It feels a bit surreal to write a new year. I recognize that a new year doesn’t mean much more than a shifting page on the calendar except with it also comes a collective consciousness of hope, prayers of peace and intentions for growth. And that, I believe, is where the shift happens.

There is great power in hope. In a deep belief that better days are ahead of us. There is massive strength in intention. With it brings a listening ear, seeing eyes and an open heart for where to live out of that intention.

We also know that after a year like 2020 whatever we think we can control and aspire to is ultimately outside of us and yet, here we are. We not only survived but I’m sure in many areas, ways that most likely surprised us, we thrived.

2020 was a year of great discomfort. Because we felt the lack of control so fundamentally and daily, I’m sure many of you, like myself, felt the body tightening anxiety and apathetic ache of depression at times. Every day revealed death, suffering and an end to normalcy. The privileged and comfortable lenses that hid my eyes from injustice fell away and the world will never look the same. And still beauty exists. We may have had to look harder or see it in simplicity; like a perfectly made cup of coffee, a profound sentence that shifts us to the core, or a sweet cherry tomato grown in your own garden. But it’s there.

In that great discomfort and dis-ease I found a truer version of me. And I’m certain many of you could say the same.

As the calendar has steadily, albeit slowly, marched towards a new year, a new beginning, I’ve thought often of myself standing at the cusp of 2020. I imagine myself like Ebenezer Scrooge, getting visited by a ghost from the future. This ghosts paints a dire picture of the coming year. The death, loss, heartbreak, isolation, financial stress, division… okay, I’ll stop.

I would have punched that ghost in the face and ran for cover.

I can’t help but think that had I known all that were to happen in 2020 I’m not sure I would believe it to be survivable and yet here we are.

We survived and I truly believe that in many ways were stronger than ever. I’m taking that truth with me into the new year and all the years to come. Whatever comes we can survive it. Even when it feels un-survive-able. Hour by hour. Day by day. And in a few moments of grace you’ll forget you’re simply surviving and you’ll notice goodness, beauty, love and these are the things that keep pushing us forward.

So I am leaving 2021 plans without resolutions. Without specific goals. Instead I want to focus on the values and intentions I want to bring to each and every day. How I see the world and what I can bring to it; these are the things I can control.

One of my resounding values that I hold dear is to find the beauty in each and every day. I hope that perhaps together we can find and bring beauty to a world that so desperately needs it.

Happy New Year.

1. Portland Apron Co. Pinafore Apron  – I love this apron so much that I have two. There are no strings to mess with, there is full coverage for us messy cooks and it washes like a dream. Now I have my eye on the Japanese Smock.

2. Breville Espresso Machine – (We have model BES870XL) Okay, so yes this is a doozy of a gift (check out the refurbished models!) but after using this machine for eight months I still look forward to my coffee every morning. I can count on one hand the number of times I have spent money on a latte since owning this machine. Why buy it when I can make it better at home. Gabe got this for me/us for Mother’s Day and we’ve not regretted it for one minute. Also, our latte art skills are quite impressive. Well, we’re impressed anyway.

3. Braiding Sweetgrass If we have had a conversation for longer than five minutes in the past year or if you have been keeping up on the blog you have already heard me wax poetic about this book. It’s perfect for the outdoor lover, or the nature romantic in your life.

4. A tree!! Earlier this year I read an article about the power of trees to fight climate change. With such a huge and daunting issue facing our world today it’s hard to know what we can do to help. Plant a tree! We have given the gift of trees as wedding gifts and to friends who understand the impact. It’s perfect for the friend or family member who is not looking to add more things but wants to make a difference.

5. Sprouted Kitchen Cooking Club Give the aspiring chef in your family the gift of weekly thoughtful and delicious recipes. Every week Sara will send a meal plan to your inbox complete with a shopping list. For those with young kids also check out their new ebook, Little Sprouts.

6. Incienso de Santa Fe – Piñon Incense Gabe and I recently spent a week camping in New Mexico and while we were there I picked up this piñon incense. Every morning I start my day with some quiet music, coffee and the scent of piñon.

7. Wanderlust Candle  Speaking of lovely smelling things this candle is my favorite for this season. For when you want to be in the woods but are cozied up at home instead this candle gives you the scent of a hike without the cold.

8. Kitchen Unnecessary Gift Guide If you’ve enjoyed following our outdoor adventures and have outdoor loving friends in your life be sure to check out our Kitchen Unnecessary gift guide (we also have an amazing giveaway happening!)

9. Cookies! For a very limited time our cookie mix is back. This is the last of them though. We’re closing down our shop and focusing on other things. So if you want to give the gift of cookies this holiday season do it quickly. As always our books are signed and in stock. If you want a personalized message just send me a note!

10. YesPlz Coffee Speaking of coffee we love these beans. Gabe loves the ‘zine that comes with the beans. The perfect accompaniment for the perfect brew. Great beans, good words, delivered right to your door.

11. Drifters Fish Smoked Salmon Canned Salmon has become and staple in our pantry. On those instances when dinner hour sneaks up on you and the kids are asking,  “What’s for dinner?” I’m happy to pull out a tin (or jar) of Salmon that I know was sustainably harvested by our friends Nelly and Michael in Alaska. What a treat to be able to enjoy this bounty and share it with the kids.
12. Sperry Slip-Ons  As we’ve gotten into spending more and more time on the water and at the beach, these slip-ons have come in handy. In addition to being great on the boat, I used them in the rivers as we fly fished our way through Idaho, Utah and Montana this past summer. They dry quickly and don’t take up nearly as much space in the car as my wading boot when the water isn’t too cold.

13. Miir Canister Who knew a canister could be sexy? Whether you’re a miniamlist or not, this canister will store your precious city roast beans with the utmost care. It boasts an accordian-style airtight seal that can be a little tricky when your stock is low, but is fun to fold down in an ASMR sort of way. It’s got some complexity yet smooth.

14. Basil Hayden Bourbon Do you love a whiskey lover? (Who doesn’t?) In a world where there are dozens of whiskeys to choose from on the shelf, Basil Hayden’s is one I like to pick up when camping and I know I’m going to be drinking it straight up (normally out of a flask, likely my Stanley or Filson flasks). If you’re into the whole flavor profile sort of thing, I get vanilla and some cinnamon. (We don’t have a link to online liquor sales, visit your favorite local spirits shop.)

15. Handkerchief  Pro-tip for Dads: always carry a handkerchief. I usually keep one tucked away in my back pocket and it comes in clutch all the time. Some recent uses include: running nose, sweaty hikes, snapping bees / mosquitos away, wiping dog barf, drying a seat, a pouch for carrying trail mix, cleaning up a wound, and as a flag for 2×4’s hanging over the tailgate. You never know when you might need it.

16. Lamy Tipo Ballpoint Pen If you’re in Seattle stop by Peter Miller Books. If you’re like me you’ll be drawn in to his well curated collection of pens and notebooks not to mention the shelves of design books. On a recent visit I picked up this beautiful Lamy Ballpoint Pen and it quickly became my daily writer. German design and craftsmanship make for smooth and precise penmanship. Takes Lamy rollerball refills.

17. Traveler’s Company Journal  I received this beautiful notebook as a Christmas gift from my mother-in-law. It was in the category of ‘too beautiful to use’ for a little while. Once I got the courage to put it to use, I learned that I could customize it in a million different ways. Pro Tip: I found many great paper and pen insert options at Tortoise General Store in Los Angeles. Love that place.

18. Nips (coffee flavour) great for fishing. You don’t have to be an old man to act like one. Grab your favorite grandpa sweater and fill the pockets with toffee’s. They help keep me warm when it’s cold outside and give a little boost of energy when needed (usually on the steep part of a hike).

19. Orvis Encounter Fly Rod Outfit (we like the 5wt, 9’0″, 4pc) This rod was recommended by guides both young and old out of Utah. Affordable, yet fishable. This rod and reel combo is a really great place to start if you’re considering getting into fly fishing. It’s also a respectable option if you’re looking to add a 5wt to your arsenal.

20. Adopt a dog We may have said it last year, but we feel it deserves another mention. Open your home to a new dog and your family will love you forever. If that sounds like too much responsibility, consider fostering a dog (or cat). Shelters and the humane society are often looking for loving homes to care for their animals in the interim before they’re adopted. It’s a win-win when these animals receive all the more lovin’ right up until they find their forever homes. Just beware, you may end up being that forever home.

I also have some of my favorite things on my Amazon Influencer Page. Please note, as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Thank you.

Hello friends. 

I’ve been thinking about you all. I think about you when I bite into a cake so perfectly tender and dense with spice. I think of you when I artfully draw a salmon on my puff pastry with a paring knife and I think of you when I fry fresh caught squid to a delicate crisp then not so delicately submerge it into a pepperoncini aioli. 

I also think of you when my heart flutters while reading about Tom Hanks and watching the trailer with him as Mr. Rogers for the 1,249th time. I’m thinking of you while doing a deep dive into mindfulness and thinking about how we all could benefit from the continuous reminder to put everything into perspective. 

All of that to say, I think of you all so often. More often than I share here or even on my Instagram. Just as I’m trying to work on actually expressing the thoughts and words of affirmation to the people in my life as I think of them I thought I would like to do the same of you. Because I think of you often and appreciate you so very much.

• This is the pumpkin cake of my dreams. I know I just shared a pumpkin cake. One can never have too many recipes for such a classic cake. Just after I shared mine I read about Tartine’s version which uses 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon of cinnamon. I was skeptical but the glowing reviews calmed my fears and now it’s my go-to. Heavy with brown sugar and pepitas on top.

• Last night I made salmon pot pie for the first time using this recipe from Food & Wine as my starting point. We have a pescatarian in the family so I skipped the bacon and added miso and Worcestershire to add depth. 

• This is that lovely Tom Hanks article in the New York Times that I loved so very much. I’m so moved by his gentle kindness that seems to accompany everything he does. I aspire to be so thoughtful. 

• Speaking of puff pastry (it’s on my mind from that pot pie I mentioned) this simple pear tart (from my latest book) is my absolute favorite dessert this time of year (maybe even more so than pumpkin pie) and the recipe can be found over at Woman’s Day. 

• Things in my kitchen have taken a more practical spin as of late. I’ve been busy working on a project and have also felt more and more inclined to do more with what we have. We can easily waste a good bit of food when I’m deep in the swing of recipe development and right now I’m trying to cook down our fridge and pantry before doing more shopping. This often means we’re cooking pantry heavy meals like curried lentils or simple pastas. 

• This summer we spent so much time outside and we’re trying to do the same while we still have a bit of sunshine this fall. We’re working on putting together some more adventures with Kitchen Unnecessary and having adventures on our own like squid fishing in downtown Seattle. Seriously, it’s a thing. 

• I’ve been reading a lot and am so inspired by these books:
  • Enough
  • The Mindful Kitchen
  • Midwest Made
  • Talking to Strangers
  • The Universal Christ

More soon because I’m thinking of you. But not in a creepy way.

*This post was created in partnership with California Walnuts. I have loved working with them this year to bring you some season-inspired recipes with walnuts as the star. As always, the words, images and recipes are mine. 

There’s always a moment at the end of summer when I see the slightest shift of color on the leaves, or feel a brief chill in the air and then that’s it, I’m ready for fall. That moment hasn’t happened yet. 

