The March 2025 Guide

Someone recently asked me how I felt about the year’s first quarter. It took me a long time to answer, mostly because I was wrestling with this idea of time, trying to understand how 25% of the year has already passed. Newsflash: it is, in fact, true; we have now been through three months of 2025!

Sometimes, it feels like time passes with not much to show. But when I took time to think about it, I realized that a lot has happened:

• my first cookbook was published (which made the New York Times​ bestseller list)
• started some vegetable seeds
• had several meet-and-greets for the cookbook
• went on a family vacation to Universal Studios and Epcot at Disney World
• filmed with Shea McGee from Studio McGee in Utah
• had carpal tunnel release surgeries on both my left and right hands

The first quarter of the year has been busy!

If you’re like me, when March comes around, everything seems to change. The remnants of winter melt away, and instantly, the garden seems to tap me on the shoulder to remind me it’s waking up. Some years, March can be cold and snowy. But lately, it has been much warmer. We’ve had a few days of 80°F, which seemed to jump-start everything. The one thing we can count on is the unpredictability of each year.

While the work ahead often feels overwhelming at first, taking it one day at a time makes it manageable, just like riding a bike. Now, I’m steadily cruising along outdoors, checking things off the list, even though the list never really ends.

This newsletter is a chance to quiet the noise and catch up. I’m enjoying a warm cup of coffee as the weather turns slightly more chilly outdoors, reminding me it’s only April tomorrow, and I don’t need to rush.

Let’s talk about my cookbook.

On March 4, my first cookbook, There’s Always Room at the Table, was published. After more than ten years of writing recipes for my website, I wondered if this book would feel too familiar, if my writing would be exciting enough, or if the food was simply too “normal.” If you can’t tell, I’m a bit of a worrier at times. But the response you gave to the book humbled me beyond belief. In its debut week, it made the New York Times bestseller list, coming in at number four! I never thought this was what I’d do for work, and I couldn’t ask for a better community.

To celebrate the book launch, we produced a limited number of sweatshirts that say “Always Make Room at the Table.” The phrase resonates deeply with me: it reflects my family’s tradition of always saving a spot at the table for one more and celebrating the food that unites us. This sweatshirt is a fun way to celebrate that sentiment, and I’ve included a signed bookplate (a sticker that can go inside the cookbook) with each sweatshirt!

Let’s talk about some food and garden.

This month, I started seeds that will soon be planted in the garden, and before I know it, they’ll be in the recipes I make. Broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, head lettuce, and peppers are all growing, and I plan to start tomatoes this week. Since tomatoes grow quickly, I wait to start them until about six weeks before I know I’ll transplant them outdoors.

To celebrate the upcoming spring season, I’ve been enjoying some of my favorite recipes: potato and asparagus quiche, sheet pan salmon and asparagus, and roasted asparagus on toast (which you can find in the cookbook and which I made with Shea from Studio McGee). These are all the perfect embodiment of springtime freshness!

In case you missed any of the new recipes I posted during the month of March, you can catch them here:

• ​Chicken rice pilaf​
• ​Lemon butter pasta​
• ​Chicken piccata with creamy orzo​
• ​Chicken pot pie casserole

Let’s talk about Kip.

This warmer weather has been just what Kip needed. He’s been excited to spend hours outdoors daily, racing after his frisbee and lounging in the shade as I work in the garden. Lately, he eats his breakfast outdoors while I brush him; usually, he doesn’t like being brushed, so doing it while he eats has been a good compromise. We’ve even been able to fit in a few Gator rides through the field. I love watching him sniff the air as he sits beside me, with the wind blowing.

I hope you have a great start to your spring season if you’re in the northern hemisphere! It’s sure to be a great growing season with lots to do! Let the anticipation begin!