changes are a comin'

"To improve is to change, to be perfect is to change often."

I'm far from perfect, but Sir Winston Churchill must think I'm damn close. Life seems to throw curve balls rather frequently, necessitating all kinds of changes both minute and drastic.

This past month, I've been laying low focused on some [BIG] changes including another international move, a new web site, and a new personal project I am VERY thrilled about.

I am now writing to you from the other side of the world...again. Last year, my brand spankin' new husband and I spent our honeymoon in an incredible place: Croatia. Our short time there was enough to create a powerful magnetism. When the opportunity came to escape our last stopover, this amazing place was at the top of our list.

This past weekend settled into apartment a stone's throw from the Adriatic Sea in the port town of Split. And yet, I keep getting the same question, "Why Croatia?"

Well, this is why. I love Croatia because...

Q&A: Olive Oil. Burnt Stuff. German Knives.

From time to time, the collective you, family and friends send in various cooking questions. What is the best way to season a steak? What can I do with brussel sprouts? Why did my cake explode?

In an effort to share the knowledge, I will now compile these questions and quandaries here for your nerdy reading pleasure. You ask. I attempt to answer without sounding like a buffoon. 

Let's get to it. 

italian apple cake

When I grow up I want to be an Italian grandmother.

Short, a little stout, apron permanently affixed. My days will be filled with putzing around in the kitchen making an obscene number of delicious goodies for family and friends while mumbling in incoherent Italian. And naturally, this will all take place in a beautiful villa overlooking pristine vineyards.

This my dream. Yes, I know I'm not technically Italian nor a grandmother, but that doesn't mean it can't be so. My blood may be a cocktail of Irish and French Canadian, but the Italian state of mind IS IN ME. Life isn't about work, it's about living. Living to eat, living to see, living to do, living to enjoy. I will need to work on being less punctual, but that is doable.