Hello dear friends!

On Episode 24 of Dinner Last Night, we got to sit down with Esi Lewis, a mama who is passionate about where she lives, bravely uncovering its true history, and re-writing the narrative for local residents.

Esi is an attorney and the founder of the Dr. Margaret Wade-Lewis Center for Black History and Culture, named for her mother, a SUNY New Paltz Black Studies professor who chaired the department for over three decades.

Esi grew up on the historic Huguenot Street, in the house her parents chose for reasons her mother couldn’t quite explain at the time. Years later, Esi learned why the pull might have been so strong: her childhood home sits on a burial ground for enslaved Africans.

This was the beginning of Dr. Margaret Wade-Lewis and Esi’s quest to uncover, document, and build an archive of black history in the region.

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Now, Esi is working to restore the Ann Oliver House, which was slated for demolition by a local gas station. The house, the future home of the Dr. Margaret Wade-Lewis Center for Black History and Culture, was built in 1885 by Jacob Wynkoop, one of the first black men on record to be born free in New Paltz.

In this episode, we talk about Esi’s trajectory from New Paltz to NYC and back home, her mother’s cooking and how it evolved as she got her PhD, how Esi manages family dinners with her daughter’s demanding extracurricular schedule, what it means to speak your ancestor’s name out loud, and why she and her team consider joy itself a form of resistance.

This is a powerful conversation about legacy, place, and what we choose to remember.

We’re also thrilled to be releasing this episode the day before Juneteenth, and Esi’s event, the Juneteenth Jubilee, which she calls “edutainment.”

And in honor of Juneteenth, we’re sharing an essay about Juneteenth below👇, by Dr. Nia Nunn (excerpted from Emma’s second book, Seasonal Family Almanac.)

We hope you find ways to celebrate black history tomorrow - you can start by listening to this episode with the whole family!

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👯‍♀️ Choosing joy,

Emma & Dimity

Hello dear friend!

Today on Episode 23 of Dinner Last Night we’re talking with the big-hearted, indefatigable, and incredibly talented Katrín Björk, a food photographer, cookbook author, and mother of three.

Katrín was born in North Iceland, studied photography in Copenhagen, got her Fine Art Photography degree from the International Center of Photography in New York City, and has been living in Kingston, New York for the past ten years, raising three adopted children with her Danish husband Jens.

Yes, their household is tri-lingual.

When we first reached out to invite Katrín on the show, she wrote back to warn us: “Dinner in our house is a complete disaster.”

She has one child with ARFID, which stands for avoidant restrictive food intake disorder, and one child on the autism spectrum.

And, she has been building her entire professional identity around beautiful, intentional, from-scratch meals since 2011. The gap between that and her actual dinner table is, as she puts it, “a big whirlwind of emotions,” and the main topic in therapy.

This episode uncovers incredibly valuable ideas for other parents struggling to feed their children. We talk about “safe lists,” and how to explain a child’s eating disorder to extended family without inviting judgment. We talk about growing up in a culture where you ate what was in front of you or you ate nothing, and what it takes to unlearn that when your child genuinely cannot it. We talk about Christmas Eve with two kids in noise-canceling headphones and one kid eating granola, and how Katrín has come to accept this reality in her home.

We also talk about Katrín’s Icelandic upbringing, her grandmother’s kjötsúpa, a lamb meat soup that took all day to cook, eating fresh fish three times a week, and Icelandic hot dogs (I swear, I have never wanted to taste a hot dog so badly).

In the spirit of Iceland food and hot dogs, we’re giving away TWO cookbooks this week: a signed copy of Katrín’s limited edition book, From The North, and ’s new release, The Hot Dog Cookbook (giveaway details below👇, or enter here).

At its heart, this episode is about what it means to let go of something you deeply believe in (like the perfect, from-scratch, family dinner), and to be humbled by what life is actually asking of you.

Katrín’s story is honest, funny, and full of wisdom that will help any parent reframe their ideals.

Please consider sharing this episode with a friend, parent, or caregiver you know who is struggling to support children with special needs (especially at the table) - it can be a lonely journey, and it doesn’t have to be.

We hope you love this episode as much as we did.

With love,

👯‍♀️ Emma and Dimity

🎉 Congratulations to J., who won the Episode 22 giveaway, a test kit of Paragini’s new table game, Things & Things.

In the spirit of Icelandic hot dogs and food, this week we’re giving away a signed copy of Katrín’s cookbook, From The North, alongside ’s new release, The Hot Dog Cookbook, which includes her version of Icelandic Pylsa Hot Dogs - recipe coming next week)!

To enter to win, click here or the button below👇 . US residents, 18+ only.

ENTER HERE

Hello dear friends!

Today on Episode 22 of Dinner Last Night we’re sitting down with Paragini Amin, a brand strategist and designer supporting organizations doing some of the most important social justice work in this country.

Paragini grew up in Jersey City in an Indian household, the daughter of immigrants who were doing their best to give their kids a foot in two worlds at once.

What we loved most about this conversation is how Paragini traced the long, complicated thread from childhood to now: the extreme racism she experienced as a young Indian-American girl that made her not want to be Indian at all, the radically intentional and beautifully diverse high school she attended, the mother who did not teach her to cook on purpose (a quiet act of rebellion against expected gender roles), and the psychic who told her that if she just cooked, she could connect with her ancestors.

Well, she never did start cooking because she married a gourmet hobby chef who surprises her and her son daily with elaborate meals from Southeast Asian seafood to traditional French dishes. She cried the first time she tried his uni dish (sea urchins).

But even without cooking, she has reclaimed pride in her heritage.

We also get deep into perimenopause and Paragini’s journey with HRT, because hey, we’re all in our 40’s.

And then there is Things & Things, the game Paragini designed as a response to her challenge having open conversations with her son Kalash.

When Paragini added physical objects to a conversation deck, she noticed him up. The objects gave him a way in. Watching that happen is what has kept her working to bring this game to market.

Paragini is giving away one test kit!!! This is super exciting, because her game isn’t even on the market yet. Details below 👇

This conversation is full of gems on gender roles, parenting, heritage, HRT and perimenopause, and parenting in a multi-cultural home, and we can’t wait for you to listen!

If you enjoy this episode, please consider sharing it with a friend or family member!

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Have a beautiful holiday weekend!

