Notes from Home: February

Food, garden, and everyday life in Marin.

In the Kitchen

We’ve been sick on and off since Christmas, and all I’ve wanted are warm, nourishing foods that feel cozy and restorative. There has been a lot of soup, a lot of pasta, and plenty of heavier sauces than we might normally eat, but sometimes comfort simply wins.

My current favorites are:

Chickpeas al Limone with Burrata by Hetty Lui McKinnon (The New York Times)
Will anyone else in my family eat this? No. Do I love it and devour it regularly? Absolutely. The lemon, creamy burrata, and chickpeas are just a perfect combination, bright but still comforting.

Turkey Chili by Pierre Franey (New York Times)
My husband doesn’t eat red meat, so this is a hearty alternative that still feels deeply satisfying. It also makes an excellent lunch the next day, which is always a win during busy weeks. I add finely chopped carrots and zucchini for sweetness.

Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes (America's Test Kitchen)
This is a favorite for my four-year-old to help with. He doesn’t stay for the entire process, but he’s getting more involved each time, which I love.

Mama’s Pesto Pasta (my winter edition)
When everyone is tired and hungry, pasta with a good sauce and plenty of Parmesan solves most problems.

• Fusilli (or whatever you have on hand)

• Gina’s Pesto (available in most shops in Marin)

• Strauss heavy whipping cream

• Parmesan (I buy the organic from Costco, as we go through so much)

• Pine nuts (again, organic bulk from Costco)

• Pangrattato (from Mill Valley Pasta), or “sprinkles” as they are known in our house

Once the pasta is drained, mix the pesto and cream into it. Serve in bowls and top with Parmesan, pine nuts, and pangrattato. If you’re feeding adventurous eaters, sauté some vegetables in butter to add to the sauce. I usually serve it with a citrus salad, aka mandarins I peel at the table or oranges I cut up.

Right now, though, I mostly want to snuggle up with the kids, not endlessly chop vegetables, so there has also been a fair amount of takeout. I’m a terrible snob about food, so here’s where we’ve been ordering:

• Three Stone Hearth They deliver to Marin on Fridays. You can stock up your freezer, and we often order with neighbors to offset the delivery fee.

• Good Earth Natural Foods soups. I especially recommend the miso, minestrone, and chicken soup. Yes, miso doesn’t take long to make, but after a long workday sometimes I just don’t feel like it.

• Souvla It’s no secret their food is delicious. The potatoes are truly to die for.

• Pho (various local spots). We order it at least once every ten days. I honestly don’t know how our family would get through winter without it.

I’ve been reflecting on how much the kitchen becomes the center of family life when everyone is home and indoors more than usual. I personally love a sofa in a kitchen for this reason. It’s something I notice consistently when walking through homes with clients. The spaces where people gather and actually live their lives, where they eat, recover, and reconnect with each other, are always the ones that matter most.

In the Garden

It’s raining too much to do anything productive in the garden. Any mucking about right now will only compact the soil, so I’m trying to exercise restraint.

Yes, I want to prune the wisteria harder. Yes, I want to cut back the shrub roses a bit more. But for now, I’m staying inside and planning.

Garden planning in February is almost as fun as actually gardening for me. I keep a handwritten garden journal that I refer back to religiously each year. It’s a bit old-fashioned and not terribly efficient, but that’s not really the point. It isn’t optimized for productivity. I simply derive great joy from it.

This weekend, the boys and I may start some nasturtium and calendula seeds indoors. I couldn’t possibly commit at this moment, though.

Around the House

We have been sick forever.

No amount of bone broth, fresh air, or seasonal produce seems capable of saving us, and at this point I’m accepting defeat, making another cup of tea, and attempting to do one of my least favorite things: go with the flow.

The house has felt especially full these past few weeks. More pajamas, more blankets, more paper airplanes, more toys “we will mend,” and more piles of bits and pieces. So I’m spring cleaning early. I try to do a little each morning, usually going room by room and collecting as many donations as possible.

Winter has a way of pulling everyone inward, and if we’re going to be cozy indoors, I want the house to feel as calm and restful as possible.

If you are also in this phase, solidarity.