base, obviously. I just recently published this recipe for Matcha ice cream and I won’t admit to how much of that I’ve eaten so far this summer.

But I have also packed those little containers with nothing but chopped-up fruit and it comes out tasting like ice cream. One day I decided to see how far I could push it and packed one of those little containers with nothing but canned fruit cocktail. Even that somehow came out tasting like ice cream.

In the summer, I keep at least one container of frozen yogurt in the freezer at all times: Unsweetened Greek yogurt, some Stevia, chopped up fruit or berries, and lime juice. Sometimes I puree it in the blender before freezing it and sometimes I don’t. Either way it tastes like eating ice cream for breakfast.

The only thing I don’t love about it is the name because, first, I get annoyed when brands think they are being cleaver by misspelling a word, and second, saying it out loud makes me feel like I’m being wildly inappropriate.

Other than that, I love it so, so much. And if you are a fellow ice cream lover I can guarantee that you will too.

Ninja Creami

(*The Ninja Creami link is an affiliate link which means if you click on it and buy one I will earn a commission. A tiny commission, I confess, but every little bit helps, doesn’t it? Thank you. )

This week’s menu

Creamy Braised Chicken and Zucchini with Potatoes

Some nights (maybe most nights?) quick and convenient are the only way to go. This recipe for quick skillet chicken and potatoes is on a regular rotation around here because it’s quick, inexpensive, unfussy, and delicious.

But it doesn’t have a sauce that makes me want to bathe in it.

This meal is not trying to win the weeknight race. It’s the kind of meal that’s meant for lingering.

• Chicken and potatoes slowly braised in a creamy Dijon mustard sauce inspired by French country cooking.

• Tender bone-in chicken thighs cooked until the meat practically falls off the bone.

• Crackly chicken skin, roasted separately and added at the end so it crackles when you cut into it

• Creamy potatoes, braised slowly with the chicken so they absorb the sauce and become so buttery, they could almost be described as confit

• Chunks of zucchini, added at the end and cooked until tender but still firm, and never mushy

• A bright, lemony pan sauce flavored with garlic and thyme, enriched with mustard and a bit of cream, and just enough anchovy to give it some backbone without being too assertive

This is the very definition of one-pot comfort food... the kind of late-summer farmhouse supper that makes you imagine wraparound porches and golden sunsets over a well tended garden - even if you live in a tiny apartment in the middle of the city.

It tastes like something that requires an entire afternoon of cooking when, in truth, the technique is simple, straight forward, and easy enough for any skill level. In fact, your oven will do most of the work.

It’s the kind of thing you make when friends are coming over for dinner, when the garden is overflowing with zucchini, or when all you really want is the lingering smell of garlic and thyme and the feeling of being deeply nourished.

Braised Chicken, Zucchini, & Potatoes

Buttermilk Biscuits

If we’re leaning into comfort food, let’s go all in, shall we?

These are fluffy and tender and bake up tall with hundreds of flaky layers. What more could we want? Oh, I know! 🙋🏻‍♀️ The ability to freeze them and bake them straight from frozen. Done!

If you ever find yourself in my home I invite you to peer into the freezer where you will find a bag of little biscuit hockey pucks that are ready to bake. That’s honestly my favorite part of this recipe. Make the dough, cut out the biscuits, and freeze them. Whenever warm, buttery, homemade biscuits sounds like the thing you need right now, heat up your oven and bake them straight from frozen.

Buttermilk Biscuits

Blueberry Pie Cookies

These soft blueberry and oatmeal cookies are chewy, crunchy, blueberry-filled bites of bliss. Think chewy oatmeal cookie meets blueberry crumb pie, with a granola crunch for good measure.

If you're into things like buttery cookie dough, jammy fruit centers, and a snack that doubles as breakfast (and c'mon, who isn't?), these might just become your new favorite cookie.

Recipe: Blueberry Pie Cookies

Last year I taught a class on how to make these Blueberry Pie Cookies and you can watch it here if you like.

LIVE Blueberry Pie Cookie Class

This newsletter would not exist if not for the members of The Lost Supper Club, who show their support with a paid subscription, thus ensuring that the vast majority of readers can keep reading this newsletter for free. As a thank you, I try to provide those paid subscribers with some cool stuff, including…

• Three free cookbooks

• The NEW Road Food series

• And access to The CookStack Collective, 12 months of cooking classes with 12 incredible chefs!

A paid subscription is just $35 a year. Find out more about becoming a member of the Lost Supper Club.

❤️ Did you know that if you hit the heart or recycle symbol at the top or bottom of this post, it makes it easier for other people to find this newsletter?

Whether you’re heading across the country, across the world, or simply across town, this series of recipes is made for life on the move. They’re easy to make, easy to pack, and taste just as good hours later as they do fresh from the kitchen. Perfect for road trips, picnics, hikes, airplanes, potlucks, packed lunches, busy weeknights, and anywhere else you need to go.

This series is exclusively for members of The Lost Supper Club (paid subscribers). If these are the kind of recipes that

you could get into, I invite you to upgrade. You’ll also receive some other awesome goodies like cookbooks and an entire year of the most fun cooking classes you’ll ever attend. ❤️

Upgrade to paid

White Bean Tuna Salad

Road food notes: No cook • Packs easily • No reheating required • Pantry-friendly • Cooler-friendly

This bright, protein-packed salad is tossed in a simple lemon-Dijon vinaigrette and loaded with crisp scallions, creamy white beans, flaky tuna, and your favorite briny vegetables. It’s endlessly adaptable, requires no cooking, and is perfect for meal prep, road trips, picnics, or easy lunches on the go.

Read more

Welcome to Let’s Get Lost! I’m Rebecca, a recipe developer, food photographer, passionate people watcher, and chaser of new experiences. You might know me from my recipe websites, Of Batter and Dough and A Little and A Lot.

My husband and I are nomads without a home base but with many modes of transportation, namely an RV, a motorcycle, and a sailboat. I write recipes and stories for curious people who believe experiences are more important than things and who want more adventure.

—> Get this and every issue and recipe directly on rebeccablackwell.com.

Are you a fellow food writer or recipe developer? Here are three resources just for you!

I didn’t really have a choice in the matter

Earlier this week I listened to a podcast discussion with about her new book.

The title of the book is what drew me to listen to the podcast. Original Sin: On the Genetics of Vice, the Problem of Blame, and the Future of Forgiveness

Tell me more, Kathryn.

This was the first I’d heard of Kathryn Paige Harden. I have not (yet) read Original Sin. But after listening to her speak, the book is in my Kindle library, taunting me to start reading instead of being a responsible adult and, you know, doing my job.

And now is when I say the thing that is practically guaranteed to annoy, possibly infuriate, some of you. (I speak from experience.) I think the idea of a self-made person is a fantasy and that almost everything in our lives can be attributed to luck.

I have a very complicated relationship with the word “choice”. Here is something that I wrote about recently that begins to sum it up.

Many of the choices I have been afforded are exceedingly generous in a world where choices are generally quite limited. We don’t choose where and when we are born, the people we are born to, and the circumstances we are born into.

We don’t choose our personality, or our brain chemistry, or the overall state of how everything grew together before we even were allowed to take our first breath. We are born with the genetic makeup of the many generations that came before us and we had no say in its particulars. We are the product of everyone else’s choices long before we have a chance to make one of our own.

There is no such thing as a self-made anyone.

I am happy to take credit for creating a life I love. But my ability to do so is a pure stroke of luck.

So, you can see why I was drawn to Katheryn’s book.

In a conversation with last week, during which I was laying out an idea for yet another collaboration in which I want her to take part, she suddenly said, “Rebecca, were you always like this?”

Ummmmm… probably?

I am not a competitive person. In fact, if I suddenly find myself in a competitive situation, I freeze up and start looking for an exit strategy.

Part of it is that I’m terrible under pressure. I used to run (figuratively and literally-but in this case, I mean literally) and I was never tempted to enter any kind of race. I would be the first person kicked off of a competitive, high pressure cooking show because once the cameras started rolling I’d forget my name and how to boil water.

I love playing board games but don’t care at all about winning. And if the people I’m playing with care deeply about winning, it loses the appeal.

I’m not into competitive sports (surprise, surprise), but love watching any sport with people who are really into it. The fun is in watching the people who are really into it. I couldn’t care less about who wins or loses.

I don’t want to rank things or be ranked.

The best way to deplete me of all motivation is to pit my effort against someone else’s.

I am, however, very collaborative.

As a kid, I always had so many ideas for the next thing that my friends and I could do. Which is perhaps not the most honest way of stating it? More accurately, I had big ideas and needed people to make them happen.

But, the thing I’ve been thinking about is that my big ideas generally require the involvement of other people. There are a lot of big ideas. Not all of them require other people. So it feels significant that mine usually do.

Earlier this year we passed through Phoenix and had dinner with an old childhood friend we hadn’t seen in over a decade. At one point, as we were weaving our way through childhood memories, he said, “We never had to come up with ideas about what to do because you just told us.”

Have I always been like this? I suppose I have.

I started my first recipe site in 2013 and until I started writing this newsletter here on Substack, my work was a mostly solitary endeavor.

I like this too. It’s the other side of the coin. I’ve mentioned before that one of the first things I learned how to say was, “Leave alone. I do it myself.”

I rarely tire of being alone, and too many social engagements leave me drained and depleted.

But, over the past couple of years my collaborative nature has been pushing itself forward. Rather forcefully, I might add. And I’m having a marvelous time. In fact, if the number of collaborations in your life guaranteed wealth, I’d be a gazillionaire.

(It doesn’t, by the way, make you a gazillionaire.)

The very nature of collaboration requires generosity. It starts with the belief that there’s enough for everyone and that by working together, the end result will be better for all of us. It isn’t a zero-sum game. No ranking occurs. Win or loose, we’re in it together.

The CookStack Collective is one of these collaborations. We’ve just begun and it is already so much fun. Twelve food writers have come together to create a 12-month series of cooking classes. To participate you only need to be a paid subscriber to one of our publications. Not all of them. Not two of them. Just one.

The truly wonderful thing about this group is that we are all food writers and recipe developers working hard to make a living doing what we love to do. So, you might think we’d see one another as competitors.

Instead, we’ve chosen collaboration. It’s the kind of collaboration that only works if we all believe there’s enough for everyone. This is a big table, and if it gets too small we’ll just build a bigger one.

Mastermind For Food Writers is another example. Every month, a group of food writers gathers over Zoom and share ideas, insights, knowledge, and information. Openly and freely.

And look. I know this isn’t some sort of new revelation. Open collaboration happens in ways big and small in most of our lives every single day. Even the simple act of offering advice to a friend, sharing some hard-won experience with a co-worker, tag-teaming your to-do list with your spouse, or a neighborhood garage sale requires generous, open, non-competitive collaboration.

And also, it sometimes feels like the world is a harsh, polarized, competitive, zero-sum game that I don’t want to play. These generous opportunities to work with people instead of against them is like a balm. I am soaking it in.

So, yes, Kate. I suppose I have always been like this.

But I didn’t really have a choice in the matter, did I?

The best yellow cake of your life

Speaking of collaborations, I’ve recently started thinking of cookbooks from a collaborative perspective. Because isn’t that exactly what they are? The author openly shares recipes, tips, ideas, and stories that we incorporate into our lives, making them part of our kitchens and part of our story.

Case in point: I just purchased Obsessed With The Best by Ella Quittner. It’s a masterpiece. Five stars. Ten out of ten. Highly recommend.

In the book, she talks about using white wine to improve your yellow cake. Of course I had to try it, and holy smokes, if it didn’t make a noticeable difference in the yellow cake I’ve been making for years!

Here’s what you do: Replace half of the buttermilk in this recipe with white wine. I know it sounds a little bit nuts, but it gives this cake an even softer, tighter crumb that just melts in your mouth.

If you’re not a wine drinker, know that the buttermilk-only version is very, very good. I’ve been making it for decades with no complaints. There is no need to buy a bottle of wine that you won’t drink.

But if you have a bottle of white in your fridge, try it. You’ll be amazed by the results.

Yellow Cake with Chocolate Buttercream

Recipes that start with chimichurri

If I could keep one sauce in my refrigerator all the time, chimichurri would be very high on the list.

And when I say could, I can and I do.

Especially in the summer when I want easy recipes that require very little cooking.

Chimichurri sauce is one of the best ways I know to instantly brighten a dish with fresh flavor and color. Aside from being totally delicious, it’s healthy, versatile, and quick to prepare, and doesn’t require turning on your stovetop.

It also keeps well in the refrigerator for several days. So make a big batch and use it all week long.

Below, you’ll find my favorite chimichurri sauce recipe, plus a collection of recipes that put it to very good use.

Chimichurri Sauce!

One of the most traditional ways to eat chimichurri is spooned over a perfectly cooked steak. But there are few savory foods that won’t benefit from the intense, bright flavors of this sauce.

Chimichurri Sauce

1. Hamburger Bowls with Cheddar, Chimichurri, and Crispy Cabbage Slaw: The combination of juicy beef, melted cheese, crunchy sweet-and-sour slaw, and bright, garlicky chimichurri makes these burger bowls ridiculously flavorful and deeply satisfying. Even better, the whole meal takes just over 30 minutes to prepare, making it an easy high-protein dinner for any night of the week.

2. Steak and Rice Bowls with Garlic Aioli and Chimichurri: These gorgeous high-protein bowls start with thin slices of perfectly cooked reverse-seared steak piled over bowls of fluffy rice and oven-roasted veggies. Then we kick it up a notch with smoky garlic aioli, a bright, flavor-packed punch of chimichurri sauce, and fresh cherry tomatoes.

3. Chimichurri Steak Sandwiches: This is one of those sloppy two-handed sandwiches for which you need a stack of napkins and a hearty appetite because there is no chance you'll be leaving even one bite behind. No one has that kind of self control.

4. Chimichurri Steak Fries: I have discovered the secret to happiness and it comes in the form of saucy steak covered french fries.

5. Flank Steak with Chimichurri: Grilled flank steak with Chimichurri Sauce is a ridiculously simple meal for the amount of flavor it packs. The steak is seasoned with a dry rub of cumin, chili powder, garlic and oregano, then grilled on an indoor or outdoor grill, or a Blackstone Griddle. Or, if you prefer, the recipe includes instructions for cooking the steak with a Sous Vide Cooker or under a broiler.

6. Fried Summer Squash with Chimichurri: This super simple technique for crispy fried summer squash produces a light, lacy golden fry that makes the perfect side dish or appetizer.

7. Vegetarian Chili with Pico de Gallo and Chimichurri: Vegetarian Chili packed with beans, onions, poblano peppers, red bell peppers, zucchini, and tomatoes that are simmered in a spicy red wine broth, then topped with chimichurri sauce, fresh Pico de Gallo, fried tortilla strips, and, if you like, some shredded cheese.

8. Chicken Nachos with Chimichurri Sauce: Chips, cheese, marinated chicken, and chimichurri. Yes, please.

In other news…

• I spoke about collaborations being the most important thing for food writers in our new AI driven world in this podcast for Food Blogger Pro. I also talked about a bunch of other things, income not really being one of them, so I feel the title of this episode is a bit misleading. But I didn’t have a choice. 😉

• The Food Writers Business Lab has a new home and a new, more collaborative structure. Naturally.

• If you’re someone who’s always wanted to write a cookbook, this class is for you! DIY Cookbook Proposals is taught by who is one of the most insightful and knowledgeable people you’ll meet on this topic.

• And speaking of Kelsey, the two of us did a LIVE Q&A earlier this week to answer common questions about writing a cookbook proposal and you can watch the replay here.

This newsletter would not exist if not for the members of The Lost Supper Club, who show their support with a paid subscription, thus ensuring that the vast majority of readers can keep reading this newsletter for free. As a thank you, I try to provide those paid subscribers with some cool stuff, including three free cookbooks and access to The CookStack Collective, 12 months of cooking classes with 12 incredible chefs!

A paid subscription is just $35 a year. Find out more about becoming a member of the Lost Supper Club.

❤️ Did you know that if you hit the heart or recycle symbol at the top or bottom of this post, it makes it easier for other people to find this newsletter?

Welcome to Let’s Get Lost! I’m Rebecca, a recipe developer, food photographer, passionate people watcher, and chaser of new experiences. You might know me from my recipe websites, Of Batter and Dough and A Little and A Lot.

My husband and I are nomads without a home base but with many modes of transportation, namely an RV, a motorcycle, and a sailboat. I write recipes and stories for curious people who believe experiences are more important than things and who want more adventure.

