Early winter miscellaneous drawer...

a little of this, a little of that....

Hi friends,

Today is a miscellaneous mix of things I wanted to share with you. xooxox Julia

P.S. I’ll be offering TWO classes this weekend — maybe see you in one or both?!

• Saturday 12/9 at 2p EST: Latke Hour! (just $25)

• Sunday 12/10 at 2p EST: Basic Knife Skills (with Bonus Soup!)

A POWERLIFTING UPDATE!

A couple of weeks ago I competed in my second ever powerlifting meet. I’ll be sharing something exciting next month about powerlifting (suspense!), but until then I just wanted to share a few photos from the meet with you here today not to brag (…maybe just a little), but because I think finding a fun new hobby as an adult is a great thing to celebrate! Especially one that helps you feel at home in your body. Do any of you have something like this you’d like to celebrate? Tell us in the comments so we can cheer you on!

Me bench pressing a lot of pounds! The bench is my favorite of the three lifts we do in powerlifting….you get to lay down! Photo by Marissa Booth (@nnovaturientt)

Me about to take the bar off the squat rack. Very focused! Photo by Marissa Booth (@nnovaturientt).

I came in 2nd in my weight class! Just after Alex who is so STRONG!!!! And followed by Hailey who is also so strong!! Photo by Marissa Booth (@nnovaturientt).

SOME REALLY GOOD FOOD MOMENTS

Upper left corner (first photo): I was helping out at Long Season Farm last week and noticed this tiny bok choy popping out of these young red lettuce plants and it just brought me so much joy.

Upper right corner (second photo): I brought home a pound of LSF’s braising mix (lots of small leaves of various cooking greens) and steamed them before I sautéed them with lots of olive oil and garlic and they just looked SO STUNNING in this gorgeous bowl made by Alexis Tellefsen and I just had this sweet moment of realizing I know so many people who grow/make such beautiful things and I am grateful to be able to enjoy them!

Bottom left corner (third photo): My dad’s birthday is today (happy birthday DT!) and my mom’s birthday was last week (yes they’re both Sagittarius!) so Grace and I had them and my grandma over for lunch this weekend. I served those greens plus roasted potatoes, a radicchio + fennel salad, slowly braised lamb I cooked for six hours with white beans, and a punchy herb sauce. All the vegetables were from LSF! (Notes for informal recipes for all these at the end of this newsletter for paid subscribers!!). For dessert, I made this pistachio cake from

the smitten kitchen digest

because both of my parents LOVE pistachios and served it with softly whipped cream and raspberry jam (actually no one took me up on the jam except for me and I was very pleased with my decision).

Bottom right corner (fourth photo): Yesterday I was portioning these cups of winter radishes at Full Fridge Club for our clients (they went with a delicious pinto bean dip topped with a tomatillo relish) and they were just so beautiful! Can you tell I love vegetables?! Also a reminder if you’re in the Hudson Valley and would like me + Emmet to cook for your holiday table: our Holi“gay” a la carte menu is open for orders! Order by 12/18 and pickup in Kingston on Saturday 12/23. If you’re not in the area but would still like to support our community fridge donations, you can do that right here ($20/meal).

LOOKING FOR AN EASY HOLIDAY GIFT IDEA? How about gift cards to my cooking classes?! You can get them for whatever amount you’d like right here.

• You don’t have to pick a specific class(es) to give— your recipient can choose!

• Gift cards don’t expire!

• Gift cards can be applied to upcoming live classes (there will be a ton more in 2024!) or recorded classes in my on-demand library (there are over 80 classes!).

• This is a really fun thing to gift a friend or family member who lives far away and then you can do a class together. I know a lot of people who do this and then they eat together afterwards on FaceTime or Zoom and it allows you to do something together even when you’re apart which is just really lovely!!!

All info about my classes including FAQs is right here. These gift cards arrive as custom codes emailed to you (the gift giver) that you can give to your recipient. Want to give them something physical? Here’s a fun thing you can print out, fill out, and give in a card!

Speaking of classes! I’ll be teaching twice this weekend!

• Saturday 12/9 at 2p EST: Latke Hour! (just $25)

  • We'll make Classic Crispy Potato Latkes and Vegan Sweet Potato Latkes together. A great class for kids, but all ages welcome! Tips, tricks, and laughs shared along the way.

• Sunday 12/10 at 2p EST: Basic Knife Skills (with Bonus Soup!)

  • One of the most requested classes! Join me to review basic knife skills so you can be more confident and at ease in your kitchen. We will slice, dice + chop together! We'll work through common vegetables that are used in so many dishes (onions, garlic, carrots, etc.) and also talk about chopping leafy things (kale, herbs, etc.), and how to best use a serrated knife (tomatoes, bread...). For a fun bonus, we'll turn everything we chop into a great pot of soup! We'll talk preferred brands, how to keep knives sharp, and more. This is going to be so informative and helpful. Knife recommendations offered in the class PDF.

And for paid subscribers — thank you for your support! — keep scrolling to find notes about the birthday lunch I prepared for my family (slowly braised lamb with white beans, punchy herb sauce, roasted potatoes, radicchio + fennel salad, garlicky braised greens).