At the Table :: 2025 Rainy Day Bites May to August

Whew! Another third of the year with Rainy Day Bites Cookbook Club @rainydaybites is over, so I'm again documenting my participation by sharing all the new-to-me recipes I've tried since May 1. Throughout this last season, the overall theme has continuously been #budgetbakesandbites, and the two featured cookbooks reflect that. Though we did indeed have featured books, it was also allowed to cook from other books we had, so that gave us a lot of freedom. Unless noted, the recipes shared are from the featured books. Note that I linked to each IG post, in case you wanted to read what I wrote about each recipe. And if this post isn't of interest, thank you for indulging me, and I'll be back with more creative content soon!

May & June

Featured book: You Got This by Diane Morrisey @dianemorrisey

Tuscan Beans with Vegetables

Spicy Carrot Rigatoni from by Heart: Recipes to Hold Near and Dear by @haileecatalano with Ultra-Creamy Fresh Homemade Ricotta recipe coincidentally by @theclevercarrot

Sloppy Joe Hand Pies

Thai-Style Chicken and Vegetable Salad

cilantro lime grilled chicken bowl from Easy Everyday by Jessica Merchan @howsweeteats

smashburger salad also from Easy Everyday by Jessica Merchan @howsweeteats

Hummus Crunch Bowl from Easy Everyday by Jessica Merchant @howsweeteats 

Turkey Taco Salad from What to Cook When You Don’t Feel Like Cooking by @carochambers

Chicken BLT with Golden Shallots 

Roasted Delicata Squash with Pomegranate Glaze 

Greek Turkey Meatball Bowls 

Sheet Pan Lasagna

Farro, Apple, Pomegranate, and Pistachio Salad

Crispy Smashed Potatoes with Salsa Verde from Cooking in Real Life by @lideylikes 

Roasted Cauliflower Steaks with Herby Goat Cheese from Easy Everyday by @howsweeteats

One-Skillet Chicken Burrito Bowls from What to Cook When You Don't Feel Like Cooking by @carochambers

Angel Hair with Chunky Roasted Tomato Sauce and Burrata 

Firecracker Salmon Rice Bowls

July & August:

Featured book: Cook What You Have by Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street @177milkstreet

Bulgur and Chicken Salad with Pomegranate Molasses

Fettuccine with Corn, Tomatoes, and Bacon

Cheesy Tex-Mex Migas

Stir-Fried Broccoli and Noodles

Fish Baked with Tomatoes, Capers and White Wine 

Risotto with Sausage and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Chicken and Tortilla Soup

Garlic Fried Rice with Chicken

Eight-Ingredient Beef and Bean Chili

Braised Sausages and Lentils with Parsley-Caper Relish

May–August 

Baking Book: 100 Afternoon Treats by Sarah Kieffer @sarah_kieffer

Freezer Friendly Bakes
May: any recipe from the brownies, blondies, and bakes chapter

Chocolate Chip Bars

Blueberry Muffin Cake - from the One-Bowl Bakes chapter, oops!

Pecan Espresso Bars

S'mores Bars

Pantry Recipes

July: any recipe from the One Bowl Bakes

My Perfect Afternoon Snacking Cake

Individual Chocolate Chip Cookies from Sweet Tooth @bromabakery

August: our choice of any recipe from the Pie, For a Crowd, or Weekend Projects chapters

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie

End of Month Baking Challenges:

May 5/30: Citrus - Rhubarb Spoon Cake from The Lost Kitchen: Recipes and a Good Life Found in Freedom, Maine by Erin French @thelostkitchen

June 6/30: Herbs or Floral - Lemon, Rosemary & Olive Oil Cake from Cooking in Real Life by Lidey Heuck @lideylikes

July 7/31: Tropical Flavors - Cinnamon Swirl-Banana Bread Mug Cake from Sweet Tooth by Sarah Fennel @bromabakery

August 8/31: Stone Fruits - Almond Cake with Figs from Sweet Enough by Alison Roman @alisoneroman

With the added flexibilities of cooking from more books and posting on more dates, I seemed to cook more recipes for the club then usual, especially for meal times. The theme and featured books really leant themselves to fairly easy meals, and I really enjoyed that. I'd say we ate pretty good!

