Thank you to Peter Giuliano, Jennifer, chad and many others for joining me live for this morning’s October Ask Me Anything—and to those of you catching up now, I’ve shared the recording above. We covered a lot of ground yesterday, from Halloween traditions and fall cooking experiments to some bigger questions about food, nutrition, and our relationship with nature.
* First, I shared my latest Halloween experiment: letting my backyard chickens carve our jack-o’-lantern!
* We also talked about our family’s relatively new Día de los Muertos ofrenda, a tradition we’ve embraced as a way to remember loved ones who have passed.
* I loved hearing about some of your family traditions, including Sicilian ossi di morti cookies and some pretty gruesome Halloween party foods!
* On the culinary side, we got into a spirited conversation about making hummus from dried chickpeas versus canned, the secrets to good tahini, and whether olive oil belongs in hummus or only on top.
* We also debated the merits of Greek olive oil (you know where I stand!) and explored some of the wonderful ingredients available at Middle Eastern grocery stores.
* I shared me experimenting with flourless chocolate cake, partly inspired by a recipe I learned from family in France. Please share your favorite gluten-free dessert ideas.
* And somehow, we even found time to talk about my newfound obsession with purple calla lilies and the simple pleasures of bringing a little nature indoors.
* Finally, we discussed this morning’s newsletter, The Liver King and the Rise of Dark Nutrition, and my thoughts on dietary absolutism.
Enlightened Omnivore is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
As always, the best part of these Substack Live sessions is hearing from you. Your questions, cooking tips, family stories, and occasional disagreements make these conversations so much more interesting than anything I could come up with on my own.
I want our time together on Substack Live to feel like sitting around the kitchen table—coffee in hand, a little wandering, lots of good questions, and room to think out loud together.
Remember, if you missed it live, you can watch the re
cording above. And if you have thoughts, questions, or suggestions for future AMAs, please put them in the comments below!
Here’s to a curious, delicious, and slightly spooky October.
Next Substack Live! Ask My Anything Thanksgiving
Next month Saturday November 14 at 8am PT / 11am ET, I’ll be hosting my next Substack Live where you can ask all your Thanksgiving Dinner questions. How do you keep lumps out of your gravy? Do you brine? What’s your favorite side, where to source the perfect bird. All the tips and tricks I’ve learned over the years are just a chat post away from helping you in the kitchen this Thanksgiving. I hope you’ll join.
New Podcast: Char Miller
This week’s podcast episode was with Environmental Historian Char Miller. We cover a lot of ground on all things climate change, What I loved most was Char’s infectious enthusiasm, even when talking about something that is seldom a warm fuzzy. You can hear the entire episode on Substack or wherever you listen to your podcasts, and a really easy way to support this work is to follow the show on your favorite app, or leave a rating /review. And don’t forget, you can always share it with a friend.
Stay Connected
* Follow along on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok for video content, reels, and behind-the-scenes thoughts. I’m also on Facebook and LinkedIn.
* Say hi on Substack Notes—I’m posting almost every day about my random reflections on life.
* Join me in Chat. It’s a space just for subscribers, kind of like a group text but less embarrassing. Download the app, tap the Chat icon (it looks like two speech bubbles at the bottom), and find the latest “Enlightened Omnivore” thread.
Most importantly, if someone came to mind while you were reading, share this article.
Enlightened Omnivore is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
