Every January, we talk about healthier habits and new beginnings. But for me, especially this year, spring feels like a better time to make a fresh start.
Maybe it’s because time has been a little squishy since the pandemic began. Hours pass so quickly, slowly, or erratically that we’ve coined a word—Blursday—to describe that what-day-is-it-anyway feeling. Here in Des Moines, winter seemed to stretch on for about two years of Blursdays. And yet, spring comes.
Undeterred, the trees bud and asparagus spears push fearlessly up through the soil. Vaccinations boost chances for a return to life (and social gatherings and zippered pants). And even the happily hunkered feel compelled to get out for a walk and whip up something tasty that’s full of color and vegetables.
That hopeful sensibility infuses this issue, my 45th as an Allrecipes Magazine staffer and my first as editor in chief. “Short Cuts” (page 58) tackles a question many of us face: how to go from buying all the good-for-you produce to actually eating it before it goes bad. “Food & Your Mood” (page 82) explores how to turn a stress-eating cycle into a mood-boosting one. And, if you prefer your self- care in the form of sweetness,
we’ve got a heckuva carrot cake (page 94) and a honey of a backyard party (page 14) to treat yourself, mother Earth, or any of the queen bees in your bubble.
Hope doesn’t always winter well, but surely it still springs eternal.

NICHOLE AKSAMIT
Editor in Chief

NitroFlare

• AppleMagazine – March 26, 2021
• ABC Organic Gardener – March 2021