We’re still squeezing every last drop of sunshine out of summer. In fact, we’re currently on a road trip right now that will bring us the home mere hours before the first day of school. We’re dipping our toes into rivers so cold our feet instantly numb. We’re eating the sort of food that one does when on a road trip and making memories all along the way. We’re making the absolute most of summer and it feels exactly right.

I know that moment will come, as it always does. In that instant I’ll be ready to braise, roast and sip on long simmered soups once again. For now I’m still craving the tart, sweet pop of cherry tomatoes and the candy-like juices that dribble down my chin and arms while biting into a pillow soft peach. And melon salads that tips towards the savory with the help of a pungent red onion and peppery olive oil. Candied walnuts add crunch and depth of flavor while fresh lime juice brings an addictive zip. 

The walnuts here are deeply toasted then coated in a simple caramel. If you feel a bit adventurous add a few chili flakes or smoked paprika to the caramel to teeter the line of sweet and savory. Either way this salad is a simple reminder that summer still lingers on.

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Melon Salad with Candied Walnuts and Lime

Author Ashley Rodriguez

Ingredients

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/2 cups raw walnut halves

Flake salt

1 small honeydew melon

1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion

1 lime

Olive oil

Instructions

Toast the walnuts in a 350°F oven until fragrant and deepened in color. Put the walnuts in a large heatproof bowl but keep a parchment lined sheet pan nearby. 

Add the sugar to a small saucepan set over high heat. Melt the sugar until deeply caramelized, it will start smoking lightly. Swirl the pan or stir to caramelize evenly. 

Working quickly pour the caramel over the walnuts then stir to evenly coat. Once coated immediately dump the walnuts to the sheet pan and separate with a fork. The caramel hardens very quickly. Add a hefty pinch of flake salt then let cool.

Once cool, transfer the walnuts to a cutting board then roughly chop.

Remove the seeds and peel from the melon then shave into long ribbons with a vegetable peeler. You can also cut into cubes if you prefer. 

Transfer the melon to a platter then add the sliced red onion. Squeeze the lime all over the top, drizzle with olive oil then add the walnuts. Finish with flake salt. 

For a more substantial salad add arugula, sliced endive or treviso. 

*This post was created in partnership with Barilla. They have been masters of pasta for over 140 years and since pasta is one of my absolute favorites (and always a go-to for our weeknight dinners) I am so thrilled to team up with them for 2019 to bring you some of my favorite pasta recipes. The pastas used in the competition were from the new Collezione line which uses the traditional bronze plates for extruding giving the pasta the perfect “al dente” texture for sauce that holds on tight. Today I get the pleasure of sharing TWO of the winning recipes from the 2019 Barilla Pasta World Championships. 

If you invite me to an event where my job is to eat eight plates of pasta I will so be there. And that’s just what I got to do while attending the Barilla Pasta World Championships.

While eight chefs feverishly worked to create what they would hope to be an award winning plate of pasta I went around the room, took in the sights and smells, shot a few photos and eagerly awaited the time to eat. The task was simple enough; create a memorable pasta dish that would woo the incredible panel of judges (including the editor of Food & Wine magazine and Lorenzo Boni, executive chef of Barilla America). Of course we all know that simple food is often the most difficult especially since so many of us have such fond memories at the table with heaping piles of pasta. Is there anything that quite comforts the way a slurping of spaghetti noodles does or how cheese perfectly tucks into the crevices on penne? It’s what I grab when I’m eager to get to the table with my family without spending too much time in the kitchen.

Some of the chefs went all out by meticulously dicing bacon for an eggless seafood-based carbonara, or blew my mind by smoking the pasta water (totally recreating this by the way) while others stayed classic and simple making a flawless arrabiata or pistachio pesto. And of course there were truffles, quite possibly my favorite thing to put on pasta.

In the end it was the Pistachio Pesto Buccatini that won the heart of the judges and I love that it did. Of course it was completely delicious but it was also quite possibly the most simple of the dishes. The winning dish came from the youngest contestant, Chef Sean Turner.

Since the contest Chef Sean’s recipe has now become a staple in our house. The ingredients are so often on hand and even if they aren’t I’m able to find alternatives that can easily be substituted. My latest rendition used dill and mint in place of the parsley and basil. And pecorino stood in for the Parmesan. Have you run out of Buccatini? Penne makes a fine substitute.

Get ready to cheer Chef Sean Turner on when he goes on to compete at the Barilla Pasta World Championship in October where he will compete with chefs from around the world in Paris.  Until then try these incredible recipes from the winning chefs and find your champion.

People’s Choice Winning Recipe:

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Ocean’s “Carbonara”

Author Ashley Rodriguez

From Chef Brandon Rosen

Ingredients

4 cups refined coconut oil, divided

1 lb. raw applewood smoked bacon, finely chopped, divided

1 bulb fennel, chopped, fronds reserved

8 large shallots, chopped

1 bunch Italian parsley, chopped

1 head garlic, chopped

10 whole black peppercorns, crushed

1-2 teaspoons crushed red pepper

48 Littleneck clams, scrubbed well

2 cups Chardonnay

1 large head yellow or orange cauliflower

1 oz. dried Italian nettles or dried seaweed sheets (nori)

5 large sunchokes, very thinly sliced

3 large Meyer lemons, zested, segments removed

1 box (16 oz.) Barilla® Collezione Spaghetti

8 fresh farm raised scallops (10-20 count)

24-32 frilly mustard green leaves

3 oz. farm-raised sustainable California caviar

1 small piece cured fish roe (bottarga), such as Sardinian gold

Instructions

Heat 2 tablespoons coconut oil in large deep skillet on medium heat. Add 3/4 of the bacon, fennel (except fronds), shallots, parsley, garlic, and black and red pepper. Sauté until bacon is browned. Add clams and wine; cover. Cook until clams are completely open (discard any unopened clams). Remove clams from pan with tongs. Continue cooking broth, uncovered, while preparing remaining ingredients.

Use box grater to grate cauliflower down to the stems. Arrange on rimmed baking sheet. Add a small amount of water. Bake until softened. Use fine grater to grate cauliflower stems; set aside.Cook remaining bacon in small skillet on medium heat until crisp. Drain; set aside.

Use coffee/spice grinder or mortar and pestle to grind nettles into fine powder. Heat remaining oil in large saucepan to 350°

Deep fry sunchoke slices until crisp. Drain well then dust with nettle powder.

Strain clam broth; discard solids. Pour broth into blender; add cooked cauliflower. Puree until smooth; stir in lemon zest.

Cook pasta as directed on package. Drain, reserving some of the pasta cooking water.

Return pasta to pot. Add cauliflower sauce; mix well, adding pasta water as needed to achieve desired consistency. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Cut scallops into small pieces. Heat some of the remaining coconut oil in medium skillet on high heat. Add scallops; cook just until seared. Add to pasta in pot. Add clams and cooked bacon. Mix gently.

Garnish each serving with lemon segments, mustard greens, caviar, grated bottarga, grated cauliflower stems, fennel fronds, and sunchoke chips.

2019 Barilla Pasta World Championship Winning Recipe

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Bucatini Pistachio Pesto

Author Ashley Rodriguez

From Chef Sean Turner

Ingredients

1 box (12 oz.) Barilla® Collezione Bucatini

2 oz. lemon juice

4 oz. basil leaves

2.5 oz. Italian parsley leaves

2.5 oz. fennel fronds

2.5 oz. diced shallots

5 oz. shelled pistachios, toasted, plus additional for garnish

5 oz. grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus additional for garnish

Kosher salt

12 oz. extra-virgin olive oil

Instructions

1. Cook pasta as directed on package. Drain, reserving pasta cooking water.
2. Meanwhile, pulse lemon juice, herbs and shallots in food processor until almost a paste, scraping down side of bowl as needed. Add nuts, cheese and salt. Pulse until no whole nuts remain. With motor running, add oil in steady stream until well blended. Season with additional salt, if desired.
3. Transfer pesto to large deep skillet. Add 1 oz. pasta water and pasta. Toss until well coated, adding additional water as needed.
4. Top each serving with additional cheese and nuts.

This post was created in partnership with California Olive Ranch. I’m thrilled to be working with them in 2019 to bring you some special recipes that highlight this beautiful olive oil. I’ve been using their olive oil for years now because they produce a high quality oil for an everyday price. Now they are working with farmers in California and around the world to source their olive oil to create the perfect blends.

As always the words, images and opinions are my own. A very hearty thanks to all of you who support the brands that support the work I do.

There is no shortage of chocolate chip anything on this blog and for that I make no apologies. In fact I’m adding another but I assure you, as with the others, they each have their place.

The purpose for the latest chocolate chip endeavor was to celebrate a birthday. Mine. And as I’m not much of a cake person I took one of my favorite treats in a different direction.

With the addition of olive oil this chocolate chip cookie/tart hybrid has a bit more of a grown up taste. It’s fruity, fragrant and hints towards the savory while still remaining distinctively classic in flavor. It is, in fact a bit cakier than how I take my cookies but that’s because I wanted to eat it with ice cream and a fork. I have my reasons.

If ice cream and forks aren’t called for these can easily be cut into bars.

I hope you enjoy this recipe no matter how you cut it.

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Olive Oil Chocolate Chip Tart

Author Ashley Rodriguez

Makes 1 9 or 10 inch tart

Ingredients

1/4 cup California Olive Ranch Everyday Olive Oil

2 tablespoons whole milk

1/2  cup dark brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 egg

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

5 ounces bittersweet chocolate

Vanilla Ice Cream, for serving

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a 9 or 10 – inch tart pan.

In a large bowl combine the olive oil, milk, sugar and vanilla. Stir well to combine. Add the egg and mix until completely combined.

Add the flour, baking soda and salt. Stir until just combined. Finally, stir in the chocolate.

Press the wet batter evenly into the tart pan.

Bake for 12 – 15 minutes, until golden around the edge but perhaps still a bit gooey internally.

Cool on the tray for five minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Our little black rocking chair with dog scratches and bite marks on the legs and I became good friends over the holidays. I read books, started practicing Centering Prayer and fell deeper in love with Harry Potter. The last six months of 2018 are a bit of a blur and I needed sufficient time to take a reprieve of the constant selling of this and that.

Don’t get me wrong, I love the work I do and am so honored to be able to support myself and my family doing it. In fact I am damn proud of my hard work and what is created as a result of that work. I mean, it’s not just me, I work with some crazy wonderful and talented people and we made some beautiful things this year and of course I want to tell you all about it and I want you all to love it and watch it and buy it so I can keep this whole thing going. But it’s exhausting. Have you seen this article?  So I sat in the rocking chair and stayed away from my phone (except for the occasional mindless game) and kept my computer close (except to watch Fraiser and The West Wing).

Anyway. That’s not exactly what I came here to say. I wanted to share with you something I wrote while in that rocking chair. And also to let you know that I have been in the kitchen today working on some new recipes to share with you shortly. As I type I have a whole cauliflower in the smoker. Fingers crossed on that experiement. In the meantime I’ll share some words and also point you to a few recipes in the archives that I still love to make this time of year. Like this citrus salad.  And speaking of smoke, do you remember this smoked pumpkin number?  We have our fair share of pasta this time of year. It’s the culinary equivalent to the blanket my grandmother crocheted for me. This roasted cauliflower linguini is often repeated.  And finally, soup. I’m a big big fan of the ease and coziness of soup. The method in this soup is one I repeat with any number of vegetables. 