XO,

Emma and Dimity 👯

Psst: Don’t forget to check out the giveaway. Scroll down for details!👇

• Paragini’s Gujarati upbringing: the night-dinner rule, the lunch money saved for everything but food, and the immigrant household trying to live in two cultures

• The racism she experienced as a young Indian-American girl, how she processed it mostly alone, and the diverse Jersey City high school that became a breath of fresh air

• Her mother, a quiet rebel who resented the cultural expectation to cook, and who Paragini believes did not teach her on purpose

• Chris, the gourmet husband: how he grew up deconstructing dishes at restaurants, why his cooking opened up a whole new relationship to food for Paragini, and what it means to feel seen through someone else’s relationship to flavor

• Perimenopause, HRT, and the study that scared an entire generation of women away from treatment that actually works: Paragini and Emma both started, Dimity is thinking about it, and the conversation is as honest as it gets

• Things and Things: the origin story of a conversation game designed for families who want to talk but need a different way in, built by a brand designer who already speaks fluent objects-as-metaphor

Congratulations to last episode’s winner of a signed copy of Homeschooled, an incredible memoir by Stefan Merrill Block.

This week, Paragini is giving away a test kit of her game Things & Things. We’ve played it, and it’s SO FUN.

To enter to win, click here or the button below👇 . US residents, 18+ only.

ENTER HERE

Hello dear friends!

We want to ask you something before we dive in. Do you remember the first meal you cooked that was entirely, purely yours? Not your mother’s recipe, not a dish you inherited, but something you arrived at on your own, for your own pleasure? Tell us in the comments 👇

Leave a comment

For Stefan Merrill Block, today’s guest on Episode 21 of Dinner Last Night, it happened at age 30. He spent two weeks at an art residency, writing a book, alone on 250 acres of land in Texas. If he wanted to eat, he had to haul groceries two miles up a dirt path. Somewhere in those weeks of solitude, cooking went from something to "endure" — his word for childhood dinners — to the most reliable creative act of his day.

Stefan is the author of the New York Times bestselling memoir Homeschooled, a book we both listened to and could not stop thinking about. He was homeschooled by his mother from 4th to 8th grade, largely isolated from others, and shaped by his mother’s all-consuming love that also, quietly, held him back. His memoir is about all of it: the grief, the humor, the complexity, and the strange gift hidden inside the wound.

In this episode, we talk about food as the through-line. The chicken tortilla soup at a Dallas diner called Cafe Brazil that tasted like friendship and a bigger world. The failed Italian timpano Stefan tried to make one Thanksgiving (think: pasta wrapped in dough to create a block of carbs that resembles a cake). The NYT turmeric black pepper chicken recipe he is currently obsessed with, and the three separate dinners he cooks every night for a five-year-old who wants only french fries, a vegetarian eight-year-old, and two adults.

We also talk about what it means to write a memoir instead of a novel: how Stefan lets readers draw their own conclusions, how he finally felt anger on behalf of his childhood self that he had never allowed himself to feel, and what it was like to hand the manuscript to his father and pace the streets of Kingston for a week waiting for a response.

Stefan is brave and inspiring, and a master at creating experiences for others that generate healing and joy, like he does through his novels and books, and as the co-owner of Hudson Valley’s favorite roller rink, Skate Time.

This is one of our favorite conversations of the whole season.

With our noses in Stefan’s other books,

Emma & Dimity 👯

Psst: We are giving away something special to one lucky listener this week. Scroll down to enter!

• What cooking became for Stefan: first something to endure, then an act of rebellion, then the most reliable creative act of his day

• The moment Stefan’s mother pulled him from school and what the following years of isolation were actually like

• How his mother’s fierce, all-consuming love was both the thing that confined him and the thing that gave him the confidence to eventually claim his own path

• The revelation of becoming both writer and reader of his own story, and feeling anger and empathy for the boy on the page that he had never once allowed himself to feel as a child

• The silence at the heart of his family, the conversation he and his brother had when their mother was dying, and how writing the book finally broke it open

• Breaking toxic family patterns and rebuilding new ones, from his father’s return to Jewish faith after his mother’s death to the traditions Stefan and his wife are quietly inventing at their own table

• How his book has prompted legislators in three states to reach out about homeschool reform

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Congratulations to D. for winning last episode’s 1:1 Wardrobe Rewire with Virginia Craddock!

This week, Stefan is giving away a signed copy of his memoir, Homeschooled. This book is incredible, and reads like a novel, ripe with opportunities for self-reflection on childhood trauma and healing.

To enter to win, click here or the button below👇 . US residents, 18+ only.

ENTER HERE

Hello dear friends!

Today we are so delighted to share Episode 20 of Dinner Last Night with the remarkable Virginia Craddock.

Virginia is the founder of Inside Out Agency, a multi-brand showroom dedicated to shifting the way we think about what we wear and how we consume clothing. But as is so often the case on this podcast, the conversation went somewhere we did not expect, and we loved every moment of it.

Virginia came prepared to talk about food and fashion. She delivered on both, beautifully. Her parents did the Peace Corps in Brazil, so she grew up cooking moqueca (a traditional Brazilian seafood stew) in both of her childhood homes, with each parent making it differently. Now, she is making it her own way too. This has become her signature dish when hosting dinner parties.

Dimity recalled attending a dinner party at her house, and the intentional way Virginia gathered everyone around the table. This led to a beautiful discussion on the concept of scruffy hospitality and the Priya Parker book The Art of Gathering, and why getting clear on your intention before you host a dinner party actually makes everyone more at ease.

The conversation then veered into fashion, which has a surprising number of parallels to the food industry, and is a topic close to Virginia’s heart. She made a compelling case for why knowing where your clothes come from changes how much you treasure them, and how she is working to change the way clothes are bought and sold to consumers.

For anyone who cares about fashion or the effects of fast fashion on the environment or workers, this episode is for you!

And then she told us how she blended her family with her partner: three boys, two households, and years of tender and difficult work. As a child of divorced parents, with a dream to have a big family, she called blending her family her greatest triumph in life.

We all cried.

The thread that ran through this entire episode is one that we are both taking with us: Clarity. Clarity in how we host, clarity in what we are asking of our children and our partners, and clarity in what we want. Virginia’s business teacher says it best, and Virginia lives by it: “Clarity is connection.”

This is the episode to send to every woman in your life who is carrying a lot and wondering if the peace and satisfaction she is reaching for is actually possible.

Spoiler: It is. And as Virginia reminds us, sometimes it might involve pouring yourself a margarita.🍹

With snow showers on spring flowers,

Emma & Dimity 👯‍♀️

Psst: Virginia is offering a 1-hour virtual consulting session to rewire your relationship with your wardrobe, shifting from consumption to connection, and building a closet that actually means something to you. See below for details on winning a 1:1 Inside Out Wardrobe Rewire. 👇

• How Virginia grew up eating Brazilian moqueca in two different households, and how her own version is still evolving

• Scruffy hospitality, The Art of Gathering, and why being clear in your invitation lets everyone relax

• Virginia’s work at Inside Out Agency: why knowing how clothing is made makes you treasure it more

• The underwear conversation (truly, you will rethink your next purchase)

• Why fixing fast fashion is not on the consumer, and where the real lever of change actually is

• Screens, kids, and why teenagers might be the ones to save us from our own phones

• The specific, tender, hard-won steps Virginia took to blend her family, and why boundaries make people feel safe

• “Clarity is connection” as a parent, a host, a partner, and a human being

• Virginia’s go-to family dinner for three growing boys and how she makes cooking fun

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Congrats to F., who won last week’s online cooking class with cookbook author and chef, Julia Turshen! This week’s giveaway is…

This week, Virginia is giving one lucky listener a 1:1 Inside Out Wardrobe Rewire: a 1-hour virtual consulting session with Virginia herself, designed to shift your relationship with clothing from consumption to connection, and help you build a wardrobe that actually means something. Think of it as permission to start over, with intention.

