Porchetta, All Day Long!

You might think that with the holidays behind us, we’re stuck with a few dreary months of chill and rain and barren trees, not to mention the same old same old when it comes to meals.

But you forget, we’re in San Diego. The post-solstice days are growing longer. We suffer from very little chill and gloom. And we live in a year-round bounty of food.

So, I’m celebrating — specifically with a delicious meal of porchetta, served with homemade mustard and pickles with a side of grilled focaccia. I learned how to make it from chef Sid Hilarides, who leads the Oceanside kitchen of Allminerestaurant, owned by Roxana Pavel. Hilarides will be preparing this dish, which is on the menu as an appetizer and will be their featured dish for Oceanside’s Swell Plates Series from Jan. 14 to Feb. 11. And, with my new story for The San Diego Union-Tribune’s Food section, I have his recipes to share with readers! Many thanks, as always, to photographer K.C. Alfred for his gorgeous photos!

Resolution #1: Organize Your Kitchen

Now that holiday entertaining is behind us, we can take a hard look at the kitchen and figure out how to make it easier and more enjoyable to make big meals, bake dozens of cookies or just more efficiently feed ourselves daily. In other words, how about resolving to better organize your kitchen?

In my latest story for The San Diego Union-Tribune’s Home and Garden section, I have advice and tips from local designers and the team of organizers at The Container Store for how to do just that. It could inspire you to make a second resolution: cook more!

Winter Salads for a New Year's Win

Well, holiday indulging was fun, right? But now we’re in January, the annual period of vowing to eat less and eat healthy. That means focusing on everyone’s go-to healthy meal: salads—winter salads that are hearty, thanks to whole grains, tubers and root veggies, beans, winter squashes and proteins, along with some brightness from citrus. It may be winter, but there are so many fresh choices in San Diego. Our Green Affair in Solana Beach shares recipes for two of their salads to inspire us. Check them out in my latest story for The San Diego Union-Tribune’s Food section.

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!