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There is so much anticipation around a new year. I like the feeling of freshness it provides. The ability to say thanks for the past year and brush it aside with all the hopefulness of starting with a clean slate. I get fluttery with the anticipation of what the new year could be. For in this brief moment I feel a (however unrealistic) brief sense of control that I get choose my own destiny. What new habits will I strive to maintain and what lofty yet exciting goals will I create.

Inevitably reality crashes into my fantasies and somewhere, usually around March, I find a bit of a balance between my hope-filled goals and intentions created after the high of the holidays and the reality that settles after work, school and life begins.

This year I’ve been thinking about reframing in the hope that a subtle shift might not create such a vast space between hope and reality. What if instead of creating “goals” or “intentions” for the new year – which are often weighty words that in the back of our minds we already know that down the road they’ll be ditched alongside the Christmas gift we “needed” – what if we wrote down our curiosities. Like goals, we could use our curiosities to act as a road map but unlike goals, curiosities feel a bit more playful, more childlike and more easily adaptable to the inevitable shift when the collision of fantasy and reality hit.

Elizabeth Gilbert is a big fan of curiosity. She instructs the creative mind to shift the focus away from passions, which carries with it so much weight and angst,  to curiosities.

I am a big advocate for the pursuit of curiosity. You’ve maybe heard me talk about this before? We are constantly being told to pursue our passions in life, but there are times when passion is a TALL ORDER, and really hard to reach. In seasons of confusion, of loss, of boredom, of insecurity, of distraction, the idea of “passion” can feel completely inaccessible and impossible. In such times, you are lucky to be able to get your laundry done (that sometimes feels as high as you can aim) and when someone tells you to follow your passion, you want to give them the middle finger. (Go ahead and do it, by the way. But wait till their back is turned, out of civility.)

But curiosity, I have found, is always within reach.

I have goals, I have ambitions, I have hopes and desires for the new year but this year my focus is on what makes me curious. I want to give those fascinations the time and intention they deserve. And really, if I look back on some of my proudest accomplishments they were born out of my curiosities. Like when I became curious about taking better food photos and really digging into the mechanics of writing a successful recipe. Or when my curiosity led me to create restaurant quality food over the fire.

What are you curious about? And where are those curiosities going to lead you in the new year?

Happy 2019 friends! I can’t wait to be with you all for another year.

The items are our list below are a few things that brought us joy throughout the year or in some cases, they are the very things on our list. Many of them are products produced by friends who I adore and I think are doing amazing things and the entire world should know about it.

We’d love to hear your feedback on our list and I am always excited to know what other people are gifting.

Cookbooks
I’ll admit, this year I was a bit preoccupied with finishing my book and trying to share it with the world so I haven’t had as much time as I’d like diving into new books but here are a few I have, have spent some time in their pages and am eager to get cooking:

1. Now & Then

Julia Turshen’s latest book is filled with recipes that I crave daily. They are simple, creative and the recipes work!

2. The Noma Guide to Fermentation

Every winter I like to tackle a project. This year; fermentation. I want to understand how this little bubbles work without making me sick. If you have someone in your life who loves an in depth kitchen project this book is for them. It’s properly nerdy and full of beautiful and practical imagery.

3. The Flavor Bible

This one never leaves my kitchen. In fact as I’ve been doing a bit of recipe planning this morning I have this book sitting at my feet. I’ve talked about it often but it’s worth repeating.

4. The Campout Cookbook

Elevated camping food full of unique ideas for cooking food over the fire. Which we all know, is one of my favorite pastimes. This book makes the often overwhelming task of preparing food on the campsite feel very doable and fun. I adore the illustrations and handy charts.

5. Wine Food

One of my goals for 2018 was to learn more about wine. I’m not so sure how much I learned but I sure drank quite a bit of it – which really is essential in the learning process. This book is a great guide to so many varieties and then pairs the wine with some of the most delicious sounding food – FALFEL WAFFELS!!

6. Drifters Fish

Nelly and Michael are two of my favorite people and they just so happen to produce the best smoked salmon around. If you want to send a taste of the PNW this is what you need. They were also our guides for the Alaska episodes.

7. Schotts Cardigan

I treated myself to this sweater about a month ago and I’ve not taken it off. They say it’s a men sweater but I say it’s mine.

8. Suribachi (Japanese Mortar & Pestle)

I purchased one of these at Uwajimaya here in Seattle. It’s been on every Kitchen Unnecessary adventure with us as it’s both functional and beautiful and it is used almost daily in my kitchen at home.

9. Culinary Knife Roll

This particular knife bag is on my Christmas list this year. I bought myself an inexpensive bag earlier in the year and wondered why I waited so long. It’s perfect for traveling (but of course you need to check it in a suitcase) or for moving from one place to the next. I love having everything I need and all of my favorite tools in one place. It’s perfect for cooking outside as I want to take only the things I need and nothing more. Great for the kitchen enthusiasts and chefs in your life.

10. Artifact Uprising Calendar

These stunning calendars have been gifted a few times. We have so many pictures gathered throughout the year and this is such a stunning way of highlighting them.

11. Hugh Forte Print

I’ve been a long time fan of Hugh’s food photography but his water prints are so calming and beautiful. I want them all.

I LOVE to give subscriptions for the holidays – it’s literally the gift that keeps on giving. Here are a few favorites.

12. SK Cooking Club

For the person who loves a little help in the kitchen planning recipes, grocery lists, etc. Sara’s friendly voice pops into your inbox weekly to deliver healthy and delicious recipes to help with the never ending question – “What’s for dinner?” Her recipes are approachable yet exciting, heavy on vegetables with a bright freshness that I just adore.

13. YES PLZ Coffee (and zine!) subscription

Never run out of coffee again. That is a gift I can get behind.

14. Sounds Delicious

Kasey and Matt are kindred spirits in the kitchen and around the turntable. I gifted Gabe with a series of Sounds Delicious albums and it’s a delight every time they arrive in the mailbox. Matt has curated an incredible list of artists who cover an entire album. I love the design of the albums themselves and each one has been so fun to listen to.

15. Modern Huntsman

This magazine is incredibly inspiring visually and has also been such a powerful voice for me as I’ve delved deeper into the outdoor world this year and have spent a large part of my life wrestling with hunting. It’s a biannual journal with the heart to change the narrative around hunting. It’s perfect for outdoor photographers and people just generally interested in living an outdoor lifestyle.

From Gabe:

16. Biscoff cookies – let’s be honest, I’m married to someone who has her own line of cookies. And they’re flippin amazing. But there’s a time and place for almost every cookie, and perhaps my favorite cookie to eat alongside that now rare afternoon cup of coffee is a Biscoff. Ashley knows I love them and always brings me a snack-pack of them from her airline flights when she travels. That’s just one of the reasons why I love her. You can also find Ashley’s recipe for Biscoff style cookies in her new book, Let’s Stay In.

17. Rhodia Legal Pad – If you’re anything like me, you love a good to-do list. And you’re more than a little persnickety about the paper and writing implements you use on a daily basis. I’ve been using Rhodia notepads for years and love how they take the ink. Whether you feeling felt tip, ballpoint, jell pen or old school pencil lead, this paper is great for everyday notes and lists to keep you better organized.

18. Books and Art by Invisible Creature – These brothers are super talented. I’ve been fortunate to work with them on some small photography projects and always enjoy seeing what they’re up too (think space themed posters commissioned by NASA as well as postage stamps for the United States Postal Service). So when I saw they illustrated a Golden Book about Pixar’s The Incredibles I picked one up right away. I’m also currently making space to put up my Invisible Creature Oxford Pennant which commemorates the Kingdome. Check out their books, posters, prints and pennants. All great gift ideas.

19. PG tips – I mentioned last year that due to health reasons, I’ve limited my coffee intake and been ever more reliant on tea to get me going most mornings. Ashley reached out to our good friend Kacie (who currently resides in England) on a daily drinker and Kacie recommended PG Tips. She even gave me a little insight into how to properly brew. I figure if it’s good enough for Queen and Country, it’s good enough for me.  A lovely way to start your day.

20. Rescue a Puppy – Win the coveted “Parents of the Year” award from your kids by giving them a puppy on Christmas. There are a number of pet adoption agencies out there, we’ve adopted two dogs from Saving Great Animals (who rescued our Lily from a kill shelter). Both our dogs (Lillian and Frederick) have brought immeasurable amounts of joy to our family.

I love this time of year for all its merriment and excitement but I also delight in the start of a new year. The time to reflect on the gifts of a year nearly passed, to attempt to decipher lessons learned and use those to anticipate what you’ll discover and dream for in the coming year. As I’ve gotten older I have been less quick to jump to the goal making in order to take adequate time to feel gratitude and pride for the year nearly passed.

This year, hands down, the thing that has given me more delight, pride and excitement has been our outdoor cooking and adventure project, Kitchen Unnecessary. We just celebrated our one year mark, launched our 4th and 5th episodes and was gifted the award for Best Food Video from Saveur Magazine. It’s been a great year.

This past September our team traveled to the remote town of Cordova, Alaska. I’ve yet to find the words adequate in their expression of what this trip has meant. I always hate that copout but I assure you I’m trying. Watch the series and I think you’ll understand why.

I also wanted to share more images from the trip. All of the photos were captured by my husband, Gabe. 

The first day we went fly fishing with Nelly and Michael Hand from Drifters Fish. My form was less than ideal and we ended up not even getting a nibble but lucky for us Nelly packed the cooler with fish they caught on their boat so we didn’t starve. Note to self: always bring back up fish if you want to be sure to eat lunch.

Also, notice how sunny it is in Alaska. We’re told it’s not always like that but I think they are lying. You guys, I’m barefoot on the beach in Alaska and loving every minute of it.

The second day we went into the woods with Raven Madison, our local expert and guide. We found Nagoonberries, low and high bush cranberries and a few late summer blueberries. We also scaled a mountain for Chicken of the Woods mushrooms and found ourselves in the middle of a moose hunt.

Because I just had to get close to the salmon we went on Nelly and Michael’s boat to see their catch. And then it was off to the feast.

Menu:

Moose Meatballs with Low Bush Cranberry Sauce and Smoked Cabbage

Alder Smoked Cured Salmon Salad with Heirloom Tomatoes, Smoked Corn and Whipped Shallot Cream

BBQ Chicken of the Woods Mushroom Pizza

Grilled Salmon and Wild Mushrooms

Grilled Salmon with Preserved Lemon Herb Sauce

Wild Rice Pudding with Nagooneberry Sauce

For all the recipes head to KitchenUnnecessary.com

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Wild Rice Pudding with Nagooneberry Sauce

Author Ashley Rodriguez

I grew up never knowing what “rice pudding” was. In our family it was called “milk rice” and we served it for dinner. Now I know and still sometimes it’s dinner. Here it is the perfect end to our wild feast.

In this version we use wild rice in place of white rice and gently simmer the sweet creamy rice over a low flame and serve with a simple sauce of Nagooneberry. It’s warming, satisfying and so simple to make.

Substitute blackberries, marionberries, strawberries or raspberries for the Nagooneberries.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter

1 1/2  cups wild rice

salt

½ cup brown sugar

3 cups milk

1 cup cream

1 vanilla bean, split

1 cinnamon stick

1 ½ cups Nagooneberries

¼ cup sugar

Instructions

Set a small dutch oven or stock pot on a grill grate set over coals or low flame. Add butter to the pot and melt. Stir in the rice and sauté until completely coated in the butter and it smells lightly toasted. Add a hefty pinch of salt.