To enter to win, click here or the button below👇

ENTER HERE

Eligible entrants must be over 18 and based in the U.S.

What do being a cookbook author, disordered eating, and competitive powerlifting have to do with each other?

Turns out, a lot!

Today we're delighted to share the warm, inspiring, and wide-ranging conversation we had on Episode 19 of Dinner Last Night with the extraordinary .

Julia’s greatest superpower and source of pride is being a self-taught cook. This is exactly what makes her a household icon (and her cookbooks sacred texts) for home cooks everywhere. In this episode, she shares more than one way she helps people overcome the daily stress of cooking.

However, one of the most fascinating parts of this conversation was how competitive powerlifting helped Julia heal from a lifelong eating disorder.

Dimity and I, who both struggled with disordered eating for years, thought this topic was especially relatable for women who grew up in the 90’s, and offers incredible wisdom on what happens when we stop questioning whether we take up space, and start asking:

• how we can deliberately take up space

• appreciate our bodies, and

• do things for the process rather the results

Julia also shares candidly about her close and evolving relationship with her mother, and how this has helped on her healing journey.

Here’s a taste of everything we cover…

• Julia’s incredible dinner hacks from last night, including how to cut and cook a squash the fast, mess-free way

• The concept of “the everlasting meal”

• Growing up in a workaholic household and being instinctively pulled to the kitchen to cultivate a sense of family

• The Brooklyn bread bakery her Jewish grandparents ran, and why it looms so large in her identity

• Her mother’s illustrated cooking class notes, and the beautiful story behind their evolving relationship

• Navigating disordered eating and finding healing through powerlifting

• Intuition-based exercise and eating over counting calories and numbers

• Why being a self-taught home cook is Julia’s superpower as a cookbook author and instructor

• The under-acknowledged labor of cooking at home every day

• How food runs in her house with her spouse Grace, who is a therapist with Type 1 diabetes

• Why Julia believes investing in neighbors and community is the most important thing any of us can do

And don’t forget, this week you can win a chance to cook with Julia online!

To enter to win, click here or the button below👇. Eligible entrants must be over 18 and based in the U.S.

ENTER HERE

It was such an honor to interview Julia on Dinner Last Night, and we promise you’ll come away thinking differently about what it means to nourish yourself.

For more of Julia’s offerings, you can subscribe to her newsletter Keep Calm and Cook On and follow her on Instagram.

🌼 With daffodils blooming,

Emma & Dimity

Hello friends,

We said it on Episode 18 of Dinner Last Night, and we’ll say it again: our conversation with novelist, screenwriter, and father Jonathan Lee is one of our most fascinating yet (after Episode 09 with his wife, Amy Lee, of course!).

Jonathan writes about tragedy; his novel High Dive (included in today’s giveaway!👇) centers on an assassination attempt on Margaret Thatcher, and his latest series, The Bombing of Pan Am 103, explores a devastating plane crash.

And yet, his self-proclaimed superpower as a parent?

Silliness.

The balance between the weight of his work and the lightness he brings to family life sat at the heart of our conversation.

We start this episode, as we always do, at the dinner table. For Jonathan, that means Taco Night, which is usually on Tuesday… but happened to be on Monday. This led us to one of the funniest and most relatable insights of the episode: with kids, branding matters.

“Tuesday Tacos” in Jonathan’s household are devoured. “Monday tacos” incite a dinner strike.

He calls it the perils of precedent, and once you see it, you can’t unsee it. If you set a precedent or brand something for your kids, they will come to expect it (anyone else still cutting the crust off their kids’ sandwiches?). And if you don’t deliver, things get tricky…

From there, we move into deeper waters: how Jonathan researches and writes about trauma, and how he takes care of himself through that process. We also asked how food shows up in his stories, what people eat in moments of crisis, comfort, and need, and what those details reveal about being human.

For anyone who has ever dreamed of writing a book, Jonathan shares his own winding journey to becoming a full-time writer, and what it actually takes to write a book.

The themes of Jonathan’s work inevitably make their way into conversations with his children, too. His reflections on talking to kids about difficult topics are thoughtful, honest, and incredibly useful.

And then, in true Dinner Last Night fashion, we end on a playful note, asking Jonathan to narrate his family members (and dog, Custard) at the dinner table. It’s as delightful as it sounds, and a game we now highly recommend trying at home!

This episode with Jonathan Lee left us thinking about the power of stories: how they can build empathy and shape understanding, and also distort truth (as we are seeing now with social media).

We hope you’ll take a listen and tell us your biggest takeaways from the conversation in the comments below!👇

Leave a comment

Still chewing,
Emma & Dimity

• Why branding dinner can make or break a meal with kids

• The perils of precedent (and how expectations shape family dynamics)

• Jonathan Lee’s journey to becoming a full-time writer

• What it’s really like to write about trauma—and how to care for yourself in the process

• The role of food in storytelling, especially in moments of crisis and connection

• How to talk to children about difficult or heavy topics

• Behind the scenes of The Bombing of Pan Am 103

• A hilarious (and insightful) dinner table storytelling game to try at home

Jonathan Lee is giving away a signed hardcover copy of his best-selling novels, The Great Mistake and High Dive. Eligible entrants must be over 18 and based in the U.S.

To enter to win, click here or the button below👇

ENTER TO WIN

ENTER TO WIN

Hello from Bologna, Italy!

I’m sitting in my cousin’s apartment, on the city’s edge, where the hills outside the window are flush with clouds of apple and cherry blossoms, the trails dotted with violets.

This season, Early Spring, always makes me think of Jana Blankenship, this week’s guest on Episode 17 of Dinner Last Night.

Early Spring is the season when we began writing our co-authored book, Seasonal Family Almanac, and when Jana began teaching me, blossom by blossom, how to make her favorite plant-based potions.

Before Dimity and I met Jana, she was a legend to us. Mother of two, entrepreneur, herbalist, artist, and author. A goddess on an unseen throne, whose clean beauty products appeared on every store shelf and checkout counter from New York City to the Hudson Valley.

But when we were finally introduced by a mutual friend, Jana was one of the most grounded, authentic, and generous people we had ever met. Immediate kin, yet a goddess still, who drew her radiance and wisdom from the Earth’s magic.