—> Get this and every issue and recipe directly on rebeccablackwell.com.

Are you a fellow food writer or recipe developer? Here are three resources just for you!

What To Eat On A Sailboat

Or, Super Easy Meals For the Middle of a Very Hot Summer

Last year, Steve and I spontaneously bought a sailboat and then, because it’s difficult to find a place to park a 43-foot RV in touristy coastal towns along Lake Michigan when you haven’t secured an advance reservation, we put the RV into storage and moved onto the boat.

All this happened almost exactly a year ago and you can read about it here and here.

We learned a lot from that experience but mostly this: We love sailing and we bought the perfect boat for sailing. And it’s not the right live-aboard boat for two people who work from home full time.

This year, our experience is much more chill. We found a campground that’s happy to let us stay all summer long in a location that’s about 12 minutes from our marina. Our normal, daily, working lives happen as they have for the past 6 years - in the comfort of our RV.

This has made the sailboat more of a toy. And sometimes a vacation home. We had a custom mattress made for our very weird shaped bed, replaced all the cushions in the salon (the main seating area), and stocked the bathroom and kitchen with everything essential to a short term stay.

A few weeks ago, we took off on our first long sailing trip. I use the word long lightly because I follow people like who has sailed all the way to Tonga! Long for us right now is a 9-day trip from Muskegon, Michigan to Door County, Wisconsin.

And here’s the thing: Last year, when we rushed on board with absolutely no planning or experience, one of the things I found the most challenging was cooking in my tiny galley kitchen. When I say challenging, what I really mean is maddening. I was maddened.

This year, cooking in my tiny galley when I’m on vacation because I can and I actually want to, is so much fun.

Same space. But a completely different experience. There are some lessons in perspective and mindset there that we won’t go into right now except to say that when things aren’t working perhaps it’s the approach to the thing and not the thing that needs to change. This also may apply to people.

Anyhoo, today I’m sharing with you some of the meals I cooked on that trip because, presumably, you aren’t living on a 37-foot sailboat (or maybe you are?), but it’s the middle of the summer and hot almost everywhere and I don’t have to presume anything to know that easy meals are of the moment. That’s what these are.

Because refrigeration on our boat is limited, I’m learning a lot about how many delicious, nutritious meals can be made from pantry ingredients. If you are someone like my friend , who is prepared for many unforeseen events with an enviable preparedness pantry, you already know this.

My preparedness strategy is to make sure we’re located near a local grocery store which obviously means not being prepared at all.

We are who we are.

BUT, one of the recipes I’m sharing with you today is a white bean chicken chili that I made while underway, sailing down the coast of Michigan, using only pantry ingredients. So also, I can be taught.

Also, have you looked at all the great pantry items that are in most supermarkets these days? I generally stick to the outside aisles of the grocery store, preferring fresh ingredients over anything with a shelf life. This I thought was admirable and I’ll admit it, I felt a bit snobbish about my cart full of fresh produce.

Well. The joke’s on me because the number of whole food items that can be found in the inner isles are kind of awesome. Here are a few of the things I have stocked, and will continue to keep stocked, in one of the storage compartments on the boat:

• Coconut milk and a carton of oat milk

• Canned beans

• Anchovies

• Fruit and veggies: Green chilis, corn, diced tomatoes, Calabrian chili and Fresno chili peppers, roasted artichoke hearts, roasted red peppers, pickled banana peppers, pickles, olives, pineapple chunks, and mandarin oranges

• Jars of tuna and a couple cans of chicken (I have never, in my life purchased canned meat of any kind, but I used it in the chili and was pleasantly surprised. Don’t judge me.)

• Salsa

• Tomato-based pasta sauce and a jar of pesto

• A tube of concentrated tomato paste

• Brown rice, white rice, couscous, and dried pasta

• A couple of jars of Better Than Bouillon (Roasted chicken and vegetable)

• Vegetable oil and extra virgin olive oil

• A few spices: paprika, cumin, chili powder, oregano, Italian herb blend, garlic powder, and onion powder + salt and pepper, obviously

• Bottled lemon and lime juice. I know some of you feel strongly about bottled juice and I don’t wanna hear about it. Sometimes it’s the best option. Also, the Santa Cruz brand is awesome.

There are SO MANY different meals that can be made from those ingredients alone. On our 9-day trip I also brought along a couple of onions, some fresh garlic, tomatoes, a couple of bell peppers, a cucumber, a carton of eggs, a package of corn tortillas, a few sandwich rolls, a jar of mayo, Dijon mustard, and several kinds of cheese and chocolate because we are not savages.

Everything else we ate on board came from pantry ingredients.

The two recipes I’m sharing with you today are made almost exclusively from pantry items.

Q: If the opened pantry item needs to be stored in the refrigerator once opened, does it cease to be a pantry item? These are the kinds of questions that keep me up at night. Also, war and famine and that badly worded email and the person I forgot to get back to and the imminent threat of all forms of disaster. The 2am brain is not rational and actually believes there is something to be gained by laying in bed obsessing about such things.

Pantry White Bean Chicken Chili

• 1-2 tablespoons of oil (vegetable, canola, avocado, or extra virgin olive oil)

• 1 chopped onion, any variety

• Several cloves of garlic, peeled and minced (I like garlic, so “several” means 6-8. You do you. Or, sub in some garlic powder with the other spices.)

• About 1 tablespoon tomato paste - you don’t need to be exact here.

• Chili powder, paprika, and cumin: Again, the amount is up to you. How spicy is your chili powder? How spicy do you want your chili to be? How much do you love paprika and cumin? If you’re unsure, start with a teaspoon of each and go from there.

• A can (or two or three) of diced green chilies

• A jar of roasted red peppers, drained and chopped

• A 15-ounce can of diced tomatoes

• 4 cups vegetable broth, OR Better than Bouillon Vegetable Base mixed with water

• A can of corn (sub in fresh or frozen if you prefer)

• A can or two of white beans, drained. Using one can or two cans really just depends on how many people you’re feeding.

• 4-8 ounces shredded cheese. I used cheddar but would have used pepper jack if we had any. How much you use depends on how much you like cheese. We can all guess how much I added.

• A 12-ounce can of chicken (No, of course you don’t have to use canned chicken. You are most likely cooking in a normal kitchen and not far from a store with a rotisserie chicken. Great. Use that. Or any kind of cooked chicken. Or, let chunks of raw chicken simmer away in the chili until it’s cooked through. You could also leave the chicken out entirely.)

• Lime juice, to taste. I used bottled lime juice. YES I DID. If you have fresh limes, use those.

• Salt and pepper, to taste

• Optional: A splash of cream, half-and-half, or sour cream

• Optional: tortilla chips and diced fresh tomatoes, for serving

Instructions:

1. Add the oil to a large saucepan or Dutch oven along with the chopped onion. Set the pan over medium heat and cook until the onion is soft, translucent, and just barely beginning to brown.

2. Add the chopped garlic, tomato paste, and spices. Cook, stirring constantly, for about a minute.

3. Add the green chilies, chopped roasted red peppers, and a can of diced tomatoes, juice and all. Stir to mix then add the vegetable broth, corn, and white beans. Bring the liquid to a boil, then turn the heat down to maintain a gentle simmer. Let the chili simmer for 15-20 minutes.

4. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the shredded cheese. Stir until it melts into the soup. Add the can of chicken and stir very gently to distribute it. Add as much lime juice as tastes good to you. Taste and add more salt and some ground black pepper if you like.

5. Optional: To make a creamy chicken chili, add a splash or two of cream, half and half, or sour cream. You won’t need much to give the soup a deliciously creamy texture.

6. Also optional: Serve the soup topped with some crushed tortilla chips and diced fresh tomatoes. SO GOOD.

More about the chicken: If you’re using raw chicken, cut it into bite-size pieces and add it with the broth. If using pre-cooked chicken, add it at the same point in the recipe where I’ve added the canned chicken. Since it’s already cooked, you’re just warming it up.

Add something fresh: If you have a really great summer tomato, or some sweet cherry tomatoes, chop those up and scatter them over steaming bowls of chili. Ditto with chopped fresh cilantro and green onions, or chopped red onion.

Serving suggestion: Tastes best served in paper bowls while sailing.

A few other things we ate on our sailing trip

Veggie Omelette Pizza with Hummus

In May wrote a fabulous guest post about her life on a boat and slow-traveling around the world (read it here). She shared two delicious, super easy meals that don’t require an oven and can be made in any size kitchen. I made one of them - Veggie Omelette Pizza with Hummus - the first night of our trip and it hit the spot.

As you can see, “omelette” is a very generous word for the mess of eggs on my plate. What can I say? The pans on board came with the boat and EVERYTHING sticks to them. This did not affect the flavor one little bit. But, it might be time to upgrade my pans.

Sesame Chicken Salad Sandwiches

Sesame Chicken Salad Sandwiches. I made these for lunch while we were underway. This chicken salad is one of our favorite travel day meals. Usually I make it when we are hauling the RV from one part of the country to another. I pack it into mason jars and we eat it from the truck, usually while stopped at a truck stop.

For our sailing trip, I made the chicken salad before we left so all I had to do was pile it onto sandwich buns. I wrapped the sandwiches in plastic wrap for easy handling. The water was pretty rough that day and having them wrapped up meant easier handling.

Speaking of Sesame Chicken Salad… I made this last night for the very first CookStack Collective class which was a total blast! Those of you who were able to join me, how fun was that????

Crispy Corn Tortilla Quesadillas

We arrived in Door County on a Monday evening at at around 8pm, about 30 minutes before sunset. After getting the boat secured to the dock, I quickly whipped up two crispy corn tortilla quesadillas so we could sit on the deck and eat while watching the sun set.

But, these super easy crispy quesadillas have been a favorite around here for a very long time. They are made from ingredients I almost always have on hand and take about 5 minutes each.

I sometimes serve them topped with a fried egg, and sometimes not. In Door County we ate them without the egg but with plenty of Herdez roasted salsa verde.

Small luxuries

Some of my favorite things.

Here is something that you may or may not know about me. I am addicted to two things: chapstick and coffee.

I always, and I mean always, have a chapstick in my pocket, a few in my bag, one in my wallet, a couple in the truck, and some extras in various place throughout the RV and the boat and your house if I’ve ever visited. Because I can never, NEVER, be in a situation where I do not have a chapstick.

And also, if I could not have my morning cup of coffee I would fall into a pit of despair.

Brief aside: Our oldest daughter, Kate, told me that if the apocalypse happens her plan is to get in her car and drive to wherever we are because we have a generator and she will need to charge her kindle (her primary addiction). In exchange, she will stop at every opportunity to gather as much chapstick and coffee as she can get her hands on. This seems a solid plan.

Thankfully, I do not have a sensitive stomach and am not bothered by the high acidity in coffee. But, I know a lot of people are.

I also know that a lower tolerance for coffee is something that happens to many people as they age. So, I’ve done some proactive research because, as I’ve mentioned, a pit of despair hangs in the balance.

That research led me to Lavender Coffee, which just happens to be based in Colorado. Before moving into an RV in 2020, I lived my whole life in Colorado, so you would have thought I’d have heard of them. But they only opened in 2023, so that explains it. They have a couple of gorgeous looking cafes in Denver that I’d very much like to visit the next time we are there. They also make several varieties of low acid roasted coffee, which you can order online.

So, I ordered a couple of bags to try it out and it is DELICIOUS. I tried the Pearl Street Blend and Platt Park Blend. Of the two, I prefer the Platt Park because it’s a dark roast and I’m a dark roast girl. But they are both fantastic.

Lavender Coffee is not paying me to say this. I’m sure they have no idea I exist. :-) But if you are one of those coffee lovers with a sensitive stomach give their coffee a try. I think you’ll like it.

This newsletter would not exist if not for the members of The Lost Supper Club, who show their support with a paid subscription, thus ensuring that the vast majority of readers can keep reading this newsletter for free. As a thank you, I try to provide those paid subscribers with some cool stuff, including three free cookbooks and access to The CookStack Collective, 12 months of cooking classes with 12 incredible chefs!

A paid subscription is just $35 a year. Find out more about becoming a member of the Lost Supper Club.

Attention Food Writers, Recipe Developers, and Food Bloggers

Join me on Thursday for a LIVE Cookbook Proposal Q&A!

I’m talking with the incomparable on Thursday about cookbook proposals: what they are, what they need to include, and how to start turning a cookbook idea into something agents and publishers can understand. We’ll talk through the major pieces of a strong cookbook proposal, including concept, audience, comp titles, sample recipes, author platform, visual direction, and why your book belongs in the market now.

Find Out More

The most valuable skill I’ve learned as a recipe developer and food writer

In all my years as a recipe developer, nothing has done more to draw people to my work than my photographs. Without a doubt, nothing has moved my business forward more than learning to take stronger, better, more intentional photographs.

On Friday I am teaching a class with two master food photographers about how to make more intentional choices that help your photographs tell the story you want them to tell.

If you’re a food writer, food blogger, or recipe developer, I hope you’ll join me for The Visual Language of Food Photography.

Participants will learn:

• How to plan a shoot around the story you want your photographs to tell

• How to use color to convey mood and emotion

• How to incorporate texture to transform a mediocre photograph into a stellar one

• How to use lighting as both a styling and technical element

• The best strategies for incorporating the human element into your photographs

If you’ve ever looked at one of your photographs and thought, This is fine, but it doesn’t quite feel like me. Or, This is fine, but I KNOW it could be better. This class is for you.

I hope you’ll join us.

Your $99 registration includes TWO 90-minute live sessions: Friday, July 24, and Wednesday, August 5, from 12:00–1:30 p.m. ET.

The Visual Language of Food Photography

❤️ Did you know that if you hit the heart or recycle symbol at the top or bottom of this post, it makes it easier for other people to find this newsletter?

Welcome to Let’s Get Lost! I’m Rebecca, a recipe developer, food photographer, passionate people watcher, and chaser of new experiences. You might know me from my recipe websites, Of Batter and Dough and A Little and A Lot.

My husband and I are nomads without a home base but with many modes of transportation, namely an RV, a motorcycle, and a sailboat. I write recipes and stories for curious people who believe experiences are more important than things and who want more adventure.

—> Get this and every issue and recipe directly on rebeccablackwell.com.

Are you a fellow food writer or recipe developer? Here are three resources just for you!

A few weeks ago, Steve and I ventured out on our first real sailing trip. We sailed north for 2 days on the Michigan side of Lake Michigan, then across to Door County, Wisconsin. On the way back home, we stopped for the night in a marina that seemed to have hired some teenagers that day and then set them to work without any training.

I wanted to share that experience with you, but from the perspective of the teenagers. Below you’ll find a fictional story I’ve created about our experience. The events described in the story actually happened but I’ve created names and personalities for the teenagers, and written the story from the imagined perspective of one of those teenagers. I hope you enjoy it!

Also in this issue —> Recipes for Mississippi Pot Roast, Buttermilk Whipped Potatoes, and Matcha Ice Cream!

But first, a word from our sponsor. 🙂

This issue is supported by Pique! If you’ve been around here for a while, you know I’m a fan of the Pique B•T Fountain Electrolyte Powder and their Sun Goddess Matcha powder.

That has not changed. I am still gulping down a glass of B•T Fountain Electrolyte Powder mixed with water every morning and using the matcha powder in everything from shortbread cookies to matcha banana shakes to ice cream!

Because it’s July and we are HOT, you’ll find a brand new recipe for Matcha ice cream below!

Last month, I added the R•E Fountain Calming Electrolyte Powder to my evening routine and it’s really made a difference to how rested I feel in the morning, even on days when I haven’t gotten nearly enough sleep.

I’ve been taking magnesium supplements for several years now because, among other reasons, it’s been shown to help us sleep better. R•E Fountain Calming Electrolyte Mix contains three different types of magnesium and comes in a form that’s easier to absorb than pills or capsules. So, I swapped my magnesium pill for a glass of water mixed with R•E Fountain Calming Electrolyte powder in the evenings and am so happy with the results.

Together, they’re the Deep Hydration Protocol and, if you use this link, you’ll receive 20% off plus some free gifts.

20% Off Pique Deep Hydration Protocol

Joey is not a sailor

Joey is an average 17-year-old. At least, that’s how Joey thinks of himself. What average means, of course, depends entirely on who you compare him to.

