Comfort and enjoyment: food at home
Read this one in your browser, not email — there are lots of photos and recipes!
Over the weekend, I was in Austin for my friend Chelsea’s bachelorette celebration. We spent a whole lot of time talking about good food and wine, which was characteristic of a bride who is also a foodie. Her house was stocked with natural wines, fancy chocolates and snacks (this popcorn was delicious).
We went to True Food Kitchen for brunch on Saturday (there are locations all over) and I had the egg scramble which is topped with brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes, onions and gouda (what a combo). My longtime pal, Olivia, had “The O.G.” to drink — it’s ginger, honey and lime — and let me take a sip. It was so good. I want to recreate it at home. For dinner Saturday night, we went to The Well (guacamole! ceviche! tacos!) and I wondered if Gwyneth Paltrow might walk in because the restaurant was upscale, yummy food that was also somehow healthy and served in a moody, boho-but-modern atmosphere. Oh and there was bone broth on the menu (the gals who tried it seemed to like it)!
We spent so much time talking about food over the weekend and Olivia and I chatted more about how important food can be in life as we were driving back to Dallas. Our conversation reminded me of something I learned in a sociology class during my freshman year of college: when you move or adopt a new culture, the thing you hold onto the longest from your home culture is food.
When José and I were newlyweds, people used to ask me what the most challenging or surprising thing was about being married. I always told them it was food. Our families had very different eating habits and we grew up with vastly different concepts of food: what was good, what was healthy, what was enjoyable and even how or when to eat. Some of it was humorous — like when I asked José if he wanted baked potatoes for dinner and he responded with, “no, I need something with flavor” — and we learned that our definitions of flavorful food were greatly impacted by our cultural differences. But there was something deep and meaningful underneath those squabbles: we both wanted to find comfort and enjoyment in food and we wanted to find it together.
Food is such a huge part of my life at home (and maybe yours too). Today’s newsletter is all about that. Read on for my favorite chefs and cookbook authors, plus the recipes we have on constant rotation and a discussion on functional home design (with a focus on food).
HOMES DESIGNED FOR REAL LIVING
Few things say home better than a pile of cookies and a bowl of fruit
I’ve mentioned before that my favorite homes are ones that look a little unkempt with books piled high on coffee tables, a collection of spices proudly displayed on a kitchen counter, or family photos and cut-out newspaper comics stuck to the fridge. It shows that someone’s living there, using the space.
Kitchens, pantries and utility rooms tell you a lot about how someone uses the home (I’m convinced that people who have clean kitchens without stuff piled on the counters just … don’t cook). And because food is so personal and can be so comforting, I love to see how people incorporate it into decor and design.
I just hung a new shelf in the utility room and have been debating about whether or not I want to buy aesthetically pleasing storage containers to display items à la this show or just throw my pantry items onto the shelf and call it a day. This picture of Carlos Sánchez-Garcia’s utility room solidified my decision to go with the former. Look at the stack of spices in their mismatched jars on that middle shelf. I love it. And the potted flowers and herbs too!
Designer, Meta Coleman, chose such a bright color for the pantry and mixed in antiques and decor items on the shelves to house functional things. I’m thinking about bright red or this funky green for my utility room.
Love the bowls of fruit on the tables in this home in Tangier which belongs to artist and designer Gavin Houghton.
How sweet is this photo? Note the boxes on the floor and the food items on the counter. It’s a room in use.
This is a store in Paris but … I want my house to look like it. Anyone else?
Stocked like it’s a fancy grocery store! Brings a whole new meaning to “shop your pantry.”
Collections on every surface and (what I assume are) cute trashcans below the counter.
