I dropped a batch of homemade pasta off at a friend’s house, and her wife answered the door. She looked incredulously at me as I told her the pasta was made with stinging nettle. She is a huge trail runner and only knew the plant as something you didn’t want to stumble in. She almost looked like she wanted to hand the container back, and I don’t blame her, but I urged her to try it. Later I got the text. “Rachel, the pasta, it’s so incredible.” I felt like I had just won the plant a new friend, and put a huge smile on my face.

I have noticed that if I eat a proper meal for breakfast, I do a much better job with the rest of my day. More often than not my morning time becomes jam-packed and unless I plan ahead, breakfast is often the first thing that gets compromised. Once I started making these overnight oats any excuse to skip breakfast was non-legit. What is great about this recipe is that you can make a batch that will cover you for a few days.

I show my love through cooking for others. So if I wanna get a group of us together, it’s often, “Come over. Let’s eat tacos.” Everybody loves tacos. Without any extra work on your part, people can make them vegetarian by leaving off the meat. Or your guests can just not use the tortilla and eat fewer carbs. Serve them with corn tortillas, and poof, they are gluten-free. Whatever their diet, they can find a way to eat them.

I love infusing honey with different savory elements. It elevates what could be a cloying sweetness by adding body and complexity that gives your dish that “oh, that’s good” double-take.

The options are endless, in terms of the flavors you could use. Try chili flakes, Sichuan peppercorns, bay leaves, saffron, fresh herbs like thyme or rosemary. The sky’s the limit. Get curious. Get infusing.

I have happy memories of standing barefoot in the kitchen stirring pots of bubbly lava. Up there with melted cheese and boiling syrup, making polenta can be a dangerous affair. Though, it is well worth the effort. After a long hard day’s work, nothing refuels the body like a bowl of this creamy yellow deliciousness.

I know rhubarb is called in many places in our country, the pie plant. But trust me. It has so much more to offer than just pies.