Overcoming the Ick Factor

My husband and I were deep in the golden triangle of Thailand. We had been hiking for most of the day. It was hot and we were sweaty. And with growling intestines, we were eagerly awaiting a meal of very authentic Thai food.

The Governor

The Governor

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Gimme a lotta (gremolata)

When I read Elizabeth Gilbert’s Eat, Pray, Love, it struck me that she’d mis-titled it. I know she was in Italy but really her culinary adventures were pretty limited to pizza marguerita and gelato. What she did do in Italy was learn to speak Italian but alas, Speak, Pray, Love would have sold far fewer copies. You see, food sells.

Food Sells - And that includes Beans

Food Sells – And that includes Beans

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Bulking Up

Hunger is an incredibly complex issue. This is at the forefront of my thinking as we are currently in the annual SNAP challenge. My family and I are not participating this year as we have in the past. With the intense adolescent caloric intake happening in my home, I do not have the capacity for planning the appropriate protein density on $22.50 a day. Doesn’t that statement on it’s own speak to the complexity of hunger?

flickr.com/photos/lacatholique/cc2.0

flickr.com/photos/lacatholique/cc2.0

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The Bliss Bite

I thrive on data. I love to sift through statistics and and qualitative research piecing together unrelated fact streams and digging deeply into areas of intrigue. I like to read research projects and report back.  This fascination fuels my day job where I’m able to dig into customer research and opinion trends and create or modify programs to meet changing demands.

flickr.com 2.0 Michael Kreil

flickr.com 2.0 Michael Kreil

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Half Truths

When a true statement lacks certain facts and is intended to deceive, we often refer to it as a half truth.
Roasted what?

Roasted what?

If a mother, omits certain recipe ingredients in order to promote good eating, we refer to it as well, good nutrition.

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Spirits of Summer

She was a wistful woman who clung to the last few days before her children went back to school not because they were leaving but because it meant an end to the summer.

Celebrating Summer

Celebrating Summer

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Connecting to a Past

America is called the great melting pot and should you look at my own family tree, you’d find the pot bubbling away with good French wine, a German goulash, Irish soda biscuits, English cheddar and a bit of Scottish Drambuie.

IMG_1405

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Weekend Reading – Plants

A Good Read:

PLANTS
Why you can’t live without them
by B.C. Wolverton and Kozaburo Takenaka

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There is a Season

Every now and then when I look at my boys, I have one of those moments. My heart aches, my eyes gather pools and there is a thick sadness in my throat. They are growing fast. The oldest only has two more years at home and that thought panics me. I feel like I want them to live with me forever.

Back in Season

Back in Season

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Tammy’s Top Ten (t3 report) Ways to Sleep Better

“I love sleep. My life has the tendency to fall apart when I’m awake, you know?” – Ernest Hemingway

Art of Christina Balit

Art of Christina Balit

Frankly it’s not that my life falls apart when I’m awake, it’s that it falls apart when I haven’t slept. Then, last year Deepak Chopra, made it abundantly clear to me,

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