This is a drink to close out the year with - simple, strong, made for winter. It's a maple leaf cocktail (typically made with fresh lemon juice, maple syrup, and bourbon) with a few tweaks. I've been making them with whatever lemony-winter citrus is around. After starting with standard Eureka lemons, I branched out to Meyer lemons, and then onto yuzu, a varietal of Japanese citrus. Recently, I've been blending - the yuzu is intense, fat with seeds, on the dry side, while Meyers are more floral, with a softer flavor, positively gushing with juice. Continue>>

I left everything related to Christmas to the last minute - for a lot of reasons, but mostly because this endearing little beast of a project. Christmas tree? We've been watching them spring up in the windows of neighbors for weeks. We finally went to get one. But, not joking, it was ten minutes before the lot closed for the season. They were backing up the chipper. So, for today, a favorites list. Hopefully a good one, to close out the year. And for those of you looking for holiday recipe inspiration from the archives? You can't go wrong with: gougeres, cinnamon buns, Christmas cookies (particularly these triple ginger cookies, or black sticky gingerbread).

- Bulgarian Rose Oil production (via Tammy Frazer)

- This American Life Story Globe

- Boozy Whole Grain Eggnog Loaf

- Dream house: Ibiza

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Hi all - I thought I'd take a stab at a kid-friendly oatmeal cookie recipe today. Remember when Jack was tiny? Well, he's not anymore. And we cook and bake together when he comes to stay - imagine me hovering over him, pointing out hot surfaces every ten seconds. The number of times I utter the word careful is mind-numbing. He loves making Belgian waffles, blanching broccoli, and baking cookies. And he can whip egg-whites like a champ. It's super fun, although, I will say (like many adults I know) he tends to lose interest if a baking project is too involved. So, my plan is to try these cookies with him. It's a stove top dough, so I don't have to bother pulling out the big electric mixer, and there are all sorts of aspects I suspect he'll like - pounding fennel seeds with a mortar and pestle, using an egg-beater to blend the sugar and egg, and working with dough that transforms from little bumps to pancake flat in a short baking time. It's all quick to pull together, and the resulting cookies are razor thin and lacy, golden, freckled with poppy seeds, with and anise accent from crushed fennel seeds.Continue>>

If a quick scan through my in-box is any indication, many of you are curious about...living with marble counter tops. The questions just keep coming, month after month, which makes me think this post is long overdue. So, let's give it a shot. After living and cooking in a very active, marble-countered kitchen, I thought I'd share some opinions, a bit of advice, and a recipe for the orzo salad I made on them just yesterday. Sound good? I'll kick things off by saying, you'll either love marble or it will make you crazy, anxious, and neurotic.Continue>>

Hi all - I'm going to make this quick. Our basement flooded in the big storm last night, and although most of the things I cared about were safe on shelves, it's still a mess of soggy boxes down there. Lot's of them. It's one of those situations that gets progressively worse the longer you leave it, so guess where I'll be for the next day or two? But, I made this salad before the rain hit, and my intent was to share it with you, flood or no flood. It's the sort of salad that works this time of year, and you likely have the ingredients needed sprinkled about your kitchen - on counter tops, or in the crisper. It's hearty and substantial, colorful and crunchy - made with heirloom apples, shaved celery, and toasted nuts of your choosing. The dressing is crème fraîche spiked with rosemary, garlic and champagne vinegar - you could use sour cream.Continue>>

I saw Lucy Attwater when she came through San Francisco last Fall. She was the stylist on the feature I did with Whole Living Magazine, and we've kept in touch. That night we were chatting over drinks at Fat Angel and she was telling me about a fantastic shoot she'd just come from related to True Food Kitchen. Ditte Isager was the photographer and the cookbook was related to Dr. Weil's restaurants. It sounded great, I made a mental note to keep an eye out for the book - but as many of you know, these things can take time.Continue>>

Hi all! I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I thought I'd write a quick note to let you know we're just about ready to share our holiday collection of items for QUITOKEETO. I thought a bit of a photo preview might be in order while we scramble to get things ready for a Monday morning opening. There will be a handful of new items we're incredibly excited about, a sprinkling of favorites we were able to get back in stock (finally!), and you'll also see a handful of new recipes. Most of you know this already, but if you want to know exactly when the shop is open, the mailing list is here. We're shooting for Monday morning at 8:30 PST, and I hope you enjoy the shop as much as we enjoy pulling it together! xo -hContinue>>