Welcome to The Kitchen
This is where we care for ourselves through the everyday things already within reach.
Here, I share practical ways to use food, plants, aromatics, seasonal traditions, and a little intention to help you feel better, live more fully, and create a home that feels good to be in.
Some days we'll cook. Some days we'll gather herbs from the garden, change the energy of a room, make something slowly, or simply pour a glass of iced tea and remember to sit down long enough to enjoy it.
Come into the Kitchen whenever you need an idea for taking better care of yourself or the life you're creating.
There's always something here worth trying.
— Mika
5 Ways to Fall in Love With Summer Again
By the middle of summer, I usually hear the same complaints.
It's too hot.
It's too humid.
There are mosquitoes everywhere.
And somewhere, someone has already started counting the days until fall.
I understand.
There are afternoons when simply walking outside feels like opening an oven door.
But lately, I've been trying not to wish seasons away.
Summer is doing exactly what summer is supposed to do.
The same heat that makes me retreat into the air conditioning is ripening tomatoes on the vine.
The afternoon storms are watering gardens.
The long days are giving everything more time in the light.
Peaches are becoming impossibly sweet.
Watermelons seem to be everywhere.
Berries stain our fingers.
Basil grows faster than I can figure out what to do with it.
Everything is abundant.
Maybe instead of waiting for summer to leave, there are ways we can meet it where it is.
5 Ways to Shift the Energy in Your Home
Sometimes I walk into a room and something simply feels off.
Nothing is necessarily wrong.
The furniture hasn't moved. The dishes are put away. The windows are still letting in the same afternoon light.
And yet, the room feels different.
I've noticed this after stressful weeks, when someone in the house has been sick, after difficult conversations, or during those stretches when we've been so busy that we've stopped really caring for the spaces around us.
The house begins to feel tired.
Whenever I notice that feeling, I don't immediately start rearranging furniture or buying something new.
I begin by changing what is already moving through the space.
5 Ways to Rediscover Your Direction
There are seasons when life feels beautifully clear.
And then there are seasons when we quietly wonder if we've wandered too far from who we were meant to become.
If you've found yourself standing at that crossroads, I hope you'll let me offer something reassuring.