Even over a Zoom call, Melina Hammer has a gift for making a person feel right at home. The writer, photographer and co-proprietor of the stunning Catbird Cottage in New York state exudes relaxed hospitality.
And while her new cookbook, "A Year at Catbird Cottage: Recipes for a Nourished Life," brims with beautiful scenes from a life of cooking, entertaining, foraging and gardening that is far from the takeout and Netflix reality of my own, her recipes and advice — for comforting but inventive seasonal fare like scallop-shiso ceviche or maple-gochujang ribs — remain somehow eminently attainable.
