Welcome to the weekend. I hope that you’re keeping well as Winter starts to downshift ever so slightly. So sorry for missing our weekly catchup here last week. I was still recovering from covid, but I’m feeling a lot better now. My sense of smell and taste still isn’t 100%, but I’m glad that my energy levels are good and that basically everything else is back to normal. One of the first things that I was able to actually taste afterward was chocolate, which was a huge blessing :). I’ve been going deep on taking extra good care of myself amidst the covid recovery and a few other things. I’m getting outside whenever I can, eating lots of vegetables, and keeping the hydration flowing.

Here’s a few things that I’m reading and enjoying lately. As always, if you think of questions for me to answer next week, simply leave a comment on this post or email me privately. Take care 💗

5 Things I’m Reading:

1. 8 Rules of Love by Jay Shetty
2. Why We Walk
3. Mushrooms aren’t here to destroy us–or to save us
4. Instagram Chief Says Photos Will Get More Focus on the App in 2023 (the note on Instagram seemingly losing its way is something I’ve been saying for years)
5. You may be thinking about animals all wrong (even if you’re an animal lover)

5 Things I’m Enjoying:

1. Calling this place a “camp” seems to be selling it short, but it sure is beautiful and quirky.
2. Hoping to start Murder in Big Horn this weekend
3. I was recently gifted a Headspace subscription and am really enjoying their courses and focus music options.
4. Can’t stop snacking on these cherry and dark chocolate bites.
5. My favourite candle right now is Focus by Wildcraft. Forest-y with a little grapefruit lift. Perfect for counteracting winter blahs.

5 Questions:

1. What excites you about a new cookbook given that you develop recipes and cook?
   Usually it’s a familiarity with the author’s work that gets me excited. For example, any time Ottolenghi releases a new cookbook, I’m super excited because I just love his cooking style and that of his collaborators too. Aside from that, sometimes a singular subject really excites me. Also dinner-centric cookbooks really do it for me–Ali Slagle’s I Dream of Dinner is a great one–a bit unconventional but super inspiring.
2. Could you please recommend a replacement for coconut milk?
   I get this question surprisingly often. Coconut milk is rich and slightly sweet. The best replacement I’ve found is cashew milk and some brands of oat milk/oat-based creamer do the job too!
3. Any go-to strategies for getting out of a cooking rut?
   This happens to me a lot. I try to get back into it when I have some legitimate time and energy to devote to cooking. I’ll opt for something that I really love/find a bit comforting too–usually homemade pizza or gnocchi or something like that. Just something that’s familiar that I can get lost in the process of a bit, something that’s slightly meditative and reliant on feel. Taking my time and giving my full attention to this familiar thing that I really love usually does it for me. Most of the time, this approach leads to creativity and inspiration going forward.
4. What recipe would you recommend new first messers make?
   First of all I love the term “first messers” so much. One of my favourite recipes I’ve ever posted here is my Hearty Mushroom & Beet Bolognese. I’m just really proud of it and love the deep flavour that’s achieved purely from plants. It hits all of those comfort notes and is amazing to serve to vegan-skeptics as well. The most popular recipe on my site is still this Ginger Sweet Potato & Coconut Milk Stew, so I’d recommend that one too :)
5. What equipment do you use to take photos and shoot Reels?
   I currently use a Canon EOS 60D body. I had a EOS 5D Mark II prior to that that broke in the midst of the pandemic’s peak and I never got around to getting it repaired (the camera shop gave me a 4 month timeline on a repair, which definitely wasn’t going to work given the frequency of posts here!). I really want to check in on it again though because I did prefer the Mark II overall. The main lens I use is Canon’s EF 24-105mm f/4L. I edit the photos in Lightroom using my own presets and sometimes the Mastin Labs film presets. For Reels, I shoot with my iPhone using this mount and edit them/stitch clips together in Final Cut Pro. I should note that the super professional videos that you see on some of my recipes here (and on my YouTube channel) are all done by October Creative. They are total pros!