Friday Favorites
Skillet Chicken Parm with Gnocchi, a great read, Mirth's new collection, and my Basics series!
Welcome to Friday Favorites! This quick glimpse of my week goes out to all subscribers (free and paid). I include a fan-favorite recipe we made in a cooking class, something I’m watching, reading, or listening to, a recent find, and a win for the week.
What I’m Cooking
Excuse the photo! I have one shot of this recipe from my phone, and it’s from before it went under the broiler and got topped with fresh basil. When it came out of the oven, it looked so good and we were so hungry, so we immediately dug in. I also made this in a cooking class with my Basics students and the exact same thing happened. Skillet Chicken Parm with Gnocchi is seriously simple enough for a weeknight, hearty enough to satisfy ravenous teenagers (and cooking class students) and beautiful enough to serve to guests. I have some notes in the recipe attached below. If you don’t want to dredge the chicken in flour (extra carbs, gluten, steps, etc), you can skip it—that’s what I did in the photo here. Just preheat your pan and heat the olive oil before adding the chicken. That might sound like a “duh,” but I know from teaching cooking classes that most home cooks don’t let their pans get hot enough before sautéeing.
You can find all the SITK recipes I’ve shared on Substack in my Recipe Index.
What I’m Listening To
Melanie Shankle’s new book, Here Be Dragons. You can find her book on Bookshop.org (I’ve been using Bookshop.org whenever they have a Kindle or audio version available; in this case, they do! Just start on Bookshop first if you purchase books online and link your favorite local bookstore—mine is Blue Willow Bookshop). You can also find the book on Amazon or Audible.
What I’m Coveting
The new Texas collection from Mirth!!! I love the Midland blouse ––it's blousy, soft and a great weight for the Texas heat. I wore it with a long jean skirt and my turquoise boots to the Fraulein pop-up I wrote about last week. I also snagged these black linen pants for spring and summer—I also have them in white and wear them all the time. I'm eyeing this short breezy dress, and it could be so good with brown vintage boots and a Freya hat. Mirth extended a discount code for me to share with you all! Use code MARCIAS15 at checkout (their new spring line is out now, too).
This Week’s Win
My six-week Basics students just finished their last class this week. I love this group and spending time together on Wednesdays is a highlight of my week. I’m sad it’s over! Email Melissa@smartinthekitchen.com to get on the waitlist for our Fall 2025 cohort.
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GIFT CARD
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Order my award-winning cookbook, Dinner is Done! It includes over 100 weeknight and family-friendly recipes, including chapters on meatless mains, fish and sauces, appetizers and snacks, cocktails, desserts and more.
