This butternut squash soup is not too heavy (no cream) but heavy handed on the herbs and generous with the garlic. The result is something savory and comforting with plenty of flavor, but healthful and plant based. I like to top the steaming bowlfuls with some greens to take the nutrition side of it further, but you can also top with a drizzle of cream, croutons and a dusting of parmesan or pair it with guyère grilled cheese sandwiches.

Garlic and Herb Butternut Squash Soup

• 1 medium butternut squash

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter

• 2 yellow onions, chopped

• 6 cloves garlic, minced

• 1/4 cup finely chopped herbs (I prefer rosemary and sage)

• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

• 4 to 6 cups water or vegetable broth (depending on desired consistency)

• Salt, to taste

Preheat the oven to 420 degrees. Slice the butternut squash lengthwise, drizzle the cut sides with olive oil and place cut side down on a baking sheet. Roast for 30 to 40 minutes, or until it’s easily punctured with a fork.

While the squash is roasting, sauté the chopped onions in butter on the stove in a large soup pot over medium-low heat. Once translucent and soft, add the garlic, herbs, and nutmeg and cook slowly over low heat until the squash is done (you don’t want to burn the garlic).

When the squash is cooked through and cool enough to handle, discard the seeds and scoop the squash out and spoon it into the pot. Add the water or broth, and bring the heat up to medium. Blend with an immersion blender, add salt to taste, and serve.

These cookies are my spin on a classic chocolate chip cookie - swap the regular flour for 100% rye and the chocolate chips for large chunks of roughly chopped dark chocolate, and you have something extra rich and with a different depth of flavor to it. Rye has a deeper, almost nutty taste to it and serves as the perfect compliment to massive pools of bittersweet chocolate. Throw some extra salt on top - you won’t regret it. These are a highly requested recipe of mine and make insanely delicious ice cream sandwiches.

Chocolate Chunk Rye Cookies

• 2 cups rye flour

• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

• 1/2 cup brown sugar

• 1/2 cup sugar

• 1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 tablespoon vanilla

• Dark chocolate, roughly chopped

• Flakey sea salt, for sprinkling

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Whisk together the melted butter, brown sugar, sugar, eggs and vanilla. Stir in the salt and baking soda, then slowly incorporate the rye flour. Add as much chopped dark chocolate as you like.

On two parchment lined baking sheets, place spoonfuls of the dough a few inches apart - these cookies spread in the oven - and top with salt.

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until barely cooked through (do not overbake), then allow to cool completely on the baking sheets.

Sweet strawberry kombucha is the base of this simple cocktail. No shaker required - just add it to a glass filled with gin and muddled rosemary then with a splash of seltzer water, you’re ready for happy hour. I usually enjoy and serve these in the heat of summer, but sometimes a hot weather drink is just the ticket when winter starts to feel all too long. You can of course experiment with different kombucha flavors and different herbs as well (mint would be delicious) - the world’s your oyster here.

Strawberry Kombucha and Rosemary Cocktail

• 1 1/2 oz gin

• Fresh rosemary sprig

• Strawberry kombucha

• Seltzer water

Muddle a few leaves of rosemary in the bottom of a glass with the gin. Top with equal parts kombucha and seltzer water. Add ice, a sprig of rosemary, and enjoy.

This salted butterscotch version of pumpkin pie is just the thing to help spruce up a classic Thanksgiving dessert, keeping true to traditional pumpkin flavors but adding a depth of flavor from homemade butterscotch (with an extra touch of salt to boot). The butterscotch sauce is surprisingly easy to make, and although it’s an extra step in the pie making process, it adds a rich caramelization to the filling that really sets this recipe apart. I recommend setting aside a little portion of the butterscotch out of the filling for drizzling on top and swirling with lightly sweetened whipped cream.

Salted Butterscotch Pumpkin Pie

For the salted butterscotch

• 1 cup brown sugar

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter

• 3/4 cup cream

• 1 teaspoon vanilla

• 1 teaspoon salt

For the pie crust

• 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

• 9 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold and cubed into 1/2 inch pieces

• 1 tablespoon sugar

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/4 cup ice water

• Egg wash (1 egg plus 1 tablespoon cream, whisked)

For the pie filling

• All but 1/4 cup of the butterscotch (reserve the 1/4 cup for drizzling over the pie)

• 15 oz pumpkin purée

• 3 eggs

• 1/4 cup milk

• 1 tablespoon all purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. To make the pie dough, mix the flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor, pulsing until combined. Add the butter, pulsing just until there are small bits of butter throughout, resembling sand. Add the water, a tablespoon at a time, until the dough just begins to come together. Wrap in plastic wrap and tuck away in the fridge to chill.

While the dough chills and the oven is heating, make the butterscotch. In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter and add the brown sugar, stirring until the butter is melted and the sugar has dissolved. Add 1/4 cup of the the cream and allow the sauce to bubble, not stirring for 2 minutes. Add the rest of the cream, salt, and vanilla, whisking until fully incorporated. Allow the sauce to thicken over low heat for 2 minutes. Set aside to cool. Reserve 1/4 cup separately to drizzle over the finished pie.

Take the dough out of the refrigerator and on a floured surface, roll out the dough. Transfer it to a 9 inch baking dish, trimming the edges and adding crimps or using a fork to press lines into the crust. Prick the bottom of the dish a few times with a fork. Cover the dough with parchment paper and pie weights (or uncooked beans) and place in the oven. Bake for 30 minutes, remove the parchment and pie weights, then bake another 5. Remove the baked pie crust from the oven and allow to cool while you assemble the filling.

To make the pie filling, whisk together all of the cooled butterscotch (omitting the 1/4 cup reserved for drizzling), the pumpkin purée, the milk, and the eggs. Add the flour, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. Pour into the baked crust (you will have a bit of extra filling left over), brush the egg wash onto the crust, and bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until the filling is set. Cover the crust with aluminum foil if it browns too quickly. Allow to cool completely before serving, topping with some whipped cream and the reserved butterscotch, along with a little pinch of Maldon salt if you wish.