Carefully stir in the sugar, milk, cream, vanilla bean and cinnamon stick. Bring to a simmer then cover. Gently simmer until the rice is tender and the pudding has thickened, about 1 hour.

In a small skillet add the Nagooneberries, sugar and cinnamon stick. Bring to a simmer over low flame and cook until the sugar dissolves and the sauce thickens just slightly, about 10 minutes.

Serve over the rice pudding.

Thanks for supporting our adventures this year. We can not wait to bring you more in 2019.

Special thanks to our partners who made the Alaska Series possible:

Stanley

Barebones Living

Alaska Airlines

Filson

We are so honored to work with some of the best companies around. These adventures would not be possible without them. They are wonderful supporters of our crazy dreams and wild adventures.

Because of Martha Stewart, I longed for a room in my future home dedicated to wrapping presents. I dreamt of spools of ribbon neatly organized on a dowel and tucked away in an antique armoire. She made a lush garden feel a necessity, and freshly plucked chicken eggs in hues of greens and blues vital to every kitchen. Because of Martha Stewart my best friend and I published Mini Martha Living–complete with homemade jewelry tutorials, tenderly written articles on keeping a home, and the most rich and luscious brownies one could imagine. We were 7 and 10.

Those childhood fantasies met reality and–try as I might–I still can’t fold a fitted sheet worth a damn. We had chickens, but one flew away and the other two were eaten by raccoons. And my present wrapping room is the hallway where I frantically pluck a few large sheets of parchment paper from the top of the fridge and hurriedly cover the present before running out the door. My napkins are never pressed, the table rarely cleared, and inevitably there are scraps of eaten socks and stuffed animal remnants strewn about the house leftover from our pup Lily’s daily destruction.

This is not necessarily my ideal scene for entertaining, but this is our reality and try as I might to scrub the fingerprints off the walls and scrape the food bits off of the kitchen floor, their persistence is unrelenting. If I waited for perfection in our home our table would always be empty. I choose our ragged, messy imperfection that is flooded with friends and family coming through our doors over a spotless quiet home.

First of all, let’s just take a moment to remind ourselves that the stories we write in our own minds that are based off of very little information are usually not true. Social media and the fact that so much of our lives are lived online have perpetuated this notion because we see the highlights of everyone’s lives and then fill in the cracks thinking that ours doesn’t measure up. I’m guilty of this myself both by writing the stories and feeling inadequate based off that story and often only sharing the meals that I deem worthy of an Instagram and failing to make public the take-out or the late night drive-thru soft serve. We need to be so careful with this peeking into the greener patch of grass and assuming their whole lawn is lush.

I love that there is a bit of a movement around this notion of scruffy entertaining or hosting a crappy dinner party. But both of those terms feel a bit negative, almost as if you are admitting defeat over the state of the home and reluctantly opening your doors anyway. I would love for us to fling open our doors and embrace the mess. To feel confident in our home, in our skin, to say your presence here is more important than that teetering laundry pile in the corner. To truly believe filling the table is more important than the perceived truth that I’ve got everything in order. My friends and family know the truth, and love and embrace me–in spite of it all.

Every other Wednesday for eight years I’ve sat at a table with the same women. They are my village, they are the ones that walk through everyday with me. They’ve wiped tears from my eyes, watched my kids when I needed a break, and brought countless meals to my home throughout sicknesses and the early baby days. As a group we’ve walked and eaten through loss of jobs, seven births, miscarriages, brain tumors, deaths, milestone birthdays, and so much more. We have lived life together and so much of it has happened around the table. If we let something like dishes in the sink, dirty finger stained walls, and piles of clutter keep us from coming to the table we would never see one another.

With this group and so many other friends and family who walk through our doors even the word “entertaining” doesn’t feel right. It’s just simply the act of opening the door and letting people in. Often I will do the cooking, as I so love to do, but other times, like our Wednesday group, it’s a “clean-out-the-fridge potluck”.

If there is a particular recipe someone in the group is eager to try we may center the meal around that. Other times it’s a simple call to bring the things lingering in your fridge that could possibly belong over some salad greens. Every time it’s delicious and not really the point of the evening. Everyone is bringing something to the table so the work never falls too heavy on one person and we never apologize for the state of our house, we all get it, and are grateful to be at the table.

As a 10 year old flipping through Martha Stewart Living magazine while dreaming of fresh flowers filling every room of my home, and wandering through my garden with vintage basket in hand retrieving the day’s bounty from the earth I never thought about how much better reality can be, mess and all.

Recipes for Gathering

I’ve compiled a list of some of my favorite recipes to feed a crowd. Some from my site and beyond. Of course there are many more ideas in my new book, Let’s Stay In.  It’s from this desire for gathering together at the table that this book was born.

Steak Tacos

So easy to throw together quickly and a little goes along way for a crowd.

Le Grand Aioli

Love having this be a collaborative meal. Invite people to bring their favorite roasted vegetable or anything else that might be improved with a dip in aioli.

Frito Pie

This one is reserved for Super Bowl in our family but I do know that the chili recipe here has won contests.

Salad Pizza

It’s a salad, it’s a pizza. It’s everything you ever want.

Smokey Mozzarella Pasta

A pasta bake is never a bad idea.

Roast Chicken

Simple, but never boring. And quite possibly the most comforting of all the foods.

Sheet Pan Chicken and Cauliflower Shwarma

Speaking of roast chicken. I’ve not tried this one yet but that will change real soon.

“Soft dough rippling under my fingers, the scent of honey and yeast, make me eager for the piece of warm baked bread to come (slathered with a good bit of salted butter, of course). Sharp vinegar tames finely minced shallot as I toss it with blushing cherry tomatoes still warm from the garden. A hefty pour of grassy olive oil unites them and a few flakes of vanilla salt insist you stand up and take notice. Flour and water slowly evolve with a bit of hearty kneading (which I’ll consider my workout for the day) from a shaggy heap into a soft dough that easily yields under my palms to form long, irregularly shaped noodles. After a quick bath in rolling water salted to mimic the sea, they are tossed with caramelized cremini mushrooms and a few ladles of the starchy pasta water until the sauce submits to a cohesive creaminess.

The only thing that comes close to the enjoyment I receive from cooking and eating is talking (or writing) about cooking and eating. I don’t overly fuss with either.The food I enjoy the most is simple and comforting and yet you can tell there’s a passionate cook behind the dish. There’s no question that I derive great pleasure from the kitchen, and since you are reading this, I’ll assume the same of you.

While writing my first book, Date Night In, I thought often of this book, the one you now hold in your hands. I knew even then that I wanted to tell the story of how food happens in our home: our everyday food. The food in Date Night In is special, as it should be: it is date night, after all. Our typical food, however, rarely takes more than forty-five minutes from idea to table, is very reliant on our pantry, and leans heavily on vegetables and comfort. For the last few years I’ve kept a running journal of some favorites, the dishes that get requested most and the ones I turn to again and again. This book tells that story and shares those recipes.”

I’m sitting at my computer this morning slowly meandering through the massive file that is my second cookbook, Let’s Stay In. Tears stream down my face as I read about my Grandmother’s pie crust. I wrote it long before she passed and it’s what I read at her memorial service. I’m so thankful that such a stunning part of her will now be a part of your kitchen. I’m nodding in agreement at my own words as I lament the dinner routine while at the same time find joy in preparing a recipe that takes days to create (I’m looking at you, Beef Wellington). The paragraphs above open the book and although the release is still a couple months away I couldn’t wait any longer to share them with you.

I wrote this book with you all in mind. The questions that fill my inbox, the comments on the blog and on Instagram kept ringing through my head as I wrote. While Date Night In told the story about our relationship and how I used food as a way of reconnecting with my partner, Let’s Stay In, is you and I at the table talking honestly about how to get dinner on the table when the kids are “starving”. It’s about how a passionate home cook stays inspired when the passion feels more like something to check off on the to-do list than a joy. And it’s about celebrating life through food. Spending hours in the kitchen on a meal that will be gone in minutes because through cooking we can truly understand that life really is about the journey and not the destination. Let’s Stay In is about  life lived at the table.

I can’t believe it’s almost time! I’ve been working on this cookbook for over two years, but really I started it even before I jumped into writing Date Night In.  And now it’s ALMOST TIME!

“Our kitchen and our table, like yours, I’m sure, are the center of our home. So often it’s a far cry from the picturesque Norman Rockwell paintings, but I don’t expect perfection: I long for relationship. Food brings us to the table and my goal in life is to spend as much time there as possible.And that’s my goal for all of you as well because, for me, nothing in life is more beautiful, healing, and life-giving than time spent at the table.”

– Let’s Stay In

Pre-Order Bonus!

Now let’s get down to the real exciting news; Let’s Stay In is available for pre-order! Pre-ordering is a huge deal for the author as it boosts sales right from the get-go and makes bookstores stand up and take notice. For you guys it means you will be among the first to get your hands on the book AND as a thank you for pre-ordering we have some super fun things in store.

If you pre-order the book you will be sent a link to a downloadable PDF of one of my absolute favorite recipes from the book. I’ve teased this recipe for years in a matter of a couple of minutes it could be yours!

It’s the Blue Ribbon Tomato Tart. Tomatoes are just coming into their prime and I want you to have this tart rather than wait an entire year to make it. It’s a stunningly savory Parmesan crust with a simple herb laced whipped creamy chevre filling. On top a thick layer of heirloom and cherry tomatoes. To finish a flurry of flakey vanilla salt (or regular flake salt) that crunches as you bite. You guys, this recipe won a blue ribbon at our Farmers Market here in Seattle but more than that you all have been asking for it for years and NOW it is time.

First Giveaway!

Barebones Living is one of my most favorite brands. They are the best in outdoor living gear. Their cast iron pans are sturdy, beautifully designed and lighter than most on the market. They are giving away my favorite set; the 10’ inch Dutch Oven Classic Kit:

“Our Dutch Oven Classic Kit features a cast iron skillet with an ergonomic, heat dispersing handle, a triple sanded smooth interior, dual pour spouts, and side handles for easy carrying. Our pre-seasoned cast iron dutch oven classic includes a venting lid, and heat dispensing coil handles. Wide feet at the bottom allow for a sturdy cooking base, and the wood trivet protects your table from the heat.”

Pre-order the book and email me a copy of your receipt and you will be entered into this giveaway and more of our pre-order giveaways to follow between now and October. 

Win a trip to Seattle for two and tickets to a dinner at the SHOP!

I can’t believe this is real life. You guys, Alaska Airlines has offered two main cabin round-trip flight vouchers to Seattle from anywhere in the U.S that Alaska Airlines flies. Why am I sending you to Seattle? Well, because I want you and a guest to sit at my table in the Not Without Salt Shop for dinner October 2 to celebrate the official launch day of Let’s Stay In. I can think of no better way to honor this book then inviting you to the table.

For the rest of your stay in Seattle I’ll help create a curated itinerary so you’ll be sure to hit all my favorite spots.

To enter this giveaway pre-order the book then be sure you are following @ashrod and @alaskaair on Instagram. Unfortunately employees/immediate family members of employees are not eligible. Also, it must be said (for legal reasons and such) this contest is in no way sponsored by Instagram.

How to Pre-Order:

Let’s fill the world with Blue Ribbon Tomato Tarts! Here’s how to pre-order, get your recipe and enter into our upcoming giveaways.

1. Pre-order at your local bookstore (some other options: Book Larder here in Seattle, Powell’s in Portland, Indiebound, Target or Amazon).