Crossing the threshold into Jana’s home — whether in this episode, on her Substack newsletter Witch Way, or in real life — is like entering a portal where nature’s intelligence comes alive. She might stir rose syrup into seltzer (made from petals she collected on a remote island in Maine), guide you and your children in making incense sticks from fir balsam leaves (dried from last year’s Christmas tree), pass you a mug of steaming pine needle tea, or tear off a chunk of Baka’s Spring Celebration Bread, a sweet Easter brioche recipe passed down through her maternal, Serbian elders.

All the while, Jana explains the roots of each gift: rose’s power to soothe the heart, pine’s high levels of Vitamin C and immune-boosting potency, and the origins of the bread’s Serbian name — česnica (pronounced chesh-neet-za) — in the word čest, meaning “to share.”

In this episode, Jana takes us back to her childhood, where she concocted her own scents from her mother’s ample collection of perfumes. Playing with the perfumes caused Jana to develop a strong sensitivity synthetic fragrances, causing headaches and nausea, and eventually led her to discover the world of natural fragrances and clean beauty. She pioneered one of the first clean beauty brands, Captain Blankenship, and subsequently authored Wild Beauty.

Jana shares how the elders in her family passed down Serbian traditions that deeply influenced her path in herbalism, as well as the food traditions that mark the seasons in her home (many of which make an appearance in Seasonal Family Almanac).

And of course, this Dinner Last Night episode wouldn’t be complete without uncovering exactly how a multidimensional human like Jana feeds her family. Jana gives us a glimpse into her busy weeknights (both her children are highly competitive athletes), and shares practical tips for keeping her family well-nourished and united amidst a very full life.

We have a feeling you’re going to love this episode. Jana is warm, joyful, and relatable, and her passion for nature-connected living is contagious and convincing.

With honey swirled in wild violet tea,

Emma & Dimity 👯‍♀️

• The influence of Jana’s grandmother and aunt in passing down Serbian traditions around food and herbalism

• Jana’s personal experience developing a childhood sensitivity to synthetic fragrances and how this inspired her journey with natural scents

• The power of scent (the first sense to develop in the womb) to anchor us in memories

• How Jana founded and developed Captain Blankenship, an early clean beauty brand

• DIY herbal beauty and why making things yourself is such a powerful experience

• Raising tweens with a healthy relationship to beauty and self-care

• Practical meal strategies for busy families juggling sports, school, and chaotic evenings

• How working with your hands and connecting to plants can reduce stress

• Foraging and harvesting plants responsibly, and how to work with evergreens

One lucky listener will win an incredible giveaway including a copy of Jana’s books Seasonal Family Almanac and Wild Beauty, and Captain Blankenship’s Sea Salt Spray and Hair & Scalp Serum. Eligible entrants must be over 18 and based in the U.S.

To enter to win, click here or the button below👇

ENTER HERE

Happy Thursday, Baby!

We’re borrowing a favorite term of endearment from today’s guest on Episode 16 (Season 2) of Dinner Last Night, the radiant Nandini Austin (follow her Substack!).

An Ayurvedic coach and cook, embodiment guide, traditional Indian dancer, and mom of two, Nandini helps modern families reconnect with vitality, balance, and joy through everyday rituals, especially at the table.

(Pssst: Nandini is giving away a 1:1 Ayurvedic coaching session - details below 👇)

Nandini has lived many lives, learned many things, and has loads to share.

She grew up immersed in blended traditions. She was raised in London by Mauritian parents, and spent summers in Mauritius with her grandmother (a lifelong Ayurvedic practitioner, who never owned a refrigerator!). Though her family largely ate Indian and Hindu-vegetarian fare, her father (a Hindu priest) regularly surprised the family with fish n’ chips and other novelties from London. Nandini developed an early passion for food, alongside her love for dance. She performed classical Kathak dance onstage, while jamming out to 80’s classics in her bedroom.

Nandini’s ability to synthesize ancient wisdom and contemporary culture is precisely what makes her perspective and services around health and wellness so fun, accessible and effective.

In this episode, Nandini introduces the core Ayurvedic idea that health begins with digestion. She explains how understanding your dosha can guide daily routines, family meals, and even how you cook. You’ll hear how spices become invitations for her kids to join her in the kitchen, and why joyful movement is just as nourishing as food. 💃🏽

We also talk about cultural identity, parenting, and the small daily practices that help families feel more grounded and alive.

Plus: keep an eye out for one of Nandini’s curry recipes next week! 🍛

We hit so many meaningful topics (highlights below 👇) and can’t wait for you to meet this downright, sparkly Queen in today’s episode!

Dancing in our kitchens 👯‍♀️

Emma & Dimity

• Growing up in a Mauritian household in London and learning food as medicine

• Wisdom from Nandini’s grandmother, who practiced Ayurveda for 96 years

• “You are what you digest” — why digestion is central to health

• Understanding basic concepts of Ayurveda, including doshas and personal daily rituals (dinacharya)

• Demystifying curry and the value of spices

• Raising adventurous eaters and shaping lifelong food habits in children

• Food as a pathway to connection, energy, and emotional balance

• Blending Ayurvedic cooking and traditional Indian dance in Nandini’s Temple Goddess retreats

• Spice-infused syrups and soda alternatives from The Cocktail Architect, founded by Nandini Austin and her husband

One lucky DLN listener will win a 30-minute introductory, one-on-one session with Nandini, designed for those new to Ayurveda! You’ll discover your unique mind–body (dosha) blueprint and walk away with rituals to support it.

To enter to win, click here or the button below👇

ENTER HERE

Hi again friends!

This week, we’re excited to share Episode 02 of Season 2 of Dinner Last Night with a mother, entrepreneur, and nonprofit CEO we deeply admire: Eliza Blank.

My (Emma’s) first introduction to Eliza came four years ago, when a fully grown, gorgeously potted Monstera appeared on the doorstep of our new home in Upstate New York. I’d received flowers and small plants before—but never this.

I opened the card:

Welcome to your new home!
Love, Dimity
(Delivered by The Sill)

The Sill was Eliza’s groundbreaking direct-to-consumer houseplant company—one she bootstrapped in her 20s into a beloved national brand. In the episode, she shares funny, gritty stories from those early days: potting plants in friends’ living rooms, being constantly covered in dirt, and often overlooking lunch and dinner, simply shoveling in calories (eh hem, cereal) to get through the day.

Eventually, Eliza’s husband took over the shopping, cooking, and meal planning for their family. She talks candidly about how that division of labor supports both his ADHD and her demanding schedule, and how it’s shaped the way they feed their two kids today.

After two decades building The Sill, Eliza is now applying her vast experience in perishable product distribution to her role as CEO at Farmlink, which rescues millions of pounds of fresh produce from farms every year, and redistributes it to the charitable food system.

