The weather is so unpredictable this month. Some days we wake up to warm sunshine and others freezing sleet. My birthday is in March (I'm a pisces) which is a bright spot during what can be a very gray and anticipation-filled time of year.

Lots of photos and updates from this month 🙂

Springtime

I started my garden! I planted pumpkin, zucchini, squash, lots of herbs, chives, and more! I also filled an egg tray with marigold seeds. I will keep them by the window for a few weeks before moving them outside once the weather is consistently mild. I used seed starting mix to help them germinate.

I planted lots of marigolds. Not only do they help protect the garden, but they also bloom late into the summer.

Trying to stay consistent with my weightlifting workouts. I almost always work out right next to my desk.

Received an order from one of my favorite artists: https://tsoooki.com/

Been enjoying having tulips in the house lately. I love how they go in all directions when they bloom - they look so whimsical in a vase.

Buttermilk pancakes in progress

I visited my parents and my Mom made galaktoboureko 🙂 Galaktoboureko is a custard dessert wrapped in buttery filo and topped with a flavorful spiced syrup.

Writing updates

SO much has been happening here - sending query letters out to agents, rewriting and revising my manuscript. It's so much work but I'm enjoying the process more and more as I feel myself learning and improving.

Quick trip to NYC

I took a very quick (less than 24 hours!) trip to NYC recently.

Packing for the trip (my journal always comes with me).

I just love walking around in NYC. I grew up in a Boston suburb and I dreamed of living in a big city one day. I'm so grateful that dream did come true (in other cities). When I worked as a technical recruiter on the west coast, I would always ask for the assignments that required me to fly to NYC. I'd come here multiple times a year for work trips. It felt like a dream staying in hotels, carrying around big boxes of event materials, and wandering around Central Park when I had free time. I'll never forget the first time I successfully called a cab by myself. One of my favorite springtime memories is the time my friends and I walked from Williamsburg to Union Square on a windy sunny day. The city holds so many formative memories of me growing into an adult professional. It still feels so special to visit.

A late dinner in a cozy restaurant in Brooklyn

I ate this chicken burger so quickly! It was delicious.

I sat in a cafe working for a long time. For lunch I ordered a hearty pesto pasta.

What I've been cooking

I posted episode 2 of Galazio Kitchen: Avgolemono Soup. This soup is AMAZING and I hope you make it! Here are links to the episode and recipe:

Stefanie on Warpcast

Happy first day of Spring friends! 🌷 This recipe is the perfect way to celebrate the new season! Galazio Kitchen - A Farcaster Cooking Show Season 2 Episode 2: Avgolemono soup 🍋 A comforting and bright soup filled with flavor and protein! I hope that you enjoy 💜

Farcaster

Avgolemono Soup

Happy first day of Spring! 🌷 This is the perfect recipe to celebrate this new season. This soup is the best blend of creamy and comforting but also bright and fresh!

https://paragraph.xyz

Lately I've been enjoying cooking koginut squash in different ways. Here are two ways I've made it recently:

Roasted koginut squash with carrots and potatoes

Roasted koginut squash with lentils, mushrooms, kale, and feta

I left my comfort zone and made avocado maki rolls. After years of practice I think I can finally make them the way I like!

I've been experimenting making my own hummus. This white bean hummus came out delicious! I will keep refining the recipe before sharing.

Prepping rolled chicken tacos

Loved this salad inspired by this recipe: https://whatsgabycooking.com/the-new-go-to-kale-salad/

One of my best friends came over to stay with us and celebrate my birthday. I made us a shakshuka :)

My birthday

We recently celebrated my birthday! I love birthdays. My family always made a big deal about them when I was growing up and that enthusiasm carried into my adulthood. I was always very excited to turn thirty, and now that I'm officially "in my thirties" it's just as exciting to me.

We went for brunch with some dear friends and then spent some quality time doing very New England activities.

A decaf latte

Clam chowder is one of my all time favorite foods! I treated myself to a bowl as an appetizer.

There was a maple syrup festival happening that weekend, so after lunch we went to visit a small maple syrup sugar house. It was so interesting to see the process in real time. In the quiet snowy forest, I could actually hear the sap moving through the taps. We got to tour the facility where they boil the sap and also got to sample the fresh hot maple syrup. They gave us homemade maple syrup blondies and we bought a bottle to take home with us.

Afterwards, we came home and I lit a fire in our fire pit. We sat around until after sunset just chatting. I'm so grateful for these moments with friends ❤️ It gets harder to stay in touch with people as the years pass, so I really appreciate when we're all together.

Thanks for reading! :)