Sundays with Stephanie

Happy Memorial Day!

Good morning and Happy Memorial Day Weekend. It’s my birthday weekend. Thank you for helping me have such an awesome year. When I started this newsletter in January 2023, I had no idea it would be such a fun experience and that we would have over 10,000 subscribers on Sunday mornings thinking about food!

I'm at my cabin in Ely, in my happy place, surrounded by many of my favorite people. Another trip around the sun is always a poignant reminder for me. As a stage 3 Cancer survivor, I am never far away from receiving this life with gratitude and, hopefully, grace. Last week, I volunteered to judge a Cooking Competition for CIOs at Hope Lodge. Hope Lodge is similar to the Ronald McDonald House, where adults and individuals 12 years of age and older can stay during their medical treatments. These individuals live in areas that don’t make it convenient to be within 30 minutes of their treatment hospitals.

As I talked with our guests whom we were cooking for, I had a moment. I remembered being that patient. I remembered the grayness of my skin during chemotherapy. I remembered having no eyebrows, hair, or eyelashes, and I remembered feeling deeply tired in a way that no amount of sleep would matter. I also felt an immense sense of gratitude for this life. While my memory isn’t what it used to be, my lymph system needs a bit of coaxing from time to time. My creaky body hangs on to greet the mornings over Burntside Lake, and I am grateful.

Today, I will plant my flowers and spend time with my loved ones. Tomorrow I will plant my “Ely Hilltop Garden” with the seedlings and transplants I have been nursing along and transporting from the garden center to the house, to the garage, back to the house, to the garage again, in the car to the Ely Garage, and finally outside, as frost has passed.

What I am Making

Over the years, I have made myself many different Birthday Cakes. I typically have a big gathering at my “True North Cabin” home on Burntside Lake and will do so again this year. I am making a fruit Buckle for myself this year with Rhubarb. Last year I made it with Strawberries.

Here are a few of my previous cakes, along with their recipes, in case you'd like to try them.

Here is the Bundt cake I made for myself with my favorite Rhubarb, of course.

The Strawberry Cake is a favorite that I make with my niece, Skyler, who also shares a May birthday. You can easily use a boxed white cake for this to speed up the process.

This week's “Taste Buds With Stephanie” episode, I made a fancier version of the cake above by adding a layer to the cake and cream cheese to the frosting. Here is a preview of the recipe you will see on Saturday at 8:30 am on Fox 9.

I have Rhubarb finally! Thanks to all of you who have reached out and offered it! I appreciate you! I've created one link that takes you to all my Rhubarb recipes, so if you're interested, give it a look!

Here is a new pasta salad recipe for Substack Subscribers. If you have the paid version of this newsletter, you get an exclusive recipe every week. This Wednesday, I forgot to send out a newsletter, so I am making this version available for free to all.

Here is a link to all the exclusive recipes:

Here is the Pasta Salad Recipe

Double Tomato Pasta Salad

Salad Ingredients

1 16 oz package of Penne pasta cooked and drained

I jar Mezette sliced Sun Dried tomatoes - drained with oil reserved

1 16 oz jar Mezette roasted sliced red peppers drained

2 pints cherry tomatoes, halved

8 oz Mozerella Pearls

1 cup chopped basil

3 teaspoons kosher salt

2 teaspoons freshly cracked black pepper

Dressing Ingredients:

1/3 cup Olive Oil from the reserved sun-dried tomatoes

3 Tbsp lemon juice

1 Tbsp Balsamic or Red WineVinegar

2 teaspoons honey

1 teaspoon Dijon Mustard

1 garlic clove microplaned

2 teaspoons dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon fresh black pepper

Instructions:

Combine the dressing ingredients in a mason jar and shake vigorously until well blended. Taste and adjust the seasonings, adding more salt and pepper as needed and set aside

Boil 4 quarts of water in a large pot and bring to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and rinse pasta with cold water. Toss with a little of the Reserved Sun Dried tomato oil to prevent sticking.

Add pasta and remaining ingredients to a huge bowl. Cover with dressing and toss to combine. Add more Basil on top to garnish

Taste and adjust the seasonings, adding more salt and pepper as needed.

The Menu for night one of my cabin weekend was Roasted Leg of Lamb, Chimichurri Sauce and Tumeric couscous from version one of the “True North Cabin Cookbook”

If you pre-order my next book and send me your receipt- I’ll comp your subscription for the next year! Pre-orders of a cookbook are so important! What happens when you pre-order is all those day-one sales count towards the total books sold the first day the book “releases,” in my case, 9/2. All those pre-orders count toward your launch on “Best Seller” lists, which helps the book get seen and leads to more orders.

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Stephanie’s Dish Newsletter is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a subscriber.