2. Email me a copy of your receipt that shows where you purchased the book.

3. Once you’ve pre-ordered enter your name and email below to get the Blue Ribbon Tomato Tart recipe delivered to your inbox.

Photos for Kitchen Unnecessary Episode Two by Gabe Rodriguez.

I remember exactly where I was standing when I saw my book mentioned in the New York Times. We were just heading out of Ferry Building after enjoying one of the best breakfast sandwiches of my life. I’ll never forget that moment and that sandwich. Heading across the street to the park to appease the three children traveling with us on book tour, I stopped on the side walk as the kids and Gabe continued on. I called out to Gabe, handed him my phone then ran back into the Ferry Building to buy several copies of the paper. It was momentous, surreal and the kids thought nothing of it. Which is honestly one of my favorite parts of parenting; their ability (without knowing they are doing it) to put everything into a beautiful perspective.

The one criticism in the NY Times review of Date Night In was that I didn’t include enough seafood recipes. Of course seafood, oysters in particular, are an obvious inclusion in a book about dating and romance around food as they are thought to be a natural aphrodisiac but the thing is – I don’t like it.

More accurately I should say, I didn’t like it. Even just a few short years ago while writing the book I was merely tolerating seafood. Now, finally, I’ve begun to crave it. I understand the allure of the soft pink flesh of fresh caught salmon. Mussels cooked in a white wine spiked cream sauce are now a go-to dish and oysters, oh oysters, I can’t get enough.

Fresh oysters, just shucked with nothing but the sea water held perfectly in its shell, served alongside a bubbling glass of Rosé is my ideal meal.

My journey into enjoying seafood was fueled by my determination. I felt like I was missing out on something. As someone who loved food I too wanted to wax poetic about eating sea creatures and of course living in the Pacific Northwest it felt practically sinful to stay away from the stuff. So I ate it until I tolerated it, then I started to enjoy it and now I’ll walk up to our local fish market scouting the case looking for what is fresh and eagerly turn that into dinner.

For our second episode of Kitchen Unnecessary we visited Shina Wysocki of Chelsea Farms to get our fill of oysters, clams and geoduck. We filmed the episode back in late February when the cold waters and natural reproduction cycles of the oysters leave them at their peak. Shellfish are often harvested at low tide and in the winter that meant we had to head out in the middle of the night. A small sacrifice to make for a fresh seafood feast on the beach.

Chelsea Farms also runs a stunning oyster bar in Olympia, Washington so preparing shellfish recipes for them was, as you can imagine, quite intimidating. For this show I don’t like to plan my recipes exactly before we start shooting. I bring plenty of ingredients and wait for the fire to light before I make my final menu. This fresh oyster dish was an experiment in flavors and while being filmed and preparing oysters for Shina, who has been eating shellfish since she was a toddler, I began to question my sanity. My relief came the moment that briny oyster punctuated with lemon and a bright dill scented oil hit my mouth. The peppery shower of Pecorino added a richness that delighted.

Photos for Kitchen Unnecessary Episode Two by Gabe Rodriguez.

Very special thanks to Stanley and Barebones for partnering with us on episode two. We are so honored to be able to do this work with some of the brands we love and having been using for years.

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Fresh Oysters with Dill Vinaigrette and Pecorino

Author Ashley Rodriguez

It’s a bit intimidating preparing shellfish dishes for the people who have dedicated their lives to raising some of the best shellfish around. But I could not have been more pleased (and perhaps even a bit surprised) with how delicious this combination is.

The stunning emerald oil pools in the oyster shell creating a sea of green along with the salty brine. A flurry of Pecorino adds a creamy richness that cuts through the acidity and brineyness beautifully.

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients

1 small bunch Dill, stemmed removed, torn

1 small garlic clove

Zest of one lemon

¼ cup olive oil

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Pecorino, finely grated

1 dozen oysters, raw, on the half shell.

Instructions

Add dill, garlic and lemon zest to a mortar and pestle or small food processor.  Crush or process until finely chopped. Stir in the lemon juice then stream in olive oil.

This oil can be made ahead and brought to the fire.

Top each oyster with a teaspoon of the dill oil and grate pecorino over.

This past week marked the busiest our little shop has seen since it’s opening. We opened our doors and filled the table four of the past seven days and although my body is tired my heart is so full. News is spreading, inquiries are filling my inbox and I’m constantly on the hunt for inspiration for what to feed the people at the table. Again, heart full.

I’ve been wanting to share this recipe with you all for some time. We’ve served this Garlic Confit toast at the shop no less than four times and each time I am asked for the recipe. Perhaps begged is more accurate. But in typical Ashley form I strayed even further from the original recipe and turned the Garlic Confit toast into a sandwich adding a bit of arugula and prosciutto because what isn’t improved with arugula and prosciutto?

This recipe is an adaptation from one I spotted on BonAppetit.com It’s marries sweet, simmered garlic with Parmesan, a bit of heat from a chili or chili flakes and lemon zest (which really is the the humble star of the recipe) into a buttery spread of our dreams. Broiled in the oven the toast beautifully bronzes, the cheese crisps, and the lemon remains bright enough to tame the heft of the other ingredients. Just the toast on its own is enough but in sandwich form it’s quite possibly even more magical.

*This post was created in partnership with La Brea Bakery. In this recipe I’ve used the La Brea Reserve which embraces the beauty and dignity of farming and the true taste of real food by using a single origin heirloom wheat in every loaf they bake. Look for the Reserve label at select Kroger stores in the specialty cheese shop. For a coupon and to find the store nearest you click this link. 

As always the recipe, photos and opinions are my own. Thanks for supporting me and my passion for keeping us all well fed and the brands that get behind that message.

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Garlic Confit, Arugula and Prosciutto Sandwich

Author Ashley Rodriguez

Serves 4, Makes 2 La Brea Reserve Demi-Baguette Sandwiches

Garlic Confit recipe adapted from BonAppetit.com

Ingredients

Garlic Confit

1 head garlic, cloves peeled

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 cup grated Parmesan

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest

1 small Calabrian chili or 1/2 teaspoon chili flakes

Sea salt

 

Sandwich Assembly

2 La Brea Reserve Demi Baguette, sliced in half

4 cups arugula

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon lemon juice

10 thin slices prosciutto

Instructions

In a small saucepan add the garlic, butter and olive oil. Bring to a gentle simmer over low heat and simmer until the cloves are copper in color, tender and incredibly fragrant, about 40 minutes. Cool for at least 20 minutes.

In a food processor, mortar and pestle or bowl combine the garlic confit, Parmesan, oregano, lemon zest, chili and a pinch of sea salt. Stir well to combine and break up the garlic cloves.

Taste and add more salt if needed.

Slather this spread on each half of the baguettes. Place on a sheet pan then broil until bubbly and golden, about 3 to 5 minutes. Watch closely and don’t walk away as it can go from perfection to disaster in just a moment.

Remove the tray from the oven and allow to cool for a few moments while you prepare the arugula.

In a large bowl toss the arugula with the olive oil and lemon juice.

One two of the baguette halves add 5 pieces of prosciutto then cap that with a handful of arugula.

Add the other baguette halves then slice the sandwiches in half and serve.

Gabe and I have compiled a few of our favorite things from 2017, and a few things we both have on our lists.

Above all else, have a lovely holiday season filled with joy, delight, and plenty of delicious things.

For the Cookbook Lover

These are some of the food books that inspired me most this year.

1. Six Seasons

2. Market Cooking – David Tanis 

3. Nigel Slater’s Christmas Chronicles 

4. The Little Library Cookbook – for the book and food lover

5. Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat

6. Consider the Fork 

Gifts for Food Lovers

 

7. KitchenAid Copper Pans

Okay, okay, yes the price tag is steep on these bad boys but when creating this list I’m thinking of the things that have brought me joy over the last year and these definitely fit that category.

These are the pans I use at the shop and each time I grab them from the shelf to cook with I have a smile on my face. They are stunning and perform beautifully.

 

8.Tutto Calabria Hot Long Chili Peppers

These little peppers pack a delightful punch. Slightly pickled and quite spicy that add heat and intensity to pretty much everything I’m cooking these days. They are my secret weapon in the kitchen right now.

Locally you can find these on the retail shelves at The Pantry in Ballard or find them online.

 

9. Baron Brothers Coffee

I may be biased as this company was started by my two brothers who I adore but I also think their coffee is really incredible. In fact, when you come eat at the shop this is what we will be serving.

 

They are new so I don’t think they have online purchasing available quite yet but I carry their beans in my shop here in Seattle.

 

10. Plantation 5 Rum – Barbados 

Rated 99pts by me. This just might be my favorite spirit. I mean the bottle is wrapped in straw so you know it’s good. It brags a delightfully golden honey color with notes of awesomeness on the tongue. I’ve compared it to other more aged and expensive rums and keep coming back to Plantation 5. Affordable in price yet perfect for sipping by itself. And as rum is the new scotch, go get yourself a bottle… and invite me over. – Gabe

 

11. Wild Lummi Island Pink Salmon

Yes, there are occasions where I get in the kitchen and get my man-apron dirty. I don’t keep my cool in the kitchen very well so having local (caught up near where Ashley was born and raised) sustainable salmon in the pantry is a great thing to have. I threw together a quick slaw for some fish tacos that were easy to make and even 2 of the 3 kids enjoyed for dinner. – Gabe

 

12.Weak Knees Gochujang Sriracha

We have a thing for hot sauce in our family and this one has currently replaced ALL of them in my book. There’s a slight fermented funk and plenty of that craveable heat. We’ll be carrying it in our own shop soon but you can’t wait that long.

 

13.Imperfect Produce

I look forward to this produce delivery every week and I feel so great knowing that I’m saving less-than-perfect produce from the compost pile. With fresh produce on hand and a few pantry staples I have save myself from many dreaded grocery store trips.

14. Barebones Cast Iron

Even in the Winter I am cooking outside as much as I possible can. These pans are lighter than traditional cast iron and yet sturdy enough to handle long braises with flames lapping at its sides. Of course they work indoors as well.

 

 

 

Pretty Things

 

15. Svensk Sommarang No. 2 Candle from Anders Shop

My home (and now the shop) feels naked without this candle.

 

16. Kinto Unitea Teapot

When form & function come together it’s a beautiful thing. Ashley and I visited London a few years ago and when I found myself with an afternoon alone I explored the city going from coffee shop to coffee shop (my favorites at that time were Prufrock & Workshop in case you find yourself in London looking for a nice cup). At some point, I wasn’t quite ready for the pub but was still out and about so I stopped in a shop that I luckily happened upon for some education on an english cup of tea. I walked in to Postcard Teas and admitted, in my thick american accent, that I really had no idea what it looks like to enjoy a proper cup of tea. They obliged and I was inspired. I left with a few tins of loose leaf and a small Japanese made glass teapot that was aimed at getting me started enjoying a decent cup of tea back in Seattle. Now if you know me, you’ll know that coffee is my mainstay, but certainly this year, enduring a stomach ulcer (ugh!) I’ve leaned more heavily on tea to get me through the day. And until very recently, this teapot has seen me through. Sad to say, a child, who will remain anonymous, seemed to have broken my little teapot. So this vessel has made it’s way onto my personal holiday list. My favorite part is watching the leaves dance as you pour. I usually stop and watch with enjoyment as my hot water choreographs a flashmob of tea leaves bouncing in concentric circles. Quite lovely.

