Recycling

Last night, I meandered the streets of Atlanta at 1am for the first time in over a year. Heat lightning crested in the sky, and a quick sprinkle wet the asphalt and released that perfect warm, humid smell. I looked around, and streets that used to be littered with garbage and junkies were now quieter, cleaner. I passed the Masquerade, and a neighborhood that used to scream dirty now was dressed in gentrification. It was strange to see.

In many ways, I have been feeling like I wound up exactly where I left off when I left Atlanta last August. Same job, same friends, same very awkward encounters with people I was in no way prepared to see. But my walk last night reminded me that really, I'm not the same person. While I did go back to my old job, I'm on track for bigger and better things. I have way more patience for myself (and my cooking) than I've ever had. I'm in the midst of my own revitalization, much like Ponce City Market is helping my favorite city grow.

I still have a lot of my old bad habits. But I've made some better choices. And now, I'm exactly where I need to be to keep improving, keep moving forward, and make my mark in my chosen career path.

Venturing Forward

I'm not one to profess any sort of belief in fate. In fact, the idea of it, from a logic standpoint, is just downright silly. But occasionally coincidences stack up just enough to make me curious if the universe is trying to tell me something. And, being that I have a tendency to be a bit dense, sometimes it takes quite the smack upside the head for me to get it.

My week in Atlanta was an incredible whirlwind of reminiscing and reminders of why I left in the first place. The Food and Wine festival was an absolute blast, and every aching muscle and drop of sweat was worth it. It really brought attention to the sense of community amongst all southerners (be they Carolinian, Georgian, or anything else) that I've been missing so much. And then my world got an extra little shake up that solidified things for me. So I'm going back south.

Now, I am going to try to move to Nashville, but there is a very real possibility that I will be back in Atlanta for a few months before that happens- a lot is up in the air. But beyond that, I am finally ready to take advantage of some of the opportunities I pushed aside because I thought I couldn't hack it. I'm finally wearing my grown-up shoes, and I'm ready to create the life I want. Unfortunately, my wine studies may wind up taking a back burner, since the sudden move is going to utterly drain my meager savings, but I have a much better game plan for moving on, and moving forward. California has been an eye-opening, wonderful chapter, and I am finally ready to live for me again and not spite or misguided altruism. And this time, I am not getting waylaid by my tendency to take others emotional well-being on as my responsibility!

Flying High

I don't fly often, though I am lucky enough to do it more than most. And over the past few years,  I think I almost have the hang of it. I maneuver airports like a pro now. My travel shoes never include laces or clasps (though I am still nutty enough to wear these fierce "don't fuck with me" heels. And I finally began bringing my own freaking food, rather than relying on limp Au Bon Pain or Cinnabon. It occurred to me to finally do this after all of my food magazines ran essentially the same summer travel issue, and I decided to bring a little esoteric SoCal to my favorite SoEast hub. I've packed Cherimoya, an extremely perishable, ridiculously delicious fruit. I had frozen it prior to leaving, but I'm uncertain as to how well it's holding up. Hopefully when I make it to my hotel, I can re-freeze it.

That's the real beauty of cherimoya. It is a lush mix of flavors, all passionfruit, strawberry,  and vanilla custard; no preparation needed. In fact, the best way to eat it is frozen. It is such a delicate fruit, it is rarely seen outside of the areas it is grown in.  And that is why I'm attempting to bring it across the country. I want so bad to share it with my friends and family in Atlanta, it is a really incredible piece of produce! The reactions I anticipate and the 3 airplane bottles of liquor I have already consumed are what is made the tiny obnoxious child kicking my seat for the past 3 hours bearable.

I got stuck in Charlotte, North Carolina, waiting on my flight to Atlanta. It was delayed due to another flight being delayed,  so I managed to squeeze in an $18 (after tip) margarita.  Was it a good margarita? Not particularly. it was overly sweet and thin.  But for the temporary escape from "travel mode", and the fun bartender,  worth it. And I just found out the flight was delayed more. I think it is very safe to say that, while air travel is more convenient time-wise, I would much rather road trip any day. I've already had 5 vivid fantasies of hip checking grandma out of my freaking way, and elbowing small children in the teeth. In all reality, I love children and a select portion of the elderly population. But in all future travel endeavors,  it is probably safer for everyone concerned if I drive. Unless, you know, I pack 20 mini bottles. Those are WONDERFUL attitude adjusters.