MY FAVORITE FOOD WRITERS
And the best recipes from their blogs and books
Here’s my best home-cooking tip: find a chef (or a few) whose recipes fall at the center of your perfect meal Venn diagram and follow them to the ends of the earth. I first tried Sarah Copeland’s zucchini pasta years ago — it’s linked in the next section — and immediately got a copy of her book “Everyday Is Saturday” for myself. It’s still my favorite cookbook and I’ve made many recipes from it on repeat. What I love about her cooking is that the recipes use fresh fruits and vegetables in comforting, filling ways — like raspberry jam, the best chocolate chip cookies and a chicken soup with homemade broth, cilantro, avocado and tortillas.
Here are my favorite food writers and recipe creators.
Fresh, healthy, comforting food
Sarah Copeland, of course, is at the top of my list. Her newsletter is a joy to read and I have two of her cookbooks, “Every Day is Saturday” and “Instant Family Meals,” and we cook at least one of her recipes each week.
If you’re intrigued, start with the zucchini pasta I mentioned. Then, dive into the red curry shrimp from “Instant Family Meals” — we’re having it this week, and we did last week, and the week before — and make the chilaquiles from “Every Day is Saturday” for weekend brunch.
Recipes for weeknight dinners
Jenny Rosenstrach, the patron saint of weeknight meals, has hundreds of lovely recipes buried on her website and shared in her newsletter. While I don’t have a copy (yet!), reading excerpts of her recent book “The Weekday Vegetarians” helped me consider how we could make more veggie-heavy meals and omit meat when possible.
Start with the salmon salad and fish sandwiches (linked below). Her guide to vegetable fried rice is a great resource when you want something yummy but also need to clean out your fridge.
Healthy foods that could also be party foods somehow
We really love Daphne Oz’s recipe for salmon cakes (also below) and her cooking videos are fun to watch. This bundle of veggies would make a great side for a dinner party. I’m curious to try this vegan chickpea “tuna” salad. Also: watermelon season is coming!
RECIPE ROTATION
11 recipes we make at home all the time
We cook at home most days of the week and have a regular meal-planning rotation that we love. My favorite way to find new recipes is to hear what others are making. So, in that spirit, here are the recipes we make the most often.
After watching the movie “Chef” a few years ago, we started making aglio e olio almost every week alongside this salad.
I like this fresh, lemony chicken salad with spicy mayo for lunch during the week (here’s the recipe from a local restaurant, but take note: they took it off the menu, so you’ll have to make it at home).
I cooked mushroom risotto last night, based on this recipe (I leave out the peas).
Lemonade! Always!
Great for brunch, to have on the counter at home, or to take to a potluck, Ree Drummond’s coffee cake has a glorious measure of butter, sugar and cinnamon.
A little labor-intensive, sure, but we always get at least two meals out of these salmon cakes.
José says this cranberry cake is his favorite dessert (it’s so yummy).
Try this one-pot zucchini pasta. You won’t regret it.
I never knew a salad could be this good. Serve with toasted sourdough!
We make (and love) fish sandwiches with a simple coleslaw all year long. In the summer, I serve it with sliced tomatoes topped with salt and a bowl of chips.
Sarah Copeland’s take on Italian wedding soup is great for winter or rainy days (also in “Instant Family Meals”).
GOOD CHOICE
If you buy one fancy thing for your kitchen, let it be this.
It’s not a novel declaration, but here it is: a dutch oven from Le Creuset is the best kitchen item. We have a five-and-a-half ounce enameled one in the color meringue and I use it almost every time I cook on the stove. It’s splurgy, yes, but really — it’s a staple.
I tell all of my engaged friends to put one on their wedding registries. Also, if you’re shopping for kitchen items, I’d say to put this high on the list before you buy a set of pots and pans. You can use it in the oven or on the stovetop (even electric) and pop it in the fridge afterward when storing leftovers. It’s flexible and functional and, dare I say it, looks good sitting out on the counter.
NEXT WEEK
A whole newsletter of recommendations galore!
I’ve been taking notes on cool brands I’ve discovered and products I’ve bought and loved to share them with you next week. Tune in for a fun new makeup brand I’ve tried out (that’s been great for my super-sensitive skin), patio furniture ideas and some lovely blankets.
All the best,
Mary Grace