I’m back

It’s been a while!

I launched this blog just over two years ago – and when I started, I went gangbusters!  I was blogging, cooking, and photographing nearly every day.  Well, I just have to admit it.  I ran out of steam.  Well, that’s not entirely true…

About two years ago, I attended a cookbook boot camp hosted by Matt and Ted Lee – who are wonderful at their place in Charleston, South Carolina.  It was an amazing few days.  I learned a lot about writing, about cooking – and the publishing industry.  I went there with the dreams of being able to publish my own cookbook.  And I returned totally fired up.

I had a concept – helping people to cook who didn’t think they could and a catchy title “Extraordinary Tips from an Ordinary Cook” and dozens and dozens of recipes.  I guess what I didn’t have was quite enough tenacity.

The process, in case you’re interested, is to get an agent first.  Then you get an agent to fall in love with your idea – who will then farm you out to publishers, who will then sign you, extend a bonus and off you go.  Well, at least, that’s what I thought.  The trouble is there is a lot of competition (well, duh – I knew that, but I didn’t know that if – if you know what I mean.  My head knew it – just not my heart).  And one by one, I had agents (if they even replied to me at all) reject my idea.

It was then I discovered that the days between posts started out as a few…then a few weeks, then – well, you know where I’m headed…it’s two years later.

But I’m back.  And now, it’s a new me.  Sort of.  I mean, I have a new purpose.  It’s not about getting published.  It’s not about followship (although, I’d love it if you did follow me – who doesn’t like that?)  It’s about sharing my passion and joy of food through a new lens.

This pandemic has kicked everyone’s ass – some more harshly than others.  I am a lucky one.  It’s not been horrible for me in terms of not getting sick (yet) and not losing anyone close to me (yay).  I’ve taken these past several months to try and get a little healthier.  At first – when the weather was nice, I’d walk every day – without fail.  I even did a walking marathon on October 3.  (PS – I couldn’t walk for two days after that.  So – here’s a tip:  if you want to do 26 miles in one day…you may want to train for a hot minute before attempting).  But I digress.

So, I was moving – but had not changed anything about my diet.  I was still eating the same – which is to say was not necessarily bad – but I had NO idea of how much I was eating everyday and had no clue in terms of caloric intake.

Then 2021 arrived.  And like many – you start to think about having a clean slate and what you might be able to do with it.  I had seen ads for Noom (it’s an app that uses psychology to help you change your lifestyle into one that’s better.  Yes, it’s a diet – but it’s more than that).  I decided to give it a go.

I’m not endorsing Noom.  Heck, I’m only a week in.  But it’s done something that I hope sticks.  I’m paying attention.  Really paying attention to what goes into my body on a daily basis.  And it’s makin’ a difference.  I feel better and I don’t know – it’s early days, but I’m thinking I look better too.  I have a goal weight (set for next September) that I’m not going to share just yet – in case I fall apart tomorrow.  But I’m on my way.  And even better, it’s got me paying attention to what I’m cooking again.  I’m writing recipes again and soon will be posting them here.

So, if you’ve ever read this blog, thank you.  I encourage you to come back from time to time.  I’ll be posting recipes that I think will be just as accessible as before – but with a little healthier twist.  As always, I welcome your feedback and suggestions.

Thanks, and happy new year!  Be positive and stay negative!!