Evolution of Taste

How many of us have memories of our childhood, throwing a fit over something on our plates because it is new, weird, or "icky"? I know I was a particularly shitty eater as a kid, having had a few memorable nights of bellowing while I stormed upstairs that baked ham was, " TOTALLY DISGUSTING!!!! " I didn't believe my mom when she assured me that my tastes would change. Of course, I also thought I'd grow up to be a teacher, or movie star. (I was banking on movie star, obviously)

To my own surprise, my mom happened to be right! I started discovering my culinary tastes changing when I started working for Richard's German Restaurant in Brunswick, ME. I had fallen in love with their desserts, and begged the owner, Richard, to teach me how to make them. That spun into my first real job in a kitchen, and it grossed. Me. Out.

German food, beyond being a lot of sausage and cabbage, has a myriad of other dishes and techniques many people aren't familiar with. As a 14-year-old girl, it was downright bizarre. Richard and his sons would try to get me to try things, and for the first few months, I absolutely refused. But after a few shifts working doubles and starving myself, I started to notice the sauerkraut smelling sort of... Well, not awful. I tried it. And the shock of sweet and sour vinegar goodness blew me away. I finally started to let the boys teach me how to eat.

Edible discoveries never stop. Food and beverages are always changing, for better or worse, and it creates mini-adventures for me. In a couple weeks, I'm going to forage for snails and try escargot for the first time. It's just so fascinating to me, to never know what I'll discover next. And knowing what I know now? I fully intend to raise my future kids in a kitchen. The number of opportunities I skipped because I was terrified to step out of my comfortable little box? My kids will never have that fear. I am so much happier now, ready to step out and really seize life by the balls, and that is entirely attributed to my taste buds and the boys at Richard's. I can't thank them enough.

Revelatory Rosemary Lemon Cream Sauce
*I usually can't stand cream sauces, as they usually are too heavy and burden my palate. Dicking around today, I actually found myself licking my plate after stumbling on this*
*1 tsp unsalted butter
*1tbsp extra virgin olive oil
*1 tbsp minced shallots (white onion would also work)
*2 sprigs of fresh rosemary, or 1/2 tsp dried
*1/2 tsp chopped green onion
*Juice of 1 Meyer lemon (or 1/2 regular lemon diluted with a tbsp of water)
*1/2 c heavy cream
*salt to taste

-Put the butter and olive oil in a sauté pan and get the pan nice and hot. If you're preparing the sauce to go on top of a protein (I recommend chicken or white seafood), sear your protein off in the pan first and finish it off in a 200°F oven while you make this sauce
-When your pan is hot, add your shallots and rosemary. Let the shallots get a nice brown without burning, then add the green onion, lemon juice, and cream.
-Let the cream reduce until it's thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Salt it, then serve over whatever. Bread, noodles, protein, veggies- it's really freaking versatile!

Career moves

I've been stuck in a bit of a rut lately, trying to come up with what to write about. I have been working more, gearing up for the Atlanta Food and Wine Festival. I love this festival, go every year! And thanks to the TimeHop app, I'm getting nice little reminders of what I was doing last year at this time. Last year, I had just received my internship in Sonoma. I had a boyfriend, too many animals, constant stress, and only the vaguest idea of what I wanted my future to be. Now?

I'm actually happier. Ish. To an extent. It's probably better to say I'm more driven, certainly. I'm single, very very single, but I'm happy with that. I get to spend time with my best friend, my dog, and eat tacos on the beach. And for once? I have a 10 year plan. I'm back to the sassy broad I was in high school, and it's great. And I have been getting more jazzed about my future than ever before. I'm seeing friends getting to do incredible things with their careers, and I have some awesome opportunities coming up for myself! I've been happy cooking at home, and I cannot wait to work the festival and try all of the amazing southern food I miss so much! And the people I'll get to meet? I am mentally doing cartwheels!!!