Compared to the boys on the high school football team, Joey is considerably less than average. He is not tall or athletic or quick on his feet, and he doesn’t really care that he’s none of those things. He has never had a real girlfriend and does not feel especially deprived by this. His level of ambition is what some might call low and what others, especially his parents, might call alarming.

Joey does not see the problem.

He cannot understand why everyone is always in such a hurry to become someone or get somewhere. He is already someone. He is already somewhere. He is Joey. He lives in Michigan. That seems sufficient.

And besides, he is good at some things. He is very good at math. He is a considerably above-average gamer. He can solve a Rubik’s Cube in less than 20 seconds. Last year he picked up a guitar and discovered he could make sense of it almost immediately. Now he can play many of his favorite songs, though only in the privacy of his room because he can’t imagine ever wanting to play for other people.

The way Joey sees it, this all evens out. The trouble is that Joey’s parents do not appear to be using the same scorecard.

His parents are, objectively, above average in nearly every measurable way. They are healthy and attractive and athletic and successful and efficient. They have good careers, good posture, good insurance, and the kind of pristine, fashionable home with a bowl of perfectly ripe fruit on the kitchen counter that suggests no one in the house has ever lost their keys.

Joey does not especially mind that he is not like them. But it is increasingly clear that they mind.

They seem to regard Joey’s lack of sparkle as a personal affront. As if their life report card would be a flawless 4.0 if not for the glaring C-minus next to raise an exceptional human.

So now Joey has a summer job.

His father, standing in the kitchen with his sleeves rolled up, presented it as an opportunity! A lesson in real life! An honest day’s work! Character building! And fun!

One of his dad’s college friends owns a marina. A nice one. The kind with a pool and a clubhouse and a sun-kissed staff in matching T-shirts with bright smiles on their faces 24/7. Or at least during working hours.

Except, the sun-kissed staff is kinda sparse this summer because, as Joey’s father explained, kids these days don’t want to work.

But Joey is different, right son?

Joey nods. Sure, Dad.

So here he is on a Saturday in June, on the fuel dock of a resort marina, beginning his second day on the job with absolutely no idea what he is doing.

Joey’s parents own a boat, of course they do, but Joey has not retained any of the information his dad has tried to impart to him while onboard. Mostly, Joey looks out at the water and thinks about whatever song he’s composing and wishes he was back in his room with his guitar. Sometimes he brings a backpack filled with Rubik’s Cubes.

The marina owner’s training method appears to be optimism and osmosis. He deposited Joey at the dock the day before, introduced him to Brad, and said, “Show him the ropes,” which would have been more helpful if Joey had any understanding of ropes. Or cleats. Or boats.

Brad is 20, blond, and suntanned. He looks like the kind of guy who kite surfs or plays beach volleyball in his spare time. Probably both. He’s competent. Patient, even. But he has never trained anyone before so most of Joey’s day is spent watching Brad do things while peering awkwardly over his shoulder, trying to pay attention and hoping he’ll never have to do any of it on his own.

This morning the owner arrived with another new hire. Amy is 18, a year older than Joey, tall and tan, with dirty blond hair pulled into a ponytail and the easy confidence of a person who has spent a lot of time on boats actually paying attention. Her family has one too, but unlike Joey, she has apparently noticed what happens on it. She knows how to move without looking uncertain. She asks questions that make her sound capable. She is learning quickly.

Also, Brad clearly has a crush on her.

For most of the afternoon, Brad and Amy do the work while Joey hovers nearby, summoned occasionally to hold something, fetch something, or perform a task too minor to do much damage.

His shift is nearly over when a sailboat motors toward the fuel dock. Brad is on the phone with a customer, so Amy motions for Joey to follow her out to help tie the boat off.

A woman stands at the bow with a line in her hand. Joey places one hand on the marina’s dock line and freezes. Should he throw it to her? Will she throw hers to him? Is there a boat etiquette to this? Almost certainly yes.

Amy comes to his rescue and tells him to get ready to catch the line the woman throws. The woman throws.

Joey catches it on the first try. Relief and triumph flood his body and he holds up the line like a trophy.

Then the boat keeps moving and Amy tells him to walk with it and tie the line to a cleat. Joey chooses one at random and wraps the line around it in a way that looks, even to him, improvised. Amy helps the man at the wheel tie off the back of the boat then removes the line Joey has secured, moves it to a different cleat, pulling the boat tightly to the dock and securing it with the crisp, slightly irritated efficiency at which some girls seem to excel.

Brad walks out onto the dock and asks the couple what they need.

“Top off the fuel and a pump-out, please.”

Joey has already learned that a pump-out is the worst part of working at a marina. Yes, there are gloves. And yes, a machine does the work. But you are still pumping shit out of a boat and there’s no way to make that an enjoyable experience.

Brad grabs the fuel pump and tells Amy and Joey to handle the pump out.

There follows an awkward, smelly stretch of time during which Amy tries to remember the pump-out procedure while Joey does his best to look useful and avoid breathing through his nose.

The woman steps off the boat and asks if she can pay for the fuel, pump-out, and transient slip all at once. They’ve never stayed at this marina before, she explains. She also needs directions to their slip.

Amy goes with her into the office.

Joey is left on the boat holding the hose, the machine roaring away, completely unsure how he is supposed to know when the thing is finished. Thankfully Brad appears, turns the machine off, takes the hose from Joey, and drops the end into the water to rinse it.

Joey, relieved to no longer be in charge of sewage, turns and notices the man from the sailboat standing on the cabin roof, doing something with the sails.

Suddenly, in one swift and terrible motion, the man disappears. He has slipped off the cabin roof, smacking his head in the process and landing hard in the cockpit.

Everyone goes still.

The woman comes running out of the office. Amy stops just inside the doorway, looking alarmed and terrified. Brad, usually so competent, looks as stunned and helpless as Joey has felt all day.

The woman gets onto the boat and tells the man to get up. Brad offers a first-aid kit. She says they have one and disappears down into the cabin to fetch it. There is blood, but not much. She patches him up quickly, the three of them standing there awkwardly, and then turns to ask them for directions to their transient slip.

Amy points to the marina map. The woman asks whether they’ll need bumpers on the port or starboard side of the boat, receives no useful answer, so studies the map and figures it out.

Then Amy says the thing Joey wishes with all his heart she would not say. “Would you like us to meet you at your slip to help you tie off?”

“Yes,” the woman says, looking sideways at the knot growing on her husband’s forehead. “That would be great.”

Inside the office, the phone rings and Joey can see that another boat is already approaching the fuel dock. Brad says he can handle the approaching boat on his own and tells Joey to untie the sailboat and go with Amy to meet them at the slip.

Joey feels filled with dread but he does as he’s told. He follows Amy down the dock, carrying with him the increasingly sickening awareness that there are many kinds of knowledge in the world and he is missing all the ones currently required.

When the sailboat glides toward the empty slip, Joey says, trying to sound casual and maybe even self-deprecating in a charming kind of way, “I don’t really know what I’m doing here.”

Amy gives him a look that suggests she does not find him charming and says, “Just catch the lines and tie them to the dock.”

Right, then.

The woman tosses Joey a line from the bow. It is, though Joey does not know it, the spring line and meant to be secured to the center of the slip to keep the boat from hitting the front of the slip. Joey catches the line (another triumph!) and pulls the boat forward. Towards the front of the slip.

The woman yells that they are going to hit the dock.

At the back of the boat, Amy ties another line too far forward, which does nothing to hold the boat back while Joey pulls it forward.

The woman, who is leaning over the bow of the boat, gesturing wildly, yells, “We’re going to hit the dock!”

The boat hits the front of the dock.

Joey just stands there holding the line, frozen. Like an idiot.

Amy rushes forward and takes the line from Joey’s hands. The man, his probable concussion not preventing him from realizing they’d have been better off on their own, loosens the rear line while putting the boat in reverse.

The woman directs Amy to tie the line to the appropriate cleat, which Amy does. The man puts the boat into neutral and comes forward to help. Amy tells Joey to grab the rear line.

Joey grabs it. And then, because no one has yet explained what one does after grabbing a line, he simply stands there holding it while the back of the boat drifts toward the boat in the next slip.

The woman rushes back to help just as Joey drops the line into the water. Of course he does.

The man, now on the dock, hollers for the back line. Somehow the woman gets it to him. Somehow he pulls the boat in. Amy and Joey stand there uselessly, watching the people they were sent to help finish the job themselves.

Then Amy, to her credit, says with a crooked smile, “I’ll bet this is the smoothest docking you’ve ever had.”

The woman laughs. “Yes,” she says. “So smooth.” Then she adds, “Thank you for your help. We’ve got it from here. Really.”

Amy and Joey walk back to the fuel dock. They are both quiet.

Then Amy starts to laugh, so Joey laughs too.

What else can they do?

By the end of the day, Joey knows he smells faintly like gasoline and strongly like humiliation. His shoes are wet. His shirt is sticking to his back. He has been useless in at least six different ways. He has helped crash a sailboat into a dock. He has not shown promise or ambition and is aware that the adults of the world have probably put him in the category of young people who don’t want to work.

When his father asks, “How was work?” Joey shrugs and says, “Fine.”

Which is not true. But it is also not entirely false. Because, an hour earlier, as Joey peddled his bicycle slowly toward home, he thought about how the day’s mishaps just might make a good story and now a song was beginning to form in his mind. He goes upstairs and picks up his guitar.

This week’s menu!

Mississippi Pot Roast

Decades ago, when I started making this pot roast, I had no idea it was called "Mississippi Pot Roast". I don't remember where I got the recipe, but I was a new cook and the recipe looked like something I could handle. 5 ingredients and 5 minutes of prep work? Sign me up.

Three decades later, I’m still making this same recipe on the regular. Eventually, I learned it was called Mississippi pot roast. The recipe was originally published in a church cookbook, but then, with the rise of the internet and social media, it became something of a viral sensation.

Back when our kids were young and I was making this pot roast all the time, I didn’t know any of that. I just wanted an easy way to get dinner on the table. I am hopelessly late to the party with anything trendy or viral. I spend very little time on social media. I am not on TikTok. So, while this recipe was busy getting famous, I was just making dinner.

Mississippi pot roast was a particular favorite of our youngest daughter, Anne, who immediately asked me for the recipe when she went away to culinary school. After culinary school, Anne worked as a Sous Chef and Pastry Chef before becoming the recipe tester, videographer, and photographer for the recipes published here and on my baking website, Of Batter and Dough.

This was one of the first recipes I ever published, and the photos left a lot to be desired. So, in July of 2026, Anne retook all the photos, which feels like a full-circle moment: my youngest daughter, who is now a chef, taking the photos for a recipe she’s loved her whole life. ❤️

If you’ve never made Mississippi Pot Roast, let this be your invitation. I’m not sure an easier recipe exists, and the rewards are about a thousand times greater than the effort.

Recipe: Mississippi Pot Roast

Buttermilk Whipped Potatoes

I know, I know, that most recipes for mashed potatoes say to treat the potatoes with gentle care, but I am here to tell you that beating potatoes with an electric mixer creates a light and fluffy texture that’s almost ethereal.

I’ve been using an electric mixer to make my famous cream cheese mashed potatoes for years and they are ridiculously creamy and one of my family’s absolute favorite things.

For this recipe, I just took that one step further, using the wire whisk on my stand mixer to beat the potatoes until they were fluffy and light as air. One of the keys to their light and fluffy texture is buttermilk.

Buttermilk has a tenderizing effect on everything from roast chicken to coffee cake. And the same principle applies here, giving these whipped potatoes a tangy flavor and a light, tender texture that will have everyone at your table going back for more.

Buttermilk Whipped Potatoes

Matcha Ice Cream

Over the past couple of weeks, the temperatures in Michigan have jumped by 30 degrees! Summer has arrived, and with it, a weekly (sometimes daily) ice cream habit. There are worse things! There’s a great ice cream shop just down the street from the marina where we keep our sailboat, but more and more I opt to make it at home.

Homemade ice cream is just so easy to make and gives me complete control over the ingredients and flavors. This recipe starts with a rich custard base flavored with Pique Sun Goddess Matcha Powder, vanilla, and a hint of almond extract. It’s cool and refreshing, and exactly the right thing for a hot summer day.

Matcha Ice Cream

This newsletter would not exist if not for the members of The Lost Supper Club, who show their support with a paid subscription, thus ensuring that the vast majority of readers can keep reading this newsletter for free.

As a thank you, I try to provide those paid subscribers with some cool stuff, including 12 months of LIVE cooking classes!

—> Paid Subscribers! Register for the July Class Here!

I am honored to be one of 12 incredible food writers, bakers, cooks, and teachers in the CookStack Collective. Together, we’ve created a year-long series of live cooking classes that are all about cooking with and learning from one another.

Also, we are a hoot! This is a party you’re going to want to attend.

Access to The CookStack Collective is exclusively for members of The Lost Supper Club (paid subscribers). In addition to all the other paid perks, over the next twelve months, paid subscribers will receive access to:

• 12 live Zoom cooking classes

• Recipes and class materials

• Access to every recording

• The opportunity to cook alongside some incredibly talented teachers

A paid subscription is just $35 a year. Paid subscribers also receive THREE free cookbooks and other exclusive content throughout the year. If you’ve been thinking about upgrading, this is a deliciously good reason.

—> Paid Subscribers! Register for the July Class Here!

Resources and recommendations

Last month I had the absolute honor of being a guest on the Food Blogger Pro podcast, a podcast I’ve been listening to for years. In the episode, we talked about the business of food writing, the importance of community, and how AI is changing the game for writers and creators like me.

Here’s where to listen —> How Rebecca Blackwell Turned Food Blogging into a Six-Figure Digital Business from an RV

If you’re a food writer or recipe developer, here are three really great resources to take advantage of: A free monthly Mastermind meeting, a series of classes and workshops for food writers, taught by food writers, and 1:1 SEO coaching and consulting.

I recently taught a class about food photography with Shelly Waldman and Jessie-Sierra; The Last Bite. We talked about how to make intentional creative choices before you pick up the camera: what mood you want to create, what story the recipe is telling, where the photo will live, and how you want the reader to feel. Here’s where to watch it:

If this free class sparks ideas for how you might improve your own photography skills, we’d love to invite you to join us for the next Food Writers Business Lab: The Visual Language of Food Photography where we will dive deep into how light, shadow, color, texture, styling, composition, and human elements can shape the story a photo tells.

The Visual Language of Food Photography

❤️ Did you know that if you hit the heart or recycle symbol at the top or bottom of this post, it makes it easier for other people to find this newsletter?

Over the past couple of weeks, the temperatures in Michigan have jumped by 30 degrees! Summer has arrived, and with it, a weekly (sometimes daily) ice cream habit. There are worse things! There’s a great ice cream shop just down the street from the marina where we keep our sailboat, but more and more I opt to make it at home.

Homemade ice cream is just so easy to make and gives me complete control over the ingredients and flavors. This recipe starts with a rich custard base flavored with Matcha powder, vanilla, and a hint of almond extract. It’s cool and refreshing, and exactly the right thing for a hot summer day.

Recipe Notes:

I used the Ninja Cremi ice cream maker to make the matcha ice cream you see in these photos. Regardless of the kind of ice cream maker you use, this matcha ice cream is smooth, creamy, and the perfect thing to help us beat the summer heat.

You don’t even have to have an ice cream maker to make this ice cream. Pour it into a loaf pan, cover with plastic wrap, and freeze for at least 24 hours. It won’t be quite as creamy as it is when you run it through an ice cream maker, but it will still be absolutely delicious!

As you’d expect from homemade matcha ice cream, the matcha flavor really comes through in this recipe. So it’s important to use high quality matcha powder. The kind I love more than an other is Pique Sun Goddess Matcha Powder. It’s 100% organic, ceremonial-grade & screened for purity.

Also try Pique Sun Goddess Matcha Powder in these Matcha Shortbread Cookies!

They are buttery, tender, and full of bright citrus flavor. Made with high-quality matcha powder, they have the perfect balance of earthy, sweet, and tart and a delicate texture that makes them hard to stop eating. If you’re looking for an easy spring cookie recipe that feels a little elegant and a little unexpected, these citrusy matcha shortbread cookies check all the boxes.

Also, isn’t that bright green color just gorgeous????

Matcha Shortbread Cookies

Welcome to Let’s Get Lost! I’m Rebecca, a recipe developer, food photographer, passionate people watcher, and chaser of new experiences. You might know me from my recipe websites, Of Batter and Dough and A Little and A Lot.

