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What's Giving Me Life
The places, people, recipes, traditions, and little moments that are inspiring me lately. Think of it as everything I'd tell you if we were catching up over coffee—or cooking dinner together.
The 2025 Gift Guide
Every item in this guide has earned its place in my kitchen. These are the tools I reach for, the cookbooks I cook from, the pantry staples I buy on repeat, and the gifts I've happily given to the people I love. If you're looking for something thoughtful for the home cook in your life—or simply need a little inspiration for your own wish list—I hope you find something you love. Global Fish Spatula — or any high-quality fish spatula. After many not-so-subtle hints, Frank got m
Maddie Umali
Jul 24
The 2024 Gift Guide
Every year, friends and family ask me what kitchen tools, cookbooks, and pantry staples are actually worth buying. Rather than rounding up trendy products I've never touched, this list is made up entirely of things I use in my own kitchen—items I reach for daily, gift to friends, and would happily buy again. Whether you're shopping for a seasoned home cook, someone just learning their way around the kitchen, or simply treating yourself, I hope this list gives you a few ideas.
Maddie Umali
Jul 24
Pickled Beets
Pickled beets are one of those ingredients that instantly make a salad feel special. Sweet, earthy beets soak up a lightly spiced apple cider vinegar brine that's bright enough to balance their natural richness. I originally made these after harvesting a bumper crop from my garden, but they're just as worthwhile with farmers market or grocery store beets. Yield: 1 (16-ounce) jar Servings: About 8 Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 1 hour Total Time: About 1 hour 30 minutes Ingr
Maddie Umali
Jul 272 min read
Pickled Jalapeños
When your garden suddenly gives you more jalapeños than you know what to do with—or your Instacart shopper accidentally delivers one pound of peppers instead of one pepper—there's only one solution: pickle them. These refrigerator pickled jalapeños are sweet, tangy, and just the right amount of spicy. I keep a jar in the fridge all summer long for tacos, nachos, chili, sandwiches, and burgers. My husband Frank is perfectly happy eating them straight from the jar. Yield: About
Maddie Umali
Jul 271 min read
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