Hi Reader, In my twenties, I used to blow half a week’s paycheck at this impossibly chic restaurant in New York—low lighting, soft jazz, waiters who looked like they moonlighted as poets. I’d sit there, swirling my glass of something I couldn’t pronounce, thinking, One day, I’ll cook like this.Spoiler: I did not. Not at first.But over the years, I learned that “restaurant quality” doesn’t require a brigade of sous chefs or a copper pot the size of a Fiat. What it really takes is patience. And...
5 days ago • 2 min read
Hi Reader, On some special nights, The One and I play a game called “What Do You Want for Dinner?” It’s a full-contact sport.He’ll say, “I don’t know—something light.” Then immediately follow it with, “But not salad.” I’ll counter with, “How about chicken?” and he’ll wince like I’ve suggested boiled shoe leather. Twenty minutes later, I’m halfway through a mental Rolodex of recipes, he’s scrolling takeout menus, and the cat has judged us both.But somehow, chicken saves the day. Every. Single....
7 days ago • 3 min read
Hi Reader, The windows were fogged, the air thick with the smell of onions and olive oil, when The One wandered into the kitchen and said, “Did you set off the smoke alarm again, or are we having soup?”“Caldo,” I corrected, because some habits are eternal.There’s something nearly spiritual about stirring a pot of soup in January. Maybe it’s the quiet choreography of it—the slice, the sizzle, the slow surrender of vegetables into something far greater than themselves. Or maybe it’s just the...
10 days ago • 2 min read
Hi Reader, The idea hit me somewhere between a second cup of coffee and a mild identity crisis: I was going to start baking bread again.The One looked up from the crossword, sighed, and said, “Do I need to clear counter space or buy fire insurance?”Fair question. My early attempts could’ve doubled as medieval weaponry. There was one loaf that clanged when it hit the cutting board.But that’s the thing about bread—it forgives. It’s a slow teacher, a quiet companion that rewards patience more...
12 days ago • 3 min read
Hi Reader, Every January, I find myself in a sort of culinary limbo—caught between the glittering madness of the holidays and the quiet murmur of a new year. The fridge looks like it’s survived a small war: a spoonful of cranberry sauce, a nub of cheese that could qualify as a fossil, and a wilted sprig of rosemary that’s seen better days.That’s when The One wanders in, holding a mug of coffee and arching an eyebrow. “You’re reorganizing your life again, aren’t you?” he says, gesturing toward...
14 days ago • 3 min read
Hi Reader, When I think about the past year in food, I don’t look at trends or analytics dashboards—I look at you. What you cooked. What you clicked. What you rated with five stars and a “David, this recipe saved my life” message.And let me tell you: this year, you had opinions. Glorious, passionate, fork-wielding opinions. Some recipes shot straight to the top so fast I wondered if you were all texting each other behind my back. Others quietly climbed the charts week after week because you...
17 days ago • 3 min read
Hi Reader, New Year’s Eve has always amused me. It’s the one night we collectively pretend we’re the kind of people who waltz into parties wearing something sparkly, carrying flawless canapés, and greeting everyone like we’re hosting the Oscars. Meanwhile, I’m in the kitchen debating whether I have the emotional bandwidth to iron a napkin.But I love this night. It’s theatrical. It’s indulgent. It’s forgiving. You can get away with almost anything as long as it’s bite-sized and served on a...
19 days ago • 2 min read
Hi Reader, Holiday hosting has a way of testing your reflexes. One minute you’re blissfully sinking into the sofa, polishing off the last of the peppermint bark, and the next you hear the four most adrenaline-spiking words in the English language: “We’re stopping by...soon!”Instantly, I snap into action like a short-order cook with a minor superiority complex. The fridge door swings open, the mental math begins mathing, and suddenly I’m transforming stray cheeses, that half-used jar of...
21 days ago • 2 min read
Hi Reader, I don’t know when it happened - maybe somewhere between my third failed attempt at wrapping gifts and the moment The One caught me eating sliced cheese straight from the wrapper - but every year, right around this time, my body reaches a spiritual truth: it is officially sandwich season.There’s something about the tail end of December that flips a switch in me. Maybe it’s the collective exhaustion of a month spent roasting, braising, whisking, icing, mulled-wining, and trying to...
24 days ago • 3 min read