 

17. Noonday

Several people on my list will be getting Noonday for Christmas. Their products are gorgeous but the heart behind the brand is what I love the most. Since the company began they have helped thousands of people around the world by creating jobs with living wages through the production of their products. They are currently working with over 4,400 artisans in 12 countries.

I own many of their pieces but this bag is currently on my Christmas list.

 

Practical Things

 

18. Soda Stream

I’m always trying to do a better job of staying properly hydrated but I do find water to be so boring. Bubbles make everything more exciting and this saves us from drowning our recycling container in La Croix cans.

 

19. Audible Subscription 

It’s the only way I’m able to read anything these days. I know, I know, that’s quite sad but really audiobooks also perk up long car rides and help motivate me to get out and walk. Trevor Noah’s book, Born a Crime,   was an absolute brilliant audio book (he reads it himself and his voices are amazing!) and Brené Brown’s, Braving the Wilderness was also a favorite from the year.

 

20. Saddleback Leather Co. Bifold Walletsa

This simple little beauty just gets better with age. I’ve had mine going on 8 years so I’ve still got 92 years left on my 100 year warranty. (Seriously, what other product that you use daily comes with a 100-year warranty!?) They’re slogan is “They’ll fight over it when you’re dead” And they say that every one of their products ‘it built for you to break in for the next guy.’ As someone who values practicality and nostalgia, I ask myself, what will my kids fight over when I’m gone? Surely not my ever burdensome collection of hard drives, but perhaps my growing stockpile of art supplies, a watch or two, my 40 year old Filson cruiser, and maybe my simple old leather wallet with its natural patina from years of supporting my backside. – Gabe

A couple weeks ago I enjoyed a glorious few hours alone. That in and of itself would have been a great gift but I also got to sit and be pampered in Sephora while I learned all about how to care for my skin using superfoods. In my case, charcoal. I’ll spare you the details but since having babies my skin has been one continuous hormonal break out. Real cool. But I was cleansed with charcoal, put on an amazing charcoal peel off mask (hopefully you caught the amazing imagery on my Instagram story), and was moisturized with charcoal. Charcoal is an all natural purifier as it draws out bacteria and impurities helping fight against breakouts. (See the resources below for specific products used).

In this space I often focus on food as a gift in an intensely satisfying way. Like the smell of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies when you open the front door. Or a rich mug of hot chocolate after a morning in the snow. Or the crackling skin of roast chicken on a bed of crisp roasted potatoes. The food that draws us to the table.

I tend to avoid riding the trends that tout the best way to glow, or lose weight, or whatever the thing is to be in that moment. I have my own history of food obsessions and I have come to a healthy place of eating anything and everything free of guilt and shame. The moment you say this one way is the best you immediately mark every other method as bad. Or if this way of eating is “clean” then the alternative must be dirty.

My food philosophy is simple; eat as much real food as possible. Real food meaning the sort that is as close to the dirt as you can get – not processed. To me that’s quite loose because cheese is real, cream is real and butter is very, very real. And if I happen to dip into a bag of Cool Ranch Doritos then so be it. Balance and forgiveness play a big part of my daily food beliefs.

I also listen closely to my body. If I’m very honest my body often craves greens and vegetables and I am always happy to oblige. But there are days when I feel my body needs a reset or at least a fighting chance to start the day off right. Perhaps there were too many chips, or, as is often the case with summer – there were a good bit of fruity, frozen cocktails. So we start the next day with a smoothie.

I attempted to write down a recipe or at least create one but I went my own way. Which is always how we smoothie around here. But there are a few things we have learned along the way that have really improved our smoothie game.

A real person’s guide to making smoothies.

1. Balance is key.

As with cooking you want a balance of flavor in your smoothie. Sweet, sour, a touch of salt, and perhaps of bit of bitter. Often I’ll add lemon or lime juice then offset the tang with a natural sugar like peaches, honey, dates, prunes, etc. A pinch of salt is always a good idea.

2. Be healthy but maybe not too much so.

I don’t know about your family but I have one family member in particular who can spot health a mile away. I try and sneak as much nutrition into the smoothies as possible through seeds (flax, hemp, sesame) greens (kale, spinach) and vegetables (avocado, carrots, etc.). One time she turned down her oatmeal so I threw a bit of that into the smoothie. She was on to me with one sniff. I find that strong flavors like fresh ginger, passion fruit pureé and fresh mint mask a lot of health. Greens like spinach and kale are nice because they don’t have strong flavors. A strong blender really breaks down seeds and nuts too so it’s easier to hide.

3. Stock your freezer.

We’ve gotten to the point where my kids thank me for making smoothies. They see it as a delicious treat rather than mom’s attempt to make sure they are getting a good bit of nutrition. I think in part that’s due to the frozen berries and fruit often used to give the smoothie a bit of a milkshake consistency. Also, the cold temperature does wonders to mask any unsightly green flavors that may arise.

4. When in doubt, make popsicles.

If there is any leftover smoothie or perhaps a batch received less than rave reviews I’ll pour the smoothie into popsicle molds then surprise the kids with a sweet after school treat. I don’t really try to deceive my children into healthy eating as I teach them that all food is a gift and it’s important to care for our bodies. But for the sort of children who don’t buy that (of which I have one) popsicles help.

The recipe pictured (which I was sort of hoping would be a more appetizing color) has banana, mixed greens, dates, passion fruit pureé, mint, lime and assorted frozen fruit. If you need a bit more liquid to get your blender going I suggest a bit of coconut milk, regular milk or even a touch of water. I use the blender plunger to help push down the ingredients and usually that gets things moving.

Resources from Sephora:

Before walking into the iconic black and white striped Sephora inside JCPenney I was able to tell them what I have been struggling with regarding my skin. I chose the focused makeover which is why the products heavily feature charcoal. I sat down under the skillful guidance of Danie, the area education manager, as she walked me through the products and process to help clear up my skin. I’ve now been using several of the products since that visit and here are a list of my favorites. She knew that I spend my day focused around food so she focused on all natural products with some even being completely food grade.

These are my favorites that we used that day.

Boscia Make Up Melter Cleanser

Boscia Peel Off Charcoal Mask

Boscia Pudding Mask 

Boscia Charcoal Moisturizer 

Bite Lip Treatment

Bite Sugar Scrub

Bite Persimmon Lip Color 

We painted the walls Origami White by Sherwin Williams. The concrete floor will get a clear varnish over the top. 

The exterior was painted to resemble a Pendelton blanket now it’s a very dark gray/blue (really, it’s nearly black) with white trim. Deck stain TBD. Wedding day, birth of my children, pub day, hanging that sign in the window. Memorable life moments. 

My absence from the blog as of late is not solely indicative of pure summer fun although there has been plenty of that. Lately there’s been more manual labor than desk time as we are working so hard to build our dream; the first ever Not Without Salt Shop!

As I type splatters of black and white paint dot my fingernails and a big grin that just won’t quit covers my face as I attempt to find the words that will sufficiently illustrate my excitement. This space, located in the Ballard neighborhood of Seattle (which is a must visit according to me and TheKitchn), will primarily be the place for me to take photos, develop recipes, write and for Gabe to continue to create the videos that we’ve been sharing the last few months. We’ll also have all of our retail products plus a few of my favorite things (I feel like Oprah) to sell and we’ll host intimate lifestyle workshops (the space is just shy of 500 square feet) and private dinners so I can pretend that I still work in restaurants. It’s a place for us to interact with you all beyond the computer screen and that is what I’m most excited about. My goal from day one with this space is that when people walk in they will feel like they are stepping into my home. Most likely there will be fresh baked cookies available upon entering.

Two weeks ago this place was a hair salon appropriately named the Hairstream. It’s 10 x 40 simple structure that does indeed resemble a trailer. There were walls in various shades of yellow and green with antiques and artwork filling every bit of its diminutive size. We purchased a shop vac to rid the space of the hair although a few stray strands may be providing a nice texture to the freshly painted white walls. My friend Chloe has stepped in to help us with the design and I am currently stressing about finding the perfect table and which stove is best and what color should I stain the deck and will people actually come?!

Those of you who follow me on Instagram and are kind enough to humor me by watching me fret about all these decisions on Insta-story have been incredibly helpful. I’ll be sharing the entire process over there and here I’ll step in every now and again to give an update. But don’t worry I have my absolute favorite roast chicken to share with you real soon. In the meantime, back to painting.

Left: Paint, cleaning wipes, sand paper and watching Friends on the computer while I paint for hours on end. Right: Thank goodness for all the delivery options in Seattle. This is from Billy Beach – do not live your life without enjoying the Ballard Crunch Roll. Speaking of delicious things – when you come visit me in the shop do yourself a favor and enjoy the best iced mocha or your life from Chocolate Vitale.

This project is being fueled by La Croix and Amazon Prime Now deliveries. 

Left: The kitchen will be changed quite a bit. I can not WAIT to see how evolves. Right: My super hero husband painting, sanding and basically just doing all the things. 

For Seattle locals the space is at the corner of 65th and 3rd. Come say hi!

The photos in this post were from a recent trip to Joshua Tree National Park

Mother’s Day is quickly approaching and in light of that I wanted to share with you a few lessons I would have loved to hear when my three babes still had fingers that looked like little sausages.

Even if you don’t have small ones I think there are lessons here that are still very applicable. And really, the truth is, I’m out of those very intense days of the younger years and yet I remind myself of these truths on a daily basis.

If you don’t have kids and are just simply trying to adult, there’s truth in here for you too. Because I get it.  Gabe and I are so tired of “adulting” lately. So many times we’ve looked at each other with drooping eyes and said, “how do other people do it?” The more I talk to other adults I realize we are all in the same place; we’re all just trying to figure it out and so often we feel like we aren’t doing it right. So in my pursuit to share some truth in this perfection-seeking, social media driven world let’s get real! Adulting is hard. Truth. Parenting is ridiculously tough. There is no right way to do either. We do the best we can in a way that feels right to us, we make mistakes and own up to them and we celebrate our wins. And I hope that the more truth and honesty we share the more we can move away from competition and into celebration. We can all do hard things!

The following is adapted from a little talk I’ve been giving to mom groups around Seattle. I’ll break the talk down into three posts and I’m hoping that perhaps by posting these on Sundays you’ll have a bit of time to tuck into the words. Wishful thinking? Perhaps.

I’m sitting in heap of laundry. The teetering tower of clothes threaten to defeat me while one toddler is running through the house wearing cowboy boots, cowboy hat and nothing else and the other lays on his play mat attempting to roll over in order to get his sausage-like fingers on the herd of dust bunnies lying next to him.

Looking over at the sink I see the mess from breakfast lying dormant as I have to start thinking about lunch. I’m lost in the mess, lost in this new reality. Alone. Tired. Depressed. Tears stream from my exhausted eyes as I sink into my current reality. I always wanted kids but really? Is this what I signed up for? I was lost, had no perspective, was trying to do it alone and in a way that wasn’t me.

My shoulders slumped and I curled into a small ball – my physical body matching how I felt on the inside. I closed my eyes while the tears slipped down my cheeks. I took a deep breath and whispered to God. “When this is all over.” I began. “No more diapers, bibs, highchairs and potty training, use me.” I didn’t even know what I was saying. Why that was my prayer in the midst of such darkness? But I started to think, what if other women felt the way that I’m feeling right now? And that was too much.

