“ The nuns taught us there were two ways through life – the way of nature and the way of grace. You have to choose which one you’ll follow. Grace doesn’t try to please itself. Accepts being slighted, forgotten, disliked. Accepts insults and injuries. Nature only wants to please itself. Get others to please it too. Like to lord it over them. To have its own way. It finds reasons to be unhappy when all ...

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As this New Year begins, I reflect on the goals I hope to accomplish this year. The certain milestones I should aim for. And improvements and lessons learned from wrong turns and experiences.
I plan on renewing my imagination.
Develop a stronger focus.
Reveal a better me, a stronger me, a wiser me.
 
I want to make cooking easier.
Less daunting.
Fun.
Because being connected to our food, makes us feel alive.
It allows us to take some time out of ...

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I’ve eyed Food52 for awhile now – drooling over their recipes, fawning over their contests, so this week I figured what the hell, I’m going to go for it!
 
So this week the contest was Your Best Walnuts & Sage recipe. “Holidays behind us, we’re ready to return to the pure, clean flavors of winter. We want recipes highlighting the earthiness and muted hues of walnuts and sage – bonus points for thinking beyond pestos.”
 
Okay. I ...

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Did everyone have a wonderful and fulfilling Thanksgiving this year?  Full of turkey, corn bread, casseroles, pies, and stuffing galore? With our fridges packed with leftovers, there are endless possibilities to producing that perfect creation of Thanksgiving wonder.
After gorging down two Thanksgiving feasts in the past couple of weeks, I figured it’d be a good idea to slow down a bit before the Christmas holidays really tackled my butt.  I cut some fresh lettuce greens ...

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As I inch towards my late twenties, I find myself struggling with the idea of aging, growing up, whatever you want to call it.  I have all these questions, ones that no one really knows the answers to.  But I guess that’s what life is about: finding those answers.
 
My mother came to visit recently; it’s been a year since I’ve last seen her.  I still always cry whenever she arrives and when she leaves, ...

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Before I make your bellies grumble with a Tim Byre’s inspired recipe from Smoke, I’d like to take a moment to share with all of you a very exciting project that I’ve been working on with friends for the past 2 years.  I introduce to you: 1-2 Simple Cooking, a cooking show designed for singles and couples where I teach you the secrets of becoming an efficient home chef.  Our goal is to encourage people ...

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It’s been a blistering hot Summer here.  At times I have trouble focusing, my head feels a daze as I watch the heat shrivel out the remaining life of our cucumber plants.  Day after day the temperatures soared past 100 even 105! How is that even legal?  It’s even unbearable to walk around barefoot anymore; the once soft plushy grass is now replaced with a crunchy yellow patch.  My feet strive for relief.
 
I can hardly ...

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Help me celebrate the last weeks of Summer with my Thai Crab Watermelon Salad over at The Cilantropist  where I am guest blogging today.  Please show my dear friend Amanda some love and head on over here to read more!

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Exciting news!  I am guest posting for Xiaolu at 6bittersweets this week.  Please check out my post and show her some love!
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I met Xiaolu this year through the wonderful World of blogging. I was initially attracted to her jaw-dropping photos on 6 Bittersweets and with time have discovered that her inner beauty was just as beautiful as her talent. She was sweet enough to bake me cupcakes on my birthday and even mailed me the ...

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Now where do I even begin? I’ll just jump right into it. It’s been one week since my detox and it’s been one difficult ride. There are days when I think I’m on the brink of insanity because I can’t eat that thick-juicy hamburger on that crusty buttery bun or even worse having to photograph a steamy mug of locally roasted coffee and then not being able to have a single sip.
So I’ve decided one ...

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Happy 4th of July folks!  The biggest Summer holiday that celebrates all the important essentials– swimming, BBQing, soaking up the rays while sipping on some ice cold beer lemonade.  Are yall feeling me?  Aside from getting a day off work, 4th of July is actually one of the most important holidays in America as it celebrates the legal celebration of the Thirteen Colonies from Great Britain.  Pretty big deal guys, without the the Declaration of ...

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Out in Alaska runs Copper River whose name derives from the rich copper deposits found along its banks.  It’s fed by 12 tributaries, is a mile wide and runs at 7 miles per hour.  Besides being the 10th largest river in the US, it also is home to the best salmon in the world — flourishing in the “pure positive environment that creates salmon perfection.”

This Summer I’ll be representing Dallas as one of the Copper ...

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