We talk about the staggering reality that nearly 40% of food in the U.S. goes to waste, and how to help kids understand the time, labor, and care behind every meal (without relying the common, guilt-inducing reminder that “there are kids who don’t have dinner tonight”).

We also cover practical tools for reducing food waste at home (including the Mill composter), and of course, Eliza’s dinner last night, a mad dash that still reflected her Filipino-Jewish upbringing and her deep respect for food, family, and the earth’s gifts.

We hope you enjoy this thought-provoking, insightful, and refreshingly honest conversation, woven throughout with Eliza’s signature humor!

Cherishing every scrap on our plates,

Emma & Dimity

• What happens when dinner doesn’t go as planned (and why that’s okay)

• Why Eliza’s husband oversees the kitchen and cooking at home

• How Filipino and Jewish food traditions shape meals at home

• Behind-the-scenes insight into building The Sill—one of the first direct-to-consumer houseplant brands—launched by Eliza in her 20s

• Eliza’s current work as CEO of FarmLink to bridge the gap between excess food waste and food inequality in the U.S.

• How to help children understand food access issues and inequality

• Practical tools for introducing food waste reduction at home

• Appreciating the earth’s gifts, and the time and labor behind every meal

Eliza is giving one lucky listener the chance to choose a Farmlink hoodie and proudly rep the organization’s message! Check out the shop: www.farmlinkproject.org/shop

To enter to win, click here or the button below👇

ENTER HERE

Hello!

We’re thrilled to be launching Episode 01 of Dinner Last Night - Season 2 with a cutting-edge, witty entrepreneur, mom, and friend who shows us how to live fully, right down to what you wear.

Please welcome Catherine Carnevale.

Catherine is one of those people Dimity admired from afar before they became fast friends, and I (Emma) immediately understood why.

Several years ago at my brother-in-law’s 40th birthday party in the Hudson Valley, I found myself dancing next to a woman in a stunning knit dress. From her dance moves to her attire, she was downright fabulous. Within minutes, I discovered that she’d grown up attached to a sewing machine and that she’d designed her own dress.

That was my introduction to Catherine.

It didn’t take long to connect the dots: Catherine was the founder of Eleven Six, a sustainable slow-fashion brand known for its gorgeous knitwear and devoted following.

(PSST: Catherine is offering our listeners an exclusive giveaway and discount code with Eleven Six - details below 👇)

Shortly after Dimity met Catherine, she begun collecting her sweaters, and very reluctantly loaned me one under strict instructions not to ruin it. (She still hasn’t forgiven a high-school clothing incident, which I swear I don’t remember.)

But lucky for us, we got to do an interview and photo shoot (with the amazing Giulia Amato Photography!) for Eleven Six Women, showcasing a wide sample of Eleven Six’s pre-spring collection. You can see the full spread and our interview with Catherine here. Here’s a sneak peek...

As Catherine’s business grew and Dimity’s friendship with her deepened, we both became increasingly curious about how Catherine balanced building a fashion brand, raising two kids, and, of course, getting dinner on the table.

That curiosity is exactly what led to this conversation.

This episode left us reeling with insight and inspiration (as you’ll see from the Episode Highlights below 👇), and repeating Catherine’s mantra: You have to eat super to be super!

We hope you enjoy this Season 2 kick-off as much as we did. And don’t miss the giveaway + discount from Catherine below!

XO,

Emma & Dimity

• Balancing work and family requires “flexibility” over strict balance – a key principle for Catherine.

• How Mediterranean influence shapes Catherine’s simple approach to cooking and eating.

• Catherine’s perspective on sustainable fashion and building relationships with artisans.

• How community support was vital for building a successful small business.

• Listening to music and dancing as essential self-care

Catherine is giving away a bundle of 5 Ali Ribbed Socks that are wardrobe essentials and rib-stitched in the softest air-spun alpaca-blend. To enter, click here or the button below 👇.

ENTER TO WIN

Plus, she’s offering our listeners an exclusive 15% discount online for two weeks, using code: DINNERLASTNIGHT15. Don’t miss your chance to scoop one of her amazing knits.

P.S. This is the moment I met Catherine on the dance floor!

Good morning!

Before we tell you what this episode is about, we need to say thank you.

This week, I called a friend and when she picked up, she said, “I was just listening to your podcast!” Moments like that still feel surreal. The fact that you’re choosing to spend your time with our show—listening, sharing, telling friends—honestly blows us away. We’re still pinching ourselves! 🥰

We also want to extend our deepest gratitude to our Season 1 guests, who trusted us to hold meaningful, joyful, and honest conversations when we were brand new to this whole podcast thing. We truly couldn’t have done this without you:

, , Liesha McKinley / , Rachel Tidd (Wild Learning), Anand Wilder, Dr. Rony Duncan, , , of , , , and Reuben Beck.

I’ll keep this short because I have a long list of last-minute to-dos before my kids are officially on break (you too?).

In the final episode of Season 1, we decided to turn the mic on ourselves and interview each other. 👯‍♀️

We spend most of the episode talking about our favorite holiday traditions, which (unsurprisingly) revolve around food. We also reflect on the new traditions we’re building with our own families—like my annual Christmas Eve croquembouche that I’ve been honing over the years (can you tell which was my first?)—and what these rituals mean to us now as parents.

Thank you for being part of this first season with us.

We can’t wait to share what’s coming in Season 2. More soon!

💝 With gratitude, and a mess of gift wrapping materials

Dimity (and Emma)

In this episode, we…

• Introduce each other (it’s like a pop quiz of our careers!)

• Share our favorite Christmas food traditions (including Ackee & Saltfish, which we talk about in Episode 10 with Davinia)

• Talk about the funny foods our Italian mamma served us as kids (like cow tongue with “green sauce”), and which we genuinely loved

• Test how telepathic we are with some rapid-fire questions

  ---

Hello!

This week we’re excited to share Episode 11 of Dinner Last Night with , all the way from the island of Mallorca, off the coast of Spain!

I (Emma) first connected with Laura after falling in love with the recipes in her Substack newsletter, Six Hungry Feet.

I’ve spent periods of my life eating vegetarian/vegan, and am always looking to incorporate more plant-based recipes into my cooking, particularly for my children. I quickly discovered that not only do Laura’s recipes work, but they are bursting with flavor and often tailored to be family-friendly. (At the time we recorded this episode, Laura was expecting her third child!)

I was keen to hear more about her journey to becoming a vegetarian (and mostly vegan), and sustaining a vegetarian lifestyle in a culture that takes great pride in its meat and seafood!

As you’ll find in this episode, Laura’s story is informative and relatable. She has a wealth of knowledge on the subject of vegan nutrition (for which she’s currently getting certified) and plant-based eating in pregnancy. And she’s refreshingly candid about her approach to parenting and the chaos at dinnertime.

