New Year's Sweets from Karen Krasne

If you’re a New Year’s homebody, it doesn’t mean you can’t create something special in the way of a meal or appetizers at home with family and friends, whether it’s New Year’s Eve or perhaps New Year’s Day.

Karen Krasne, who has owned Extraordinary Desserts for more than 30 years and is known for her extravagant, flower-petaled creations, has provided us with a few special dessert recipes to share that can be all shimmery and champagne-ready or a tad more down to earth, depending on whether you want to keep things simple or zhuzh ’emup. Get the recipes in my latest story for The San Diego Union-Tribune’s Food section! And many thanks to Nel Cepeda for the gorgeous photos! Happy New Year!

Enjoy an Italian American Tradition: The Feast of the Seven Fishes

If you watch The Bear, the episode of the chaotically intense “Fish” is burned into your brain. Hopefully, the Feast of the Seven Fishes in your home is far more tranquil and celebratory than the Bersattos’, and no cars come crashing into the house during the meal. I was intrigued by this Italian-American Christmas Eve tradition and approached chef Accursio Lota of Cori Trattoria Pastificio and his new restaurant Dora near the La Jolla Playhouse on UCSD’s campus to share his recipes and experiences with the tradition in his native Sicily—because those feasts started there but in Italy were just known as Christmas Eve. Check out my new story for The San Diego Union-Tribune’s Food section to get three of Lota’s seafood recipes.

And thank you to K.C. Alfred, as always for shooting such beautiful photos!

Start Your Own Native Garden

With water becoming ever more expensive and San Diego seemingly chronically in drought, it can feel harder to justify planting a garden filled with thirsty species. The great news is that there are plenty of resources for both homeowners and renters who want to migrate to growing native plants, and it doesn’t have to be an either/or decision. If you understand your plants’ needs, you can grow natives and have a vegetable garden, citrus trees or ornamentals that you love.

I spoke with several local experts who gave me truly helpful advice on how to do this—and all their insights and tips are in my new story for The San Diego Union-Tribune’s Home and Garden section. This is the perfect time to get started, so jump on in!

Creating a Dream Room for Guests

The holidays are approaching and if you’re hosting guests for a night or two — or more — how comfy is your guest room? Even if the room is on the small side or shared with a home office, ideally you want your guests to feel welcome, to sleep well at night, have space to put their belongings and not have to worry about disturbing you.

If you’re just starting out with your own home or are decorating a new space, I’ve got some suggestions by experts on where to start in my latest story for The San Diego Union-Tribune’s Home and Garden section.

Vegan Cookies for the Holidays

The holidays are creeping up. Many of us are already planning what kinds of cookies we’re going to make for holiday parties or cookie exchanges. But now, not only do we have to decide between family favorites and trying some cool-looking new recipes we saw on Instagram or TikTok, but we may also need to adapt because we’re vegan, have egg allergies or are gluten-free — or have family or guests who are. Now what?

The great news is that if you want to accommodate those who are vegan, it’s very easy to make vegan cookies with readily available ingredients. Plus, you aren’t giving up any of the flavor and texture you love in your traditional recipes. For my new story for The San Diego Union-Tribune’s Food section, Maya Madsen, founder and CEO of Maya’s Cookies, has shared a couple of her recipes and explained how simple it is to make scrumptious cookies that anyone will enjoy, even those who aren’t vegan.

Zhuzhing Up Your Dining Area

Will you be hosting holiday gatherings this year? Do you host intimate weekend meals for friends and family? Eat meals daily at a table with your family or roommates? Heck, where do you eat when you’re at home?

I spoke with three San Diego-based designers for my new story for The San Diego Union-Tribune’s Home and Garden section who have created beautiful and imaginative solutions for dining spaces — some defined and others that are part of great rooms — to get ideas and some general rules for outfitting a dining area.