foodSunday, July 19, 2026

Courgettes, coffee, and regional chains

Today's food coverage is a quiet summer day: recipes for using up courgettes, a deep dive on coffee markets, and a love letter to regional restaurant chains. The through-line is practicality, what to cook, where to eat, and how the global coffee trade is shaking out.

Sources

Kitchen practicality

Summer abundance means figuring out what to do with courgettes and air fryers.

#01ft.trib.alJul 19

What to cook when courgettes take over

The FT offers a practical guide for the annual courgette glut: quick dinners, salads, and bakes. It's the kind of seasonal cooking advice that actually gets used.

1 min readRead original

#02www.allrecipes.comJul 19

This zucchini chicken casserole is creamy and herbaceous, packed with fresh fork-tender vegetables and shredded chicken breast. The herbs make this dish feel light and fresh, while the cheese on top f

A creamy zucchini chicken casserole with herbs and a cheese crust. It's a straightforward, crowd-pleasing recipe for using up summer squash.

Read original

#03www.livinglou.comJul 19

Air Fryer Turkey Breast

Sponsored recipe for air fryer turkey breast with herb butter, pitched as a stress-free small-holiday alternative. Useful if you own the specific Hamilton Beach model.

#04www.halfbakedharvest.comJul 19

Pistachio Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches.

Pistachio cookie ice cream sandwiches from Half Baked Harvest: brown butter cookies, pistachio gelato, rolled in chopped nuts. A sweet-and-salty freezer-stash dessert.

Coffee markets

Coffee futures are volatile, but Brazil still sees room to grow.

#05www.comunicaffe.comJul 19

Coffee markets rebounded on Friday, amid volatility and climate uncertainty

Coffee futures rebounded Friday after a volatile week, but high uncertainty remains despite Brazil's harvest progress. The market is still on edge.

#06www.comunicaffe.comJul 19

Conab: “Brazil still has significant room to further increase its coffee production via productivity gains”

Conab, Brazil's crop agency, says the country can still increase coffee production through productivity gains, not just acreage. That's a bullish signal for global supply.

Eating out and in

From regional chains to frozen pizza rankings, the food industry's smaller stories are worth a look.

#07www.chowhound.comJul 19

12 Regional Restaurant Chains That Deserve National Attention

Chowhound rounds up 12 regional chains that deserve a national stage. It's a reminder that the best American food is often hyper-local.

#08www.theguardian.comJul 19

Vieni, Birmingham – ‘A happy hubbub – you cannot pipe this in’ – restaurant review

A Guardian review of Vieni, a tiny Sicilian spot in Birmingham, praises its scrappy energy and authentic cooking. The piece is as much about the hospitality grind as the food.

#09www.tastingtable.comJul 19

The Red Baron Frozen Pizza That's A Major Letdown For Meat Lovers

Tasting Table calls out one Red Baron frozen pizza as a letdown for meat lovers: too few toppings, underwhelming flavor. A specific warning for frozen pizza shoppers.

#10www.thetakeout.comJul 19

11 M&M Dupes No One Told You About

A roundup of 11 M&M alternatives you might not know about. Useful for anyone tired of the classic or looking for a cheaper swap.

Also today10

The Easy And Cheap Dessert That Only Requires 2 Ingredientswww.thetakeout.com
If you've got a sweet tooth bothering you but you don't want to spend too much time or money making a dessert, these two ingredients are all you need.
The Ideal Oil Temperature For Crispy Homemade French Fries Every Timewww.tastingtable.com
The biggest mistake home cooks make with homemade fries is the wrong frying oil temperature. Stick with this temp for better-than-fast-food fries.
TheGivingTent Official: TikTok, Instagram, Facebooklinktr.ee
What Can $1 Do? 🍜 It Can Feed The Hungry! 🧸 It Can Bring Joy To A Child! ❤️ It Can Show Someone They're Loved! 🎒 It Can Provide Supplies! The GivingTent We are a grassroots community project that provides 24-hour access to necessities for those in need, no questions asked. Cas
5 Ways a Chef, Mom, and Dietitian Turns Costco Chicken Nuggets Into Dinnerwww.foodandwine.com
The possibilities are endless when you start with crispy cooked chicken nuggets.