|
July 3, 2025 
|
|
|
 |
| Yossy Arefi’s berries and cream sheet cake. Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Yossy Arefi. |
Impressively easy berries and cream cake impresses, easily
No words strike fear in me quite like “butter, softened.” I’ve mentioned it before in this newsletter, but I’m missing that part of my brain that remembers to take butter out of the fridge to come to room temperature. And before you ask, no, I don’t have a microwave, so I can’t do that nifty soften-your-butter-in-short-zaps thing.
So I tend to stick to baking recipes that call for fridge-cold or melted butter, like Yossy Arefi’s generously easy berries and cream sheet cake, which calls for butter, melted. You don’t need any special equipment to make this beautiful cake, either: just a big bowl, a whisk, a flexible spatula for scraping said bowl and your trusty 9-by-13-inch baking pan. If you’re angling for star baker at your July 4 cookout, arrange your berries in flag formation. But I like the “pile ’em on” approach (which also means more berries).
Featured Recipe
View Recipe →
|
MORE FOR YOUR FOURTHTwo stellar sides and one super sipper. |
|
|
|
|
|
Today’s specials
Pollo asado: I’ve planned a nice gathering for you. Get Ham El-Waylly’s pollo asado in its marinade on Saturday so that it can luxuriate in all those citrusy, spicy flavors overnight. On Sunday, make beans and rice and ask your friends to bring corn tortillas, pickled red onions and beer. Enjoy your glorious Sunday feast (and your fantastic Monday leftovers).
Marinated green beans: This recipe from Dan Pelosi is now on repeat; I’ve made it twice in the past couple of weeks. I followed the recipe exactly the first time, but the second time, I swapped out his garlicky red wine vinaigrette for some ginger-scallion sauce loosened with a splash of apple cider vinegar. I haven’t decided what to do for my next batch, but there will be a next batch.
Summer shrimp scampi with tomatoes and corn: The name pretty much says it all, doesn’t it? As Ali Slagle mentions in her recipe headnotes, this dish is perfect on its own, but would also be great draped over pasta.
And before you go
You made the pickle lemonade and loved it. And now you’re thinking that you’d like to stay on this sweet-and-sour beverage train, but maybe introduce a little cold creaminess. Say hello to limonada (click the image to watch our video):
 |
| That color! Natasha Janardan/The New York Times |
|
|
 | Sign up for the Five Weeknight Dishes newsletter Fresh dinner ideas for busy people who want something great to eat, with NYT Cooking recipes sent to you weekly. Get it in your inbox |
|
|
|
 | Sign up for The Veggie newsletter Tanya Sichynsky shares the most delicious vegetarian recipes for weeknight cooking, packed lunches and dinner parties. Get it in your inbox |
|
|
