As you know I’m not much of a drinker. A genetic mutation causes my body to process alcohol as if it were poison. Don’t get me wrong, it doesn’t stop me when I’m out at an event, a dinner, or when friends are in town, there are times when cocktails are needed or in this case, wanted.
Citrus season is in full bloom here in Texas. Grapefruits, clementines, oranges, lemons and limes are flowing in by ...
“ 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 ...
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 ...
My favorite holiday of the year is hands down, Thanksgiving. Growing up, my family didn’t have many Thanksgiving traditions – it was a foreign holiday that we never really embraced. But I’d always dream about what kind of Thanksgivings I’d have when I grew up: the perfectly browned turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, sweet potato casserole with those nicely melted marshmallows on top, green bean casserole topped with crispy fried onions…the glory!
Once I headed off to college and pretty much had to ...
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, ...
It’s a common belief that only children tend to be awkward, many times introverts and apparently always selfish. Well whoever said that was obviously jealous- speaking from personal experience being the only child was pretty freaking awesome.
Sure I’m weird (I prefer quirky), and on some days I’m definitely one of the most introverted people you’ll ever meet and when it comes to food, you bet I’m selfish — DONT YOU BE TOUCHIN MY BROWNIES. Don’t ...
There are many qualities that define a good chef: a well organized kitchen, an inviting dining space, and certainly delicious food that’ll keep you coming back for more. But what makes a great chef? At Smoke, Chef and co-owner Tim Byres is finding the roots of great food again. He pushes the limit when it comes to finding resources and suppliers for ingredients and goes even further with going back to basic good ‘ole fashion ...
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 ...
Baking has always been meditative to me — it takes patience, delicate finesse, and oh right, more patience. Being Anal is key when making sure your measurements are spot on — not too much not too little. Timing is also another important one, a minute too long in the oven could be catastrophic. But the best part of baking is the reward at the end: putting all the elements together to create the perfect masterpiece. ...
Since being back from our Europe trip I’ve realized the solace of one’s home is often forsaken. We seldom take the time to appreciate the commonplace of our lives, the comfort, security the simplicity that comes along. Instead I often find myself dreaming of traveling to a far away land and touching foot in every corner of this world. I dream of colors, sounds, smells; I imagine the people, their faces, their clothes, their ...
It’s funny how sometimes even after the most amazing experiences, nothing beats the excitement of coming home, lying in your awesome ass bed and relishing in the glory of everything familiar again. Home sweet home.
Even better, we came home to an exploding garden! Everything literally tripled in size while we were gone — the beans, the tomatoes, my wildflowers. We instilled life back into this little yard, it’s now filled with ladybugs, butterflies, bees ...
Our European honeymoon has been a great success — Wells and I have bounced around Europe: Brussels, Amsterdam, Cologne, Munich, Basel, Gimmelwald, Milan and Florence. We’re finally winding down towards the end of our trip and finishing it off with the Amalfi Coast and Rome. Just because I’m half-way around the world, you didn’t think I’d be able to stay away too long did you? Good thing I have beautifully talented friends to cover for ...