My husband and I are nomads without a home base but with many modes of transportation, namely an RV, a motorcycle, and a sailboat. I write recipes and stories for curious people who believe experiences are more important than things and who want more adventure. Find out more.

Welcome to Let’s Get Lost! I’m Rebecca, a recipe developer, food photographer, passionate people watcher, and chaser of new experiences. You might know me from my recipe websites, Of Batter and Dough and A Little and A Lot.

My husband and I are nomads without a home base but with many modes of transportation, namely an RV, a motorcycle, and a sailboat. I write recipes and stories for curious people who believe experiences are more important than things and who want more adventure.

—> Get this and every issue and recipe directly on rebeccablackwell.com.

For everyone in the states, happy 4th

Since our son died in 2020, the 4th of July has been a rough holiday for our two daughters. The 4th was their holiday… Corey loved fireworks and the three of them would spend hours together setting them off in our front yard.

Since loosing their older brother, neither of our daughters has been interested in celebrating the 4th. But, this year we are changing that story. I’m not sure about time healing all wounds, but it does make the wounds easier to live with.

This year our girls are joining us in Michigan for the weekend and we are spending today out on the sailboat, hanging out until after the sun sets to watch the fireworks from the lake.

To say I have complicated feelings about celebrating the anniversary of our nation is an understatement. I love this country. I also hate so much of what’s happening here. I love this holiday. And also, it’s a rough one.

For those of you in the US, I hope you are spending the day doing something you love with people you love, because in the end, that’s really all there is, isn’t it?

I’ll be back next week with a “normal” newsletter.

I hope each and every one of you has a wonderful weekend.

xo

-Rebecca

Just in case you’ve missed previous announcements, I am honored to be one of 12 incredible food writers, bakers, cooks, and teachers in the CookStack Collective. Together, we’ve created a year-long series of live cooking classes that are all about cooking with and learning from one another.

Also, we are a hoot! This is a party you’re going to want to attend.

Find out more

Twelve chefs. Twelve classes. One delicious reason to upgrade.

I am honored to be one of 12 incredible food writers, bakers, cooks, and teachers in the CookStack Collective. Together, we’ve created a year-long series of live cooking classes that are all about cooking with and learning from one another.

Also, we are a hoot! This is a party you’re going to want to attend.

Over the twelve months, paid subscribers get access to a monthly live Zoom class featuring a different host, fresh recipes, and the chance to cook along, ask questions, and learn directly from some very talented cooks.

Access to The CookStack Collective is exclusively for members of The Lost Supper Club (paid subscribers). In addition to all the other perks, paid subscribers receive:

• 12 live Zoom cooking classes

• Recipes and class materials

• Access to every recording

• The opportunity to cook alongside some incredibly talented teachers

A paid subscription is just $35 a year. Paid subscribers also receive THREE free cookbooks and other exclusive content throughout the year. If you’ve been thinking about upgrading, this is a deliciously good reason.

Upgrade to paid

The Complete Class Calendar!

July: ME!!!

I was tickled pink to kick off the very first CookStack Collective class! I led the class from the galley of our sailboat where we made three fresh, easy summer meals that are exactly the kind of food I want to eat in the middle of summer and especially when we are on the boat: A colorful hummus platter, sesame chicken salad, and watermelon and feta salad.

August: Betty Williams

Friday, August 21, 2026, 3 pm EST: Join Betty Williams for a fermentation primer and learn to make 2 kinds of Korean kimchi: quick-pickled Cucumber Kimchi and fermented Cabbage Kimchi.

September: Anna Vocino

Sunday, September 20, 2026: Join Anna Vocino to cook through some of the best recipes from her new cookbook, Eat Happy Cocktail Hour! Anna will show us how to make some low-carb party food, including Low Carb GF Pigs In A Blanket, Caprese Martini, Dill Pickle Ranch Dip, and Pom Pom Mocktails.

October: Nicki Sizemore

Thursday, October 15, 2026, 1 pm EST: Join Nicki Sizemore to make two seasonal staples — a whipped ricotta dip and a grain-free pumpkin apple cake — alongside simple practices for cooking with more intention and joy.

November: Kerry Faber

Tuesday, November 10, 2026, 4 pm EST: Join Kerry Faber to make a cozy fall favorite, Cabbage-Wrapped Chicken Parm Meatballs!

December: Stephanie Hansen

Friday, December 4, 2026, 6pm EST: Join Stephanie Hansen to make three holiday recipes including Baked Brie with Sun Dried Tomatoes, Cranberry Jalapeño Salsa, and Roasted Shrimp!

January: Rachel Ciordas

Sunday, January 24, 2027, 4 pm Eastern: Join Rachel Ciordas to make Focaccia Pizza, Ice Water Salad, and a Champagne Cocktail, all Gluten Free!

February: Emma Frisch

Tuesday, February 27, 2027, 12 pm EST: Join Emma Frisch to make a Classic Italian Bolognese Pasta with a Frisch Twist + batch-cooking for families, tips for picky eaters, and dietary restrictions

March: Kate McDermott

Tuesday, March 16, 2027, 7 PM Eastern: Just in time for St. Patrick’s Day, join Kate McDermott and learn to make a Classic Irish Apple Tart in this virtual session live from her Pie Cottage kitchen. You will receive a bonus recipe for a delicious custard sauce to serve with the tart, too!

April: Lolly Martyn

Sunday, April 18, 2027, 1 pm EST/7 pm Italy time CET: Join Lolly Martyn to meal prep like an Italian nonna: We’ll make the simply delicious family favorite pasta e ceci (chickpeas) and effortlessly whip up some veggie broth and sugo (red sauce) for your freezer or fridge at the same time!

May: Steve Sabicer

Friday, May 7, 2027, 3 PM EST: Buying the Best Meat. Join butcher and sustainable food advocate, Steve Sabicer, for a practical one-hour workshop on navigating today’s confusing meat landscape. Learn what meat labels actually mean, how to buy on a budget, and the questions you should ask your butcher, meat counter, or online vendor. You’ll also learn a few simple at-home butchery techniques to help stretch your dollars with minimal effort.

June: Sheryl O’Connell

Thursday, June 3, 2027, 1 pm EST: Join Sheryl O’Connell for a fresh, summer-themed class featuring legume-based, portable salads.

I started this group in January of 2025 as a way to link arms with fellow food writers and deepen the community of support.

The food writers that have shown up to these meetings are among the most generous, competent, intelligent, kindhearted people I’ve ever known.

There are two meetings every month to accommodate the fact that we are scattered all over the world. Find the date and time that works best for you or join them both!

• Meetings are usually on Wednesdays and last 90 minutes.

• They are held on Zoom and recorded for anyone who isn’t able to make it.

All you have to do to attend is subscribe, then watch your in-box for the monthly meeting invite.

Mastermind for Food Writers

The Food Writers Business Lab

The Food Writers Business Lab is an online community for food writers who want practical, affordable guidance for growing their businesses, expanding their audience, and building sustainable careers.

Here you’ll find classes and workshops taught by experienced food writers who understand the unique challenges and opportunities of this industry. It’s education for food writers taught by food writers.

The Food Writers Business Lab

Work With Me 1:1

Strategic planning for sustainable, long-term growth

If you’re like most food writers and recipe developers, you’re not struggling with effort. You’re publishing, showing up, and doing your best to create good work and build something meaningful. But your audience isn’t growing the way you hoped, and your business isn’t growing with it.

That’s often the moment when SEO starts to matter. Not as a technical buzzword, and not because you want to start chasing algorithms, but because you want a more reliable way to help the right readers discover your work.

You want a smarter, more intentional plan for growing the right kind of audience and turning that growth into income.

I offer thoughtful, personalized SEO strategy and consulting sessions for food writers and recipe developers grounded in more than 13 years of hands-on experience building my own business online.

Find out more

You want a smarter, more intentional plan for growing the right kind of audience and turning that growth into income.

I offer thoughtful, personalized SEO strategy and consulting sessions for food writers and recipe developers grounded in more than 13 years of hands-on experience building my own business online.

These sessions are part education, part strategy, and part mentorship. We’ll look carefully at your business, your goals, your content, and your strengths so you can build a smarter, more sustainable approach to growth.

In other words, we’ll create a strategic plan you can follow to build sustainable, long-term growth

Schedule Your Session

10/10 highly recommend! Rebecca Blackwell really knows the industry!

-

These sessions are ideal for food writers who want a deeper understanding of:

• Keyword research

• Competitor analysis

• Content strategy

• On-page optimization

• Brand positioning

• SEO strategy for recipe websites

• SEO strategy for Substack

• Audience growth and discoverability

• Prioritizing next steps for business growth

Whether you’re trying to grow traffic, refine your brand, create a better content plan, or figure out where SEO fits into your bigger business model, we’ll use the session to focus on what matters most right now.

How it works

Each session is 2 hours and costs $250.

Before we meet, you’ll fill out a comprehensive intake form so I can learn about your business, your goals, your current challenges, and the specific areas where you want support. I spend significant time reviewing each client’s answers and researching their business before the session, which means our time together is spent on strategy, teaching, and problem-solving, not on getting me up to speed.

The bulk of our time is focused on helping you understand what’s working, what isn’t, and what to do next.

We begin with one session and decide from there whether another would be useful.

What you’ll walk away with

• A clearer understanding of how SEO can support your business goals

• Practical recommendations tailored to your site, content, and brand

• A better sense of what to prioritize next

• Education that helps you make smarter decisions going forward

• Action steps you can start using right away

My goal is not just to tell you what to do. It’s to help you understand why, so you can move forward with more confidence and clarity.

Who this is for

These sessions are best suited for food writers and recipe developers who want strategic guidance, not shortcuts. It’s for people who want to create steady, long-term growth. It’s not for people who want quick fixes or ways to game the system.

If you’re looking for thoughtful support from someone who has built a thriving online business and who understands how to build a sustainable growth strategy, I’d love to work with you.

Schedule Your Session

More about Rebecca

I’ve been publishing content online since 2013. Since 2020, my two recipe websites have generated a steady six-figure income, primarily through SEO. I’ve also grown a Substack newsletter to more than 17,000 subscribers.

I am the founder of The Food Writers Business Lab and Mastermind For Food Writers,, and an SEO Advisor in Residence for Write Up.

Everything I teach is grounded in doing this work myself over many years: learning what drives discoverability, what builds sustainable traffic, and what actually helps a food writing business grow.

SEO For Food Writers

Join me for an upcoming class in The Food Writers Business Lab!

In this hands-on workshop, food writers will learn to think about SEO not as a technical burden, but as a way of building bridges from their work to their readers. Because that’s exactly what good SEO is: paths that meet readers where they are and lead them back to you.

Part 1: Learn. The first session will be a recorded instructional workshop with an in-depth homework assignment to help you put the material into practice.

When: October 15, 12pm-1:30pm CST

Part 2: Implement. Bring your homework, your questions, your roadblocks, and your challenges. Together, we’ll review what you’ve implemented, troubleshoot challenges, exchange ideas, and get thoughtful feedback from both the instructor and other food writers working toward similar goals.

When: October 22, 12pm-1:30pm CST

More information + Register

After Substack introduced the new recipe card functionality, I taught a class for Mastermind for Food Writers about how to use the card to help people find recipes published on Substack in search. That class was also recorded. You can watch it here.

Also check out this article that I wrote for Mastermind For Food Writers about how SEO is better understood as simply this: building bridges that help your readers find your work. For food writers, that means helping readers discover your recipes, stories, expertise, and perspective wherever they are searching—through search engines, Pinterest, AI answers, image-based search, social media, and newsletters.

The point is not to game the system. The point is to understand that it’s our responsibility as food writers to not only create good work, but to help our readers find it. Good SEO is not separate from good creative work. It is the part that helps the work connect. Keep reading…

Mastermind for Food Writers

An Introduction to SEO for Food Writers

If the idea of SEO makes you want to run the other way, I understand…

Read more

3 months ago · 7 likes · Rebecca Blackwell

Questions? Send them to rebecca@rebeccablackwell.com.

Welcome to Let’s Get Lost! I’m Rebecca, a recipe developer, food photographer, passionate people watcher, and chaser of new experiences. You might know me from my recipe websites, Of Batter and Dough and A Little and A Lot.

My husband and I are nomads without a home base but with many modes of transportation, namely an RV, a motorcycle, and a sailboat. I write recipes and stories for curious people who believe experiences are more important than things and who want more adventure.

—> Get this and every issue and recipe directly on rebeccablackwell.com.

Are you a fellow food writer? Come see what’s happening over in Mastermind for Food Writers and in the Food Writers Business Lab!

Something Very Special Is Starting in July

At the beginning of this year, and I spent an afternoon at a Temecula winery. We did a tasting and a tour. We had lunch in the cafe. We stayed for hours and solved all the world's problems. And we had an idea… what if we could gather 12 of the best Substack food writers and recipe creators together for an epic series of cooking classes?

Introducing The CookStack Collective.

Over the next year, paid subscribers will get access to a monthly live Zoom class featuring a different host, fresh recipes, and the chance to cook along, ask questions, and learn directly from some very talented cooks.

Check out the class calendar!

Access to CookStack Collective classes is exclusively for paid subscribers (aka, members of The Lost Supper Club). For just $35 a year, you’ll have access to all 12 of these live classes, the class materials, and all the class recordings. Paid subscribers also receive THREE free cookbooks and other exclusive content throughout the year. If you’ve been thinking about upgrading, this is a deliciously good reason.

—>Paid Subscribers: Watch your inbox for monthly invites to each of these 12 classes! The first class invite is coming later this week!

Wind Powered

As a teenager, when I was first learning to drive, it felt like there were too many things to keep track of at once. I remember wondering how anyone paid attention to both the speedometer and the road? It felt so impossible. Then suddenly, sooner than I expected, it was easy and I couldn’t remember why it seemed difficult in the first place.

Last year, when we were first learning how to sail, I felt like my teenage self, behind the wheel, learning to drive, and wondering if it would ever feel easy.

This year, it feels easy. At times, I still want to hang a new driver sign over the hull, as a warning or an apology to other boaters who might be wondering what the hell is going on over here. But mostly, it feels natural and I wonder what I ever thought was so complicated about putting up the sails and letting the wind push us along.

I’m writing this on Friday. It’s mid-morning and we are working our way across Lake Michigan. We left Door County, Wisconsin at 7am. The water is glassy, a perfect reflection of the blue sky. In other words, there isn’t any wind.

Since leaving our temporary slip in Sister Bay marina, we have optimistically put up our sails, turned off the motor, and watched as our cruising speed dwindled down to zero. After 3 or 4 times of this, we’ve accepted our fate. Most of today will be under motor, not under sail.

But on Monday the wind was perfect. We spent the weekend sailing up the coast of Michigan, from Muskegon to Ludington to Frankfurt. We expected the journey across the lake to Door County, Wisconsin to take about 10 hours. We made it in 7. The wind was steady and strong, moving across the lake in the perfect direction. We set our course and then cruised along, fast and steady. The whole trip on one tack. Easy peasy.

Bailey’s Harbor is on the Lake Michigan side of the Door County Peninsula and it’s the only village on that side with a marina. When I made our temporary slip reservation, they told me the channel was shallow, but after taking down our boat’s dimensions, assured me it was deep enough for us to pass.

It was not.

After hitting ground twice, once with the marina manager guiding us in on a pontoon, reassuring us that the channel was 6 1/2 feet deep while watching our keel, hanging 6 feet below the surface, hit the sand, we gave up and got to work finding another option. All the other marinas were on the other side of the peninsula, about 35 nautical miles, or 5 hours from Bailey’s Harbor. How fortunate that we’d arrived so early. We coasted into Sister Bay marina at 8pm, with enough time to tie off and have dinner in the cockpit while watching the sunset.

How did we feel that night, having made our first crossing from one side of Lake Michigan to the other? How did it feel to be eating dinner on a sailboat we owned in a marina we’d walked through on previous visits, looking at the boats, dreaming, and asking what if we knew how to sail? What if we had a boat someday? Wouldn’t that be great? Wouldn’t we have fun?

We felt…comfortable. At home. We didn’t grow up on Lake Michigan, so I don’t know if crossing the lake for the first time is a big deal for most people. But it was a big deal for us. And also, it felt like no big deal. It felt natural. It felt easy. It felt like we could sail anywhere.