At the Table :: 2025 Rainy Day Bites January to April

Again, I know this post won't be for everyone, and trust me, I'll be back with some fun quilty content tomorrow, but I really appreciate documenting my participation in Rainy Day Bites Cookbook Club @rainydaybites, so here are all the recipes I've tried since January 1.

January

Featured book: What to Cook When You Don’t Feel Like Cooking by Caroline Chambers @carochambers (Note: This book is a new favorite! I tried A LOT of recipes, loved them, and am still cooking from it regularly.)

Smashburger Sammies with Well-Dressed Greens

Crunchy Refried Beans Taco-dillas with The Greatest Kale Salad

Enchilada Rice Skillet

Melty Mexican Cauliflower

Panko Honey Mustard Chicken with Frico Broccoli

Peanutty Pork-Zucchini

Cannellini Caprese with Burrata

Cheesy Rice and Beans + Burritos

Everything-Crusted Tuna

Foolproof Herby Omelet

Parm-Crusted Tuna Melts

Peanut Chicken Chop

Saucy Eggs

Sausage and Kale Pasta

Sesame Fried Egg Rice Bowls

Veggie Peanut Noods

February

Featured book: What Goes With What by Julia Turshen @turshen

Greek Orzo Bowl

My Usual Chopped Salad

Sticky Pork and Broccoli

Black Bean and Cheddar Cornbread Pie

March

Featured book: The League of Kitchen’s Cookbook: Brilliant Tips, Secret Methods & Favorite Family Recipes From Around The World by Lisa Gross @lisakyunggross and the women of the @leagueofkitchens

Afghan Eggs Fried in Ghee with Garlic and Turmeric by @the_league_of_k_

Burkinabe Chopped Meat Sandwiches by @benonaline

April

Featured book: Sobremesa: Tasty Mexican Recipes for Every Day by @holasus (Another big favorite!)

Adobo Verde Roasted Cauliflower Tacos with Charred Tomato and Red Pepper Salsa and Spicy Chipotle Crema

One-Pan Zucchini and Corn with Crema with Homemade Beans and Spicy Margaritas

Burrata with Toasted Corn

Roasted Potatoes with Tangy Mayo

Spiked Coffee

January/February baking book: Sweet Tooth by Sarah Fennel @bromabakery

Funfetti Crumb Cake

Coffee Cake Cookies

Red Wine Brownies

Dulce de Leche Cheesecake Brownies

The BEST Chocolate Chip Cookies

March/April baking book: Bodega Bakes by Paola Velez @smallorchids

Egg Tarts

Bulla Snickerdoodles

Maria Cookie Icebox Cake

Dominican Brioche [aka Pan Sabao]

Though I don't usually participate in @rainydaybites' bread group #greatgrainsgroup, their global bread recipe challenge for April was Mexica: Tortillas, which fit perfect with our cooking from Sobremesa, and I'd always wanted to try making them. So....

Traditional Flour Tortillas recipe from Treasures of the Mexican Table by Pati Jinich @patijinich.

Corn Tortillas from Sobremesa

The end of the month baking party, and our theme for 2025, is The Year of Flavor.

January 1/31: Vanilla - Vanilla Scones from Sweet Tooth by Sarah Fennel @bromabakery

February 2/28: Chocolate - Single-Serve Double Chocolate Chip Cookies from Sweet Tooth by Sarah Fennel @bromabakery

March 3/31: Nuts - Chocolate Pistachio Biscotti from Skinnytaste by Gina Homolka @skinnytaste

April 4/30: Berries - Strawberry Cloud Cookies from Smitten Kitchen Every Day by Deb Perelman @smittenkitchen

Whew! That's A LOT of new recipes tried, and a good number of them got stars in my books! This next period, May to August, is going to be a little bit different as far as how many books we cook from and the challenges will be broader. Check out Deborah's @rainydaybites post if you want to know more.