My crack = Berripop

SO this is my crack. Berripop. I love their frozen yogurt and am deeply saddened that Austin doesn't have this franchise. Despite being a franchise, it feels totally unique. I'm obsessed with the raspberry-pomegranate frozen yogurt. Sometimes I get strawberries and sometimes I don't. It has about 60 calories for a small and satisfies me in ways that not even a candy bar can. If you know my feeling about candy bars, you'd know these are strong words.




This is me and Sarah at Berripop in Houston a few weeks ago. I have to go at least 2 times when I'm there teaching cooking classes. If not, I get highly irritable! HA! It's healthy, addictive and delish beyond delish. It's a straight up symphony in your mouth.

Check them out next time you're in Houston ! They're the best and won't hurt your waistline one bit.

Food, Wine & Poker Memories. Missing LA...

SO this is view I've been missing lately. It was taken a few months ago from Katrina and Sylvia's apartment in the heart of LA. I can't even imagine actually running outside in this Texas heat, but here I fancy myself running on the beach and doing outdoor pilates classes. Ahhhh. Maybe one day.


I'd been texting Katrina back and forth today just random friend/girl stuff. How are you? What's keeping you busy. Chick stuff. For some reason I was brought back here. A night of playing poker(Texas Hold 'Em, my fav), eating ornate desserts and getting hammered amongst a whole bunch of girls. Just because. It was my birthday and Katrina isn't exactly a baker. She surprised me and ran to a local bakery(I forget the name..Sweet Mary Janes??!) and got random yummy desserts to vs. the traditional cake. It was so sweet, thoughtful and typical Katrina. She also upped the anti with handmade chocolates with crazy delicious flavors. What else could a girl ask for? This is a great snapshot in time. It was actually captured. Sort of...



This of course, is Sylvia. Beautiful, sweet Sylvia...breaking down all of life's mysteries one glass of wine at a time. If you listen closely, there may be actually a few kernels of wisdom worth holding on to.



Good girlfriends, edamame, wine, random desserts, Texas Hold 'Em and Handmade Chocolates. Is it really fair to expect more from life?



Maybe. Friends who stand the test of time. People who care unconditionally. Friends you can break bread with anytime and know that know matter what you eat, it will nourish your spirit from the inside out.

Healthier Me & My new love. Tuna Tartare ...

Today was pretty monumental.

I've been trying to be healthier and have been actually succeeding. This whole lifestyle change hasn't been easy. Eating healthier, not eating as late, treating myself to dessert less and working out/being active everyday. As a chef or even regular person, this isn't exactly as easy as walking or breathing. I must make conscious choices every second. Yes, every second!My job involves typing recipes, thinking about future recipes, playing around with restaurant ideas, creating menus for clients, actually cooking and tasting recipes, etc. My world literally revolves around food. I wouldn't have it any other way, but it does add challenges to being healthy everyday.

I've been stocking my fridge with nothing but fresh fruits/veggies, yogurt, organic chicken, fresh fish and flax seed infused products up the wazoo. I joined a gym and have been forcing myself into submission at least 5 times a week. My first day I could barely run a mile. It took me 30 minutes to run .71 miles to be exact. Afterwards, I treated myself to a Route 44 strawberry limeade from Sonic just for trying. What a sad case I was to say the least!!!

Fast forward 3 months later & today I ran 5 miles in 1 hour. Wowzers. Who woulda thunk it? Me? It's taken me 3 months to work up to this point. Maybe that's longer than the average person, right on point, but it felt amazing. Who knew? All I know is it felt great. Extraordinary. Supersonic. If I had my phone on me, I would've taken a picture to capture the moment. It's all good though because it's captured in my mind. Aren't the best moments mental pictures anyways? Moments where you were yearning for a camera, but it's something that couldn't be captured anyway? Anywhoo, a great day. Best day I've had in a long while. I had a goal and followed through. Now I'm shooting for 7, but I'm in no particular rush. Being a responsible chef who can make delicious food, but be accountable for my health is important to me. No matter how busy I am, health is paramount. It's the basis for everything in life.

The picture above is me at Eddie V's and my all-time favorite "treat." Their tuna tartare. It's beyond heavenly. It has avocado, grapefruit, pea sprouts and countless other goodies. It;s served on a black sesame cracker and prepared table side for you. Instead of reaching for my Hut's hamburger(which by the way, I still reach for, just way less) I reach for this instead. In fact, I crave it. Don't get me wrong. I've had other tuna tartare's before, but never loved one. Not the way I love this one. Not even close. If you're in the Austin area, I highly recommend it. All their food is great, but this definitely has a special place in my heart.

Happy dance for me???

Here's my favorite picture from the Nolan Ryan event. It's not with Nolan Ryan. It's not even with my fantastical assistant, Marie-Louise. Nope. It's with this very special lady. I feel awful, but I forget her name. It escapes me. What doesn't escape me is that she loved my kourabiedes(Greek rose water & almond sugar cookies) so much she came back for seconds, thirds and beyond. What really made my night is when she said my cookies made her so happy it made her want to dance. And dance she did! Right in the middle of the event, just for lil ole me. It was one of the greatest compliments I got all night. It made my heart smile. It's people like her that make me fall in love with my job so much. That joy. If I can bring it to people in the form of sugary goodness or savory sultriness, I'm a happy girl. I live for it. When people appreciate the love, work, time and care I take to hand make everything I create it motivates me to do it for 10 more years. Seriously. It's a profound peace that I've yet to find in anything else but cooking. Snuggling with my dogs is a close second.

What also made my night is my booth was adjacent to Tiff's cookies. For those of you who don't live in Austin, Tiff's is known for having over10 varieties of cookies. They deliver them warm like pizza and are made to order. Pretty cool hugh? There cookies are good, but let's just say they had MANY boxes left over and I only had one box. Just saying. All in all, it was a great event. I met some new chefs, tasted some amazing food and drank my weight in wine. Not really. Ok, close though. I can't wait until I do Tour De Vin later this year!