Laura also gives us insight into her multicultural and multilingual home, and her and her husband’s unconventional decision to move their family to Malaysia last year, where Laura draws inspiration for her recipes.

For those of us who also love Mediterranean recipes 🙋‍♀️, Laura is giving away one copy of the e-book, Mediterranean Kitchen (details to enter below 👇).

Ultimately, Laura shows us what it looks like to confidently follow one’s path, even when it goes against the grain, and shares stories that have practical takeaways for anyone considering a plant-based diet, establishing family rhythms that work for you and your kids, and committing to a much-needed career change.

We hope you tune into this episode, and stay tuned for Laura’s vegetarian paella recipe next week!

With snow-dusted trees,

E&D

• Plant-based eating with kids

• Gestational diabetes and how a vegetarian diet can help

• How to choose tofu at the store, and go-to methods for cooking tofu that tastes good

• Debunking the myth around estrogen and soy

• How the covid shutdown allowed Laura to step into an aligned career and lifestyle

• What the Spanish culture and daily schedule actually looks like (hint: there’s no siesta, really)

• Balancing life in a Spanish-Irish family

• Moving and living abroad with kids

LISTEN ON SPOTIFY

Congrats to Sarah, who won last week’s giveaway for Episode 10 with Davinia Tomlinson!

We are giving one lucky winner a copy of Laura’s e-book, Mediterranean Kitchen, which includes 37 plant-based recipes (many of which are GF or GF-adaptable).

For a chance to win, enter your email in this form or click the button to take you there 👇

Enter To Win!

Hello dear friends!

On Episode 10 of Dinner Last Night, we hosted a dream guest: Davinia Tomlinson.

Davinia thanked us for sticking with her after a few reschedules—but honestly, it was easy. We weren’t about to pass up the chance to talk with this incredible human. Once you listen, you’ll understand why.

Born in England to a Caribbean family from St. Kitts, Davinia grew up surrounded by her extended relatives and rich cultural traditions. She shared how the parts of her identity that could have been seen as obstacles—being Black, a woman, and a first-generation descendant of immigrants—were, in her father’s words, “the making of you.”

Davinia is living proof of what’s possible when love is your foundation and you believe you can do anything. And she’s done a lot!

But it’s not just what Davinia has achieved—it’s how she goes about it. From high-powered financial advisor to entrepreneur and mother of two, Davinia approaches everything in her life with presence, intention, purpose, humility, confidence, and joy.

After being in the financial advising world, Davinia became aware of the gap between the “haves” and the “have-nots,” and set out to close it. She founded Rainchq, which offers “financial coaching to women worldwide, helping them build sustainable long-term wealth and live life entirely on their own terms.” There are many ways to dip into Rainchq’s resources, including her podcast and Substack, The Rainmaker.

Davinia also believes that smart money habits start young, and we picked her brain about helping our kids develop these skills. We covered a range of topics, from her kids “slime” business to handling allowance. (Psst: her book Cash Is Queen: A Girl’s Guide to Securing, Spending, and Stashing Cash is a must-read, and we’re giving away a copy below! 👇)

And of course, we got deep on food. Dimity and I were drooling over Davinia’s dinner last night, which included ackee.

If you haven’t, stay tuned because we’ve got a delicious (and funny) treat for you next week featuring this wonder food.

We hope you love this episode with Davinia as much as we did, and walk away with some new insights and inspiration.

Dreaming of island time as the first snowstorm approaches,

E&D 👯‍♀️

• Iconic Caribbean foods and Saturday soup

• Food as community, and herbal traditions passed down through elders

• A child-centered Caribbean culture

• Davinia’s story of building her business and financial confidence from the ground up

• Tips for giving kids allowance and defining money-related roles

• Thoughts on chores as household help vs. paid work

• Fostering independence in our children

LISTEN ON SPOTIFY

Congrats to A. Blanco, who won last week’s giveaway for Episode 9 with Amy Lee!

We are giving one lucky winner a copy of Davinia’s book, Cash Is Queen: A Girl’s Guide to Securing, Spending, and Stashing Cash!

For a chance to win, enter your email in this form or click the button to take you there 👇

Enter Here

Hello friends — Dim here!

I’m so excited to introduce this week’s guest: Amy Lee!

Amy and I had been orbiting each other for years, but we finally crossed paths two summers ago, thanks to our goofy kids.

My youngest, Kai, was attending a new summer camp and came home every day talking about his new friend, Arthur. He insisted we invite Arthur to his birthday party, so I did what any good mom-slash-social-sleuth would do: tracked down his mom’s number through mutual friends. From our first text exchange, I knew I liked her.

Over the next year, our kids’ activities aligned, and I got to know the brilliant, joyful woman behind the witty texts.

Soon after, I found myself running alongside Amy in a family race—well, she was running; I was sprinting to keep up. She encouraged me the whole way, effortless and kind, while I tried to hide my breathlessness and negotiate with a stubborn side cramp. (By some miracle, that following spring we finished an eight-mile race together; once again, Amy effortlessly floating alongside me.)

That’s the kind of person Amy is: pure sunshine. She’s the friend who rallies her crew for adventures, whether it’s a ladies’ night full of hilarious birth stories, a disco dance party, karaoke…whatever the vibe, she’s in. But she’s also whip-smart, funny as hell, an insanely talented self-taught painter, and the kind of friend who knows exactly when to offer a hug or a wise word.

On top of that, she writes Catskill Culture Club, a Substack celebrating local Hudson Valley artists through her sharp humor and thoughtful eye (she mentions this episode in her most recent post).

In this episode, we go deep. If you were a teen in the ’90s, some of this will feel very familiar, but we also explore what it means to redefine success, stay grounded as working parents, and show up for ourselves and our daughters with honesty and love.

We can’t WAIT for you to listen!

• Those impossible 90’s beauty standards (and how we’re still unlearning them)

• Helping our daughters build confidence in a world that profits from insecurity

• Why we tell our kids our secrets (spoiler: so they—hopefully—don’t repeat our mistakes)

• What dinner as a full-time working parent

• The ego, self-belief, and how they can both drive and derail us

• Unraveling our capitalist conditioning around success

• And of course, our favorite British foods and candies 🍫🇬🇧

LISTEN ON SPOTIFY

Congrats to Petra P., who won last week’s giveaway for Episode 8 with Cat Seixas!

We are giving one lucky winner a copy of my e-book (did you know I wrote a book, too?!), Meal Prep Made Easy, which includes a four-week meal plan and meal “formulas” to make family meals a little more stress-free.

For a chance to win, enter your email in this form or click the button to take you there 👇

Enter to Win

Hello friendsies!

On todays’ Episode 08 of Dinner Last Night, we have an absolute GEM (Catarina Seixas).

I know we gush and fawn over every guest, but it’s not just because we’re a pair of bubbly twins. We’ve also been blessed with an all-star lineup for this first season, and Cat is no exception.

