Where Homesteaders & Italians Become Intertwined
For some, this is called homesteading. For many Italians, this is simply called eating. How gardens, preserving, local food and shared tables bring the two together.
Italian Wine Cookies — Ciambelline al Vino
Italian Wine Cookies with Olive Oil Printable Recipe | Ciambelline al Vino
Death to Optimization
Back from our September Che Vita trip to Umbria, I’m slowing down, saying no to optimization, and celebrating the ordinary gifts of life. Plus a big photo gallery from our weeks in Italy.
The One In Which I Cry (Friends, I Owe You One)
Tomato season, a second trip to Italy on the horizon, and a big brand change: a few honest confessions from my kitchen, plus our new video on making Italian bruschetta and preserving basil for winter.
I Got a New Pep in My Step!
At 40, I’ve got a new pep in my step. On being a beginner again, fumbling through a new language in Italy, and why stepping outside our comfort zone keeps us young at heart.
The Elliott Homestead Is Ending
After sixteen years, The Elliott Homestead is ending and becoming Shaye’s Italian Kitchen. Here’s the story of how it began, why it’s changing, and the beautiful, Italian-inspired road ahead.
My Non-Negotiables as a Homebody Leaving Home
A self-proclaimed homebody’s list of travel non-negotiables: the snacks, supplements, cross-body purse and little comforts that make leaving home (even for Italy) feel doable.
Well, That Was a Disaster
Leaking quiche, flat croissants, and a soggy Easter table. A few of my kitchen flops, why simple food is what makes from-scratch cooking sustainable, and why you should never let a disaster convince you to quit cooking.
The Mess Is the Point
A sick week, a floury floor and a freshly scrubbed counter undone in five minutes. On why the mess is the point, dairy-free biscuits for Georgia, a new cottage video, and dreaming of Italy.
Let’s Get Physical (+ Spring Cauliflower Salad)
A March walk to the vegetable market in the Umbrian hills, a few thoughts on choosing a life in the flesh in a world of screens, and the bright Spring Cauliflower Salad I made to go with that night’s roast.
Enough. (A Simple Italian Beef Carpaccio, and Why It Matters)
Looking back on five weeks in Umbria with our children, and the dish I’ll never forget: beef carpaccio, as common to Italians as burgers and fries. A reminder of how simple good things can be.
A Hopeful Collection
A year after our weeks in Italy, a bird’s-eye view on the heavy load of modern life and why I’m starting small: seeds, spring baking, a hopeful collection of photographs, and a poem about walking.
Life Lately (+ Honey & Oat Bars)
Life lately: feeding the people through a hard winter, a love for our other home in Italy, a decade-old throwback, and the Honey & Oat Bars I tuck into my kids’ bags. Free printable recipe card included.
Slow Living in Italy
On feeling homesick for a place that isn’t home: a truffle hunt in Umbria, a friend’s kind words, and what slow Italian country life teaches me about my own table.
