Welcome! My name's Nicole. I cook with fresh, whole, simple ingredients, and always celebrate what is in season. I eat a {mostly} plant-based diet, believe there is nothing more magical than fresh homemade pasta, and think chocolate cake is just as necessary as kale. All things in balance. 

My love for cooking has always stemmed from my love for eating. I started this blog back in 2014 as a way of creating a home for my husband and I. At the time, we were a couple years out of college, newly married, and cooking felt like an opportunity to build roots and a home when things felt groundless. As I’ve gotten older, cooking has turned into both a mindfulness and self-care practice that’s allowed me to escape from the stress and responsibility of being a doctoral student.

Like my yoga practice, cooking allows me to come back home to myself. When life feels complicated and overwhelming, I find refuge between loaves of homemade bread and peace in simple nourishing meals. This practice has also taught me that the more I nourish myself, the more I have to give which has been particularly helpful as a psychologist in training.

My latest adventure includes becoming a mother to two sweet kiddos. My cooking has certainly changed since becoming a parent as I’ve learned to manage my expectations and simplify when it comes to food. Motherhood has been such a messy, overwhelming, beautiful adventure and introducing her to the magical world of food has been so fun.

Kneading Home is my story as I attempt to slow down, feel the dough between my fingers, smell the brown butter sage in the saucepan, and connect more deeply to myself and those around my table. 

Frequently Asked Questions: 

What camera do you use? 
From August 2014-December 2014 I used a good ol' iphone 5. In January 2015 I got a Canon T3i with a 50mm/f1.8 lens. Big upgrade. Totally recommend. 

Do you subscribe to a particular diet? 
In May 2013 I became vegetarian, though I'd been teetering on the edge of vegetarianism for years. So you definitely won't find any meat on here. I do try to limit the amount of dairy I eat as well and love experimenting with vegan baking, though when I do eat dairy I definitely savor it. Other than that I'm a big fan of eating lots of plants. 

What's your favorite meal? 
Homemade pasta! And guacamole. And black beans. Not together of course. I pretty much fell in love with cooking when I took a homemade pasta cooking class for a friend's birthday right after college. It changed my life forever. Read about that here. 

Can I publish your photos or recipes on my blog/website? 
You may use one photo as long as you give photo credit in the description and link back to my original post. You may never republish a recipe word for word. That's illegal and not very nice. If you're adapting a recipe for your own blog, re-write the recipe in your own words. If you adapt one of my recipes be a nice person and cite "adapted from" followed by the original link. I do it to fellow food bloggers and believe it's good karma. Any other questions regarding re-publishing content or photos and starting a partnership where I provide content for your blog/website? Contact me here. 

What kitchen tools/equipment do you recommend?
I published a list of my favorite kitchen equipment here.