For all of the time I find myself in the kitchen space cooking between my stovetop and kitchen counter, it’s really a wonder how many boxes of crackers I eat in a week. Crackers, that is, that I don’t have to measure, chop, saute or bake. Crackers, that is, that I don’t have to tidy…
It’s not a diet. It’s not a diet because I’ve never been particularly good at restricting what I put on my plate, the amount of butter I put on my toast, or the incredible amount of popcorn I sometimes eat for dinner. It’s not keto or paleo or a diet with any classification. This is…
Hello my dear friends! What’s so beautiful about these days is that life feels like it’s everything all at once. The new year feels exciting and fresh. I’ve spent some time the past week sorting through my 2018, feeling pretty proud of the ways I challenged myself, and grateful for the surprises the year held. …
Hello friends! I would argue that it’s the most glorious week of the year, this space between holidays, and I can feel myself grasping at it with my fingertips trying to hold on to every minute. These are reflective days, don’t you think? I hope you’ve had good holidays and, while some years that’s easier…
Hello my dears! We’re in the home stretch. Literally – I’m currently stretching my way across the country to go home to Los Angeles for a few days. With hope that you’re home and cozy, I bring you a Christmas morning breakfast hybrid: tender buttery biscuits in the style of cinnamon rolls. If you’ve got…
Hello dear friends and Happy Holidays! Have you made it through the madness to a moment of rest? Last week was a swirl of tasks to complete before, as it would seem, EVERYONE takes a brake for the new year. I hope you’re included in that rest. This week my friends and I pulled off…
There are a handful of glossy Christmas traditions that I’ve only daydreamed about as an adult trying to make the holidays my very own. A few years ago I got my own Christmas tree which means that now I’m the proud owner of a collection of Christmas tree ornaments. I’ve toyed with the idea of…
Hello my friends! Thank you for all of the kind words last week. Surgery recover is a wild ride and I’m still learning lessons of ease and asking for help. We’re barreling towards the holidays and this time of year (and maybe my slower pace) has me feeling reflective of the past year. Bearing witness…
My parents make specific requests of my sister and me for our time home together over the Christmas holiday. My sister, now that she is Seattle’s Queen of Ice Cream (a title I’ve given her solely because she’s earned it) is tasked with bringing at least a dozen pints of ice cream on the plane…
Hello my dears! Bless up! We’ve made it to another fine Sunday. Can you believe this marks our 200th edition of Let It Be Sunday!? It’s the most visited post on my site each week and it fills my heart that we hold this space together. I’ve been a bit quiet and still this week,…
Caesar salad is the dessert of salads. Hear me out. It’s creamy, it’s indulgent, there’s cheese, there’s buttery toasted bread… and sure, there’s lettuce but it’s the friendly kind- crisp and green and watery. And it’s SALAD. Except, like just about everything, I can’t leave well enough alone and we’re turning our dessert salad into…
The question is, how am I still working through Thanksgiving leftovers? I’ve said goodbye to the last of the stuffing and gravy, the mashed potatoes I turned into waffles, the turkey is stocked, but this pound cake (made from my friend Nicole’s grandmother’s recipe) seems to do nothing but regenerate itself every time I take…
I unlocked the wonderful mysteries of Babka for myself last year with these Babka Pull Apart Muffins which now makes every December around these parts BABKA SEASON. I love a new tradition, especially one that involves chocolate and encourages coffee so in celebration of another December together, I’m back atcha with a MOUNTAIN of a…
This time of year I get all sorts of questions, usually from really thoughtful significant others eager to buy their baker-loves the best baking present they can for the holidays. It’s so sweet and thoughtful and I can’t help but think that it’s also motivated by their desire for cakes and cookies and the smell…
Hello sweet friends! Wow wow wow – it’s one of the best weekends of the year. The days feel long and the fridge feels like it will always always be full of turkey. I hope you had a memorable Thanksgiving. Memorable in the way that you laughed so hard it hurt and someone helped you…
I made the season’s first Sweet Potato Pie this past weekend and got tears in my eyes. That’s a true fact. Some things just always taste the same and always taste right. If you’ve been around this humble corner of the internet for long enough, you know that my Dad’s Sweet Potato Pie is near…
The word is ‘bread salad’. Inclusive of greens and such. Present with many a chunk of bread – of any sort – in this case CORNBREAD. This dish is somewhere between a cold salad and a warm side. It’s rare that I crave a lettuce-y salad this time of year. If it’s not roasted in…
Hello sweet friends. I’m glad it’s Sunday. I’m glad you’re here. Today I’m teaching a Sweet Potato Pie workshop at The Bakehouse. It’s my favorite time of my year and my favorite kind of pie so it’s going to be a pretty sweet day. I hope it feels that way for you too. This weekend…
Step one: clean the refrigerator. Wow… truly a strong place to start. (We’re mentally starting our lists for Thanksgiving, right? I’m in the business of making brain-space, fridge-space, counter-space, belly-space, and entertaining-space for this holiday and it all starts in the mind and in the fridge.) Again. Step one: clean the refrigerator. Step two, order…
Gift-giving is my love language and I’m jumping into this holiday season with both feet. Gift-giving comes in all shapes and sizes this season. It might be a little homemade treat you bring to the host of holiday dinner, it might be a sweetly fragranced candle, or a box of decadent chocolate. Some of my…
Hello dear friends! How are we? It’s been a full week. Has it just been a week? I feel like we’ve carried enough for at least a few. This week I went to Memphis for the Saveur Blog Awards, for the ribs, for the MLK National Civil Rights Museum. My flight back to New Orleans…
I’ve been thinking a lot about harvesting. It might have something to do with the fact that I’ve had a tragically underused backyard for the last two years. The word tragic is dramatic, but.. just let me have that one. My backyard hosts a fig tree that really is doing is best but feels mostly…
