Dulce de leche cheesecake squares

Dulce. de. leche. Cheesecake. Combined. What?

Need I say more?

Well, just a little more. Let me take a quick digression here. Strangely enough, these squares remind me of a constant in my life, yoga. Yoga is vital. It is soothing, calming, it makes me feel crazy good. But then every now and then, while in a pose, it’s a little bitter. It hurts, it’s uncomfortable. I’m loving downward dog, but then….what? right angle pose? extended right angle pose? crane?! Aaaand then it’s back to lovingness and utopia. Kinda like life, right?

Baked kale chips with cumin, cayenne pepper, and sea salt

My loved ones make fun of me for the “faces” I make.

I suppose it’s both a good and bad thing to have what you feel written all over your face at all times, being too expressive. The good thing being that the people around you always know what you are thinking. The bad thing being that the people around you always know what you are thinking. If I ever do anything against the law, let’s hope I don’t run into the police. I’d go to jail immediately upon confessing my crime and apologizing profusely. I’m like a female Pinocchio without the nose (or being completely wooden, for that matter). One of my college roommates always used to tell me, “You could NEVER be CSI!”.

Now, how do my faces relate to Kale Chips?

Caramelized onion & shallot focaccia

Do the words “Snack Time” bring back memories to you?

The time in your life that comes to mind is probably sometime back in grade school, right? Possibly summer camp many moons ago. If you’re a parent, then the memories might be more recent because snack time is ever present in your kids’ lives.

It’s currently ever present in my life, too. Being as I’m a student in a program that centers around food and food lovers, and all my classes are at night, we are each responsible for bringing in something to share with our classmates at some point during the semester. Out of my four classes this summer, three of them have welcomed this as a ritual. {The fourth class was my wine class, in which we spent the whole time tasting (and subsequently spitting out) wines, so needless to say there was no time for food}. Since I’m surrounded by people who don’t mess around when it comes to food, it goes with out saying that all of the offerings have been delish.

Chocolate blackout cake

What dessert is most quintessentially…dessert…than chocolate cake?

People go nuts for chocolate cake. No sweet delight is more ubiquitous or well loved. However, I must admit that while I love chocolate,  it’s not my favorite thing in the world. I am not a self-proclaimed chocoholic like 92% of humanity. I prefer dulce de leche or cinnamonny, buttery, custardy, bready things. I know, I know.

But this. Ohhhhhhhh this. This is the grizzly chocolate cake. It’s intense. You will be transported from reality for ten seconds while you take a bite of this delicacy. Then you’ll come back to life, and want to leave reality again. Hence, Blackout. It makes me re-think my non-chocoholic status.

Slow sweet fresh tomato sauce with fresh herbs

I have never lived outside of Florida.

Until now.

Living in Boston is definitely different than Miami. In a good way. It’s diverse and cultural, and it has as much stuff to do and explore as NYC without so much of the hustle. Boston is more me. I mosey along, I dilly dally, I soak things in, I savor. All slowly.

100% whole wheat bread

….Do you ever obsess about things? I know I do. (You know you do, too.) And most of my obsessions are food related…Goat cheese (i love you), balsamic vinegar, honey, roasted red peppers, riesling, whole grain mustard, guava! Mmmm. The simple things in life.

However, my my main food obsession is lies in homemade bread making.