Happy Saturday. Greetings from Minneapolis, where I’ve spent the past week and a half fairmaxxing. After three visits to the Minnesota State Fair, one to the Renaissance Festival, two turkey legs, approximately 80,000 steps, and at least nine sightings of a man I swore was Tim Walz, I’m headed back to New York and feeling very ready to eat a vegetable. Here’s what else I’m planning to do…
Stick an unexpected item in my freezer, after a food writer put me onto this viral trick that honestly blew my mind. You’re welcome, future pizzas, salads, and popcorn.
Elevate my next dinner party with this shockingly good DIY that’s impossible to mess up and looks even chicer than the cute cordless lamps that have taken over every buzzy restaurant.
Try out some new ways to style pieces from J.Crew. I never thought the quintessentially preppy brand could work for the funky maximalists among us — but, turns out, I was very wrong.
Cheat on my all-time favorite boxed brownie mix (real ones know). I can’t believe it either, but this store-brand dupe apparently tastes almost exactly the same for way less.
— Julia Reinstein / Writer, Culture & Leisure / Brooklyn, New York
Don’t Let Summer End Without Making This No-Fuss Dimply Plum Cake
theSkimm
End-of-summer scaries hitting hard? Consider this a reminder that the season doesn’t officially wrap until September 21 — PSLs be damned. That’s why we’ll be making Smitten Kitchen’s Dimply Plum Cake on repeat until then. Not only is the name extremely fun to say, but more importantly, the one-bowl recipe combines a brown sugar cake (made from ingredients you probably have), jammy late-summer plums, orange zest, and a hint of cinnamon. Add powdered sugar and you’ve got a dessert impressive enough for a party, easy enough for a random Tuesday, and virtuous enough for brunch. Plus, on the off chance you have leftovers, they magically taste better the next day.
The Time Commitment: About an hour, but the cake bakes for more than half of that.
Key Tips: The number of plums you’ll need depends on their size — Deb Perelman (aka Smitten Kitchen) suggests eight small-to-medium ones or five medium-to-large ones. And the recipe works just as well with any stone fruit.
Other Takes: For more “it’s still summer” desserts (think: all the fruity goodness you’ll miss come apple season), try…
Brown Sugar Peach Crumb Bars. Not to get controversial, but buttery crumb topping > finicky pie crust. Particularly when it’s (probably) your last good peach haul of the year.
Snickerdoodle Strawberry Shortcakes. Sweet cream, strawberries, and the most indulgent cinnamon-sugar toast imaginable join forces for a treat one fan claims “schooled every shortcake I’ve ever had.”
Blackberry Nectarine Crisp. Blackberries and nectarines are a match made in fruit heaven — especially under a blanket of brown-sugar oat topping. Serve with vanilla ice cream, and no, it’s not optional.
