It’s that time again! Time to gather around the table, celebrate the fullness of life and share nourishing cozy food. Honoring the tradition, I’m sharing my annual Thanksgiving Guide here, along with a favorite new recipe for a pumpkin risotto with crispy sage. I first shared this in our Fall cooking class last month. Since then, I’ve made it a half a dozen times and each time I love it …

I’ve been exploring for myself the philosophy that nothing happens to you in life and everything happens for you. Meaning, if you orient yourself to life as a delightful mystery with every twist and turn designed to shape your growth and polish who you are, then you learn to surf the turbulent waters of change with a little more grace.

I don’t think anyone could have expected the events of the …

LEMONY WHITE BEAN & FENNEL SOUP

1 ½ cups dried white beans, soaked for 12-14 hours (3 cups soaked)
2 tablespoons olive oil + 1 tbsp
1 large fennel bulb, ends trimmed, quartered & sliced thinly
¼ cup leek, ends trimmed, quartered & sliced thinly
¼ cup lemon rind slivers, (1 lemon, peeled and cut into thin strips)
2-4 large cloves garlic, minced or grated
½ teaspoon sea salt
¼ tsp fresh cracked black pepper
5 cups …

There’s a tangible sense of freshness in the air and life’s pace seems to be quickening as we move from the hibernation of winter and into spring. With longer days and a welcomed warmth ahead, slow afternoon lunches and sunset dinners outside beckon us to reconnect around the table and with the natural world. I’ve found myself setting the table and savoring this time outdoors again. I’ve teamed up with …

A simple sattvic kitchari recipes for all three doshas.

Happy Solstice & Happy Holidays! I’m writing you from a room filled with aromas of molasses, orange and almond paste. We’ve been baking all day, a variety of holiday cookies…and this orange black sesame cake! Bing Crosby, Ella Fitzgerald, Vince Guaraldi Trio and the Vienna boys choir have been our soundtrack in the kitchen. Though it’s been a challenging year for all, these simple moments with loved ones remind me …

Thanksgiving snuck up on me this year. Between preparing for my big book launch (just four days away!!), and stocking up on food and supplies for another mandatory state-wide lockdown (sigh), I looked at the calendar today to realize this year’s feast and festivities were less than a week away! This year has been an emotional marathon of events, to say the least. And what normally feels like an …

Hello from my cozy cold weather kitchen! This is the first year I’ve had a real winter in a very long time, with snow and everything! I traveled to Whistler for New Years and went snowshoeing up to a glacial lake. Growing up in Alaska, I’d forgotten how much I missed seeing epic mountains and powder covered cedars and spruce trees. Then I flew east to the Berkshires for a different …

Today is my birthday and I’m officially into my 30’s. 31, to be exact. For years now, I’ve had this funny tradition of baking my own birthday cake, which some people laugh at but most end up loving when they get to eat the leftovers of my recipe testing efforts. This year, I made a carrot cake. This super-moist double-layer carrot cake is spiced with cardamom and covered in a homemade …