Hi guys! Whether you’re on the east coast or the west, one thing’s for certain: it’s cold season. It may be feet-deep in D.C., but yes, even here in LA the weather is colder than normal, and we’re snuggled beneath blankets on the couch (or, if you are me, just trying to do yoga for long enough to stay warm.)

As you may or may not know, I get sick a lot (and probably you’re sick of me saying that) so I have a few tried and trued remedies that I try to use whenever I feel anything coming on.

First of all, this gross-yet-perfect remedy makes you feel like you’re eating health. The recipe is here, but it’s mostly garlic, honey, and turmeric. DO NOT CHEW THIS – FAIR WARNING.

This Turmeric Tea has also become my new savior. In addition to taking oregano oil twice a day when we’re in the throes of cold season, I also have a cup of turmeric tea at the first sign of illness. It KIND of tastes like you’re drinking curry, but it also tastes medicinal and like you are drinking a secret elixir of life, so I just go with it. You should, too.

If your throat is bothering you, I recommend this congee. It’s an easy recipe with chicken stock that’s guaranteed to make you feel better as soon as you start eating it. Oyster crackers mushed on top bring you back to childhood, which is a helpful healer, too.

Looking for something more traditional? Try some chicken noodle soup – just like Mom’s! This is great in the freezer, too, for a back-up stock (because let’s be real, who wants to cook when they’re sick?)

If all else fails, make yourself a big ole smoothie and suck it down and feel the healthy coming out of your bones. This Beet Orange Smoothie is perfect for this season, but do what you feel in your heart – whatever veg and fruit you have in the fridge will suffice!

What are some of your go-to cold remedies? I’d love to hear them – I am always adding some to my arsenal!

Hey y’all – here’s my first breakfast in bed post of the year! Starting off with a creative kick for Joie de Vivre, I wanted to bring you a different kind of breakfast in bed recipe today – Banh Mi Breakfast Sandwiches. I got my inspiration from the Phoenix Hotel in San Francisco – this hip hotel has a rock and roll soul and is smack in the middle of several SF neighbors that meld cuisines and cultures.

For such a rad hotel, I wanted to create a rad breakfast with a nod to the neighboring Vietnamese community, so this Banh Mi Breakfast Sandwich was born. With pickled carrots and radishes, crispy bacon, sunny side up eggs, and a base of sriracha ketchup with a kick, this is the perfect way to start your day, whether you’re headed to the studio or the streets of SF for the day.

I served this sandwich with green juice, coffee, and some fresh mango – any fruit will do that’s in season to give a sweet balance to this slightly spicy and savory sandwich! For the full recipe, head over to Joie de Vivre’s blog, here!

This week was lots of eating out and hanging with friends – literally every night except Saturday was a friend-related event and honestly I wouldn’t have it any other way…but I didn’t take one photo. I am sorry that won’t happen again. In the meantime, here is a picture of where I did yoga on Sunday, on a towel and mat in my newly seeded backyard. Cue meditative sigh.

On Friday night I met with a friend at Mercado in Studio City (if you live in the LA area you MUST go here and have the cheese dip it’s amazing.)

On Saturday, we ordered Indian for date night and watched some movies.

On Sunday, we had an impromptu game night and made One Pot Pasta again, this time with broccoli and less onion, and with chicken sausage. This was a success, and we had those KAF Cheese Rolls with it, and we were all happy.

On Monday, I ate with Barb at a pub in NoHo.

On Tuesday, Jeff and I made Broccoli & Chicken Crepes. These will have to be blogged again soon (we made them years ago and the photos are horrifying). They are delicious and easy to put together, and I had forgotten how much I love a crepe.

On Wednesday, I had leftover crepes for dinner. Have we talked about how much I love crepes? And how much I love leftovers? A lot.

On Thursday, I ate at Mendocino Farms, again, because I have a standing date there with myself pre-soccer.

Up and coming this weekend is a dinner party with George so there will be lots to talk about next week – and I am hoping next week I can cook at least a few nights so stay tuned. Happy Friday, y’all! (PSSTTT what are you cooking?!)

You don’t have to go to Takodana to get the latest in trending cantina cocktails. Garlic, My Soul, Fanboy Comics and I are back on the trail of the hottest fan foods and have traveled across galaxies for this installment. From Mos Eisley Cantina to Maz Kanata’s castle here are two signature drinks that stuck with us.

Maz herself gave us this first drink – her version of a summer classic here on earth, the “beer-garita”. Maz’s Dragonfruit Lagerita is a favorite at her watering hole. The mild acidity and sweetness of the dragon fruit match a light lager perfectly. The dragon fruit (seeds and all) blends in with the beer foam for a strange but wonderfully refreshing drink – Maz knows her stuff.

The Rambutan-jito is a little stronger and involves some infused rum and a spikey fruit called the Rambutan. On earth it’s native to Southeast Asia but can also be spotted across a few different systems, including one that’s home to Tatooine.

So whether you’re old school or into the new stuff, we’ve got a drink for you. One you can drink from the safety of your own home planet (or ship or outpost) and dodge the notoriously dangerous spaceport cantina scene…for now. Enjoy!

One of my New Year’s Resolutions was to cook more recipes from the books I have. I have a lot of cookbooks, and I love pouring over them and drooling at their beautiful photography, but I never have enough time (so I think) to really cook from them.

So I’ve made it a goal of this year, and have already cooked from two books, one by Ina Garten and this recipe, from a King Arthur book. These rolls are from the King Arthur Flour All-Purpose Baking Cookbook, and they are so, so good. I recently bought yeast in a large jar, rather than just in those tiny packets, and I don’t regret it.

I feel like making rolls or bread on a whim is now possible, and there is just so magical about baking – you feel like you’re creating something from nothing. One second you have a blob of dough, and the next you have a crusty bread ready to go with your dinner.

These rolls came together easily thanks to my mixer (which is a bonus, because I hate touching flour!) and the recipe made 16 rolls – so many that I had extras to use for a dinner party last night where they were a heat reheated (they reheat AWESOMELY.)

I tried to find the recipe on King Arthur’s website, but it wasn’t there, but I did find it on Mel’s Kitchen Cafe. The crusty Parmesan breadcrumb topping is so worth it and adds a little crunch – my fave thing. I used cheddar cheese inside, but I suspect you could use any kind you had, and honestly I think you could even go without the cheese and these bad boys would still be a crowd pleaser!