September has arrived, and with it, fall home cooking. I know, you’re probably still eating tomatoes. I am too. (We had this number for dinner on Wednesday. So good.) I like this shoulder season, when you’re maybe still eating giant, lively salads for dinner, but they’re a little heftier and not born of humid desperation to just cool off.
But as I peeled apples this week for a Rosh Hashana galette, and put a roast chicken in the oven with carrots and potatoes, my mind went to crisp, sunny afternoons and cool evenings — sweater weather — and all the tastes I associate with them. How about you? What are you making? Tell me everything. I’m dearemily@nytimes.com, and I read every note.
1. Chopped Salad With Jalapeño-Ranch Dressing
As a rule, the chopped salad is all about excess; there is no such thing as a restrained one. Alexa Weibel deploys avocado, corn, radishes, Cotija cheese and crushed tortilla chips here, with a ranch dressing run through with jalapeño. The recipe is vegetarian as written, but you could veganize the dressing, or add shredded chicken.
2. Sheet-Pan Chicken With Zucchini and Basil
Zucchini doesn’t often make it onto the sheet pan, but it should. In this Melissa Clark recipe, the zucchini is cut into chunks, tossed with garlic, herbs and oil, and allowed to caramelize in the oven alongside chicken thighs. This is a really good and easy dinner.
3. Blackened Fish With Quick Grits
Vallery Lomas uses a smart technique in this delicious new recipe: She gently cooks the highly seasoned fish in oil instead of searing it in a dry pan, which keeps the kitchen from getting too smoky. Then, she pairs the fish with creamy, cheesy grits that cook in 5 minutes.
5. Mushroom Chicharrón Tacos
In this genius taco recipe from Jocelyn Ramirez, torn oyster mushrooms are seasoned and fried until they’re as crisp and golden as pork rinds, then tucked into tortillas and topped with fresh pico de gallo. They’re vegan, too.
