Clik here to view.
Love. Joy. Justice: December 9th
Last Sunday was a big day in Washington State. In February of this year, an equal marriage rights bill was passed by the state legislature and signed into law by Governor Christine Gregoire....
View ArticleClik here to view.
Holiday
When I started working as a freelance writer, I asked a lot of questions. I wanted advice from people who had been working for themselves a long time, running their own businesses. I wondered if they...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Clean and Clear
The two days leading up to New Year’s, I spent a lot of time on my hands and knees. I wasn’t praying, or even doing yoga. I was cleaning. It’s been more than a decade since I left Japan, but I still...
View ArticleClik here to view.
A Year of More
It’s hard to miss all the resolutions this time of year—new intentions, better habits, green smoothies, earlier to bed, faster to run. We are all so resolute and well meaning in the beginning of...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Balance, with Asian Cabbage Salad
Oh, January—you are such a funny month. After weeks of indulgence we embrace green smoothies and vegetables for dinner. Gone are the breakfasts of Christmas cookies (I can’t be the only one, can I?)...
View ArticleClik here to view.
A Tree for the Birds
My sister-in-law comes from a family that does Christmas in a big present sort of way, but that’s not how I grew up. We had some presents, but that wasn’t the biggest part of the holiday, it’s not...
View ArticleClik here to view.
What to Eat in January
Oh, January, January. What are we to do with you? It’s cold. For many of us it’s dark. We don’t have any snow in Seattle (yet), but plenty of other folks do. Here, we just have ice. So we need to keep...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Orchard House
My mother moved to Seattle a little more than three years ago, lured north by the small fingers and wispy blonde heads of her grandchildren. Both of her children and all of her grandchildren were now,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Jeweled Rice: Cookbook Club Does Persian
Thank you, thank you, for your enthusiasm, excitement, sweet comments and well-wishes on the book announcement. I can’t tell you how much it means to me. Walking a creative path is often challenging,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Frost in the Garden
The past two weeks have been cold here in Seattle, colder than normal. Instead of grey and drizzly days, we’ve had ice and sunshine, frost and clear skies. No snow, unfortunately, but lots of frost....
View ArticleClik here to view.
A Golden Syrup Sort of Morning
There’s really no good explanation for how I feel about England. My family spent a bit of time there when I was young—but not long enough, and not at an age where I would remember. But perhaps that is...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Big Read
This past year I visited a windswept rocky point in Newfoundland, then retreated with a stack of paper to a tumbling down castle tower. I ventured into underground tunnels with a band of seekers, and...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Stealth Vanilla Raspberry Cupcakes
You’re going to have to forgive my awful frosting job. I don’t really “do” cupcakes. I don’t even like cupcakes. At least not most of them. And yet I made cupcakes. What can I say? It’s Valentine’s...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Better Living Through Roasted Vegetables
I forget, every time, that February is actually the longest month in the year. It is when you live in a cold-weather climate. The holidays are over, even the afterglow of January and its do-better...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Visit to a Tulip Farm
The highlight of my week was a visit to a tulip farm—Alm Hill Gardens, just short of the Canadian border. It was part of my work writing the farm-to-table series for Edible Seattle, something I always...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Everyday Indulgences
I was recently asked what is my biggest kitchen splurge, and I have to say, the question brought me up short. When I really thought about it, I don’t think of much in my kitchen as a splurge. Most of...
View ArticleClik here to view.
So it Begins
If you walk into my mother’s house these days, you might hear it: an ever so slight buzzing noise. It comes from the grow lights that hang over the trays where she is sprouting seeds, starting the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Bright Colors and Good Cheer: Weekend Waffles
We could probably just call 2012 the year of the waffle and leave it at that, but it seems that waffles are the gift that keep on giving. My cookbook club has taken up the waffle banner and waves it...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Pro Series: Writing Your First Book
For a while now I’ve wanted to talk about professional writing and blogging issues. I considered starting another site to focus on it, but since many of you are creative types—and since, as my...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Teach Them to Yearn
Last night I found myself, on a rainy evening after a long day of work, needing to make dinner. I suspect it is a place we all find ourselves from time to time. I hadn’t planned well and was one...
View Article