We have our systems. We’ve found our roles. We’ve found a rhythm. When he does this, I do that. He fixes and tweaks and adjusts and improves the systems and the hardware and the efficiency of everything. I make sure we have food and water, clean sheets on the bed and clothes in the closet, sunscreen and shampoo in the bathroom, and a place to stay when we arrive. I plan the trip. He charts the course. For the most part, we each get to do what we do best.

So here we are on our way back. All the land has disappeared behind us and there are no other boats in sight. It feels a little bit like we are the only people in the world. The water is glassy and beautiful and our motor hums along, pushing us forward while we watch the horizon, hoping for some wind.

I’ll share more about our trip across the lake to Door County next week, including some of the meals I cooked onboard and some of the things I learned about packing a sailboat for 9 days on the water.

The Summer Bake List

If you’re the kind of person who sees a basket of peaches or a carton of berries and immediately starts thinking about what to bake (me!!!), this list is for you. The list below is a handful of summer goodness that I come back to again and again: easy, unfussy, and full of fruit.

From cherry cobbler and peach coffee cake to raspberry pie and blueberry crumb cake, this little collection is full of the juicy, buttery, crumb-topped goodness that’s worth turning on the oven for.

1. Cherry Cobbler: This Cherry Cobbler comes together in about 10 minutes, and the payoff is huge: juicy, jammy cherries tucked under a buttery, golden, sugar-cookie-style topping. Serve it warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, or eat it cold the next morning straight from the pan. (No judgment. Been there. Will be there again.)

2. Peach Coffee Cake with Crumb Topping: This buttery coffee cake is studded with sweet, juicy peaches and covered in a nutty, toasted coconut crumb topping that you will, from this point forward, want to start putting on everything. Maybe that’s just me. But I doubt it.

3. Raspberry Muffins: These are buttery little breakfast pastries that are absolutely packed with berries. The texture is exceptionally soft and tender, a perfect match for delicate, sweet raspberries. And the butter crumb topping literally melts in your mouth.

4. Raspberry Pie: This pie is bursting with the natural sweet-tart flavor of juicy raspberries tucked into a buttery, flaky, simple homemade lattice crust. The filling can be made with fresh or frozen raspberries and is the perfect consistency for neat, easy slices.

5. Chocolate Blackberry Muffins: These chocolate blackberry muffins are such a treat! They are packed with juicy blackberries and chocolate chips, and are so rich and fudgy they are almost brownie-like.

6. Blueberry Crumb Cake: Blueberry sauce is swirled into tender butter cake and topped with a generous layer of New York-style crumbs for a blueberry crumb cake that’s perfectly at home at the breakfast table, next to your afternoon mug of coffee or tea, or sliced up and served for dessert after dinner.

7. Easy Berry Sauce: It doesn’t get any easier than this 10-minute berry sauce. Use whatever kind or combination of berries you like, fresh or frozen, to make this delicious sauce that’s bursting with the flavor of ripe, juicy berries. Spoon it over anything you like, but I particularly like it over buttermilk pancakes.

8. Sweet Cherry Crumb Pie: This delicious cherry pie with a buttery crumb topping uses those plump, juicy, sweet cherries that are available in grocery stores and farmer’s markets all summer long. Baked in a flaky pie crust and topped with brown sugar crumbs that are tender and crunchy all at the same time, this is the must-bake of the season at our house.

9. Blueberry Pie Cookies: These soft blueberry and oatmeal cookies are chewy, crunchy, blueberry-filled bites of bliss. Think chewy oatmeal cookie meets blueberry crumb pie, with a granola crunch for good measure. Last year, I taught a LIVE class about how to make these cookies. Watch the replay here.

The Lost Supper Club!

This newsletter would not exist if not for the members of The Lost Supper Club, who show their support with a paid subscription, thus ensuring that the vast majority of readers can keep reading this newsletter for free. As a thank you, I try to provide those paid subscribers with some cool stuff, including three free cookbooks and access to The CookStack Collective, a 12-month series of cooking classes from leading Substack food writers.

A paid subscription is just $35 a year. Find out more about becoming a member of the Lost Supper Club.

❤️ Did you know that if you hit the heart or recycle symbol at the top or bottom of this post, it makes it easier for other people to find this newsletter?

Welcome to Let’s Get Lost! I’m Rebecca, a recipe developer, food photographer, passionate people watcher, and chaser of new experiences. You might know me from my recipe websites, Of Batter and Dough and A Little and A Lot.

My husband and I are nomads without a home base but with many modes of transportation, namely an RV, a motorcycle, and a sailboat. I write recipes and stories for curious people who believe experiences are more important than things and who want more adventure.

—> Get this and every issue and recipe directly on rebeccablackwell.com.

Are you a fellow food writer? Come see what’s happening over in Mastermind for Food Writers and in the Food Writers Business Lab!

As you read this we are (presumably) slowly sailing up the coast of Michigan. The plan is to sail about 50 nautical miles today, another 40 tomorrow, then cross Lake Michigan on Monday to spend a few days in Door County, Wisconsin.

Door County is one of our favorite places and in 2024 we spent over a month there. Our daughters came to visit us and we took them to do all our favorite things.

This time around we will only be there for three days. Steve’s parents are meeting us there and we are going to pack in as much as we can because how fun is it to show off your favorite places to people you love???

The essay below was originally published in 2024, right after our daughters had come to visit us in Door County and we were also preparing to leave. It still expresses something that places like Door County bring up in me… the luxury of taking things for granted.

Door County, Wisconsin is the kind of place that makes you want to be on vacation.

Of course, most of the people here ARE actually on vacation. The peninsula receives over 2.5 million visitors a year - most of whom are here because this is where they’ve chosen to spend their vacation.

But also, hundreds of workers from all over the world are here to fill the peninsula’s 3500+ seasonal jobs. How do they experience Door County? As tourists? As workers? As workers who wish they were tourists?

I also wonder, if you’re one of the 30,000 Door County residents, what is it like to live in a place where, for several months of the year, most of the people you see are on vacation? Is that one of the reasons you live here or is it something you put up with?

Because, the truth is, most of what there is to see and do in Door County would not exist without the tourists. The residential population does not need the hundreds of shops and restaurants scattered up and down the peninsula. They can only eat so much ice cream, drink so much wine, buy so much art, and spend so much money at farmer’s markets. They are unlikely to charter a sunset boat ride every night or hop on the sightseeing trollies. I’m sure they go to the theater, but probably not enough to support an entire summer season of world-class performances in state-of-the-art auditoriums.

There’s something in me that wants to go overboard in a place like this - eat at every restaurant, walk on every beach, visit every shop, take all the kayak tours, do all the things and then do all my favorite things again. I buy too many jams and jellies and condiments and candies and soaps and lotions and candles. I have to have little talks with myself about the true fact that I live in 400 square feet and am trying to be the kind of person who doesn’t spend all her time taking care of her stuff.

But also, there was that gorgeous set of glassware at that specialty kitchen supply shop and I think if we really put our minds to it we can find some wall space (we have no extra wall space) for that incredibly interesting and vivid photograph of the water that we saw in that art gallery.

I often feel that if we don’t do everything, we’ve somehow wasted our time here. (I know it’s neurotic. You do not need to send me emails. I already know.)

In our 4 1/2 years of RV life, we’ve sometimes found ourselves in the position of educating locals about some of the fun things to do in their town. People always look at us like they are somehow doing it wrong because they live there and haven’t done half the things we did last weekend.

But, I think maybe that’s a feature, not a bug. When we lived in Colorado we missed out on doing all the things and it didn’t bother me in the least. Still doesn’t. You are trading the wonder and excitement of a place for that comfortable feeling of home where you take everything for granted because you can.

What a luxury to take the beauty in our life for granted. To spend a Friday night in because you can always go to that restaurant another time. To be so comfortable in a place that you forget that it’s fleeting, even for you.

There are people everywhere eager to remind us to not take things for granted. But also, the next time you find yourself thinking something along the lines of, I can’t believe we’ve lived here for so long and never been there/ done that, you might also think, how nice.

Small luxuries

Some of my favorite things.

Steve will tell you that I am obsessed with throw pillows. This may be true. I know they are sometimes just in the way, but also they are little works of art that add color and pattern to a space and they can often (yes Steve, OFTEN) be useful.

Last year when we renovated the inside of our RV, we had a new cushion made for the bench seating at our dining table and instead of one large back rest cushion, I opted for 6 throw pillows.

This year, we decided to replace all the cushions inside our sailboat cabin and I did the same thing - custom seat cushions and throw pillows for the back rest.

We started with some pillows that I found at Target, but they were kind of boring and the space just needed something more. It was actually Steve who said, you know what would look good in here? Those pillows with the sun in the RV.

Why yes, yes they would.

I LOVE these pillows so much. They are a design and if you are familiar with her work, you know it’s filled with color and pattern. I love it all, but don’t feel I’m quite cool enough to pull most of it off. Except for these pillows, which are among my favorite things.

Where to buy them:

Solis Dusk Woven Throw Pillows by Justina Blakeney

Josafina Twilight Woven Throw Pillow by Justina Blakeney

8 easy summer recipes

Most of these are no-cook or low-cook, which is pretty much all I want to cook these days.

1. Watermelon and Feta Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette: If watermelon and feta peaked your interest but the mustard vinaigrette gave you pause, stay with me. This salad hits that perfect summer balance of sweet, salty, crisp, and creamy, and the honey-dijon dressing is just sharp enough to make watermelon more interesting without detracting from its sweet, sun-drenched, thirst-quenching flavor.

2. Sesame Chicken Salad with Tahini Dressing: A bold, crunchy chicken salad with tahini, sesame oil, soy sauce, lime, ginger, and just enough heat to keep things interesting. It’s quick to make, easy to pack, and perfect for picnics, road trips, and summer lunches.

3. Hummus Platter + Easy Homemade Hummus Recipe: This hummus platter is one of my favorite ways to make it look like you tried a heck of a lot harder than you actually did. Start with a generous layer of creamy hummus, pile on crunchy vegetables, olives, feta, and a few finishing touches, and suddenly you’ve got a colorful, flavor-packed platter that’s perfect for lunch as it is for entertaining.

4. Vegan Pearl Couscous Salad: This healthy, vibrant pasta salad is made with pearl couscous (toasted Israeli-style pasta), whatever fresh herbs and vegetables you like, and dressed simply with lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil. The salad keeps well for days and can be packed into mason jars for the perfect packed lunch or camping meal.

5. Chicken Lettuce Wraps: These start with rotisserie chicken, or any kind of leftover chicken, to create a quick, intensely satisfying meal that will be on the table in about 15 minutes.

6. Blackstone Fried Rice with Pork or Chicken: Use fresh or leftover white rice and either chicken or pork for this easy, vegetable-packed Blackstone fried rice. Cooking fried rice on a Blackstone Griddle is fast and easy, and creates the perfect texture and flavor.

7. Tequila Lime Vegan Cauliflower Tacos with Cabbage Slaw: Cauliflower florets are marinated in tequila, lime, and hot sauce then roasted with chili powder, cumin, and paprika. Layer all that deliciousness into a soft corn tortilla and top it with chunks of avocado, crisp cilantro cabbage slaw, and a dollop of Vegan Sour Cream. Then call everyone to dinner - vegans, meat eaters, and everyone in between because these tacos are serious crowd pleasers.

8. Creamy Red Pepper Sauce: OK. So you do have to cook this sauce for quite a while to intensify the flavor to a gorgeous, creamy crescendo. But, I couldn’t resist including it on this list because when you get your hands on a bunch of perfectly ripe red bell peppers, THIS is what to do with them. Also, the sauce can be prepared in advance and reheated for a quick, simple, summer meal.

Let’s not forget dessert

• Raspberry Cupcakes: These delicate little blushing pink raspberry cupcakes are light, fluffy, and bursting with the flavors of raspberry and vanilla.

• Strawberry Cream Pie: This Strawberry Cream Pie is one of my all-time favorite summer fruit pies. Rich vanilla pastry cream and fresh strawberry pie filling are layered inside flaky pastry then baked until the crust is golden and the filling is bursting with strawberry flavor.

• Peach Coffee Cake with Crumb Topping: This buttery coffee cake is studded with sweet, juicy peaches and covered in a nutty, toasted coconut crumb topping that you will, from this point forward, want to start putting on everything. Maybe that’s just me. But I doubt it.

Something great is coming for members of The Lost Supper Club!

Hello my friends!

I wanted to tell you that I’ve been working on something just for you, my paid subscribers, that I am SO EXCITED about! It involves 11 other top Substack food writers and is seriously going to be so much fun. More information is coming soon!!!

This newsletter would not exist if not for the members of The Lost Supper Club, who show their support with a paid subscription, thus ensuring that the vast majority of readers can keep reading this newsletter for free. As a thank you, I try to provide those paid subscribers with some cool stuff, including three free cookbooks!

A paid subscription is just $35 a year. Find out more about becoming a member of the Lost Supper Club.

❤️ Did you know that if you hit the heart or recycle symbol at the top or bottom of this post, it makes it easier for other people to find this newsletter?

If watermelon and feta peaked your interest but the mustard vinaigrette gave you pause, stay with me. This salad hits that perfect summer balance of sweet, salty, crisp, and creamy, and the honey-dijon dressing is just sharp enough to make watermelon more interesting without detracting from its sweet, sun-drenched, thirst-quenching flavor.

If I can be permitted to make a few assumptions about you, dear reader: You are not surprised about the combination of watermelon and feta but did, perhaps, raise your eyebrows when you got to the mustard vinaigrette part of this recipe title. However, you are an adventurous eater who likes to try new things and so were intrigued.

Or, you already know that mustard and watermelon is a delicious combination, and so, when you saw this, you knew this was the kind of salad you would probably enjoy.

It was my daughter, Anne, who inspired this recipe after asking if I would make a watermelon and feta salad for the simple reason that, as my recipe tester, she wanted to eat it. But when I told her the salad had a mustard vinaigrette, she said, “That’s weird, mom.”

Au contraire, my dear daughter. Mustard and watermelon is f

abulous.

Now, if you do a quick search on the interwebs, you’ll see that some people like to treat their slices of watermelon like a hamburger or a hot dog, covering it with mustard straight from the bottle. I am not on TikTok, but have recently learned that the whole mustard-and-watermelon is (or was?) a trend.

That’s cool I guess, but slathering slices of watermelon with mustard does not appeal to me. The combo works, in my opinion, when there’s enough mustard to know it’s there, but not so much that it takes away from the flavor of the ripe, juicy, sweet summer watermelon.

That’s what you get in this salad. The vinaigrette includes a generous amount of dijon mustard. You’ll definitely taste it. But it’s softened by honey and olive oil and brightened by some chopped shallots and lemon juice.

The combination of sweet, juicy watermelon, crunchy cucumbers, creamy feta, and sharp, sweet-and-tangy mustard vinaigrette really works. Try it and let me know what you think.

Recipe notes:

• This recipe will make enough vinaigrette for one of those small or small-ish watermelons you can usually find in supermarkets these days. They are usually labeled as “mini” watermelons. You can, of course, use half of a regular size watermelon, or double the amount of vinaigrette for a whole, large watermelon.

• This salad will keep well in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. If you’re going to make it in advance, I suggest not adding the feta until right before serving.

Pairs well with…

This is the kind of salad I love to serve with other easy summer recipes, the less preparation and cooking required, the better.

• Sesame Chicken Salad with Tahini Dressing: A bold, crunchy chicken salad with tahini, sesame oil, soy sauce, lime, ginger, and just enough heat to keep things interesting. It’s quick to make, easy to pack, and perfect for picnics, road trips, and summer lunches.

• Hummus Platter + Easy Homemade Hummus Recipe: This hummus platter is one of my favorite ways to make it look like you tried a heck of a lot harder than you actually did.

• Vegan Pearl Couscous Salad: This healthy, vibrant pasta salad is made with pearl couscous, whatever fresh herbs and vegetables you like, and dressed simply with lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil.

• Grilled Lemon Rosemary Chicken: This super easy recipe is all about layer after layer of flavor. The chicken only takes a few minutes to cook and is delicious eaten all on its own or in sandwiches or salads.

Welcome to Let’s Get Lost! I’m Rebecca, a recipe developer, food photographer, passionate people watcher, and chaser of new experiences. You might know me from my recipe websites, Of Batter and Dough and A Little and A Lot.

My husband and I are nomads without a home base but with many modes of transportation, namely an RV, a motorcycle, and a sailboat. I write recipes and stories for curious people who believe experiences are more important than things and who want more adventure. Find out more.

