Welcome to the kitchen!

Hi, friends. (I’m assuming there are mostly friends on here right now.)

Here she is: a humble old low-fi blog as a medium to share practical insight into my favorite topics of all time, cooking and hosting. Two things inspired this idea: one, my friend Elan always calls me while walking to Trader Joe’s on the UWS and asks me what to make for dinner; two, my friend Dan hosted a presentation party where I presented a 4-minute slide deck outlining my best hosting hacks for the 80+ dinner parties Zach and I have hosted over the last 3.5 years. Both experiences got me thinking: My friends seek out advice from me on this topic. Why not put that advice all in one place? (Also, I miss writing things that aren’t emails or Slack messages.)

Think of this as a weekly letter from your friend who just wants you to be nourished all week so you can be your best self. On Sunday nights, which is when I’ll ideally be sending these out, I usually plan and do some degree of meal prep for the week: grocery shopping will also happen at some point, although I’d be lying if I said I didn’t go multiple times a week to maximize freshness and creativity and minimize waste.

ANYWAY. There are a lot of topics I want to cover, including, but not limited to: weekly meal ideas (which will likely be included in some form every week), building a perfect pantry, hosting tricks, things I picked up from my mom (the ultimate hostess), things I picked up from my sister Marissa (an impressive baker/cook) and my friend Gaby (a professional chef), and other thoughts as they relate to the wonderful world of self-nourishment.

I’ll pause for now. Any questions? None?

Okay — I’ll leave you with a few things that are top of mind for me this week. It won’t be a full meal plan because I’m traveling but these are some things I can’t wait to make when I get home:

• Roasted carrots with feta

• A sauce made with blended cashews, miso, cilantro, garlic, and jalapeños that I saw on Instagram (would be so good with fish and roasted veg)

• Pasta once Passover is over - I especially have been craving one with capers, lemon, garlic, canned Italian tuna, and hot pepper flakes

• Grilled chicken thighs (in the cast iron) with crispy roasted asparagus (in the oven in a sheet pan with a little EVOO, salt, and black pepper at 400 for 20 min)

• Maitake mushrooms which are just beyond delicious

• Fancy matzah pizza (veggies! garlic! oregano! hot honey!)

Was that fun? I had fun. I want this to be a place for us to have fun! Also, if you have a better name for this blog, let me know. Nothing too punny.

Let me know what you’re making this week. Also, don’t forget to do your skincare routine. Love you good night!!!!

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