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Arnold Palmer with Lavender Lemonade

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The last time I updated this blog was December. I can’t say that I have a good excuse other than I got lazy and a bit burned out on the whole thing. I stopped carrying my DSLR camera around and stopped taking so many photos of my meals to post on Instagram. I was tired of experiencing everything through a screen. From stepping away from everything I’ve gotten a lot of inspiration in the past half year. Since my last post I’ve traveled to Europe four times, did a round of Whole30 much to my surprise, and got a promotion at work (yay!).

It seems like an extreme to go from a very Spartan diet such as Whole30 to eating croissants in France and pasta in Italy, but I think that occasionally you need to experience both ends of a spectrum to re-calibrate somehow. These different regimes also inspired in different ways. Whole30 forced me to cook for myself constantly and made me think of food in a new and creative way. The meals get repetitive and you need to think of new, “healthy” ways to jazz them up.

With my trips to France and Italy, I really got to experience the pleasure of a slow, leisurely meal, something I think Americans don’t really know how to do well. I think both confirmed to me that when you start with high quality, well sourced ingredients you usually end up with something delicious, even if it’s something quite simple. I’m looking forward to sharing these experiences on this blog through some recipes in the near future!

Arnold Palmer with Lavender Lemonade-1 …

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Prosciutto Wrapped Pecan Stuffed Dates

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I first discovered these delicious prosciutto wrapped pecan stuffed dates when I hosted a group of girlfriends at my house while I on the Whole30 diet. The best way to socialize when you’re on some kind of specialized diet is to host because you can control the menu and the ingredients. I couldn’t do a cheese plate or a dip with bread or crackers since I couldn’t have dairy or any refined sugar, but I realized that prosciutto could replace bacon since it’s only pork and salt, we well as dates and nuts. It was an easy three ingredient appetizer my friends could also enjoy while they waited for me to grill steaks.

I was so excited when Stephanie asked me to contribute to her blog International Palate. I first found Stephanie’s blog when I lived in Arlington, VA and looked for Instagram posts tagged to the Westover Hills Farmers Market. I saw that she contributed recipes to the farmers market’s blog and I was even more impressed when I saw that she was in high school!

I thought this would be a great recipe to share as the run up to the holiday season gets started. You can easily throw this together with very little prep time and enjoy it within 20 minutes while you cook, bake, or decorate for the holidays. Check out the recipe on Stephanie’s blog.

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Tomato, Charred Corn, and Burrata Salad

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I think the best part of traveling to Italy this spring, besides watching our two friends get married, was the food. Of course, I’m not the first person to write about the experience of eating in Italy and I certainly won’t be the last. But there’s a reason so many people leave with the impression that they experienced something special and worth sharing. Simple ingredients, at their peak, are expertly prepared to make them shine, rather than obscuring them under heavy sauces, novel assembly, or complicated technique.
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Toasted Sesame Shortbread + Cookie Swap

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Toasted Sesame Shortbread-2

The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap has been going on every December for the past five years. Over 300 food bloggers participated last year, sending each other cookies and posting recipes to raise funds for COOKIES FOR KIDS’ CANCER, a national non-profit organization committed to funding new therapies used in the fight against pediatric cancer. In a small way I can support a great cause, and connect with bloggers from all over the country….

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(Post-Thanksgiving) Turkey Curry Rice

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When I worked as an English teacher in a Seoul public elementary school I was still in my early twenties. During these days I didn’t take care of myself as I should have and I hardly ever ate breakfast. I’d rush to work, grabbing a cappuccino along the way to tide me over until lunch time. Lunch was at 12:10 p.m. and by the time we sat down in the cafeteria I was ravenous. With an indifference to what was on our buffet cart, I’d load up my steel lunch tray with rice, soup, and whatever banchan, or side dishes, were available that day. Unlike in the US, kids in Korea generally get served a meal made from scratch and schools have a registered dietitian/nutritionist on staff to design the lunches according to set nutritional guidelines. The processed food is pretty limited. I don’t know if you’ve seen this article on school lunches around the world, but you can clearly see the difference….

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