The tomato plants in our garden seem to grow a foot every night these days. I’m glad someone is enjoying this hot humid weather! Since weeknight dinners usually involve me rushing in from a sweltering walk from the train, I do most of my ambitious cooking on Sunday, when I can stay inside in the AC all day. Slow simmering ragu, cooking a big batch of quinoa that will be repurposed into multiple meals this week, baking something that will make the whole house smell delicious just as we’re saying goodbye to the weekend and facing down the workweek ahead – it’s a different form of meal prepping.

Here’s the planned lineup this week:

• Elk ragu with carrots and garlic scapes (inspired by this incredible lamb ragu recipe from the Six Seasons cookbook – everything from this cookbook is a hit but this recipe is among my favorites)
• Poke salad to use some of this week’s spring onions and finish off last week’s lettuce
• Quinoa chicken bowls with marinated kale
• Fish taco salad on thinly sliced Savoy cabbage
• A July 4 cookout with smoked chicken, green beans, and roasted potatoes
• Pasta with fava beans and garlic scapes (adapted from this Food Network recipe)

I’ll probably also make a blueberry buckle and maybe (hopefully) will find a way to use all those zucchini!