It was softer than normal polenta, but with a heartier chew from the real corn kernels as opposed to tiny, microscopic bits of cornmeal, if that makes sense. It was super sweet with corn flavor, hit with salty jewels of cheese that explode at the right timing as you chew. Normal polenta is wonderful, but this one from scratch was just Godly. You can imagine how thrilled I was when I made polenta from real corn and not cornmeal because it ended up being heaven on earth. I’m in love with polenta, and learning how to make homemade versions of everything on this planet, as if some literal earth shattering Armageddon or apocalypse was always on the horizon. Italian food, I love you.Ī dish like this is really perfection for me. I try new things all the time, only to end up coming back to what I truly love. But although I might venture off the beaten path, I always end up coming back to my food home.Īnd although I grew up eating absolutely exquisite homemade Cuban and Honduran food made by grandmothers and my mom, and plates of rice and beans, maduros and tostones, bistec empanizado, tortillas con queso, mantequilla y frijoles were frequent and abundant, Italian food is really where it’s at for me. I open myself up like a venus fly trap, always ready to capture new dishes, new cultures, new ways of life, and new people. Nothing is off limits, ever, including tons of cheese rinds aka pure mold or fresh sausages made with blood. New options, new ideas, new people, and a frequent in my life especially, new foods. dangerous? How often are we open to new circumstances or surroundings, as we are hit with them constantly on a day by day, no, second by second basis. What do we truly prefer? Is this specific to the individual? Is it something we’re used to? Is it always a dilemma of safe vs. It will fill a void in your fridge as well as satisfy your deep dark Fall desires to cook bubbling soups, sauces and bake buttery pies – oh wait.When I think of what happens when we’re encountered with something foreign, my mind goes in all sorts of directions. Throw is over some homemade or frozen Trader Joes meatballs on a toasted sub, toss with whole wheat pasta, toast up some baguettes with goat cheese and pour a little on each one, share a bowl with a neighbor….your options are endless. It comes together easily and is completely versatile. And I’m almost convinced it’s as important to have in your fridge at all times as my house vinaigrette. The smell in your home alone will bring you to your knees. The perfect recipe? My homemade marinara. I knew what needed to be done to satisfy the beast within. Something about this weather brings out only what I can describe as a carnal urge to put on my apron and stand over my stove for hours chopping different ingredients while things bubble slowly to their perfectly enhanced flavor. What a perfect way to transition from this last month to the next. Something else I woke up to today? 53 degrees. Not one was deemed normal or unimportant in my mind. It seems like something a jet setting celebrity would experience, not a mom who works part time and arranges play dates at Monkey Joes.īut it did happen and words cannot express how amazing each single moment was. And I had to read it again and then again. I woke up today to read what I had written above. The icing on the cake? Carrie Underwood at Ravinia. They are still sitting on my counter right in the kitchen in a neat stack and every time I go to move them they end up right back in the same place they started. I climbed Lone Mountain, touched Taylor Swift’s left arm, dined in a beautiful wine room at a true Montana ranch, perused J Crew with gift cards for the fall while carrying an adorable new bag from Saks, dined alfresco at Piccolo Sogno with the most beautiful friends (and sisters) I could ask for, (seriously? how do you all look like that?) lit fresh new candles, enjoyed scary stories around the fire on my parents patio after my mom’s perfectly cooked herbed salmon dinner, bought a pair of very high and very sparkly platform heels (I’m convinced every woman turning 30 needs a similar pair to ease the transition), had a wonderful birthday lunch complete with cupcakes, was given and fell in love with the book ‘Blood Bones & Butter’, snuck out of work early to enjoy a glass of Sauvignon Blanc, received a birthday card from Ina Garten herself (yes – wow!), and was given some of the most wonderfully kind birthday cards that I don’t want to have to put away. That gave my amazingly dear family and friends a reason not only to celebrate on the 30th, but, as kind as they are the celebration seemed to extend for a month long. This past August, I had my golden birthday – age 30 on the 30th.
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