Join me on Friday, July 17 for the very first CookStack Collective class! I’ll be teaching live from the galley of our sailboat, where I’ll make three fresh, easy summer meals including THIS chicken salad! Find out more!

This sesame chicken salad is one of our favorite travel-day and lake-day meals. I pack it into mason jars that I place inside a small cooler and it makes a delicious high-protein lunch on days when we’re driving around the country from one campground to the next and want to save ourselves from truck stop food.

This is also one of my favorite things to make on sailing days. It’s simple and easy enough to make in my galley kitchen and, just like I do for travel days in the RV, I pack it into jars so we can eat it on deck while we’re on the water.

But you don’t need to wait for a to-go or picnic situation to try this spicy chicken salad flavored with sesame and tahini. It takes roughly 30 minutes to prepare (less if you start with rotisserie chicken) and will keep well in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

You can serve it on greens or toast, if you like. Or, pile it into a tortilla or wrap and roll it up with a few leaves of lettuce for a hand-held situation. Or, eat it just as it’s pictured here, piled into bowls with extra peanuts and sesame seeds.

Recipe notes

• Make this chicken salad even easier by starting with rotisserie chicken. Simply shred the meat of the rotisserie chicken, skip Step #1, and jump straight into mixing up the tahini dressing.

• That’s a wrap! Turn this chicken salad into a hand-held by wrapping it up in a flour tortilla or sandwich wrap. I like to add a few lettuce leaves.

More of my favorite recipes for travel days and sailboat days:

1. Couscous Salad with Fresh Veggies: This healthy, vibrant pasta salad is made with pearl couscous (toasted Israeli-style pasta), whatever fresh herbs and vegetables you like, and dressed simply with lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil. The salad keeps well for days and can be packed into mason jars for the perfect packed lunch or camping meal.

2. Israeli Salad with Pomegranate Vinaigrette and Roasted Nuts: This Middle Eastern salad is low in calories, vegan, dairy-free, and gluten-free, making it the perfect option for dietary restrictions and anyone interested in clean, plant-based meals. But don't let its health benefits fool you. Israeli Salad is also bursting with flavor and easy to prepare. So whether you're looking for a quick lunchtime bite or a tasty side dish for dinner tonight, this salad has got you covered.

3. Hummus Platter: This is one of those recipes that’s the perfect thing for so many different situations. It’s one of my favorite things to serve as an appetizer for dinner party guests. It makes a gorgeous no-cook lunch for hot summer days. And, it can be packed into a to-go container for picnics, hikes, or days on the lake.

4. Mediterranean Chicken Salad: Packed with rotisserie chicken, capers, tarragon, parsley, chives, and plenty of fresh lemon, then layered onto a bun with roasted red peppers, radishes, and cucumbers, this chicken salad is about as far from basic as you can get. This chicken salad is endlessly customizable, meal-prep friendly, requires no cooking, and takes less than 15 minutes to make.

Welcome to Let’s Get Lost! I’m Rebecca, a recipe developer, food photographer, passionate people watcher, and chaser of new experiences. You might know me from my recipe websites, Of Batter and Dough and A Little and A Lot.

My husband and I are nomads without a home base but with many modes of transportation, namely an RV, a motorcycle, and a sailboat. I write recipes and stories for curious people who believe experiences are more important than things and who want more adventure. Find out more.

Welcome to Let’s Get Lost! I’m Rebecca, a recipe developer, food photographer, passionate people watcher, and chaser of new experiences. You might know me from my recipe websites, Of Batter and Dough and A Little and A Lot.

My husband and I are nomads without a home base but with many modes of transportation, namely an RV, a motorcycle, and a sailboat. I write recipes and stories for curious people who believe experiences are more important than things and who want more adventure.

—> Get this and every issue and recipe directly on rebeccablackwell.com.

Are you a fellow food writer? Come see what’s happening over in Mastermind for Food Writers and in the Food Writers Business Lab!

I started my first recipe website in 2013. I had no idea what I was doing and, honestly, no time to do it. I was a freelance marketing consultant and copywriter, a role that suited me in some ways and not in others.

As a copywriter, my job was to dig into whatever my client’s business was and write about that. For some people, the writing itself is the interesting part. The subject doesn’t matter much as long as they are writing about something. This was true for me to a point, and it’s the to a point part that was the problem.

The month I launched my website, I had just wrapped up two huge projects: one for a large housing development and another for a technology company that specialized in data center wiring.

It will not surprise you to learn that neither of these subjects were particularly interesting to me. And yet, I wrote thousands upon thousands of words about them.

What I really wanted to do was write about cake.

So, for months, I got up at 4am and started building a website. I happily dove into the weeds of recipe writing and WordPress publishing. I worked on a few recipes and then ran into a serious roadblock: The recipes would need photos and I knew absolutely nothing about how to take them.

In 2013, my oldest daughter was 15. A year or two before, she expressed some interest in photography so we got her a DSLR camera and signed her up for a photography class. It seemed like something she was enjoying, so I asked if she would take the photos for my brand-spanking new recipe website.

She agreed and about 5 minutes into the first shoot I realized this arrangement was never going to work (pumpkin pie on giant white boards I had dragged onto our back patio… what was I thinking?).

My biggest problem was that I had some thoughts about what a beautiful food photo should look like and absolutely no idea how to create one. Neither, of course, did my 15-year-old daughter. Some basic knowledge of a camera and a bossy mother does not a food photographer make.

I knew that in order to get the kind of photos I wanted (without causing my daughter to want to run away from home) I was going to have to learn how to shoot them myself. So, for the next couple of years that’s what I did. I started with my daughter’s camera and then invested in one of my own. I enrolled in classes, watched YouTube videos and worked my way through food photography books. The learning curve was steep and my first attempts were horrendous. Honestly, most of the photos I published for a good long while were absolutely terrible.

But that’s the thing, isn’t it? The only way to get good at something is to be willing to suck at it for a while.

Eventually I figured out my style and a system that worked for me and my recipes. I transformed a room of our house into a studio and then, when we sold the house and moved into an RV, I learned how to shoot in very small spaces.

Photography has been a tremendously satisfying creative outlet for me. This year, I’ve gotten to do some teaching. I taught a food photography session for a food writers retreat and am working with other photographers to teach a class in the Food Writers Business Lab about the Visual Language of Food Photography.

And earlier this month, I spent a whole day in my daughter’s apartment, teaching her how to take photos of my recipes. Ironically, not the daughter who bravely stepped out onto the back patio to take photos of pumpkin pie. Rather, it’s our youngest daughter, who is a 25-year-old trained chef with an interest in videography and food photography.

Together, the two of us photographed our way through two recipes before my husband, our oldest daughter, and one of our nieces came over to help us eat it. The best part of being a food photographer is getting to eat your work.

From now on, a lot of the photos you see here will be photographed by her. There’s something that just makes my heart swell to bursting to get to share this thing that I love - creating and sharing recipes - with one of my daughters.

So, two of the recipes you’ll find in this week’s issue, Creamy Chicken Stew and Dark Chocolate Brownies, were tested and photographed by Chef Anne Blackwell.

And didn’t she just do such a good job???

My friend published a gorgeous post last week where she describes being inspired to name happiness as often as she finds it, which turns out to be quite often.

I’ve been playing with this game of naming happiness in those tiny glimmers when I sense it—which, if I’m open and available to it, is far more often than I tend to think.

-This is Happiness by Nicki Sizemore

Having daughters like mine… this is happiness.

Small luxuries

Some of my favorite things.

A few weeks ago I wrote about my new obsession with Pique. The obsession is still alive and well, and perhaps even stronger after adding their R.E. Fountain (calming electrolyte) powder to my evening routine.

Every single morning, while waiting for the coffee to brew, I stir a packet of their BT Fountain Electrolyte Powder into a glass of cold water and happily gulp it down. It makes me feel good almost immediately. And while I have absolutely no intention of giving up my morning cup of coffee (seriously, you’d have to pry it out of my cold, dead hands), the truth is that I feel awake before I’ve even taken a sip.

Also, seriously, my skin looks amazing. Just saying.

Last week we flew to Denver to spend a few days with our daughters. On the way to the airport I realized I’d forgotten to pack my morning electrolyte powder and if it wouldn’t have caused us to miss the flight, I would have told Steve to turn the truck around. I thought about it anyway.

It’s funny… Steve and I grew up in Colorado and never knew what out-of-town guests were talking about when they complained about the altitude. Now that we’re no longer year-round residents, we get it. After settling nicely into the low elevation and humidity of Michigan, we felt the thin air and dry climate of Denver the second our plane hit the runway.

And look, I would have felt the difference in altitude and moisture anyway, with or without my morning electrolyte powder fix. But there was also a noticeable difference in how I felt in the morning that was more than just “Oh, Colorado.”

I was a little more sluggish. A lot more dehydrated. A little bit dull. I also drank a LOT more coffee because I just couldn’t wake up.

Happily, we are now back in Michigan with a drawer full of BT Fountain Electrolyte Powder AND Sun Goddess Matcha. My morning and afternoon routines are back in play and all is right with the world. Ok. That’s not true at all. The world is kinda fucked up. But, at least I feel hydrated and invigorated, and my skin has that glowy look. Let’s take what we can get, shall we?

Matcha Banana Shake

Now that the weather is getting warmer, I’ve traded in my hot cup of Matcha in the afternoon for a cold, creamy, super refreshing matcha banana shake. Holy smokes, this shake is soooooo delicious. It feels indulgent, like you’re treating yourself to a milkshake, but with a gentle energy burst that makes you feel like a million bucks.

Your taste buds will be happy, your gut will be happy, your skin will be happy. And if you are like me and often experience an afternoon slump, you’ll get a nice little burst of energy without the crash that comes from succumbing to another cup of coffee or (god forbid) an energy drink.

Here’s what you need:

• 1 frozen banana (the banana doesn’t have to be frozen, but it’s much more milkshake-like if it is)

• 1/4 cup Greek yogurt, plain and unsweetened

• 6 ounces very cold water

• 1 packet Pique Sun Goddess Matcha Powder

• 1 tablespoon honey (more to taste)

Dump everything into a blender and blend until well combined and frothy. Pour into a glass and do your best to sip it slowly, like a civilized person, and not so fast that you give yourself a brain freeze. Not that I would know this from experience.

Pique ceremonial-grade matcha is rich in EGCG antioxidants to support clarity, cellular health, and steady energy, while promoting gut balance. Thanks to Pique’s cold extraction process, it delivers calm, clean energy without jitters or crashes.

In other words, you’ll have a happy belly, beautiful skin, and the energy you need to get through your day. Oh, AND a delicious shake. There’s no downside here, my friends. 👏

Here’s a link to try the Radiant Skin Duo (BT Electrolyte and Sun Goddess Matcha Powder) for 20% off + some very generous freebies.

Radiant Skin Duo

And also, guess what goes really well with a Banana Matcha Shake??? Cookies, that’s what.

This Week’s Menu

Hummus Platter + Easy Homemade Hummus Recipe

This hummus platter is one of my favorite ways to make it look like you tried a heck of a lot harder than you actually did. Start with a generous layer of creamy hummus, pile on crunchy vegetables, olives, feta, and a few finishing touches, and suddenly you’ve got a colorful, flavor-packed platter that’s a perfect for lunch as it is for entertaining. It’s my idea of the perfect summer recipe - easy, unfussy, endlessly adaptable, and no stovetop or oven required.

Hummus Platter

Creamy Chicken and Mushroom Stew

On a recent trip to Europe, we spent a couple of days in Bruges, a storybook Belgian village that captured our hearts from the moment we arrived. After wandering around the town in utter delight, we stopped for dinner at a restaurant in the town square.

I ordered the chicken stew and was delighted to receive a bowl of chicken and mushrooms coated in a rich, creamy gravy with a little round of puff pastry resting on top.

It was the very definition of comfort food for me. And look, I know the phrase comfort food means different things to different people. But, for me, that was it.

I couldn’t wait to get home and try to recreate that gorgeous creamy stew in my own kitchen.

Not only does it remind me of our first night in Bruges, it’s the first recipe I’ve published that was tested and photographed by my daughter, Chef Anne Blackwell. So, it’s not an exaggeration to say that, for me, this recipe now comes with comfort in spades.

I hope it does the same for you, filling you from head to toe with the kind of warmth that has you taking a deep, satisfied breath with the biggest smile on your face.

Creamy Chicken Stew

Dark Chocolate Brownies

This brownie recipe is for true chocolate lovers. Or for lovers who love chocolate. Whichever. Probably both.

Regardless, if you need a bit of love and chocolate in your life, add these brownies to the menu. They are impossibly rich, decadent, and seductive. The kind of brownie that truly deserves to have the name fudge in the title.

These brownies contain a lot of chocolate. More than you thought you could pack into a brownie. So, it’s important to splurge on the best chocolate you can find.

They are also so indulgent that one batch goes a long way. I generally cut them into small pieces, set a few out, store a few in the refrigerator, and pop the rest in the freezer for those times when I just want a bite or two of something intensely chocolaty and decadent.

In fact, you can eat these brownies directly from the freezer, which is my favorite way to eat them. Instead of turning them into ice cubes, they just get chewier and almost truffle-like when frozen.

This makes them the perfect brownies for brownie sundaes. You’ll think you’ve transported yourself into some kind of chocolate lover’s utopia, which of course you have. Enjoy it. Utopian moments are fleeting. Let’s take them where we can, shall we?

Dark Chocolate Brownies

If you’re a food writer:

• Please join us over on Mastermind for Food Writers where you’ll find a ton of education, connection, and resources, for food writers by food writers.

• Check out the lineup of free classes and in-depth workshops in The Food Writers Business Lab, an online learning hub created specifically for food writers who want practical, affordable support for growing their businesses and expanding their reach.

• I taught an SEO for food writers class a few weeks ago where I presented SEO not as a technical burden or a game to be won, but as a practical way to help the right readers find your recipes, stories, newsletters, and posts. The class was recorded and is available here: SEO: Build a Bridge From Your Work To Your Readers

The Lost Supper Club

This newsletter would not exist if not for the members of The Lost Supper Club, who show their support with a paid subscription, thus ensuring that the vast majority of readers can keep reading this newsletter for free. As a thank you, I try to provide those paid subscribers with some cool stuff, including three free cookbooks!

A paid subscription is just $35 a year. Find out more about becoming a member of the Lost Supper Club.

❤️ Did you know that if you hit the heart or recycle symbol at the top or bottom of this post, it makes it easier for other people to find this newsletter?

Welcome to Let’s Get Lost! I’m Rebecca, a recipe developer, food photographer, passionate people watcher, and chaser of new experiences. You might know me from my recipe websites, Of Batter and Dough and A Little and A Lot.

My husband and I are nomads without a home base but with many modes of transportation, namely an RV, a motorcycle, and a sailboat. I write recipes and stories for curious people who believe experiences are more important than things and who want more adventure.

—> Get this and every issue and recipe directly on rebeccablackwell.com.

Are you a fellow food writer? Come see what’s happening over in Mastermind for Food Writers and in the Food Writers Business Lab!

Jump to…

• Small luxuries: My favorite non-chip drinking glasses

• This week’s menu (Cherry Basil Muffins with Cream Cheese Glaze, Meatball Marinara, Oatmeal Raisin Cookies)

• Really Good Reads

• My latest piece on Mastermind for Food Writers: Everything Has a Shelf Life, Including Your Business

Sailing season is officially upon us and it feels so good to be back on the water.

Steve, in particular, can hardly contain himself. He was born for sailing.

We’ve dubbed our boat the party boat and have already had some friends join us on board for an afternoon sail.

AND - we’ve started planning our first sailing trip.

Later this month, we’ll take off for 9 days, using the first two days to sail up the coast of Michigan before heading across Lake Michigan to Door County, Wisconsin. This is both exciting and a little bit terrifying. The longest sail we’ve done was last year when we sailed north from Muskegon to Pentwater, a 45 minute drive but an 8-hour sail.

We are learning the ropes of planning in nautical miles, finding transient slips where we can spend a night or two, researching places where we might anchor off shore, and reading up on what it really means to sail across one of the Great Lakes.

Because, friends, it’s not the Atlantic, but Lake Michigan is freaking huge.

Steve bought his first motorcycle in 2013 and we rode it from Colorado to Sturgis, South Dakota for the annual motorcycle rally the very next year. That week opened our eyes to the possibility of riding further and the next year we rode from Colorado to southern California, up the coast to San Francisco, and then back home.

