A master’s thesis gone viral? That’s exactly what happened to Leanne Brown’s final project in food studies at New York University. After it went viral online as a PDF (that has by now been downloaded 15 million times), Leanne launched a Kickstarter campaign and raised an amazing $144,681, making her self-published edition of Good and Cheap: Eat Well on $4/Day the most successful cookbook project ever recorded by Kickstarter. In her latest book is Good Enough: A Cookbook (Workman, 2022), the New York Times bestselling author approaches food and cooking through the lens of self-care, mental health and self-forgiveness. After publishing Good and Cheap, Brown found herself in a personal tailspin, and the joy she had once found in cooking evaporated. Something had to change. What changed, and how, is the journey of Good Enough. Listed among the Most Innovative Women in Food and Drink by Food & Wine and Fortune magazines, the Canadian-born author now lives in New York with her husband and daughter.
Leanne Brown’s Cozy Cold-Weather Bolognese
Gateway to Calm Cooking:
Before you begin to cook, take the time to go through this little mental checklist, even (especially) if you feel pressed for time. It will help you reframe the process and center yourself on the creation of food. This mindset will help the cooking go more smoothly—and smoother is usually quicker!
- Take fice deep breaths.
- Read the recipe through, taking note of timing.
- Check to make sure you have all of the ingredients or are prepared to skip them or make substitutions.
- Chop, defrost, or otherwise prep your ingredients so you can have the most harmonious experience of active cooking.
- Set your intention to focus on each step in turn and give your energy to the process and the moment. The outcome is in the future, and you can enjoy this time even if the outcome is not perfect.
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