Five Recipes to Make This Spring & What I Cooked Last Week
What’s on My Spring Table, My Favorite Veggie Sandwich, Túrós Csusza, Shrimp Ceviche Tostadas, Vietnamese Chicken Cutlet
Hi everyone,
I hope you’re doing well! Doug and I just got back from Tokyo yesterday—we had the best time. The food was absolutely incredible, and we were so inspired by the thoughtfulness of Japanese culture. I’ll be sharing a full travel guide with tips, along with all of our favorite meals in the next two newsletters, so stay tuned!
Spring is officially here, and I’m so excited to share five recipes I come back to year after year once the weather warms up. I’ve always had a soft spot for this season, especially after living in New York for seven years. You know those first 70-degree days when you skip your evening workout and meet friends for oysters instead? There’s this fresh, fun energy in the air. You can actually feel the season changing. Plus, with my birthday on May 8th, this time of year has always felt special—full of renewal and good memories.
Below are my go-to spring recipes. A few highlight seasonal produce, one’s a family Easter staple, and the rest are just things I love eating this time of year.
First, here’s a recipe for my favorite veggie sandwich. It’s packed with avocado, cucumber, sprouts, and other delicious ingredients—and trust me, even meat-lovers will enjoy it!
What I Cooked Last Week! ↓
My Favorite Veggie Sandwich
This has been my go-to veggie sandwich for years. It’s filled with colorful veggies and is super satisfying—trust me, you won’t miss the meat!
You can download the PDF recipe above and watch the video here :)
Túrós Csusza
This four-ingredient Hungarian dish is the ultimate comfort food for my husband. His mom made it for him growing up, and now I love surprising him with it.
Shrimp Ceviche Tostadas
This dish is crunchy, creamy, tangy, and bright—the perfect mix of textures and flavors. Plus, it’s so much fun to eat.
Vietnamese Chicken Cutlet
My favorite way to eat a chicken cutlet is topped with a bright, fresh salad. It adds the perfect contrast and really takes the whole dish to the next level.
Five Recipes I Love Making in the Spring
As the weather gets warmer, I’m naturally drawn to lighter, more refreshing meals (lots of veggies) and I also start craving fruit again. Living in LA, Doug and I are lucky to have an amazing fruit stand just around the corner. Victor, who runs it, has the best mango with Tajín and lime—we grabbed some a few days before flying to Japan, and I’m still thinking about how delicious it was.
Below are the recipes I look forward to every spring. I hope you give them a try!
This creamy pasta is made with small shells and loaded with spring veggies—peas, leeks, asparagus, fresh basil… It’s like an elevated, grown-up take on mac and cheese. The silky white sauce coats everything, making it such a yummy and cozy way to enjoy in-season produce.
You can find the recipe here.
As it warms up, I start craving cool, crisp salads, and I especially love a salad tostada. This one is perfectly balanced: a fresh mix of beans, corn, and cheese on top of a crispy tostada shell, so you get a fantastic crunch in every bite. It’s all tied together with a creamy cilantro lime dressing.
You can find the recipe here.
This is my go-to side for Easter. Growing up, my parents had specific traditions around what we ate for holidays: cornbread and chili on Halloween, corned beef and cabbage on St. Patrick’s Day, and for Easter, ham with scalloped potatoes and spicy Coleman’s mustard on the side. Because of this, I’ve always associated creamy scalloped potatoes with Easter.
My version has just the right amount of cheese for a golden, melty crust. And to avoid that classic issue where the potatoes take forever to cook, I par-cook them in whole milk first. It gives them a creamy flavor and ensures they’re perfectly tender by the time they come out of the oven. This way you know exactly how long they need to bake—no more holding up the meal waiting on the potatoes!
You can find the recipe here.
The first time I had truly good pesto was in high school on a water polo trip to Liguria, Italy—where pesto originated. (Fun fact: I used to play water polo competitively, and we’d travel to Italy to compete against local teams!) I’ve been obsessed with pesto ever since. My version adds a splash of lemon juice for brightness and that pop of acid, plus the usual pine nuts for nutty flavor. It’s one of my all-time favorite recipes.
You can find the recipe here.
Cheesy Asparagus & Prosciutto Stuffed Chicken
This is the ultimate spring recipe. Asparagus and prosciutto are such a classic combo, and I get excited to make this as soon as asparagus shows up at the market. The method of stuffing and wrapping chicken around a filling is inspired by my nana’s broccoli and Swiss cheese chicken, which I make all the time. I love how the chicken gets completely blanketed in crispy, browned cheese. It’s comforting and so good.
You can find the recipe here.
I hope you enjoy these recipes! I’d love to hear what your favorite spring dishes or ingredients are—feel free to drop a comment below or shoot me a DM :)
Wishing you a wonderful weekend!
Love,
Maxine