French onion ... toast. It’s a thing.

Plus, it’s cold pasta salad season. At last.

Good morning!

Early summer temperatures are here, and even though I have a total of zero vegetables planted in my garden — it’s still April! — my hunger instincts are already laser-focused on all the fresh summer things, like baby arugula and cherry tomatoes and crisp cucumbers and loads of basil.

But today’s newsletter straddles the seasons, just as the weather itself has been doing (one day we’re covering up tender plants from overnight frost and the next watching the skies for swirling tornados).

First up is my take on deconstructed wintry French onion soup served as fried toast with lots of cheese. I can’t tell if that sounds bizarre or not. Only that it was 🤤.

And then, my first big pasta salad of the warm-weather season. The first of many, I predict.

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Cheesy French Onion Fried Toast

This fried toast came about when I made a batch of caramelized onions ahead of time for dinner, changed my mind last-minute about the menu, but then had a bowl of meticulously caramelized onions still sitting in the fridge the next day.

In several slightly blasphemous ways, this open-face sandwich is better than the soup. {GASP! I will deny ever saying a sandwich is better than soup, if accused.}

First, I think the Boursin — the first layer on the toast is a thick schmear of same — is a very nice touch. Creamy and garlicky. Second, the caramelized onions are just in their prime here, as they’re not diluted by soup. It’s all sweet onion goodness here

Third, you can add as much shredded Gruyere as you want. In fact, melt one layer under the broiler, and then add another layer. It’s so damn good. I amended the original recipe name to stick Cheesy on the front end, just to be clear about what this is.

And fourth, I’m all about the balance of flavors and textures. A brand new bag of crispy fried onions was sitting next to my cutting board that day, and the rest is fried toast history.

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Summer Shrimp & Pancetta Pasta Salad

Super cute orecchiette pasta — cheek-pinching little bowls that cocoon all sorts of salad goodness, from vegetable cubes and flecks of herbs to pockets of dressing — tossed with bell peppers, corn, seasoned shrimp, and savory pancetta, all draped in a creamy pesto dressing. I can’t wait to make this with fresh veggies from my garden.

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I was asked the other day by a friend from Spain why Americans love Cinco de Mayo so much. I didn’t have a proper answer for her because, as an American, I find it hard to explain Americans on just about any topic. Lol.

E.g., as one British TikToker recently noted, Americans measure distance by time. The correct answer to, “How far is the nearest Target?” is “7 minutes,” not “2.1 miles.” Even Google Maps gives directions first in time, then miles. I don’t know how this started, only that I agree COMPLETELY. Sorry, Rest of the World, this is just how we are.

But what I do know about holidays is that we’ll latch on to any excuse to party with food. I mean, we’re the people who probably inappropriately spend Memorial Day Weekend frolicking at newly-reopened pools and chowing down on the first grilled burgers of the season.

We’ll also unbashfully join in on any country’s very country-specific celebrations, as long as there’s food and drink involved. St. Patrick’s Day? We’re on it! We turn our beer green, and then the entire Chicago River.

Who has the world’s largest Oktoberfest? Munich. Who has the second largest? Cincinnati. We’ll drink [even more] beer, eat too many brats, dance the Chicken Dance (skip ahead to 3:09), and observe the Running of the Wieners.

I’m at a loss to explain how we embraced Cinco de Mayo, but we did. And I’m not mad about it. Who can be grumpy about tacos? I’ll happily drive 20 minutes to the nearest taco truck (see what I did there?).

Cinco de Mayo falls on a Sunday this year, so there’s a whole day to give to our love of food.

Loaded Guacamole Tacos

Vegetarian Mexican Pizza

Mexican Street Corn Soup

Mexican Pasta Bake

For more fiesta food ideas, browse my Cinco de Mayo round-up of over 25 of my favorite Mexican-inspired recipes (or pin for later).

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Until next time, friends, stay kind 🫶🏻, wear sunscreen 🧴, and embrace the taco fiesta 🌮🍹