God doesn’t forget – even when I do. This year I’ve been asked a number of times to talk to a groups of young moms. This is what I’ve said God in response to these invitations. “Cool. I totally meant it when I said I wanted to be an encouragement and a voice to women raising young children but surely you don’t mean now. I’m not ready. I’ve not ‘arrived’ as a mother yet. I still feel inadequate in my parenting, the house is still constantly a mess even though now I make the kids do the laundry and my parenting skills have yet to be proven. Who am I to stand up in front of these women of little ones and say anything?”

When I finally force myself to dig into the reality that I was indeed going to have to say something coherent to these women I frantically started to Google Jen Hatmaker and Glennon Doyle Melton hoping and praying that they had some sort of a transcript for me. One that I could you know just do a little copy and pasting to form the ULTIMATE-destined-to-go-viral Mega- mom- encouragement speech. Until a soft voice whispers, “but what do YOU want to say?”

So you to you young mama’s out there I want to say to you the things that I needed to hear. I want to be the voice that I needed as I lay in a puddle of tears with three little ones running amid a scene of chaos. I want to say that you’re okay, you’re doing a great job and even when you’re not it’s still okay.

Throw away the idea that ‘savoring every moment’ is actually possible.

Regardless of how frazzled I looked in the grocery store there was always some lovely well-intentioned women with silvery hair and creases around her eyes from years of life. Her eyes never left the soft, rounded skin of my baby’s face and I saw the light her eyes brighten as she caught the gaze of my child. “It just goes so fast.” She would say like clockwork. “Savor every moment.”

I knew it was coming and yet every time I heard those words I felt the punch of guilt in the gut. Was I savoring this time enough? Will I be wrecked with regret because I sat my kids in front of the tv in a moment of weakness (there were so many of those moments. Who am I kidding? Still are). Will I loathe that aching feeling to escape when there were endless tears and sleepless nights? Can I really possibly savor the changing of diapers, lack of sleep, dried up food on every surface, laundry piles that never shrink?

Somewhere along the way I realized that those ladies probably just forgot the drudgery of the day to day. What they meant to say – and what I now say to mother’s of babies is savor what you can. Inhale their heads as often. Commit that smell to memory. Believe me when I tell you that they won’t always smell so sweet.

Take pictures, videos, sound clips, etc. You’ll return to them again and again and yes, there will be a bit of an ache for those days but we aren’t meant to exist in one place forever so you preserve what you can and live in the present with as much mindfulness as we can muster.

Keep a little journal handy and write down a few of the day to day mundane because one day your mundane will look different and those little notes – like what words they pronounce in an adorably wrong way, or how their hair looks in the morning, or what their sweet mannerisms are as they drift off to sleep or in an attempt to ward off a nap. Those little notes will trigger a flood of memories when you otherwise thought you’ve forgotten it all.

Don’t for a moment live in a puddle of guilt fearing that you aren’t savoring it all enough. The work you are doing is incredibly hard, exhausting and with little immediate reward. Wander through your days with the perspective that it will pass, and yes, much quicker than you can imagine. Forgive the unsavory moments and somehow cement into memory a few things that you hope to not forget when this season has passed. And then promise me and all the future young mothers that you too won’t heap the impossible task of savoring every moment on to them.
Next week let’s talk about how we all need be a better boss.

*This post is created in partnership with Canon. I’m so incredibly proud to write that as I’ve been a Canon user from the beginning, going all the way to my first film camera. I’m currently shooting on the EOS 5D Mark III but recently had the chance to play around with the EOS M5 and loved that as well. It’s small, lightweight and very intuitive. Even for the not-so-tech-savvy person such as myself, I quickly figured out how to upload images straight from my camera to my phone. As always, the words and images are mine. I so appreciate your support towards the companies that help support Not Without Salt.

A few weeks ago I sat in our sparse office in front of my computer and talked into the little dot on the top trying not to look or feel too awkward. In the great beyond of the Internet there were dozens of people from all over the world staring at their own screens while they listened to me excitedly speak on finding your visual voice. Fast forward a couple weeks later and I was speaking at TechMunch on a panel about Instagram and giving a brief food styling workshop and found myself repeating the same messaging. I walked away from those experiences, from interacting with creatives and watching them fall deeper in love with their creativity and thought, hey, I bet some of the lovely people who read my blog might want to hear this too.

This is a message not just for photographers but for any of you who seek to create and share your creativity with people. It’s for those who want to be intentional about the messaging you are conveying through your creativity. It’s for writers, painters, photographers, dancers, ceramicists, doodlers and dabblers. And everyone in between.

“As an artist you have the opportunity to create your own unique stamp on the world. This is the artist’s voice and it’s a mixture of message, style, and technique. Everyone has a different process for finding his voice. It’s not something you can simply learn through books or study. It requires you to pull from deep inside yourself to find what moves you and to express that through what you create.”

• Lisa Congdon, from Art, Inc.

What is Visual Voice?

And why does it matter?

Visual voice is the message that you convey through your creativity. In the lesson I taught I was referring to the visual voice you speak as a photographer so as I speak about visual voice here I’ll probably use that medium most often as a reference point. Visual voice is communicating your style and what you want to say through any image-based medium. With each image you share you have an opportunity to say something  – what do you want to say?

The importance of this? Well, do you ever feel like you don’t have a place in the creative world? I mean speaking specifically of the food blogging stage – it’s really crowded. Everyone is vying for attention and it can become so overwhelming. If you’re like me you may take those overwhelmed feelings and sit with them then listen to that voice that says, “What do you have to say? What do you think you can add to the conversation?” My voice isn’t saying that in a tone of genuine curiosity, my inner voice is quite mean and snarky. We’re working on that.

Remove the snark and that is a question worth asking. What are you contributing that is unique?

You. You’re contributing you and there is no other you out there.

Trends come and go and the temptation as a visual artist is to mirror the trend because if it’s working for that person over there it will work for me. But we don’t want to see more of the same – we want to see what you have to offer. Be bold. Be brave. Speak your own voice.

How do I find out what I want to speak?

Good question. I continually turn to a few practices to hone my voice and check in with myself to see if I’m speaking a clear and consistent voice. We are human, we continue to evolve and we can expect the same of our voice. So this is a process. Put it on your calendar to have a quarterly creativity check in. As you change so will your voice.

Pinterest

I have several boards on my Pinterest page, some public some secret, that help me tune in to my voice. If I’m in between tasks I’ll quickly open up Pinterest and scan through the screen pinning any image that grabs me. Anything, not just food photography. The lighting on a headshot is really striking or the cascading ruffles on a dress and this one that shows the fury of the sea. These images have nothing to do with what I shoot on a daily basis and yet they exist on my board because for some reason something inside of me sparked as I saw them. I’ll spend some time mindlessly pinning and then when I need a bit of inspiration I’ll flip to my photo board and get a glimpse into the sort of images I want to be creating. I notice the tone of the images, the lighting, their sparseness, and the feelings they evoke. As a group these images speak volumes to what it is I am hoping to communicate through my own images.

Look in Unlikely Places

As I mentioned above I’m not just studying other food photographers. I want to find inspiration in places that has nothing to do with food photography. Look in fashion magazines, go visit the art museum, take a painting class, study art 101, look through architecture books. Your own work will be enhanced by the quality and diversity of the imagery and experiences you are ingesting.

Your Three Words

This is probably the best and most practical bit of advice I can give you when it comes to finding and communicating your visual voice. And really, it’s not even my advice. Gabe took a photography workshop years ago and came home with this nugget and we’ve been thinking about it ever since.

Think about the three most important things you want to communicate with the work you do. It’s challenging to take a huge idea and whittle it down to something so simple but these words will be your marker for all the work you do (also, don’t fret it too much – they can, should and will evolve). They will help you clearly define your purpose and to continually reinforce your voice in all that you do. For me this is when I call in my trusted friends to help. I’m too close to my own work. I see all its flaws and inconsistencies so I can’t really get a clear read on what I’m saying. I could tell you what it is that I am hoping to communicate but asking a few people what they see or how they feel when they look at my work has really helped me clarify my point of view.

So for example in my most recent evaluation of my visual voice I came up with the words: Beauty. Truth. Action.

Beauty: Through my images (along with my words and recipes) I want to encourage people to see and seek the everyday beauty that exists if we have the eyes to see it. Most often my images aren’t overly styled. I don’t use a large quantity of stunning props to elevate the food, instead I want the food to stand up for itself. This is why you will see a lot of close up shots on my site. I want to encourage my viewer to look at onions, for example, in a new way. To help you say, wow I never realized just how beautiful they are.

Truth: We are a busy, loud, messy family of five with a moody dog. I’ve been tempted in the past to put forth the lies of perfection because honestly, people love to believe that perfection can exist and I have watched so many people come after me and rise to success in part because of the fantasy they are sharing. I know that sounds terribly biased and I really don’t mean it too – again, the point of all of this is to say there is room for us all. I can’t force myself to communicate a message that defies who I am and what I truly want to put out there. I mean I guess I could but that is a quick and painful road to burnout. Yes, I put up pretty pictures here and on Instagram but they are real beauty – not overly staged or styled. They are images of me striving to find the beauty in our everyday as a reminder to myself and to you all that there is beauty in our own reality. Joy and sorrow; pain and triumph can coexist. My own temperament easily feels the weight of the world so I have to fight wildly to see the joy in this world. (If any of you are familiar with the Enneagram it’s probably now quite clear to you that I’m a 4). Using words and imagery I am attempting to win that battle on a daily basis.

Action: I’ll make this one brief, however its importance shouldn’t be lost. Basically I’m hoping that through the images on the blog you are inspired to action. Whether that means looking at your own reality with a bit of a new lense or bounding into the kitchen to make the latest recipe. The images are striking enough to inspire yet give you a sense of “hey, I can do that too!”

On a date with creativity

My relationship with my husband, Gabe is incredibly important to me. So we date to stay connected and to ensure that our friendship is thriving not simply surviving the realities in our everyday. Your creativity is also a relationship and one that needs to be nourished like any any other. So date your creative self. Go for long walks, read, sketch, visit a museum, take a class, write and photograph just for yourself. Your creativity needs to be fed in order for it to be at its best.

Most importantly remember that your greatest asset is you. You bring a lot to the table and have something to say that no one else can say in the same way. Trust your natural creative instincts and build on that. It’s scary and overwhelming – no creative will deny that but fear is good as long as it never gets too powerful to keep you from doing what you love. I’ll let Stephen Pressfield, the author of The War of Art (my favorite book about living a creative life) explain:

“Fear is good. Like self-doubt, fear is an indicator. Fear tells us what we have to do.

Remember our rule of thumb: The more scared we are of a work or calling, the more sure we can be that we have to do it.

Resistance is experienced as fear; the degree of fear equates to the strength of Resistance. Therefore the more fear we feel about a specific enterprise, the more certain we can be that that enterprise is important to us and to the growth of our soul. That’s why we feel so much Resistance. If it meant nothing to us, there’d be no Resistance.”

― Steven Pressfield, The War of Art

Keep shooting, keep writing, keep painting, keep dancing, keep playing and keep being you.

Resources:

I love reading books about the creative life. There is comfort in the communal feelings of doubt, insecurity and fear. Here are a few of my favorite reads on the subject:

Big Magic, Elizabeth Gilbert

Bird by Bird, Anne Lamott

The War of Art, Stephen Pressfield

Letters to a Young Poet, Rainer Maria Rilke

When it comes to the end of the year I’m just so excited to say good riddance to the current year and a big waving arms hello to a bright and shiny new year. So much so I’ll zip right on passed the reflection and jump immediately into how to make the next year the best one yet. With buzzy delight I make plans for what I hope to accomplish, think on huge bowls of salad, set lofty business goals, plan epic family adventures and figure out what YouTube exercise video I will sweat to for about a week or two.

