What To Cook

author annabel monaghan on getting unstuck, her new book ‘summer romance,’ and how decluttering reveals your true values

What To Cook

Show Notes

Get this week’s full So Into That newsletter here! https://whattocook.substack.com/p/author-annabel-monaghan-on-getting It’s summertime, and that means it’s Annabel Monaghan time! Annabel’s one of my favorite authors, and lucky for us she cranks out a delightful new book seemingly every June. This year is no different, so today we talk about Summer Romance and a whole lot more: from kids and smartphones (she’s also mom of 3 boys/young men), to sneaking away from her family to write her first adult novel during the pandemic (“it felt like a love affair”) to her recent embrace of getting rid of old stuff – and the existential questions that pop up when you’re deciding whether to let go of a 15-year-old shirt. Plus, Annabel’s fascinating writing process: part art, part science, part voodoo. And bribing her sons to read her (not even that steamy) books: “They’re like, ‘Gross!’” Links: * Annabel’s new book, Summer Romance - https://amzn.to/3R5GYc1 * Her debut (adult) novel, Nora Goes Off Script - https://amzn.to/3wVtadi * Same Time Next Summer - https://amzn.to/3R0DHuo * Annabel’s Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/annabelmonaghan/?hl=en * Our new cabin! - https://www.instagram.com/p/C7hGmo_xKSM/?hl=en&img_index=1

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More from What To Cook

Sep 4, 2026

For the grand finale episode of this season of the What To Cook show, I bring you a fajita feast! We’re headed to my backyard to grill up the most delicious summer spread of hanger steak, shrimp, and veg for fajitas, plus we’ll make a creamy charred jalapeño sauce and corn on the cob to finish off the meal. In this episode, you’ll learn about… * Grilling over direct vs. indirect heat * Using your intuition when you’re grilling a bunch of food that has different cook times * Cutting against the grain to make steak SO much easier to chew * How to prep all sorts of peppers * Much more!! I absolutely loved filming this first season and getting to SHOW you many of the things I tell you about all the time in the newsletter. Also to show you that my kids are in and out of my kitchen at all times trying to introduce me to lizards and climb on the counter and crawl at my feet. If you have kids, your cooking process likely looks similar, and I want you to know that we’re in it together! Have any of you become Cometeer diehards like me?! The fact that I can make myself a coffee shop-grade cup of coffee or iced latte at home in about 15 seconds flat has TRULY improved my life. Cometeer is what to make when you don’t feel like making coffee (or spending money at a coffee shop on a daily basis), and if you appreciate the ease of WTC recipes, I know you will love the ease of their product, too. THANK YOU, Cometeer, for supporting this show, and for fueling me with your delicious coffee every day! If you haven’t tried it yet, you must. Remember to go to cometeer.com/caro to get $20 off your first order! OK, that’s a wrap on this season of the show! Thank you SO much for watching. I’d love any feedback you may have. Did you like the longish-form format or would a shorter show be easier to watch? Would you be interested in watching more entertaining-style content, or anything else!? As always, I’ll be back in your inbox tomorrow with the recipe itself, including a bunch of notes and substitutions. Happy long weekend! xx Caro Click here to watch this episode on YouTube!

Aug 28, 2026

Hi! In this week’s episode of the What To Cook show, I’m making a deconstructed version of my favorite sushi roll and adding a secret summer ingredient to the mix! Watch this episode to learn how I get my kids to eat oatmeal, how to perfectly sear tuna, what the delicious secret ingredient is, and much, much more. Tomorrow I’ll be back in your inbox with the recipe itself, including all the notes and substitutions you expect here at WTC. Not a paid subscriber? Upgrade now to get this sushi-night-at-home recipe along with a new recipe every single Saturday morning — plus access to a HUGE archive with hundreds of complete-meal dinner recipes — for just $50 a year, aka less than an Uber Eats bill for ONE sushi night delivery.

Aug 21, 2026

Hi, happy Friday! We’re back with episode SIX of the What To Cook show and today I’m cooking an easy peasy, absolutely delicious pasta. It’s pasta alla vodka, but we’re adding fresh in-season tiny tomatoes to the mix plus the spicy flavor bomb ingredient that I introduced in episode one of this series, Calabrian chili paste! I have excellent news: we are indeed publishing this recipe during Sungold season. So if you can track them down at your farmers’ market or grocery store, I highly recommend it. Do any of y’all grow Sungolds in your home garden? Give us your tips, if so! I set out to cook this pasta in 20 minutes. Watch to see if I can beat the clock! A full written recipe for this Calabrian chili cherry tomato alla vodka will land in your inbox tomorrow morning along with all the usual notes and substitutions we provide here at WTC. If you aren’t a paid subscriber yet, upgrade now so that you get it!

Aug 14, 2026

Based on reader feedback, this recipe has been retested and updated since its original release and this show was filmed! Click here for the new and improved recipe. In this week’s episode of the What To Cook show, I’m demoing my new one-pan green chile chicken and corn rice bake that will land in your inbox tomorrow morning! This dinner showcases the spirit of the “Walk Away” chapter in my new book What to Cook When You Don’t Feel Like Cooking: Make It Fast (OUT NOW and on sale, if ya haven’t heard!!). The recipes in it all require very little hands-on prep time, then have a longer cook time, letting you walk away from the kitchen and go do something else entirely. There are recipes that simmer, braise, roast, bake, and slow-cook for anywhere from an hour to, in some cases, four hours, and you don’t need to babysit a single one! In this walk-away-style recipe, we are popping rice, corn, chicken, diced green chiles, salsa verde, stock, shallots, and seasonings into the oven and return an hour later to find a cozy and delicious chicken, corn, and rice feast. Bonus points that your house will smell incredible while it cooks! Once you cook it (again, the full recipe’s coming tomorrow!), report back! I want to hear how you spent your hands-off time while dinner was in the oven!!! Did you read a book? Watch a show? Go for a walk? Pick some weeds? Break up fights between your kids?! Give us recs if you’re reading or watching something good right now! Links to a few things I mention in the episode: * Melty zucchini pasta * Tiny tomato pasta * 15-minute peanut noods * If you like the sound of “cook once, eat multiple times,” here 5 cook-once, eat-twice ideas * And here’s how to make lime pickled red onion! Click here to watch this episode on Youtube.

Aug 7, 2026

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