I’ve admired Cat from afar for some time. She came out with her book The Wild Craft, when I was deep in writing Seasonal Family Almanac. (Psst: we’re giving away a copy of both—see details below!👇).

At the time, there were very few books that incorporated ingredients holistically—for food, medicine, and craft—as both our books do. And Cat is a living model of someone who is weaving homegrown, foraged, and collected ingredients into her kitchen, medicine cabinet, and art. Yes, that includes fiber from her beloved flock of sheep, for her incredible knit creations (like some of the sweaters in her pictures below). The Wild Craft is an authentic reflection of her life at home.

Cat lives in a stone cottage, that she and her partner hand-built in the hills of Western Iberia, in Portugal. She has many talents and gifts, ranging from bioregionalist, photographer, folk herbalist, recipe developer, expert knitter, gardener, forager, and of course, Mother.

In this episode, Cat shares her story of falling in love, finding home, planting roots, and raising her family at the pace of nature.

As part of her commitment to living on Earth-time, Cat left Instagram more than a year ago. You can still see some of her stunning photography showcased there, and on her blog and Substack.

By the end of this episode, you will fall in love with Cat’s open-hearted joy, sincerity, integrity, warmth, and the sense of calm that comes from peering through the window into her life.

Dimity and I are dreaming about visiting Cat one day!

Cat shows us all that there is another way to live—“successfully”—while feeling nurtured in our bodies, hearts, and souls.

Next week we’ll be sharing one of Cat’s gorgeous, seasonal crafts from her book - stay tuned!

🍎 With bellies full of apple crisp,

Emma & Dimity 👯‍♀️

• On how to accept that when you build and create things on your own, they take time

• How Cat and her partner built their home from scratch, and slowly added amenities, including her “cute-ass black fridge” (they didn’t have a fridge for ten years!)

• Cat’s ritual for making dinner (it’s so simple, yet so good)

• On how to connect with a place wherever you are

• Food and language in a multi-cultural home

LISTEN HERE

Congrats to Ashley Z., who won last week’s giveaway for Episode 7 with Sarah Copeland!

Cat and moi (Emma) are giving ONE lucky listener a copy of The Wild Craft and Seasonal Family Almanac! These books are perfect companions for cooking, crafting, and making medicine throughout the seasons.

For a chance to win, enter your email in this form or click the button to take you there 👇

ENTER TO WIN

Szia! (“Hi!” in Hungarian),

Thank you to everyone who’s been tuning into Dinner Last Night and sharing feedback. We’re so glad our guests’ wisdom is landing in practical, inspiring, and comforting ways. Our last episode with our big sis (and clinical psychologist), Dr. Rony Duncan, sparked a flurry of responses:

• “I appreciated the reminders to be playful, focus on the repairs, and let go of the guilt.”

• “I’m implementing couch carrots in my house!”

• “We started Sunday night family meetings and I think it’s going to be HUGE for us!”

If you haven’t listened yet—tsk tsk. Just kidding! We don’t keep naughty lists (we’re perfect humans who never get mad at our kids… right? Hmmpf).

But seriously—we know we’re all living in information overload. That’s why we write these recaps: so even if you miss an episode, you can grab a few takeaways to bring ease, joy, or solutions into your life—or pass them along to someone who might need them.

Now, let’s dive into this week’s freaking awesome powerhouse of a guest for Episode 7—Sarah Copeland!

When I say “freaking awesome powerhouse,” picture me fist-pumping and grinning ear to ear. Sarah is a mother, acclaimed chef, food blogger, photographer, best-selling cookbook author, gardener, and more. Her warmth is boundless. I fan-girled over her long before we became friends—she was exactly who I wanted to be “when I grew up.”

Sarah’s recipes have landed in The New York Times, and she’s authored four cookbooks—all while maintaining integrity in her food ethos: fresh, seasonal, simple, beautiful, flavorful. As an industry peer and now friend, Sarah has always been open, generous, and endlessly supportive. That shines through in this episode.

I hope you make time to slurp up the delicious conversation we had, including our favorite recipes from Instant Family Meals (which we’re giving away! 👇), Sarah’s love affair with Hungarian food and living, and, as always, helpful insights on parenting, cooking for, and eating with our kids.

Look out for one of Sarah’s recipes next week—and more! 🤤

🍂 Raking leaf piles while listening to this one, again,

Emma & Dimity 👯‍♀️

• Sarah’s “low lift, high impact” cooking philosophy

• Peer influence as a way to get kids to try new foods

• The beauty of cucina povera and how Sarah weaves it into her kitchen

• Her family’s Hungarian roots and semester abroad with her kids

• Favorite recipes from her books Instant Family Meals and Everyday is Saturday (both staples in our homes!)

LISTEN HERE

Sarah is giving ONE lucky listener a copy of Instant Family Meal: Delicious Dishes from your Slow Cooker, Pressure Cooker, Multicooker, and Instant Pot! To enter, leave a comment on this post—tell us what you had for dinner last night, what you love about Sarah’s recipes, or just say hi. 👇

Leave a comment

We CANNOT WAIT for you to listen to Episode 06 of Dinner Last Night, where we get to interview our very own big sister, Rony Duncan—from Melbourne, Australia.

You might be wondering: how do you have a sister from Australia?! 🤔

As you’ll discover, the deeper we get into Dinner Last Night, we have a wildly international family (we see people’s eyes glaze over when we try to explain our relatives across five continents). One of them is our glorious, kindred, hilarious, wise, loving, fun, amazing big sister Rony—along with her husband Simon and their two sons, Gabe and Jem.

Rony’s a sister from the same mister, but a different mama (shout-out to our Australian matriarch, Nonna Susi!).

And here’s the crazy part: Rony grew up knowing all about her American family, but we didn’t learn about her until we were 10. 😳

When our dad told our mom about his Australian daughter (whom he’d met a couple times before she was two), Mamma immediately reached out to Susi and Rony, nurtured the relationship, and mailed Rony a plane ticket when she felt ready to visit. (Shout-out to our British-Italian-American matriarch Fenella, for choosing love, family, and connection over the many other responses she might have had to this discovery!)

When we finally met, we were 15 and Rony had just turned 21. It was love at first sight.

What was meant to be a four-day holiday turned into ten. We couldn’t believe how much Rony looked like our dad—her dad!—and how we all shared the same sausage toes and were prone to collapsing in fits of laughter. It felt like Francesca, Sebastian, Dimity, me, and Rony had always known each other.

Though it breaks our hearts to live on opposite sides of the world, being raised apart has had its silver linings. High among them: we have no sibling rivalry—we talk about that in the episode.

The beautiful thing about being on an equal plane is that we can lap up each other’s wisdom. And Rony is FULL of it. She’s a seasoned psychologist and spends a lot of time counseling other mothers (including us when we ask!).