This year, I think we might all agree, is one in which I am most eager to say a hearty GOODBYE!! But there is something missed when I jump right into planning and dream making and forget all about the check off goals, memories, delicious things, and even the humdrum of the everyday from the year past. This is the time of year in our family when the conversations around the dinner table and in the brief quiet moments in between activities are marked with some of our favorite days from the year.

Just moments ago I was sitting down with blank paper in hand getting ready to map out 2017 but before that I want to, with you by my side, look at 2016 and say thank you. Thank you for the memories, the lessons you taught us and the simple joys that marked our days. And to you all, thank you, seriously. From the very depths of my heart I say thank you – for being here, for adding to the conversation, for reading the words and adding your own, for inviting my food into your kitchen and for enabling me to do what I love. 2017 is going to be a great one but we’ll get there soon enough.

Travel. I think this is what I am perhaps the most grateful to this year for. It’s sort of ridiculous to look back over twelve short months and think on all the places I’ve been. 

In March I made my first ever trip to Paris and as one does, I fell completely in love with the city. The more time I spend away from that stunning place the more I realize how much I indeed love it.

In May I returned to Italy (the birthplace of my love of food) for the first time since I lived there in college. Once again I found God in my Carbonara.

In June/July we took the kids on a three-week European adventure. The effects of the trip continue to overwhelm and delight me. I love that my children are already building on their own travel memories and have real tastes, sights, smells, and sounds to recall. I fulfilled a lifelong dream of wandering through Monet’s Garden and bought art supplies from the same shop that has been supplying artists for generations. We discovered how much we all love ham and butter on baguettes and experience the perfect rain escape – Chocolat Chaud at Les Deux Magots. With great fervor I had planned on sharing more of that trip and if you are okay with it I’d still like to do so even though we’ve now been home for quite awhile.

There was also New York, LA, Sonoma, North Carolina, and most recently Washington D.C. There I, oh you know, just decorated Bo and Sunny sugar cookies with the White House Pastry Chef, Susan Morrison (!!!) Molly, Joy, and I quickly became what I’ll consider experts on piping the perfect red collar out of royal icing. After our time in the kitchen we gawked at the stunning holiday decor that adorned every room and kept our eyes peeled for the possibility of a Michelle sighting.

Home. This year we celebrated a year in our new home. Another year of beach picnics, ignoring the lavish garden plans I made but enjoying the raspberries and what few blueberries we found on our bush, and inviting people to our table. We also added a little pup, Lily, to the family. She’s a sweet rescue dog that is currently enrolled in puppy kindergarten which, we’re hoping that perhaps this training will save our socks. Fingers crossed.

Birthdays make me smile real big.

We started collaborating with talented friends. Our first was a ceramic project with Natalia from Plus Plus Design Lab. She made some stunning salt cellars to hold our new salts.

This summer I catered three dinners for my friend, Erin’s incredible flower workshops. Her site, Floret Flowers is an incredible resource for anyone who appreciates flowers. 

Food. We enjoyed some great food this year didn’t we? Here are a few of my favorites:

We don’t have to go back far to find this favorite. My friend recently made this Chanterelle Fondue for a small dinner party and I was reminded of how much I love this simple recipe. Particularly this time of year.

Blackberries. Chocolate. Caramel. Salt. Done.

This year you met Classy Ashley and her love for Frito Pie. 

We made roses out of rhubarb. 

Thanks again for being here. Now, as I start filling that blank page with thoughts on the new year I would love to hear what you’d like to see around here. One of my goals for the new year is to make this place a better resource so that we can all find joy in the kitchen and come to the table more often. I would love to help make that happen for all of us.

For well over a month now I’ve had a Google Doc open clicking over to it frantically as I’ve thought of the things in my life that make my toes tickle and my stomach flutter. The items on this list are things Gabe and I use, love and bring a little bit of shiny joy to our days.

I love love love giving gifts (I’m also a big fan of getting gifts). So much so that I will put off my holiday shopping because I’m always sad when the last gift has been purchased. Also, I’m terrible at keeping the gifts a surprise. Just ask Gabe. One year I bought his present on Christmas Eve and I couldn’t wait the twelve hours to give it to him on Christmas morning so I made him open it the moment I got home from the store. Speaking of Gabe, he is the best gift giver and so I am thrilled to have his input on this list. Seriously somehow he manages to give gifts that are perfect. So perfect you didn’t even realize you needed that gift and then you have it and life is a little better.

I feel like we covered a lot of ground with this list. Obviously there are a lot of food-centric gifts because if you hang out much around here then I’m guessing you like food. But we’ve also listed some of our favorites for the coffee lover, we have some seriously talented artists and good old fashioned baseball caps – that one is all Gabe but he sure does look adorable in his hat. We hope that these gifts bring some people in your life (or you) some of that sweet, simple joy.

Coffee Aficionado

1. Driftaway Coffee I’m a big fan of subscriptions for gifts. I mean how fun is it to get a gift that keeps on showing up at your house?! This coffee subscription starts with a tasting kit so that the following shipments are best suited to your taste. It is completely customizable and the coffee is great.

2. Coffee and Vinyl Pairings from Turntable Kitchen. Last year for Valentine’s day I gifted Gabe with a subscription to this service. I had intended on it being a three month gift but every month I love watching him brew a cup of coffee with local Slate beans then sit in his favorite chair while he listens to his vinyl record. It’s been almost a year and I have no intention of canceling anytime soon. Matt Hickey, the music half of Turntable Kitchens, carefully selects the music pairing each month and we’ve never been disappointed.

3. Aeropress Coffee Brewer $30 (Gabe’s pick) A space age coffee brewer for under $30? Yes, please. Usually when I’m traveling, I toss the aeropress in my bag. Easy to brew in a hotel or at the campsite. For a clean cup of coffee with minimal effort and cleanup, grab an aeropress.

4. Stanley Classic One Hand Vacuum Mug $20 (Gabe’s Pick) When I stop to think about the items in my house that I use on a daily basis my Stanley mug comes to mind. A few years back I inherited the classic large green thermos from my Grandfather that is great when out fishing all day or on road trips when sharing an entire pot of coffee. This individual thermos gives nod to the past but makes enjoying hot coffee possible for hours into my day. I toss it in the car and while little dented and scratched, my coffee never spills and rarely lasts long enough to get cold. I use the 16oz in green. Also available in Red and Navy!

5. Heath Ceramics – Stack mug $30 (Gabe’s Pick) Give your hands and lips something to look forward to in the morning besides your hot wife. These mugs have been making dining tables look good since the 1960’s and their quality ceramic keeps your coffee (or tea) warm. Hard to believe a mug this beautiful is microwave and dishwasher safe.

Passionate Cook

6. Nudo Adopt Give the gift of an olive tree! Seriously. Through Nudo adopt you can gift a friend an olive tree adoption. Your friend can choose the grove (there’s tasting notes with each area for easy selecting) where their tree lives then Nudo will send olive oil from that tree.

7. Portland Apron Company I bought one of these aprons at a pop-up shop that my friend’s host every year and this year I bought another. I wear it nearly everyday except when it’s in the wash – which is why I needed to buy another.

8. Earlywood – The flat spatula. I reach for these flat spatulas all the time. They are perfect for cooking and for serving.

9. Cast Iron Skillet This pan never leaves my stove. Once properly seasoned it can be used to fry eggs. It’s my chicken roaster, my frittata pan, my casserole dish, where I sear my steaks and at times it’s my cake pan. I even take it camping with me. Bonus: It’s only $15!

10. Marge Granola A morning favorite for every member of our family!

11. Opinel Pocket knife – No. 6 or 8 carbon blade $12 – $15 (Gabe’s Pick) Who doesn’t love a knife that can handle the campsite as well as the MoMa? This French beauty can’t wait to carve up your next picnic but will look good on your nightstand as well. The Opinel No8 (larger) or No6 (smaller) with a carbon blade would be my recommendation. They make a stainless blade that won’t rust, but I love the patina you can get on a carbon blade and they are sharp! (Grab one with an olive wood handle if you can find it.) And when your kids have enough fine motor skills to start writing their letters they can start whittling sticks. Opinel makes a great first pocket knife for kids with a rounded tip and easy-to-hold size.

12. Pure Maple Syrup Aged in Pappy Van Winkle Whiskey $38 (Gabe’s Pick) Pappy’s, for breakfast!?! For anyone who likes Bourbon and Syrup this is a no-brainer. So many possibilities with this stuff.

Cookbooks

13. Small Victories

14. Molly on the Range

15. Vanilla Bean Baking Book

16. Simple

17. Gjelina

18. Art of the Pie

Outside of the Kitchen

 

19. Le Labo Perfume Tubereuse 40 perfume. I had been on the hunt for the perfect perfume for several years. I’ve dragged Gabe into countless stores with me forcing him to smell my wrist until the cloud of dozens of intermingled scents drove us out. Then one day a package arrives from Le Labo. Now this is my perfume. It’s not overwhelming, floral but not so much so, light yet memorable. It’s my favorite thing to wear everyday. Yes, it’s a bit pricey but I’ve had mine for several months now and I’ve barely made a dent in the bottle.

20. 52 Lists for Happiness Book I love these lists for their soft reminders to focus on the good. It’s a great gift to give to anyone in your life. We all could use more happy.

21. Ebbets Field Flannel Baseball Cap $45 (Gabe’s Pick) This is not your grandpa’s hat… oh wait, it is (or was)!! I love baseball. But these guys take their love to a different level. They hand make replica baseball hats (and gear) of teams from the past. I encourage you to read some of the stories of the Chorizeros (yes, that’s “Sausage Makers” in Spanish). A Mexican-American minor league baseball team from Los Angeles in the 1950’s. Or the Seattle Rainiers which played in the Pacific Coast League in the first half of the 1900’s. I know I sound like an old man, but these hats are legit, and packed with stories. Also a great way to hear stories and make conversation with the old-timers.

22. Noonday Jewelry When you give a gift from Noonday it’s not just a beautiful accessory it’s also helping to provide for artisans all around the world. Multitasking is just about my favorite thing ever, in gift giving too. Dual purpose giving. Love it.

23. Autographed print by Seattle area creative Invisible Creature $30 (Gabe’s Pick) Good art can be affordable. I love this print by local creatives at Invisible Creature (Don & Ryan Clark). I’ve had the privilege of collaborating with Don on a few projects and their work is inspiring to say the least. They’ve also designed toys (collectible action figures if you’re an adult male) and some rad wooden blocks. Our kids are older now, but I still keep our Stack & Scare wooden blocks at my office to entertain any little ones that stop by to say hello.

24. Blackbird Hekkes Incense Over the last year I’ve become a big fan of incense. Filling the house with a soft perfume helps me relax. It’s often one of the first things I do when the kids head off the school – the time when I most need to relax. This one is a favorite. Not to overwhelming and lasts a long time.

25. Oxford Pennant $25 (Gabe’s Pick) “It’s not a Pennant, it’s an Oxford!” If you know anyone who appreciates the spirit of American Sports Tradition (or just needs a kick in the tuckus), an Oxford Pennant is a great gift. They have a variety of cities, slogans, and sayings. Something for anyone.

Art

Gifts that Truly Give