Jump to Recipe Two-Bit Story: My elementary school was two houses and one side street away from my home, which meant I walked home from school each day and, if school was out at 3:05, I was often home by 3:10. One of my strongest “getting home from school” memories was my hand on the screen door handle, waiting to pull it open, and smelling the yeasty goodness of fresh bread wafting from the kitchen and down the hallway to my nose.

If you’ve read Gluten for Punishment: Just Desserts for the Heartbroken, Lovesick, and Jilted or have been curious about the stories and desserts behind it, I’ll be discussing the book on Saturday, September 12 at Fair Trade Long Beach. We’ll talk about the book, the strange territory where food, heartbreak, memory, and humor collide, and whatever (or whoever) else the conversation decides to drag into the room.

Jump to Recipe Two-Bit Stories: My ex-boyfriend asked me what I found so compelling about Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles and Interview with the Vampire specifically. He had read Interview as a 59-year-old man and had difficulty comprehending how the woman he knew, whose influences include Franz Kafka, Kurt Vonnegut, and Oscar Wilde, could be so attached to this particular gothic horror novel.

Jump to Recipe Two-Bit Musings: I’ve been out of the baking game lately…and I’ve been struggling to get my groove back: a recipe test here, a middling loaf of bread there. Marketing my book seems to have strangled out the kitchen time I have always lovingly carved out for myself (and writing time, too!). This will not do. To quote Jamie Tartt in…

Jump to Recipe Today's Musings: I recently stumbled upon the Netflix show Home Town, and I have to say, it’s the kind of cozy, charming renovation show that makes you want to bear the sweltering, sticky heat of Mississippi just to snag a renovated house for about $150K in Laurel. While binge-watching, I landed on the episode where Erin and Ben discover Miss Dot’s pound cake recipe tucked away in an old kitchen cabinet.

Jump to Recipe Today's Recipe: "Scattered Energies Leads to Unfulfilled Potential." That’s a tarot reading I received more than twenty years ago. It’s the only one I still remember—and for good reason. I whisper that reminder to myself daily, with my scattered energies flying about in all directs, often feeling like a Jill of all trades, master of one, maybe two at best.

Jump To Recipe Today's Musings: This is a recipe from 2017 that I remade last night for a little get-together and updated the recipe as well. I wanted to update the post, but keep my 2017 musings...p.s. I did NOT ever buy the inn. I’m heading to Chimayo in New Mexico next week to look at a potential inn to buy.

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Jump to Recipe Today's Recipe: After making Gâteau de Bourgogne earlier this week, I still had three-quarters of a bottle of burgundy sitting around. And, with it being the middle of winter, I had to make a cozy, satisfying Beef Bourguignon. I learned the epitome of Beef Bourguignon during culinary school: French instructor, 48 hours of top sirloin marinated in wine and spices, house-made demi-glace.

Jump to Recipe Today's Thoughts: Holiday leftovers? Oui, oui.I’m pressing pause on my French travels for a moment to share my favorite solution to an overstuffed fridge. I made this soup last week, loved it so much, and promptly made it again. What started as a clean-out-the-fridge situation turned into something far better than planned. It’s creamy, smoky, and exactly the kind of hearty comfort you want on a cold winter night.

Jump to Recipe Today’s Musings: We’ve traveled (culinarily speaking) to Arles, the heart of Provence. This wasn’t just another picturesque landscape for Vincent Van Gogh — it was a living, breathing canvas. He arrived in 1888, hoping the southern sun and light would revive both his spirits and his work. And revive he did. The Provençal sun transformed his palette. Fields of wheat, olive groves, and the surrounding countryside burst into color, revealing a golden light that had seemed hidden from him in the muted north.

With this recipe, explore the flavor of Navettes de Marseille and discover the charm of the of Mediterranean city of Marseille.

Jump to Recipe TODAY'S MUSINGS: “You’ve written the book. The hard part is over.” Those infamous words spilled from my editor’s mouth after my final-final edits were complete — just about a year ago, on November 25, 2024. I still chuckle over that utterance weekly, often many times a week. Finishing the book was, without question, the hardest thing I’ve ever done — mentally and emotionally.