The Reset Meal You Actually Want Right Now
Letter from the Kitchen
The Holiday Food Hangover Is Real
There is a kind of tiredness that sets in after a food holiday. Not the good kind of tired — the kind where you’ve eaten your weight in ham and scalloped potatoes (or in my case Torta Pasqua), and you’re standing in front of the refrigerator on a Tuesday, noticing how leftovers lose their charm after a couple of days.
For me, that happens on day one.
The remedy: ditch the leftover treats (no negotiations), finish the savory things with cheerful practicality, and turn toward the light (meaning light, simple foods). Soups. Salads. The kind of food that reminds your body it’s April — not December — and that Summer is indeed, right around the corner.
That’s the theme this week: simplify. In a “let’s remember what actually makes me feel good” kind of way. I have some links below that will help, and there’s even a dessert.
Last Week, You Answered
On Olive Oil: You Surprised Me (And Didn’t)
Last week I asked: Do you have a favorite brand of olive oil? Do tell.
I loved your answers. A lot of Costco came up — and honestly, same. I buy the Kirkland Signature Extra Virgin Italian Olive Oil and the Spanish Graza they carry regularly. Both are genuinely good and represent remarkable value for everyday cooking.
Several of you — and I count myself in this group — also mentioned having Elaine Trigiani’s Olio Della Donna (Piero) in the cabinet. If you listened to Episode 3 of my podcast, you know exactly why. 🎙 Listen Now →
“One of the things Elaine reminded me of is just how extraordinarily good extra virgin olive oil is for you — polyphenols, anti-inflammatory properties, heart health. It’s not just flavor. It’s medicine in a bottle.”
She also put my mind at ease about Italian regulatory standards. Yes, there was a hazelnut adulteration scandal some years back — but those responsible were caught and prosecuted. The Italian government’s oversight is genuinely rigorous, and they take it seriously.
A few light recipes to carry you into the reset:
From the Kitchen
Layered Greek Salad with Tuna Salad
Lemon Thyme Buttermilk Sherbet
🎙 Listen to Episode 3 with Elaine →
Join Me at the Table
In-Person Class · Kitchen Studio, Twin Cities (a few spots left for Sunday, April 12th!)
French Bistro Classics
Step into a Parisian bistro without leaving Minnesota.
We’ll work through the kind of food that makes you slow down and actually taste things — a remarkable French onion soup, handmade pasta, Coq au Vin braised low and slow until the kitchen smells like something you want to move into, and Crème Brûlée with that perfect, crackling top.
All of it, in a beautiful kitchen, with good people around the table.
🪑 View Class Dates & Book Your Stool →
These classes are limited to 6 people and fill up quickly.
The Podcast Hook
Three Myths to Bust
Near the end of my conversation with Elaine Trigiani, I asked her: “What is the biggest misconception about olive oil that you most want to bust?”
She had three. Three things most of us believe about olive oil — and all three worth unlearning. Jump to 53:46 if you want to go straight there. I’d recommend listening from the beginning, but I understand if you can’t wait.
Now Streaming — Episode 3
Inside the Olive Oil Bottle
Everything you thought you knew about “first cold press” and “extra virgin” is more complicated than the label suggests. And the color of olive oil? Means nothing — unless it’s orange.
April 17 — Episode 4: Mary Lower — Hacking Salt the Mediterranean Way
May 1 — Episode 5: Josiah Christensen, Pleasant Valley Mushrooms — the health science of different mushroom varieties
New episodes every other Friday
What’s Happening in the Kitchen
Outside, Editing, and a New Comal
We pushed the season this week and ate dinner outside — next to an unplanted garden and not-yet-green grass. Cold enough to question our judgment, warm enough to not care. On the table: leftover pizza-sandwich bread with a generous pour of Olio Della Donna (Piero) olive oil, and a bowl of homemade chicken soup. Simple.
On the podcast front, I’ve started editing Episode 4 with Mary Lower of Hacking Salt. It’s a fascinating conversation — her story and the awareness she brings to the role of salt in our food and health is so engaging. That one drops April 17.
The app is still in Beta, but we just added a community feature, and the website is now fully accessible — including video.
And this weekend: our first-ever Mexican cooking class in the Kitchen Studio. My new pre-seasoned comal is arriving just in time. Feels like a good omen. We’re pulling out some old recipes - including this one (get your popsicle molds out!
The Skill: The New Basics
Stop Buying Bottled Dressing
I’m not saying that to be fussy about it. Homemade dressing takes three minutes to make, tastes completely different — as in better — and elevates your salad.
The Quick Win
Flip the Ratio
Most people think vinaigrette is 3 parts oil to 1 part vinegar. Try 1 part oil to 3 parts vinegar — then load it with fresh herbs and a spoonful of Dijon to bring it together. The result is brighter, sharper, and actually tastes like something.
The Most Common Mistake
Reaching for the Bottle
Commercial dressings are built for shelf life. The preservatives, stabilizers, and added sugars flatten everything they touch. Once you make your own, the store-bought version tastes like what it is.
One Tool Worth Having
The Immersion Blender
A quick 10-second blend emulsifies the dressing into something silky and cohesive. Or shake it in a jar — both work. The jar requires no cleanup, which is its own kind of wisdom.
Recipe Spotlight
Snap Pea Minestrone Verde
The Soul
I decided to write a pesto recipe directly into this recipe — just enough for the pot, made in a mortar and pestle. Grinding basil, garlic, and pine nuts by hand creates a pesto that a food processor simply cannot replicate. The oils release differently. The color is deeper. And you have control over the texture that a blade doesn’t allow. This is a soup that tastes like it was made slowly, but it’s actually fairly quick.
The Bridge
Fresh peas are ideal if you can find them. But frozen baby peas work beautifully and are available at any Midwest grocery store year-round. Don’t let the season stop you from making this — spring or January, it holds up.
🍽 Get the Full Printable Recipe →
The Mediterranean Edit
This Week I’m Loving…
Two picks this week, both Spanish, both essential if you’re flipping your dressing ratio.
Olivar de la Luna
This Spanish olive oil has been in my rotation for years. It’s fruity with a quiet background spice — the kind of oil that makes you want to taste it on its own, just poured into a small dish with good bread. It comes in a beautiful rustic blue bottle that I genuinely enjoy having on my shelves. That’s always the test for me: if you want to look at it, it’s probably worth drinking.
OMED Spanish Vinegars
If Spanish olive oil deserves more attention from Midwest kitchens, Spanish vinegar deserves even more. OMED has become my go-to brand. The two I never let run out: the Cabernet Sauvignon and the Sherry Wine Vinegar. Both have a depth and complexity that Italian and French vinegars don’t quite match. If you’re flipping your dressing ratio this week — and you should be — these are the vinegars to do it with.
Cookbook Chronicles
They Say, Don’t Look Behind the Curtain.
No cookbook photography, but we had a good week. Two back-to-back classes on Friday and Saturday — We opened an unbelievable bottle of wine (Thank you!!!) And we stayed up way too late making pappardelle.
Easter was, thankfully, quiet.
After a big food holiday, what is the one “simple” meal you find yourself craving to reset your palate?
Before You Go — This Week’s Question
We’re in that in-between season here in the Midwest — too cold for the garden, too warm for heavy stews. What is the first spring green or fresh herb you’re most excited to get back in your kitchen this month?
Leave a comment — I read every one.
Until next Thursday — keep a good olive oil on the counter
and don’t be afraid to use it.
— Chef Laura