I have a whole lot to be thanful for this week. I'm still recovering from an incredible weekend packed with tantilizing victories, humbling defeats, new friends, and opportunities. It was a wild ride, but as highly as I value excitement, it was nice to dial things back a little. Tuesday I got up, went to work, cooked dinner, and behaved like a totally normal human being for 24 hours. What strange bliss!
While visiting the grocery store to purchase groceries that I was actually going to get to eat (a nice change), I picked up a darling little oregano plant and gave it a new home on the deck. What is it about little green plants that makes me so happy? This one in particular reminds me of a happy coming event, the arrival of my youngest sister, Cait, and her adorable boyfriend, James in Austin. They are moving here at the end of the Summer, and I can hardly wait.
This little blog and my online cooking adventures at ChefHangout.com have been picking up a lot of steam lately, which I am awfully thankful for. Someone at Saturday's Supermarket Showdown actually recognized my name from the paper! How cool is that?
Of course, the little bits of success I am enjoying are due to the hard work of not only myself, but my fiercly supportive friends and family. If it weren't for them, I couldn't have pulled off all that I did this past weekend. It takes a lot of work to create original, experimental recipes, then feed hundreds of people with them. On top of that there are countless hours of photography, writing, editing, social networking and promoting that go into the daily grind. All that on top of a full time job and an aspiring small business can make me a challenge to be friends with. Thankfully, I have very special friends.
Special THANK YOU shout outs to: Scott Bobleo, Sarah Kam, Heather Anne, and Melissa G for helping me get through the past 2 weeks. And thanks to Lauren, Ginny, Mark, Barry, and Catherine (and family) for coming out to the Taco Experiment!