profile

for people who believe in effort, just not every day.

What I Actually Bring to a Cookout

Published about 1 year ago • 1 min read

What I Actually Bring to a Cookout

Because you can do better than a bag of chips.

BAILEY SISSOM

May 29, 2025

Hi friends,

When someone says “just bring a side,” this is what I show up with. These are the recipes I default to again and again, not because they’re flashy, but because they’re good. They hold up on a picnic table, can be made ahead, and don’t require any last-minute oven space or garnishing with fresh herbs you don’t have.

Let's get into it.

#1: EASY CORN SALAD

Juicy sweet corn, crunchy veggies, and a simple vinaigrette dressing. Toss it together in ten minutes and boom, you're the person who brought the good corn salad.

#2: Summer Tortellini Salad

Cheese tortellini, bright veggies, and store-bought vinaigrette. That’s it. Make it ahead, chill it, and try not to eat it all before you leave the house.

#3: GOURMET MARSHMALLOW RICE KRISPIE TREATS

You know them. You love them. But these are leveled-up with marshmallow creme and flakey salt. People will ask for the recipe.

#4: CREAMY GREEK YOGURT COLESLAW

This lightened-up coleslaw still tastes like the real deal. A little tangy, a little creamy, and not gloopy. Bonus: no mayo coma.

#5: EASY CHOCOLATE TRIFLE

Layers of boxed cake, pudding, Cool Whip, and crushed Oreos. It’s barely even baking. Feels nostalgic. Tastes like you tried.

Happy Almost Weekend!

Bailey

860 Corporate Drive, Lexington, KY 40503
​Unsubscribe · Preferences​

for people who believe in effort, just not every day.

A Newsletter by Simply Sissom

Real recipes, thoughtful shortcuts, and practical systems for feeding your family well. Every issue is free. Read a few and see if it feels like your kind of internet.

Read more from for people who believe in effort, just not every day.
Three freezer meal starter bags labeled tandoori coconut chicken, teriyaki chicken bowls, and lemon parmesan meatballs arranged side by side on a white wood background. Each freezer bag contains prepped protein, vegetables, and sauce components ready for

The version of me grocery shopping on Sunday has wildly different ambitions than the version of me making dinner on Thursday. These meal starters are built for optimistic Sunday people and exhausted Thursday people. Visit Simply Sissom Visit Delicious Enough Archives the freezer project week 3. make some meal starters. BAILEY SISSOM May 17, 2026 The concept of a store-bought freezer meal is fantastic. The execution never has been. The vegetables go mushy. The chicken gets that unmistakeable...

about 2 months ago • 6 min read
Three freezer friendly vegetable recipes: cheesesteak stuffed peppers, lemon parmesan peas, and confetti corn with compound butter.

Vegetables have a branding problem. Nobody is texting their spouse on the way home hoping it’s green beans for dinner. This week, we fix that. Three freezer-friendly vegetable recipes at three different effort levels depending on the kind of week you’re having. Visit Simply Sissom Visit Small Wins Archives the freezer project week 2. put some vegetables in your freezer. BAILEY SISSOM May 10, 2026 The vegetable is consumed at every meal in my house. It has never once been the reason anyone...

2 months ago • 4 min read
Chopped Italian picnic sandwich cut in half on a white plate with cherry tomatoes and a serrated knife nearby.

Everything gets chopped together on one cutting board until it becomes something far better than an Italian sandwich has any business being. My family acted like I had catered dinner. Visit Simply Sissom Visit Delicious Enough Archives the chopped italian picnic sandwich big, messy and dressed to impress. BAILEY SISSOM May 3, 2026 I am not someone who goes to bed early. I am someone who announces I am going to bed early. What I mean by early is that I get in bed early. The phone comes with...

2 months ago • 3 min read