Remember how I wrote that article for NPR about quinoa? And how surprised I was that so many people also share the quinoa-love (it’s still hanging in there in the top-emailed story list, nearly a month later)? Well, now I feel like I’ve totally kept back the best recipe of all — except, [...]

[Bodega Head, December 2006.]
Each year on Thanksgiving I can’t help but reflect on the things for which I’m particularly grateful. Today, I feel very thankful for
- This beautiful place in which I live — in all its bright sun and crashing ocean, redwood forests and bay trees that sweeten the air
- The 6 miles [...]

[Arch Rock Trail, Pt. Reyes National Seashore, 2006.]
Truth be told, my ideal Thanksgiving doesn’t take place inside. No; it is intead in a forest — a redwood grove, such as Jack London State Park, perhaps, or Armstrong Woods — on a day when it’s chilly enough to snuggle into your favorite down vest, but [...]

[Table setting, August 2007.]
A good meal needs a good presentation, which is why I often spend at least 10 minutes thinking about what dish ware to put on the table to make it look nice. (I suppose 10 minutes really isn’t that much time, but there’s that whole full-time job thing I have going on [...]

Today is my ‘little’ brother’s birthday — happy birthday Kurt! He called me all the way from Greece this morning so it was more like my birthday than his, in a way. But that’s OK because he knows I love him even though I didn’t send a card (right, baby? You [...]