Food is sacred to me. It’s pleasure, connection, and communion all rolled into buttery, sticky, finger-licking moments of pure presence. And for the past six months, I’ve been chronicling my culinary adventures in a series I call “Tasty things I ate in the last month,” exclusively over on my Substack.

The Joy of Food Journaling

When I scroll back through my photos each month, I revisit memories. That sticky citrus tofu with quad-citrus sauce? That was the night Justin and I had a date night at home, savoring every tart-sweet bite. Those blueberry cheesecake doughnuts that made me yell “MMM!” out loud when I saw them again in my photo roll? They remind me that even in the midst of jury duty chaos and moving stress, there was sweetness.

And through the chaos of house-flipping this fall—the packing, painting, patching, and endless trips between Park House and Meadow House—food remained my constant. When I realized our homemade meals beat takeout 9.9 times out of 10, it wasn’t just about how our food tasted, but how our home cooking sustained us through one of the most adult things we’ve ever done: selling a house.

Six Months of Delicious Memories

Some standout moments from this journey:

The Anniversary Waffles — Starting our 4-year anniversary with blueberry compote and cinnamon cream cheese frosting. We celebrate with food, always have, and these waffles were love made edible.

Positively Pondwater™ — My spirulina lemonade that looked exactly like pond scum but tasted like earthy ocean tartness. Sometimes the best things in life aren’t pretty.

The Lughnasadh Feast — Our first-ever homegrown watermelon, harvested on the harvest holiday itself, juice dripping down our arms. Four hours in the kitchen with Justin and Ike, creating magic with stuffed squash and herbs from our garden.

Those Nectarine Lemon Bars — The ones that went immediately on the “make again” list. Sweet, tart, creamy, rich, thick, with a divine shortbread base. I literally opened the CSA app and added more nectarines before I’d even finished eating the first batch. These became such an obsession that I made them two or three times in a single season.

Birthday Ravioli — Nothing says celebrating life like spending 4+ hours making ravioli from scratch, pressing garden herbs between layers of dough, creating edible art.

Vegan Sausage Gravy — Field Roast sausage crumbled with fennel and maple syrup, turned into a coconut milk gravy so good I wanted to eat ALL OF IT. Forever. Even knowing my tummy might protest.

Okara Biscotti — Discovering you can make incredible biscotti from the leftover pulp of tofu-making. Brown sugar ones for spiced tea, double chocolate for coffee. Zero waste, maximum deliciousness.

Pumpkin Season — Using our own Amish long neck pumpkins after struggling hardcore with vine borers all summer. Every pumpkin that reached maturity was precious, turned into Thai curry, chocolate chip bread, and pies that didn’t quite set but were perfect scooped into bowls with ice cream.

House-Flipping Fuel — Learning that when life gets overwhelming, homemade food isn’t just tastier than takeout—it’s actually rejuvenating. Those beet pesto pasta meals eaten on paper plates between painting sessions? They saved us.

Why This Series Lives on Substack

Beyond saving my website’s precious storage space, there’s something special about how Substack delivers these posts. My subscribers get these food love letters dropped right into their inbox, hot and fresh like just-out-of-the-oven cinnamon rolls. There’s an immediacy to it, a “gather ’round the table” feeling when that email notification pops up.

I routinely hear from readers that they look forward to this every month because who doesn’t love good food?

Plus, Substack feels like the right home for this more personal, journal-style writing. These posts aren’t recipes or detailed food reviews—they’re snapshots of my life. They’re me processing big changes (like Ike moving in with Justin and me, like selling Park House, like learning to give ourselves grace when there are no spoons left for daily cooking), celebrating small victories (like finally nailing that tofu “sausage” crumble, like those hand pies that became someone’s love language), and finding constant pleasure even when life gets overwhelming.

I am glad I get to eat when I need. Sometimes that means ordering Domino’s on moving day. Sometimes it means planning for frozen custard sundaes as rewards for hauling ass while flipping our house. Sometimes it means simple buttery smashed potatoes with garden herbs when I’m food averse. I am grateful to have choices.

Every bite carries me forward.

The Complete Series (So Far)

If you want to join me on this delicious journey, here’s every edition of “Tasty things I ate in the last month” in chronological order:

Tasty things I ate in the last month… (April to May Edition)
The first post featuring kelp ramen, chocolate-dipped Oreos, and the invention of Positively Pondwater™

Tasty things I ate in the last month… (May to June Edition)
My birthday season brings hand-rolled ravioli, Lion’s Mane “crab” cakes, and those messy-but-divine blueberry lemon rolls

Tasty things I ate in the last month… (June to July Edition)
Summer abundance with garden harvests and creative experiments

Tasty things I ate in the last month… (July to August Edition)
Featuring our Lughnasadh feast, first watermelon harvest, and those legendary blueberry cheesecake doughnuts

Tasty things I ate in the last month… (August to September Edition)
Major life changes but food remains constant, with nectarine lemon bars and cosmic pan brownies

Tasty things I ate in the last month… (September to October Edition) Cooking through chaos: house-flipping, moving, and discovering that homemade food beats takeout 9.9 times out of 10. Featuring addictive lemon bars, okara biscotti, pumpkin everything, and that unforgettable vegan sausage gravy

An Invitation to Feast Your Eyes (and Soul!)

This series is a photo journal, sure. But beyond being about what I eat, its an invitation to remember that food is pleasure, nourishment is sacred, and every meal can be an act of love.

So if you’re a fellow foodie who needs more unadulterated food goodness in your life, come join me over on Substack. Subscribe and get these monthly chronicles delivered straight to your inbox. Let’s celebrate the pleasure of eating together, even if we’re apart.

Enjoy your food, friends. It is a pleasure to be able to eat!

Love,
Safrianna