I’ve got my vision for this new year: nourishment, greater ease and illumination. 

This time of year I CRAVE citrus! Especially oranges. That clean, bright, exhilarating color and flavor combine to make an utterly charming taste thrill.

Most of my close relatives, including two of my three children and myself, were born in November or December. The holidays used to come at us like a tsunami, starting with my father-in-law on November 7 and ending with New Year’s Eve, right after my son Ian’s birthday on December 28. It was a marathon, a test of endurance, one festive feast (8 all together) after another, a muscular demonstration of our love for one another. Whew!

A reminder for those of you who know about it, and an epiphany for those who don’t: It’s the time of year for Magic Mineral Broth!

Gleaming black olives, dusty purple eggplants, emerald kale, a splash of scarlet tomatoes on freshly made golden corn tortillas…  I cook with my eyes. Color matters, texture matters, flavor matters. I rarely use recipes. I find my art supplies at the farmer’s market on Saturday morning, and my favorite season is now, summer, when the market is brimming with seasonal surprises.

We recently went through an especially rough time. My youngest son, who’s recovering from a traumatic brain injury, had a frightening exacerbation of symptoms, in which he began to feel that his brain was swelling, and eventually that his head was going to burst. (This story has a happy ending.)