This conversation is full of gems, and makes us SO happy to share with you. You also just might get to hear us singing our favorite song and a very special cameo from Slurpy Burpee.

With giddy smiles and gratitude,

Emma & Dimity 👯‍♀️

• Tips on how to support ADHD kids at the dinner table, and beyond

• Tactics for making parenting more playful and effective

• How Rony’s family works together to design the week’s flow (including meal planning)—her essential hack for keeping sanity in a very busy household

• Division of labor in the home, and deferring to your partners’ strengths (we reference the card game, Fair Play by Eve Rodsky)

• How Rony supports moms to release guilt and focus on repair

• The 1-degree turn concept from 4,000 Weeks by Oliver Burkeman (so simple, so groundbreaking)

• And all-round general FUN & LAUGHTER!

Listen Here

This episode giveaway is proof that good things flow from ecstatic joy (like getting to spend a month-long holiday with your big sis and her family!). We asked Eve Rodsky, author of the Fair Play book and card game, if she’d be willing to give away a copy of each for this episode. It was a longshot. AND SHE SAID YES!

ENTER TO WIN: Leave a comment on this post and tell us what you had for dinner last night!👇

Leave a comment

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Episode 05 of Dinner Last Night was a trip!

Dim and I logged onto Zoom, waiting for Anand Wilder to show up. When the video finally appeared, we saw a spritely, long-haired dude with a huge smile and a sea of instruments packed into the room behind him.

The first thing out of his mouth was, “Check 1, 2, 3. Check 1, 2, 3.”

After all, he’s a professional musician.

Once the sound was dialed in, Anand launched into one of the most colorful conversations we’ve had so far on food, starting with Thai basil.

Anand Wilder is the former frontman of the band Yeasayer, an experimental rock band that formed in Brooklyn in 2006, and disbanded in 2019.

After they split, Anand began humbly rewriting his musical career as a solo artist, while raising two young kids with his wife in Brooklyn.

During our conversation, it was obvious that Anand’s #1 passion is music.

But cooking is a close second.

Anand’s mother is from Kerala, India, and during his childhood, taught Indian cooking lessons to college students in their home. Needless to say, the flavors of his maternal lineage have left a lasting mark in the kitchen. (With some memorable flavors from his father’s Quaker-American upbringing).

Next week we’ll be sharing his mom’s “Meen Curry Recipe”!

And yes, it’s a mean curry.

🎧 This Episode Includes:

• How many chilis his kids can tolerate!

• Rituals around dinner, a.k.a. the “sit down and eat your goddam dinner!” religion

• Anand’s children’s pride in their heritage and a fun story about chickpea masala at a school potluck

• What eating on tour with Yeasayer actually looked like for Anand

• Whether authenticity plays a role in food when you’re raised biculturally

• The daily juggle as a primary parent and professional musician

• And his daughter Zazi’s track, 🐕 Dosa My Honey: listen here!

Overall, Anand’s perspective was unpretentious, upbeat, and refreshingly candid, and our conversation was full of laughter!

🎁 A Giveaway!

Congratulations to d.marolla, who won last episode’s giveaway! Look out for an email 🤗.

For this episode, we’re partnering with literary agent to give away a copy of Sapna Punjabi’s cookbook, Dal Chawal. Sapna combines a lifelong vegetarian practice, Ayurvedic training, and expertise as a registered dietitian and nutritionist to create plant-based recipes and Indian comfort food that’s economical, healthy, and delicious. It’s the perfect pairing to this episode!

📩 Enter To Win

Here’s how you can win a copy of Dal Chawal:

1. Make sure you’re signed up as a free subscriber to this newsletter: subscribe here

2. Leave a comment below: you can comment on this episode, OR, tell us what you had for dinner last night. You know we’d LOVE to hear 😜

Leave a comment

Don’t forget to tune in to the full episode wherever you listen to podcasts.

Until the next one, we’ll be willing it to stay summer, while also celebrating the return to school! 🫠

XO,

Emma & Dimity 👯‍♀️

P.S. Your Support is EVERYTHING 🫶

Could you take one action item to help us spread the word, pretty puuulease with double cherries on top? 🍒 We’d be so grateful.

• Share this email with a friend

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• Tap the little ♡ or “like” where you stream podcasts

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It’s about to get extra fun inside whatever digital box you’re on because … we just dropped Episode 04 of Dinner Last Night with the legendary Rachel Tidd!

I (Emma) had heard of Rachel and her incredible curriculum, Wild Learning, through the homeschool circuit in the Finger Lakes region of Upstate New York.

I was on the homeschool path with my children when we moved within walking distance of a village elementary school and made the switch to public.

But I still consider myself a bit of a homeschool mom and admire many homeschooling principles, particularly the value placed on time in nature.

Because of this, I was tuned into Rachel’s offerings when I discovered—two years ago—that we published a book in the same week. It was as good an excuse as any to finally meet in person!

When Dimity and I were mapping out this season, I immediately thought of Rachel. Dim shares Rachel’s background in education, and also dipped her toes in homeschooling during COVID, when she first learned about Rachel’s curriculum.

Needless to say, we were both eager to hear more about Rachel’s life and gain insight into her experiences as a full-time working mom and homeschooler.

We were especially curious to find out just how she does it all.

Well, as you’ll hear in this episode, she doesn’t.

And that includes dinner.

🎧 This Episode Covers:

• What happens when a homeschool mom and curriculum creator hands over the kitchen—and the classroom—to her husband?

• How Rachel had to restructure family life to grow her business

• The mental load of motherhood and “default parenting”

• The bedtime carrot (YOU WILL BE CONVERTED! 🥕)

• Raising older (hungrier!) kids

• Herbalism and a conversation on its origins in community

• Gardening, grocery shopping, and cooking as math lessons

• And more!

🎁 A Giveaway!

Congratulations to Sabrina C., who won last episode’s giveaway! Look out for an email 🤗.

For this episode, Rachel is giving away a copy of her book Wild Learning: Practical Ideas to Bring Teaching Outdoors. Whether you are a teacher, homeschooling parent, or public school parent, this book is filled with enriching activities and ideas to engage in while learning outside.

📩 Enter To Win

Enter your email in this form, or click the button to take you there 👇

ENTER TO WIN

Don’t forget to tune in to the full episode wherever you listen to podcasts!

♡ Waxing in the late summer sun,

Emma & Dimity 👯‍♀️

P.S. Your Support is EVERYTHING 🫶

Could you take one action item to help us spread the word, pretty puuulease with double cherries on top? 🍒 We’d be so grateful.

• Share this email with a friend

Share

• Tap the little ♡ or “like” where you stream podcasts

• Hit “follow/subscribe” where you stream podcasts

• Share the episode with a friend from your podcast platform

• Leave a review on the podcast