Hi, Reader, Happy First Day of Fall! 🍂 As someone who always tries to live with the seasons, I find the solstices and equinoxes especially important days. If you're trying to live with the seasons more, this is a great day to get outside! Soak up that equinox energy and notice how the plants and animals are responding to the change in daylight and lower temperatures. I recently published The Ultimate Guide to Slow Living in Fall, which is a perfect read for you today! It goes over how to...
25 days ago • 1 min read
Hey, there! Well, now that it's fully summer, the chaos of summer preserving is starting, and the kitchen is a mess. The garden is producing wonderfully, especially since we doubled the garden space this year, and the berries and summer harvests are starting to roll in from local farms. But I've been finding myself overwhelmed by the overflowing fridge, never-ending to-do list, and lots of summer gatherings. This is a time of year when it's easy to stretch your boundaries a little too thin....
3 months ago • 1 min read
Hey, there! I'm looking out my office window into a gray, foggy neighborhood today, but dreaming of spring flowers and the summer sun. Fortunately, we can add a little sunshine to our lives with fresh citrus! I love citrus season and have my counter full of blood oranges, cara caras, lemons, and more. My hope is that these citrus recipes help you feel a little extra joy and happiness regardless of any dreary skies or slushy snow melt you might be facing. Enjoy! Lemon White Chocolate Scones...
8 months ago • 1 min read
Hey, Reader, Do you have some dried lavender sitting around? Maybe you brought home a bunch of lavender from the farmer's market or after visiting a local lavender farm. Maybe you have your own little patch of lavender in your garden! However you get your hands on it, dried lavender is such a fun ingredient to incorporate into your DIY projects, recipes, and more. This post has over 45 different ways to use dried lavender, from turning it into a delicious, simple syrup to sweeten your coffee...
8 months ago • 1 min read
Hey, Reader, How do you feel about growing and using herbs? As a kid, I really didn't use many herbs. I knew the basics - basil, mint, and oregano - and we had quite a few in the spice cupboard. But, they were generally used to make sauce for lasagna or spaghetti, not for much else. Early last year, I imagined myself with a spice cupboard full of homegrown herbs, and something about that vision really struck me. So, I brought home a whole bunch of herb starts from the farmers market early in...
8 months ago • 1 min read
Hey, there! How do you feel about blue cheese? There's a good chance you have a little nose crinkle going on. I get it! Blue cheese is funky and tangy. It smells weird, and it's covered in mold. Are we really supposed to eat mold?! A long time ago, I lucked out on my dream job. I worked as a cheesemonger at a grocery store with a MASSIVE cheese selection (over 700 varieties). It was like a rapid-fire training in cheese, and I loved it! The thing that surprised me the most was just how much I...
9 months ago • 1 min read
Hey, there! Have you ever made scones at home? They can sound a bit intimidating to new bakers, but they're seriously good and so fast. You can usually have a batch of homemade scones ready to eat in about 25 minutes! If we ever have someone popping by last minute or want to make a nice treat for breakfast, this is the recipe we try: 🟠 Perfectly Flaky Date Scones with Orange and Walnut Although many of my scone recipes are sweet, this one is just *barely* sweetened with a sprinkle of sugar on...
9 months ago • 1 min read
Hey Reader, Growing up, we never had real vanilla beans on hand. They were definitely too expensive and not on the grocery list. Honestly, I'm not sure if I'd ever seen a real vanilla bean in person until I was a teenager, and that was only because I'd started cooking and baking a ton. Now...they're a constant ingredient in my pantry. They're still pricey, but you can often find really great quality beans for a good price online! Vanilla Extract I grew up using imitation vanilla extract...
9 months ago • 1 min read
Hey, there! Do you have a jar of clumpy, crystallized honey in the back of your pantry somewhere? I almost always do...Well, I almost always did since now I do this with it as soon as it starts to clump up! How to Make Whipped Honey 🍯 Whipped honey goes by many names, including creamed honey, spun honey, and more, but it's all basically honey that's whipped until it's thick and aerated. The whipping process makes it much easier to spread or drizzle, and it tastes amazing! I think the extra...
9 months ago • 1 min read