Nourish Traditions

I have such vivid memories of visiting my grandparents when I was little, including the pot of Nan's barbecue--my grandma's version of a sloppy Joe--which in some unspoken agreement between she and I had become the de facto welcome dish for our visits. This week, as we roll into summer and a season full of family gatherings, ponder what traditions you'd like to pass on.

Eat Chocolate

Dark chocolate. An ounce or so a few times a week (to borrow Michael Pollan’s formula). For many of us, this little prescription flies in the face of a decades-deep divide between what we want to eat and what we feel we should eat. But nature didn’t intend it to be that way.

Go for Alaskan Wild Salmon!

salmon
There is one case in which "buy wild" is always a sustainable choice, and a green-rated one at that. Alaskan wild salmon. Try some from the Copper River with this tasty summer stone fruit salsa.

Go Nuts!

go nuts
I love talking nuts. Back when I thought low-fat was the way to go to maintain a comfortable weight, I rarely touched them. But I've learned a lot since then . . .

An Apple a Day

heirloom-apples
Fruit and I have a complicated relationship and, as a result, I don't tend to reach for it when my stomach rumbles. But last week, help literally arrived on my doorstep. Tonight . . . strawberry-rhubarb crostata.

Take Your Time

When I have back-to-back trips, as I have the past few weeks, I start to feel like I've barely gotten one foot in the door before I have to pack up and head out again. It can leave me feeling hectic. Meals like this chicken and mushroom in lettuce cups helps me to slow down and recalibrate.

Have a Social Hour

Spring is in the air and peas and favas are at the market. Now some will look at those piles of pods, shake their heads and think 'too much work', and I'm the first to agree that frozen peas can be a saving grace on a busy weeknight. But there's another way, too, to view the labor-intensive process of prepping spring produce--as a treat in and of itself to be relished rather than rushed.