From there the trips got longer and longer and after riding through every single state in the lower 48, and riding a rented motorcycle around the Hawaiian island of Kauai, we set our sights on Alaska.

In July of 2019, we spent 28 days riding from Colorado to Alaska, an epic 11,000 mile trip that we still talk about.

So, I don’t need a fortune teller to tell me how our sailing story is going to go. I’ve seen this film before. Our 9 day trip to Door County is just the beginning. And I can’t wait to take you all along for the ride.

If you’re new here, Steve and I traveled to Michigan last summer so we could learn how to sail. We had absolutely no intention of buying a sailboat, at least not for many years. But 3 weeks after our sailing class ended, we were the proud owners of a 37-foot sailboat AND had put the RV into storage and moved onboard.

It was a whirlwind experience that you can read about here…

And here…

Small luxuries

Some of my favorite things.

When we first moved into the RV, over 6 years ago, I purchased a set of colorful plastic drinking glasses. I just couldn’t see how non-plastic drinkware could possibly hold up while carting our home across the country on a regular basis.

The plastic cups were fine in the sense that they didn’t break of course. But I missed the feeling of glass in my hand. In our house in Colorado I had quite the collection of delicate antique drinking glasses, and wine and cocktail glasses. I kept the prettiest ones out on display, at the ready for anyone who stopped by to select the one they liked.

Fancy, antique glassware does not work when you basically take your house through an earthquake every few weeks.

But man, I was sick of those plastic glasses.

Then last year I found these pretty Jupiter Drinking glasses in Lagoon Blue. They are very sturdy glasses, with thick walls that I thought might be difficult to chip. Happily, I was right and a year later they still look brand new.

I now have them in two different shades of blue and those plastic cups are long gone.

This Week’s Menu

Meatball Marinara, Oatmeal Raisin Cookies + Cherry Basil Muffins with Cream Cheese Glaze

Last month, only days after our sailboat came out of winter storage and returned to its rightful place in the water, some friends of ours came through Michigan on a long motorcycle ride from California to Washington DC.

We, of course, took them sailing, then settled into the cockpit of the boat at sunset where we opened bottles of wine and filled our plates with Meatballs in Marinara spooned over fresh homemade pasta. I had made the meatballs, marinara, and pasta that morning so all that was left to do before we ate was reheat it on the gas stovetop in the boat’s galley.

And this is why I’m sharing this recipe with you now: It’s the perfect crowd-pleasing make-ahead dish. The marinara can be prepared days in advance (or even weeks or months in advance and frozen). The meatballs can also be prepared up to 3 days in advance and stored in a covered container in the refrigerator, nestled into the sauce.

And, of course, you don’t have to make fresh, homemade pasta. But, if you’ve ever wanted to try your hand at pasta making, I promise it’s easier than you might think and so, so, SO much better than the dried packaged variety. It’s also, in my opinion, quite fun. Homemade pasta can also be made as far in advance as you like. Simply leave it out to dry and then package it up and place it in your pantry where it will happily wait until you’re ready to use it.

We ended our meal on the boat with oatmeal raisin cookies, which I made because they are Steve’s favorite and also, cookies require no slicing or plating. I served them straight from a ziplock bag because I’m super fancy like that.

Meatballs in Marinara

Honestly, if my tastebuds were fully in charge of my life, I would eat baked meatballs in marinara every single week for the rest of my life. I love them that much.

This recipe uses a combination of ground beef and Italian sausage, mixed with bread crumbs, buttermilk, cheese, onion, garlic, and a copious amount of Italian seasoning.

Once the meatballs are formed, you have two options - fry them on the stovetop or broil them to perfection. Either way will give the meatballs a gorgeous crispy exterior. Then simply nestle the meatballs in a rich, homemade marinara sauce and let them bake until they are tender, juicy, and mouthwateringly delicious.

Meatballs in Marinara

How To Make Homemade Spaghetti Noodles

This recipe for homemade spaghetti produces noodles with a rich, buttery egg yolk flavor that is so good you may never purchase dried pasta again!

Homemade pasta is such a treat and, once you master the basics, it's surprisingly easy and fun to make. This step-by-step picture tutorial will walk you through all the details of how to make a perfect batch of delicious homemade pasta.

Homemade Spaghetti Noodles

Classic Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

I’ve been making this exact recipe for more than 20 years. They are Steve’s favorite cookie and this recipe never lets us down. These are thin cookies that are soft and chewy in the center and slightly crispy around the edges.

It includes an interesting technique for plumping up the raisins and boosting the flavor: soaking the raisins in eggs for an hour before adding them to the batter.

When I made these a few weeks ago, I wanted to get a head start on the prep work so I set the raisins in the eggs to soak in the morning and then put them in the refrigerator where they hung out for about 12 hours before I made the dough.

To my surprise, this one little change resulted in thicker cookies. My theory is that the longer soak in the eggs caused the raisins to absorb more of the moisture. More moisture in the raisins means less moisture in the dough and thicker cookies.

Both Steve and I agreed that we couldn’t decide which we liked more, the thin and chewy ones we were used to or these thicker, softer cookies. I still don’t know which I like more. Both are delicious.

I leave it up to you to decide which version you prefer. Follow the recipe as is and bake up thin and chewy cookies. Let the raisins soak in the eggs for 8-12 hours for thicker, softer cookies.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Cherry Muffins with Fresh Basil and Cream Cheese Icing

These cherry muffins are what you get when you combine fresh summer fruit with a lazy morning, except the recipe starts with a homemade muffin mix, so the lazy morning is not required, it’s just desirable.

Regardless of how lazy your morning is, these cherry-studded muffins are a delicious way to start the day. They are loaded with juicy cherries, kissed with just enough fresh basil to make people say, “Wait, what is that?,” and topped with a tangy cream cheese glaze that absolutely knows what it’s doing.

Cherry Muffins with Cream Cheese Icing

Links you might like

Really good reads:

• I purchased This Will Make You Happy by Tanya Bush a few months ago and it keeps making its way into various conversations. It’s a vulnerable combination of memoir and recipes as Tanya tells the story of baking her way out of a serious depression.

• Has anyone else read the Thursday Murder Club series? I’m on the second book and I absolutely love it. The dialogue is so smart and witty, and not only moves the story forward but lets you get to know the characters in a show-not-tell way that’s difficult to do. The first book was adapted into a Netflix movie and I loved it too. Fingers crossed that they’ll make a sequel!

• This piece from is so good. I too relate to this compulsion to be productive at all times. “And yet they seem to have remained immune to a particular kind of stress I fall prey to constantly, the compulsion to be productive at all times, to fill every gap.” Read: The Shoe-Cleaning Machine in London

• I love this piece from nostalgic Ghirardelli recipe cards and I wonder… does the nostalgia we feel for printed recipe cards translate to our modern world? Will we swing back to printed words on a page if only as a way to remind ourselves of our own humanity? “It’s marketing genius wrapped in gorgeous design: sixteen prize-winning chocolate recipes, printed on individual cards, slipped into a collectible envelope, and mailed free to anyone who asked.” Read: From Estella’s Archive: Ghirardelli’s Sweet Sixteen

And check out this piece from yours truly about how everything has a shelf life, including your relationships and your business, and why I think burnout is normal: Everything Has a Shelf Life, Even Your Business

If you’re a food writer:

• Please join us over on Mastermind for Food Writers where you’ll find a ton of education, connection, and resources, for food writers by food writers.

• Check out the line up of free classes and in-depth workshops in The Food Writers Business Lab, an online learning hub created specifically for food writers who want practical, affordable support for growing their businesses and expanding their reach.

• I taught an SEO for food writers class a few weeks ago where I presented SEO not as a technical burden or a game to be won, but as a practical way to help the right readers find your recipes, stories, newsletters, and posts. The class was recorded and is available here: SEO: Build a Bridge From Your Work To Your Readers

The Lost Supper Club

This newsletter would not exist if not for the members of The Lost Supper Club, who show their support with a paid subscription, thus ensuring that the vast majority of readers can keep reading this newsletter for free. As a thank you, I try to provide those paid subscribers with some cool stuff, including three free cookbooks!

A paid subscription is just $35 a year. Find out more about becoming a member of the Lost Supper Club.

❤️ Did you know that if you hit the heart or recycle symbol at the top or bottom of this post, it makes it easier for other people to find this newsletter?

Regardless of how lazy your morning is, these cherry-studded muffins are a delicious way to start the day. They are loaded with juicy cherries, kissed with just enough fresh basil to make people say, “Wait, what is that?,” and topped with a tangy cream cheese glaze that absolutely knows what it’s doing.

At first glance you may think that fresh basil in muffins is not the sort of thing you’d want to eat. But, please reconsider because basil is the perfect complement to cherries. These muffins contain only 2 tablespoons of very finely chopped basil, which is just enough to highlight the flavor of the cherries but not so much that you’d call these basil muffins. They are still firmly in the cherry muffin category.

This recipe starts with my favorite homemade muffin mix. I try to keep a container of this all-purpose mix in the pantry at all times because it makes whipping up a batch of warm, homemade muffins so easy!

If you already have the muffin mix made and pit and chop your cherries the night before, mixing up the batter in the morning only takes a few minutes.

Recipe Notes:

• Homemade Muffin Mix is perfect for anyone who loves the ease of a boxed mix but prefers the flavor and comfort of something truly homemade. The recipe includes the addition of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, or cloves. For these cherry muffins, I suggest leaving those spices out to allow the flavor of the cherries and basil to shine through.

• Using a cherry pitter to remove the pits from fresh cherries makes quick work of what is otherwise a labor-intensive task. I have this Oxo Cherry Pitter and I love it.

• When you’re dividing the batter among 12 muffin cups, you’ll think there’s too much batter, but just keep pressing more onto the tops of the muffins until you’ve used it all up.

A few more muffin recipes that take full advantage of fresh summer fruit

1. Chocolate Blackberry Muffins. Packed with juicy blackberries and chocolate chips, these are so rich and fudgy they are almost brownie-like.

2. Blackberry Muffins with Oatmeal Streusel. These are the kind of thing you make when you want a rich, bakery-style muffin that's too good to be anything but homemade.

3. Raspberry Muffins with Crumb Topping. The crumb of these muffins is exceptionally soft and tender, a perfect match for delicate, sweet raspberries. And the butter crumb topping literally melts in your mouth.

4. Sour Cream Streusel Blueberry Muffins. These are light and tender, can be made with either fresh or frozen blueberries, and laced with the flavors of vanilla, almond, and a touch of lemon.

5. Mixed Berry Muffins with Streusel. These delicious mixed berry muffins are packed with fresh or frozen berries and topped with loads of buttery brown sugar streusel.

6. Blueberry Lemon Muffins. These have a soft, light, cake-like texture that's flavored with lemon and vanilla, packed with blueberries, topped with a buttery crumb topping, and drizzled with lemon glaze for even more bright citrus flavor.

Welcome to Let’s Get Lost! I’m Rebecca, a recipe developer, food photographer, passionate people watcher, and chaser of new experiences. You might know me from my recipe websites, Of Batter and Dough and A Little and A Lot.

My husband and I are nomads without a home base but with many modes of transportation, namely an RV, a motorcycle, and a sailboat. I write recipes and stories for curious people who believe experiences are more important than things and who want more adventure. Find out more.

This recipe for homemade muffin mix is adapted from a recipe in Bravetart by Stella Parks. She uses virgin coconut oil in her muffin mix, a genius trick because it’s nonperishable so you can stock your pantry with a bag of this muffin mix where it will keep for many months.

As opposed to refined coconut oil which is liquid at room temperature, virgin coconut oil is solid at room temperature. To measure it, pack it into a measuring cup with the back of a spoon.

How to use this mix to make muffins

Add one recipe muffin mix to a mixing bowl and add

• 1/2 cup milk (any kind, including buttermilk and any non-dairy milk)

• 2 large eggs

• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract (or 2 teaspoons vanilla extract and 1 teaspoon almond extract).

Use a wooden spoon or rubber spatula to stir until blended.

Divide the batter among 12 paper lined baking cups and bake at 350 degrees for 18 - 22 minutes.

Muffin mix ins!

• For berry or fruit muffins, gently fold in about 2 cups of fresh or frozen berries or peeled and diced apples, peaches, or pears.

• To make chocolate chip muffins, add about 1 cup regular size or mini chocolate chips.

• You can also add a handful of nuts or shredded coconut.

• To make zucchini muffins, press as much water as you can from 3 cups of shredded zucchini (I usually twist it in a clean kitchen towel) and fold that into the batter.

For crumb topped or streusel topped muffins:

• Top muffins with the oatmeal streusel in this recipe for Blackberry Muffins with Oatmeal Streusel

• Top muffins with the butter crumb topping in this recipe for Raspberry Muffins

Welcome to Let’s Get Lost! I’m Rebecca, a recipe developer, food photographer, passionate people watcher, and chaser of new experiences. You might know me from my recipe websites, Of Batter and Dough and A Little and A Lot.

My husband and I are nomads without a home base but with many modes of transportation, namely an RV, a motorcycle, and a sailboat. I write recipes and stories for curious people who believe experiences are more important than things and who want more adventure. Find out more.

Welcome to Let’s Get Lost! I’m Rebecca, a recipe developer, food photographer, passionate people watcher, and chaser of new experiences. You might know me from my recipe websites, Of Batter and Dough and A Little and A Lot.

My husband and I are nomads without a home base but with many modes of transportation, namely an RV, a motorcycle, and a sailboat. I write recipes and stories for curious people who believe experiences are more important than things and who want more adventure.

Get every issue and recipe directly on rebeccablackwell.com.

Are you a fellow food writer? Come see what’s happening over in Mastermind for Food Writers and in the Food Writers Business Lab!

I have such a treat for you today, friends.

The piece below, No Chef!, was written by , who I met last year at a book proposal workshop. What you really need to know about Wendy is that she lived for years on a boat and is now slow-traveling around the world with her husband.

Um, also, she survived a class 5 hurricane in the Bahamas while living on her boat.

So, she’s a badass. Obviously.

We live in an RV and occasionally on a sailboat with a cabin that provides us with about 150 square feet of living space, so we are used to moving about the world while living in small spaces. As you might imagine, I spent a fair amount of time drooling over the comparatively massive size of Wendy’s boat.

However, Wendy and her husband Christopher now live out of a suitcase, which really just puts my whole minimalistic-nomadic life in perspective. Honestly, I’m not sure I could do it, but she inspires me to think I might (someday) want to try.

This piece arrived in my inbox on Thursday morning as I was starting to work out some details for a couple of long-ish sailing trips. The article includes a couple of recipes that are perfect for small spaces with limited refrigeration and no oven. So, her timing is impeccable. I made them both and they are DELICIOUS.

Not only are they the perfect thing to make when you are short on space, time, or major kitchen appliances, they are perfect for hot days when the last thing you want to do is turn on the oven. Those days are coming (for some of you, they’ve already arrived), so Wendy’s timing is impeccable for you too.

Enjoy.

xo

-Rebecca

PS. Even yachtlings (Wendy’s word) come with one-butt galleys.

P.P.S. Subscribe to Wendy’s newsletter now and thank me later.

Moving Forward

Humor and insights of my nomadic, carpe-the-dang-diem life and writing about it from a boat + the far corners of the world. Think of it as a place to rest and reset; less of a "How To" than a "How I" journey forward.

By Wendy Hawkes

No, Chef!

I met Rebecca last summer during the Dream to Deal Book Proposal Workshop. Though we worked in slightly different disciplines—me prepping to query my travel-survival memoir while Rebecca designed her narrative cookbook like the powerhouse recipe developer she is—the uncanniness of our nomadic lifestyles practically demanded we become friends, at least virtually. I had recently sold my boat and transitioned from four years as a full-time cruiser to full-time globetrotter. Conversely, professional RVer Rebecca had just purchased her sailboat, moving aboard during the eight-week workshop. Kismet.

When Rebecca invited me to write a guest post for Let’s Get Lost, I was simultaneously honored and terrified. My newsletter, Moving Forward, focuses on resilience, going with the flow, and finding equanimity when faced with inevitable changes and challenges through the lens of my off the beaten path, carpe-the-damn-diem life. What could I bring to a culinary ‘stack? I’m no cook. I was raised on frozen fish sticks, canned veg, and ’80’s food court dinners at the mall. Zero training, borrowing other people’s creative food flair via recipes found on Pinterest.

If “No, chef!” were a thing, it would apply to me.

But I learned. Boat life will do that to you.

