What’s for Dinner?

A newsletter for home chefs about food, cooking, and enjoyment of food

August 10, 2026

Greetings, FoodFirst Community!

I have been out of touch for a long time because this summer has brought a lot of news to my household and left me without a minute to spare! We got a new puppy, traveled to Canada to visit my brothers, and I have been very busy with the school - teaching new teen cooking camps as well as private classes!

But let’s talk about food! What’s for dinner after a super busy summer day filled with work, pets, kids, and outdoor activities? Of course, something quick, featuring in-season delightful vegetables, and preferably that goes well with chilled Sauvignon Blanc! Here is a dish I put together one evening after the fresh pasta kid camp class:

Shrimp Fettuccini:

1 lb wild caught shrimp (I prefer red ones from the Gulf)
1-2 zucchini
2 cloves of garlic
(optional) 1/2 tsp hot pepper flakes
Zest and juice from one lemon
1/3 cup white wine
1-2 Tbsp capers
3-4 Tbsp minced parsley and/or dill
EVOO, salt, and black pepper.

Start with setting up your pasta. The sauce will take you just about 5 minutes to prepare so start the pasta water and have pasta ready to go.

To make the sauce, first prepare the shrimp: remove the shells and pat them dry. Dice zucchini. Mince the garlic and the herbs, zest and juice the lemon the parsley; have capers ready.

To put the sauce together, heat up some olive oil and sauté shrimp with garlic and hot pepper flakes (if using) until they change color, about 1 minute. Remove and set aside. Add a bit more olive oil and sauté the zucchini until just start showing color. Return shrimp to the pan and add wine, lemon zest, capers, and herb and cook for another minute to bring the dish together. Season with salt, black pepper, and a drizzle of lemon juice. Serve over pasta or with crusty baguette.

What’s for Dessert?

Summer fruit crisp - a quick, no-fuss dessert that’s easily adaptable to a vegan version. I love it because it’s so versatile. This one had about 2.5 lb of mixed plums and peaches (shin-on, pitted and roughly chopped) with a shake of sugar and a drizzle of lemon. For the topping, I combined in a food processor 80 g flour with 80 g almond meal and 100 g sugar and pulsed in a stick of frozen vegan butter (you can use regular, of course!) After the topping achieved the right consistency of coarse meal, I mixed in a few table spoons of slivered almonds and topped the fruit with it. Baked on 350F for an hour. You can serve it with ice cream, whipped cream, or by itself. Any fruit or berry work; I add a bit more sugar (1/4 to 1/2 cup mixed with fruit) when using tart fruit like rhubarb. Try it!

FoodFirst Updates

The fall schedule is out and many September and October classes are already sold out! There are new classes and course; the most exciting one is the new Cooking with Confidence Level 2 (starts October 20)! Check out the full schedule below.

Also a reminder that FoodFirst is finally on google maps! If you took a class and would like to leave a review, please go here.