Fall Refresh:

Back, But Better

Every fall, the recipes that jump to mind are family-friendly, back to school. (As evidenced by my newsletter this time last year!) In my house, this time of year is not just about re-acclimating them to a new routine, but me, too – fall means the start of soup season when work life resumes after being off for the summer with my family. So, however you’re facing the onrush of fall ahead, I wanted to offer my favorite recipes that help me out and make my day feel grounded, hoping they might make you feel that way, too.

I don’t drink coffee, nor have I ever really with any gusto, so I’ll leave you to your favorite brew. As for tea, here are a few recipes to kick off the morning with a flourish: Spiced Orange Tea that could easily be made ahead and reheated and Russian Tea that can be served hot or cold, but always ready when you are. Make this olive oil and balsamic granola for an elevated breakfast or this avocado smoothie before you run out the door (I’d add a scoop of matcha these days since it’s become a staple in my cabinet in recent years).

My dream desk lunches would be any that I would make for myself, rather than leftovers of whatever-it-is I made a few days ago for my family, like this noodle salad. This is a black lentil salad (pictured above) I make for myself, tossing a few extra veggies on the grill when I’m cooking out for dinner – so good that I don’t mind eating it all week. And, even though my job is making soup, I still love a thermos of any one of these as I sit at my desk through lunch: spiced red lentil, roasted fennel and tomato, Parsi pumpkin. Having a real meal, made by and packed expressly for myself, feels special.

When I’m feeling particularly wary, I reach for a treat to carry along for pick-me-up. Some favorites: Golden Milk mix, these snack squares, these oatmeal-raisin cookies sweetened only with raisins, these date-nut cookies.

Another way I reward myself after a tiring work day is to make something that requires zero planning, dinners that emerge from the pantry, like this pantry pasta – just simply dressed spaghetti in garlic oil with pine nuts and breadcrumbs – or this puttanesca, emerging from jarred marinara, olives, capers and anchovies; these curried chickpeas; this warm chickpea and tuna salad. Just having an autopilot, trustworthy meal on deck is a favor to myself when my energy is spent.

While I’m not a big drinker anymore, I know that a relaxing moment at the end of a work day for some is a cocktail like this Ruby champagne number or this Meyer limoncello Collins. A small glass of red wine is my occasional evening wind-down, but most often it’s a cup of mint tea. Whatever your persuasion, I highly suggest pouring yourself a cup of something that celebrates your job well done on making it through this day, this week, this month, because you deserve it.

Thanks, too, for reading here and helping me celebrate *my* hard work of days, weeks and months from the past decade of writing recipes! Other ways to support my work are to buy my books (all here), to follow me and my soup lady ways on Instagram (here) and to upgrade to a paid subscription (click the button below). For those of you who already do have a paid subscription, I made a little ditty to thank you that I hope will make you feel extra special this month. To all, see you here at the start of October—may we all arrive there as whole and settled as possible in our new fall routines.