Weekend Things

{image from jenna fry}

Today I’m sharing some of my favorite links from around the web, because a food blog never has to be just a food blog. I’d like Kitchen in the Hills to be just as fun as it is informative, and just as much about conversation as it is about good food. In that lively spirit, I bring you a weekend post!

It’s been another crazy busy week over here, and all I want is to slow down, relax, and stop talking about how busy I am. Perhaps the key is to do less with more focus? Sigh. All I really want is for someone to take me skiing in the mountains and put a mug of hot chocolate in my hands. But we make our own luck, right?

Here are my weekend reads.

• Will I ever be a morning workout person? Only time will tell.
• Currently drooling over this harissa, this hearty mushroom and onion tart, this fancy beet “caviar”, and these totally ridiculous waffle iron churros. I’m going to have to try my hand at these soon. Will report back.
• I started listening to Serial this week, and am absolutely hooked.  It’s a podcast that follows a real-life murder mystery, made by the same people who brought you This American Life. I blew through all 7 episodes in two days. Like binge watching a TV show, but even better— you can listen while running errands and tidying your apartment.
• The last few months have been filled with exciting cookbook releases. On my wish list? Joy the Baker’s Homemade Decadence, Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito’s Baked Occasions, Yotam Ottolenghi’s Plenty More, Ina Garten’s Make It Ahead, and the Bar Tartine cookbook. Because the guys behind Baked have never led me wrong, Ina Garten is a goddess, and Bar Tartine is the spot that I’ve dreamed of eating at (but never made it out to) since I moved to Berkeley.
• “There is a whole spectrum out there, exploring what works on an individual basis is part of the process. Knowing what you want to explore is important for longevity. And even more important than that might be understanding which platform is most suitable in the first place.” Heidi Swanson talks about maintaining a long-term food blog over at 101 Cookbooks, but this advice could apply to any long-term project.
• Leo Babauta talks about something that’s been on my mind lately– the things that we choose to put into our lives. If you could choose anything, what would you choose? Read “The Empty Container” on the Zen Habits blog.

That’s all for this week. Happy long weekend, friends!