Hi! I'm a writer currently based in Los Angeles, who also spends time in Bordeaux, Paris, and Honolulu. I write about food, wine, travel, health, fitness, and general lifestyle.
Sustainable travel guide: Oahu, Hawaii
The Hawaiian Islands are some of the most isolated in the Pacific, meaning they’ve had eons to grow their own delicate ecosystem that only gets more fragile as technology churns and burns onward.
Oahu — home to Honolulu, Waikiki, and two-thirds of the state’s population — is only 44 miles long and 30 miles wide. Every inch of these hills, mountains, and valleys is precious. The tour and travel experiences below are sustainable, low-footprint ways to celebrate the land and sea, for kamaaina (l...
The 7 Best Quesadilla Makers of 2020
“Quesadillas are to Mexicans as the grilled cheese is to the average American,” says Chef Olivia Hernandez, owner of Austin-based Hernandez Hospitality. While her favorite quesadilla is a corn tortilla filled with Oaxaca cheese, grilled onions, and squash blossoms, in its most basic form, a quesadilla s...
What My French Family Taught Me About Breaking Out the Good China
In the house where I grew up, we had two living rooms: a formal one that we weren’t allowed to sit in, and the other that housed the television and, often, our overflowing toys and books. When my French husband visited my family home for the first time, the dual living room situation confused him: The house isn’t particularly large, and my parents don’t regularly host guests, so the formal living room sat empty most of the time. After some convincing, my parents gave us free rein to rearrange...
4 Make-Ahead French Sandwiches for a Très Magnifique Lunch
I’d never been a sandwich girl—until my first visit to France. That was when I realized that there’s no other French “fast food” as simple and as widely adored as something delicious between two slices of bread. Good baguette, an assortment of charcuterie, strong mustard, and salted butter are all readily available and fairly inexpensive no matter where in the country you find yourself, meaning an excellent sandwich is never out of reach.
When we visited my in-laws, my belle-mère quickly thre...
The 15 Best Gifts for New Cooks
If you have a friend who has only recently learned how to cook, it's likely that their kitchen holds only the most essential tools. Help them expand their culinary expertise (and kitchen gadget collection) by gifting them with something from this list, where you'll find suggestions for beginning bakers ...
There's a 'Best' Rug for Your Home—Here's How to Choose
Wall-to-wall carpeting was on my list of “features to desperately avoid” when scouting for my last apartment. I’d been living in a San Francisco studio where the landlord had installed such a carpet in approximately 1995. On several occasions, I borrowed a steam cleaner and meticulously scoured the fabric in the hopes of getting it as close as possible to its original off-white hue, but after years of being walked upon, my efforts proved futile. (And I won’t even get into how much dirt that s...
These 5 Classic French Foods Were Created by Mistake
Even though I’ve been cooking my French husband’s favorite dishes for nearly a decade, I tend to follow recipes closely with very little room for improvisation.
But maybe it's time I reconsider: When I looked more deeply into France’s gastronomic history, I found that some of the most beloved recipes were born from mistakes. (Like, an errant addition of hot cream, or a chef caught off guard without the correct ingredients on hand.) After all, a little deviation never hurt anyone!
Here are fiv...
The 6 Best Stand Mixers for Bread of 2020
Bread machines are great, but you can make bread without them. Combining the ingredients in a stand mixer and oven-baking is another great method. The KitchenAid Artisan Series stand mixer might be the most iconic model out there, known for its durability and performance when mixing everything from meri...
7 Indoor Plants That Are Near-Impossible to Kill
With all the gorgeous, plant-filled interior spaces I’ve seen lately, it seems like any room could benefit from a little greenery. Even science says so: NASA's famous Clean Air study shows that certain indoor plants can provide a natural way of removing toxins like formaldehyde and ammonia from the air. Other research shows that just having plants around improves focus, lowers anxiety, and increases productivity. Yet another study concluded that people experience an unconscious calming reacti...
6 Exotic Fruits Worth Trying
You don’t have to fly to an exotic beach to get a taste of the tropics — some of the most delectable fruits from faraway places are increasingly available at your local grocery store or farmers market. While it’s always important to prioritize what’s in-season, you can occasionally splurge for more unusual fruits. After all, incorporating new options into your diet is a great way to enjoy a healthy snack or add more flavor to staples like oatmeal, smoothies or salads...
5 Shredded Salads in 10 Minutes or Less
Shredded vegetable salads are a perfect go-to meal in warm weather since they’re fresh, light and bursting with nutrients and flavor thanks to a rainbow of colors. Even if you’re a novice in the kitchen, you’ll be able to create these vibrant dishes using a few staples and a good knife or food processor.
As a bonus, these simple recipes come together in just 10 minutes and can easily be customized with your favorite lean protein or different veggies.
Beloved in France, a carrot salad known as...
6 Space-Saving Tricks for Tiny Kitchens
My first apartment in San Francisco was a well-lit 1920s studio on California Street that had a kitchen with capacity for roughly three-fourths of one person at a time. The storage space was virtually nonexistent: I had a single, tiny wall of cabinets abutting the stove (rendering one section of shelf inaccessible), and just one cabinet next to the kitchen sink.
But a decade later, comprising a stint at Williams-Sonoma HQ, a wedding, and two increasingly larger apartments, I’d officially amas...
Eat Your Way To Healthy Skin For National Healthy Skin Month - Thermomix USA
An interview with Dr. Mona Vand about how best to keep your skin healthy and hydrated all year long.
Entertain Every Wedding Guest With These Tasty Treats - Thermomix USA
Current wedding food trends in 2018.