Three go-to dinner recipes, a great sourdough spaghetti, and dahlias gone wild

Plus, let's do a recipe exchange and an ice cream poll

It’s full on dark outside as I type this; I can hear Tim and Alex watching their new favorite show in the next room. The windows are still cracked from this afternoon’s heat, but the air is now cool and crisp. The crickets and insects are settling into the night, and the familiar rumble of our neighbor’s tractor lets me know the cows have been fed. I made turkey meatballs for dinner with Rao’s sauce and new-to-us Bionaturae sourdough pasta (delicious!). A few nights back, I made turkey chili for dinner from a recipe I know by heart, the kind of back-to-school standby that makes enough to eat in the moment but also enough to freeze for those exhausted nights to come, when Tim and I look at each other with glazed eyes when the question of “What’s for dinner?” comes up. A group chat of college pals reliably swaps go-to recipes, including the turkey chili below and this black bean and sweet potato chili. If you want to link yours in the comments, then we’ll be a resource to each other. PS Image of meatballs is another great meatball recipe from Smitten Kitchen.

Go To Turkey Chili, adapted from Rachel Ray

Ingredients
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan
2 1/2 pounds ground turkey (typically 2 packages)
4 tablespoons dark chili powder, 2 palmfulls
2 tablespoons grill seasoning blend, any brand, 1 palmfull
1 tablespoon cumin, 1/2 palmfull
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons Sriracha
1 large onion
2 - 3 canned red peppers chopped (I like this brand)
1 (24-ounce) can tomato sauce
1/2 cup smoky barbecue sauce
1 bag of frozen corn
1 can of black beans
1 can of garbanzo beans

Directions

1. Heat a pot over medium to medium-high heat. Add extra-virgin olive oil, 3 turns of the pan, and the turkey meat. Season the meat with: chili powder, grill seasoning, cumin, Worcestershire, and hot sauce. Break up the meat with the back of a wooden spoon into small crumbles.

2. Chop the onion. Brown the meat 5 minutes, then add onions and chopped bell peppers and cook 10 minutes more. Add tomato sauce and barbecue sauce and bring to a bubble. Add corn kernels and beans. Let chili simmer 10- 40 minutes more. I like a really thick chili, so I cook it for a longer time. But it is ready to eat after 10 minutes if you’re in a real hurry. Remove from heat and serve with grated cheddar and corn bread muffins.

A. This What’s for Dinner? poster made me smile.

B. My mom sent this game, Sussed!, to Ben as a back-to-school gift, and we’ve been playing it every night.

C. This Bread wrapping paper is fab.

D. We had friends over for dinner last night (we served grilled salmon on cedar planks and this quinoa edamame salad), and for dessert, I decided to set up an ice cream sundae bar with our vintage ice cream dishes.

E. My mom loves steamed green beans, and a colander full of them can always be found in her fridge. I associate a bowl of steamed green beans with a particular kind of casual hang-out time that is harder and harder to come by, the ease of just blabbing with my mom about everything and nothing, and each of us reaching into the colander and snacking on crisp green beans. So when I saw these pickled green beans in the grocery store tonight, I couldn’t resist them. A tart, crunchy snack. Dilly Beans

F. So here’s a funny question - how do you eat Neapolitan ice cream? Growing up in my family, we would eat each flavor individually, not scooping across all three flavors. Tim has always thought this charmingly eccentric and unique to the Nova family. However, last night, as we were standing around the kitchen making sundaes, my friend explained, unprompted, that her family also treated Neapolitan ice cream cartons the same way. Tim and her husband were speechless, and I felt I’d discovered the true source of our friendship.

G. Tim found this sourdough pasta at our local grocery, and maybe it’s just that we’ve been eating high fiber pasta of one sort or another for a couple of years, but wow, did we enjoy it.

H. I had low expectations about this After Cooking Scrub, but I will say, it doesn’t suck. Garlic odor lingering on my hands, be gone!

My dahlias have been a mixed bag this year - the weather was very different than last summer, and in taking a new job, something had to give in terms of my time and attention, and what gave was my garden. I’m pretty taken with these “Summer’s End” dahlias, however.

The hydrangeas, however, are so happy with this cool weather - these are in two different locations in my garden, and for the first summer ever, the plants on the left are truly hot pink - something I’ve never seen before, and I think is due to acidic soil.

These dahlias — planted in front of our house next to some roses — exploded in height, growing easily over 8 feet tall. I couldn’t figure out what was going on until I realized that we’d fertilized the roses and thus, the dahlias, too. Ha!

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I include a few bonus finds here each week for paid subscribers as a small token of appreciation for making this newsletter possible.

1. Crunchy pickled Carrots - not my usual snack, but somehow these hit the spot tonight.

2. Cute Camper shoes for kids or those of you with small feet!

3. A chic Magnetic Bulletin Board for organizing all that school paperwork!

4. This nail polish arrived this afternoon, and I was able to paint my nails while surfing the internet … and I am a total clutz when it comes to painting nails. Not sure how long it will last, but good for a pick-me-up if you like having pretty nails!