Living on a mini yacht—a yachtling, as I called it—taught me a boatload of life skills I didn’t know I needed that have come in handy as I transitioned to a nomadic life on land. “Dirt life”, as full-time cruisers call it, was supposed to be easier than life on the water. In most respects it is, but cooking our meals in unfamiliar kitchens has been an interesting challenge, a duty which falls to me out of recent-ish habit and history.

My tiny home on the water measured 43’ by 21’. Deduct the watery space between the two hulls of our powercatamaran, and our dream mansion provided less than 800 sq. ft. True to the nature of marine vessels offering weenie spaces, our boat’s kitchen was a one-butt galley. Being the professional control freak I am, I decided at the outset the galley was my domain. One person needed to keep track of our provisions, which also meant meal planning. And one of my superpowers is organization (and stashing butt-tons of foodstuffs into itty bitty spaces). That settled it: I’d cook; he’d clean.

To my surprise, I discovered a new interest in cooking.

The creativity required to manifest a tasty, nutritious meal out of limited ingredients, utilizing produce on its last legs, or about-to-expire meat and dairy items spoke to my practical, problem-solving nature. When I needed to make lunch during our first 10-hour Gulf Stream Crossing from Miami to the Bahamas, old cabbage, almost-slimy carrots, and an English cucumber soaked in sweetened rice vinegar added to a healthy dollop of peanut butter became Pad Thai Cole Slaw (recipe below).

Four years of practice becomes habit, and now that my husband and I are both north of 60, we’re too old to change too many things in our lives at one time. I still cook; he still cleans.

Nowadays as a full-time traveler, I also borrow other people’s homes, kitchens, and utensils, making do with what’s on hand (including ingredients). Turns out, necessity is the mother of, well, creativity, in some instances.

This is what I offer you, dear readers. Inspiration to work with whatchya got, and see what happens if you shake things up a bit.

Slow travel—staying in one location for about a month—allows us to snag long-term discounts for apartment rentals through Airbnb and Booking-dot-com. A kitchenette also means saving money with home-cooked meals.

Our first slow-travel destination was my husband’s home country of England.

A projected one month in the motherland extended to a six month stay, thanks to a house sit opportunity. My first foray into commandeering someone else’s kitchen revealed that not everyone keeps their knives sharp (we now tuck our brand-new Santoku into the one checked bag we’ve allowed ourselves). But I still had access to a ginormous oven, four-burner induction hob/stovetop, and decadent appliances too power hungry for our boat.

Oh, hello, Vitamix, it’s been so long. Good morning, De’Longhi bean-to-cup home espresso machine, you sweet dumpling, you.

When we made the big jump to Southeast Asia, things changed. In all our rentals on “the other side of the world,” if we were blessed with an oven, it was microwave only. At best, cooktop (as described in the rental listing) meant two burners. And inventorying which pots and pans may or may not be present became a treasure hunt.

Our current apartment has a toaster...we can toast! And I don’t mean pan-fried bread. The simple joys of pushbutton meal prep. Bonuses abroad include omnipresent electric kettles—critical in lieu of any brewing machinery (coffee, not beer)—which aid in boiling rice and pasta water in single-saucepot abodes.

Constant travel also restricts meal creation in ways I didn’t expect.

Namely, spices. Can’t purchase new ones every month; can’t waste the luggage space to bring them along. I’ve figured out a few staples that are readily available everywhere we’ve been (UK, Spain, Portugal, Malaysia, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, so far) that make cooking abroad easier, and tastier.

May these travel-tested methods and modifications inspire you to cook outside the box, if not off the beaten path. And may capital-L-Life find you forever Moving Forward with a smile on your heart.

My Weensy Go-To Grocery List for Pantry “Staples”:

• 1 grinder/shaker Himalayan sea salt (pink if possible). We’ve pivoted away from black pepper and don’t really miss it in our home meals.

• 1 smallest possible bottle of olive oil

• 1 jar pesto: Adds garlic and basil flavor to any pasta dish, plus makes a great base for naan pizzas

• 1 bottle sesame dressing (I like Kewpie, an Asian brand easily found in SE Asia where I’ve been since November): For salad dressing, veggie dip, in place of sesame oil mix into stir fry dishes

• 1 small bottle soy sauce: For flavor, saltiness. That unique umami-ness.

• Garlic (lots): For flavor, as a natural (ingested) bug repellent, & overall health boost like smelly Airborne

• 1 red onion: For flavor. I prefer white for sauteed dishes, but there’s arguably more flavor in red so I’ve adjusted

• Local farmers markets often sell small quantities of spice by weight, but so far I’ve opted for occasional fresh mint or parsley or whatever’s needed for a specific craving dish we can’t find so must cook ourselves.

Here’s a dish I recently concocted using all of the above (minus the soy sauce) with the remaining half of a can of salad-enhancing chickpeas, when I had no more salads left in me for the week.

Veggie Omelet Pizza with Hummus

Serves 2

Time: about 20 minutes

Recipe with Disclaimer: As noted above, I’m no Cordon Bleu chef. Since this is one of my off-the-cuff ideas, the measurements are rough guides. I’m more of a measure-by-glug gal. My mantra: “To taste”

Note: No oven meant this isn’t reallllllly a pizza, but prepackaged naan bread makes a nice base, even when toasted not baked. Also, when one doesn’t have a food processor, or blender, or Nutri Bullet (oh, how I miss thee), one makes due.

Kitchen gear on hand: 1 medium skillet, 1 very small skillet (used as a lid in this case), a toaster, knife and cutting board, soup spoon.

Step#1: Make the hummus

Smush a 1/2 can of chickpeas with the back of a spoon then add the following ingredients and stir everything together. Taste and adjust.

• A dollop (teaspoon?) of pesto basil from a jar

• 2 cloves of garlic, chopped and smushed/pressed with a chef’s knife

• 1 splorp of Kewpie sesame salad dressing,

• ½ splorp of Kewpie spicy salad dressing (because I didn’t read the label, okay?!?!) for zest

• ½ glug of olive oil—not too much, you don’t want it too runny (“to eyeball”…spit-balling here)

• Salt (many grinds, please add black pepper if you have it, which I assume you do)

Step #2: Prep the pizza base:

Cheat! If you have an oven, kudos. If not, try pan frying pre-packaged naan to heat/crisp bottom. I used the toaster. Not ideal as naans were a little too big. Solution: toast one end, then the other. My only skillet big enough was busy making omelets. At least it warmed the bases.

Spread hummus all over the naan bases.

Step #3: Make the Omelet:

1. Add a tablespoon of oil to a skillet along with 1/2 of a red onion, chopped, and 4 cloves of garlic, also chopped.

2. Add some 2-4 ounces of chopped spinach and a diced tomato (or whatever veggies you like) and cook till done.

3. While the veggies cook, crack 4 eggs into a bowl, add a splash of milk, and whisk. Pour into the skillet with the veggies.

4. When eggs are almost set, add ¼ - ½ cup cheese, diced or shredded (I used diced cubes—we’ve no grater & buy block cheese).

5. When cheese has melted, fold one side over the other, remove the pan from the heat, and cut the omelet in half.

6. Serve atop the hummus-laden naan breads.

Notes from Rebecca:

I made this Veggie Pizza Omelet on Thursday night and it was sooooo good! For all of you who love the No Recipe Required series, this one is right up your alley.

This is absolutely something I’m going to make on the boat. I followed Wendy’s advice and used spinach and chopped tomatoes (cherry tomatoes) because that sounded great, but you really could use whatever veggies you like in there. Just be mindful that some veggies take longer to cook than others. This would also be a great way to use up any leftover cooked veggies hanging out in your refrigerator, by the way.

I cheated and started with store-bought garlic hummus to which I added a spoonful of pesto and some miso sesame dressing. SO GOOD AND WHY HAVE I NEVER THOUGHT TO JAZZ UP STORE BOUGHT HUMMUS BEFORE???

I added more cheese than she suggested, which should surprise no one.

Also, because I was determined to not turn on the oven and my skillet was occupied with cooking the omelet, I brushed some melted butter over the naan, covered them with a damp paper towel, and heated them in the microwave for 40 seconds before smearing with hummus and topping with the omelet.

One final note: If you have an oven and don’t mind using it, you might want to consider making a frittata instead of an omelet. Heat the oven to 400°F (204°C). Follow all the same instructions to make the omelet, but sprinkle the cheese across the top of the eggs about 1 minute after you pour them into the skillet. Pop the skillet into the oven and cook until set.

If you’re going to go the frittata route, consider adding in some bite-size potatoes that you’ve boiled in salt water AND some additional cheese whisked right into the eggs because, holyshit, that would be delicious.

Pad Thai Cole Slaw

Serves 6 – 8

Time: 20 minutes + a few hours to marinate the cucumber

Step #1: Make a quick pickled cucumber

1. Slice a cucumber into thin slices and add it to a jar. Add enough rice vinegar to cover and sprinkle in a teaspoon of salt.

2. Screw on the lid and shake gently to distribute the salt. Let rest for at least an hour, or overnight.

Step #2: Make the slaw

Chop or shred (oh, how I miss my silly Salad Shooter) into a large bowl:

• 1 small head of cabbage (can mix purple with green, if desired)

• 1 gala apple

• 8 oz or ½ bag of baby carrots, or whatever the equivalent of ‘just’ carrots is

• ¼ of a red onion

Add to the veggies:

• 1 tablespoon (?) rice vinegar (I prefer Seasoned, the sweeter taste works well against the acid)

• 8 shakes or splorps of Thai fish sauce (Thai Kitchen’s has a shaker top…so maybe a half of a teaspoon??)

• 1 teaspoon-ish avocado oil (or substitute with any oil, sesame would work nicely)

• Ginger (when I created this, I only had powder…this is for sure “to taste”)

• 1 tablespoon peanut butter (I prefer creamy…you do you)

• Sizable handful of fresh cilantro/coriander, chopped (“to taste”)

Mix well. Add marinated cuke slices and as much of their vinegar soak as you like. Top with:

• Chopped peanuts

• Salt and pepper, to taste

*Option: add heat with dried chili flakes or chopped jalapeño if desired.

Give a good stir and enjoy!

Notes from Rebecca:

For the slaw, I started with a 12-ounce bag of pre-shredded cabbage to which I added some shredded carrots, 1/4 of a red onion, and a honeycrisp apple. I used my food processor to shred the carrots, onion, and apple. If you don’t have a food processor, just finely chop everything.

By the way, if you’re skeptical of the apple, set that skepticism aside because you’re gonna love it. You might even want to add two.

I mixed all the dressing ingredients together in a bowl before dumping it over the veggies. I also modified the amounts of some the ingredients as follows…

• 1/4 cup unseasoned rice vinegar + 1 tablespoon of honey

• 1 teaspoon fish sauce

• About 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger

• 2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter

• Salt and pepper

• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (I used jalapeño olive oil for some extra kick!)

Whisk all of these ingredients except the oil together until smooth. Slowly add the oil, whisking constantly as you pour, until the dressing is emulsified, smooth, and creamy. Taste and adjust.

I added a large bunch of chopped cilantro directly to the veggies, then poured in the dressing, stirring until everything was well coated. I did not add any additional vinegar from the cucumbers.

We ate this on Friday with Chicken Schnitzel and the combo was delectable. Fresh and indulgent all at the same time. However, while I WILL be making the slaw on the boat, I’ll save the chicken schnitzel for my air-conditioned RV kitchen. For a little added protein with no additional cooking, cold rotisserie chicken would be perfect.

Don’t forget dessert

I feel like both of these dishes might benefit from being capped off with a cookie or two, don’t you? Maybe one of these…

1. Matcha Shortbread Cookies: Buttery, tender, and full of bright citrus flavor.

2. Classic Oatmeal Raisin: I made these last weekend for an evening sail with friends and we had some left over. They hit the spot!

3. Cream Cheese chocolate Chip Cookies: These little cream cheese chocolate chip cookies are so tender and buttery that they literally melt in your mouth.

4. No Bake Cookies {aka Preacher Cookies or Cow Pies}: Fudgy little peanut butter and oat-filled balls of bliss, that's what these cookies are. And if that's not enough, they only take a few minutes to make and do not require an oven.

Small luxuries

Some of my favorite things.

I’ve been buying Ruggable rugs since we moves into the RV 6 years ago. All the rugs are machine washable which, as you might imagine, is important when your home is mostly parked on dirt, sand, gravel, and sometimes mud.

After we did some major renovations last year, I decided that it was also time to update our rugs. That was over a year ago and all three still look fantastic AND they still make me smile every time I walk into the room… especially the one in the kitchen, which our daughters say is “kind of creepy, mom”, but I LOVE it.

Muse, by Jonathan Adler. Yes, it’s technically a doormat, but I don’t care. I absolutely love how it adds some whimsy to my kitchen.

Flutterby Rug, by Iris Apfel. I couldn’t believe how the colors in this rug pick up the other colors in the room so perfectly.

Seiene Camel and Ivory Rug by Nina Takesh. I love the calm, cozy, woodsy feel this rug gives to our bedroom.

If you’re a food writer:

• I wrote this piece earlier this week about how recipes are more about how we feel than what we make: Eat Your Feelings

• Please join us over on Mastermind for Food Writers where you’ll find a ton of education, connection, and resources for food writers by food writers.

• Check out the line up of free classes and in-depth workshops in The Food Writers Business Lab, an online learning hub created specifically for food writers who want practical, affordable support for growing their businesses and expanding their reach.

This newsletter would not exist if not for the members of The Lost Supper Club, who show their support with a paid subscription, thus ensuring that the vast majority of readers can keep reading this newsletter for free. As a thank you, I try to provide those paid subscribers with some cool stuff, including three free cookbooks!

A paid subscription is just $35 a year. Find out more about becoming a member of the Lost Supper Club.

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This hummus platter is one of my favorite ways to make it look like you tried a heck of a lot harder than you actually did. Start with a generous layer of creamy hummus, pile on crunchy vegetables, olives, feta, and a few finishing touches, and suddenly you’ve got a colorful, flavor-packed platter that’s perfect for lunch as it is for entertaining. It’s my idea of the perfect summer recipe - easy, unfussy, endlessly adaptable, and no stovetop or oven required.

One evening in 2024, after packing up the RV in preparation for the next day’s drive from Colorado to Montana, we went over to my friend Charlene’s house for pizza (she is a MASTER).

As a before-pizza snack, she had prepared the most beautiful and delicious hummus platter topped with veggies, olives, and crumbled feta. She said she made it because every single time she’s been to our home she’s noticed all of these flavors in our refrigerator.

And you know what? She’s 100% correct. So correct that I made the platter you see here just a few days later even though we were out in the middle of nowhere. It required no trips to the grocery store because I had all of these ingredients in my kitchen already.

We’ve eat this frequently for lunch, but it’s a brilliant appetizer for when you’re entertaining. Charlene spread the hummus out onto a large platter that was perfect for feeding a group (there were 8 of us), and included bowls of tortilla chips and focaccia for dipping. You could also serve it with warm buttered naan, pita chips, crudités, cheddar and almond crackers, or even homemade flour tortillas.

The basic idea is this:

1. Spread a thin-ish layer of hummus over the surface of a plate, bowl, or serving platter. (My recipe for hummus is below, but use any kind of hummus you like.)

2. Sprinkle diced cucumber and red pepper over the top of the hummus (or any kind of chopped veggies), followed by chopped olives and crumbled feta cheese. The only veggie that doesn’t work well here is tomatoes because they make the whole thing watery. (And yes, I know tomatoes are technically a fruit.)

3. Drizzle everything with some good quality extra virgin olive oil then sprinkle on whatever else you want. As you can see here, I added some toasted pumpkin seeds and a sprinkle of sumac. To toast pumpkin seeds, add them to a skillet with some olive oil and cook over medium heat until about half of them are golden brown. Remove from the heat and toss with salt. You can do the same thing with pine nuts if you prefer.

Recipe notes:

I had a Cuisinart food processor for years but when it finally kicked the bucket, I replaced it with a Ninja food processor and will never go back. I LOVE the double blade and can’t understand why every food processor doesn’t have the same.

Welcome to Let’s Get Lost! I’m Rebecca, a recipe developer, food photographer, passionate people watcher, and chaser of new experiences. You might know me from my recipe websites, Of Batter and Dough and A Little and A Lot.

My husband and I are nomads without a home base but with many modes of transportation, namely an RV, a motorcycle, and a sailboat. I write recipes and stories for curious people who believe experiences are more important than things and who want more adventure. Find out more.