What to make in June
It's berry season!
Hello friends,
As you read this, we are on our way to Michigan for the summer. This will be our second summer on the coast of Lake Michigan. We spent two months there in 2022 and fell in love with its charming beach towns on a lake that feels like an ocean.
Coming up in June you’ll see some changes to this newsletter and some additions to the Lost Supper Club. If you’re reading this, you’ve likely granted me some space in your in-box and some precious minutes of your time. These are things I do not take lightly in our overcrowded world.
There is a lot of noise in this world, isn’t there?
I’ve been working on both simplifying and enhancing my work here with the desire that you’ll find it more useful, entertaining, and valuable. I have a tendency to overthink and overcomplicate, ummm, everything and bringing it back to the simple truth of what really matters is a process I will likely repeat for the end of my days.
So, cheers to doing that yet again. 🥂
BUT, it’s summer and we have sunshine and all the abundance of ripe berries and fresh produce and most of it requires very little interference if we can only appreciate it for what it is.
Upcoming Live Classes and Class Replays
Where you’ll find all the information on upcoming Live classes and past class replays: Classes
Here are the replays for two classes I did this week - Easy baked ravioli lasagna and Caesar salad with Holly and cocktails, cherry chicken salad, and bananas foster with Jen!
Join me on Thursday, June 5th to make homemade corn tortillas and Costa Rican inspired beans and rice!
In April, I did a livestream class about how to make Homemade Flour Tortillas. Many of you made homemade tortillas for the first time and discovered how much better they are than anything that comes in a package. After that class, a couple of people wrote to me asking if I would also show them how to make homemade corn tortillas. This is a request I am more than happy to oblige.
Here’s where you’ll find all the information…
What to Make in June
It’s berry season, y’all (or almost berry season, depending on where you are) and that means berry everything in my house from now until whenever raspberries, blackberries, and strawberries, start looking all shriveled and sad. 🙁
And also, cherries. Since we are spending our summer in Michigan, cherries will obviously be a staple in my kitchen through August.
Michigan produces 70% of the tart cherries consumed in the US, most of them grown in the Travers City area. This was not something we knew the first time we visited in 2022. We drove through Travers City with the trailer in the middle of the National Cherry Festival, which happens every year but which we did not know existed until that moment. For context, the festival takes place over eight days, requires 2,200 volunteers and draws in half a million people.
For future reference, you do not want to pull a 43-foot trailer through the National Cherry Festival.
The next day, after parking ourselves in Petoskey, we hopped on the bike and made it just in time for an air show with the Blue Angels. (Taking a motorcycle to the National Cherry Festival is a great idea.) This year, I’ve worked it into our schedule.
Raspberry Muffins with Butter Crumb Topping: Ok. If you love raspberries, these are a slam dunk because they are packed with them. But also butter crumb topping literally melts in your mouth. So I’m not really sure which is better.
Blackberry Muffins with Oatmeal Streusel: These are rich, bakery-style muffins sweetened with brown sugar, flavored with nutmeg and vanilla, and topped with a nutty oatmeal streusel that's both crunchy and chewy. And, of course, they are packed with blackberries.
Strawberry Cream Pie: I am IN LOVE with anything filled with pastry cream and this pie is no exception. 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.
Cherry Crumb Pie. This pie 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 definitely Steve’s favorite pie, but it also might be mine.
Roast Pork Tenderloin with Red Wine Cherry Sauce. This simple Roasted Pork Tenderloin is tender and juicy, and covered in the most delicious Red Wine Cherry Sauce. It's one of those quick and easy recipes that's both elegant and basic, simple enough for a causal weeknight meal and gorgeous enough for a dinner party.
The Dirty Shirley. The Dirty Shirley is an elevated, adult version of the classic Shirley Temple and if you’re of a certain age it’s obviously filled with nostalgia. But also, it’s a great crowd pleasing drink for everyone because you can mix up a pitcher and let the adults who want to drink add their own vodka. Everyone else can happily sip on the non-alcoholic version, aka, the Shirley Temple.
Turkish Meatballs. What I most want you to know about these little meatballs is that they are packed with flavor and relatively easy to make, depending of course on your definition of “easy to make”. 🙂
Poached Salmon Salad with Honey Lime Dressing. This recipe is for when you want something light but also delicious and we don’t want to spend a lot of time making it. Which is always summer but also all year long.
San Antonio Style Loaded Shrimp Nachos. This recipe is from
and when Holly says the nachos are loaded, she means it. “In Texas, each nacho is its own perfect bite. Instead of dumping everything onto a mountain of chips, we treat each chip like its own little masterpiece.” If you’ve got a party this month, large or small, these are the perfect thing for it.
Quick Links
Classes. Here you'll find information about upcoming classes and the replay links for past classes.
Scroll through the 2025 recipe index.
Take an inside peak into the Let’s Get Lost Cookbook
If you’re a food writer on Substack, join us for next week’s Mastermind for Food Writers
Thank you for reading! Wishing each and every one of you a wonderful weekend. I’ll see you next week.
- Rebecca
My mouth is watering, the festival sounds like a blast, and the water looks refreshing. What fun you must be having!
Mmmm! What a yummy post! I can’t decide which one of those fruity desserts to make! You’re so lucky to spend the summer in the heart of sour cherry country.