What does it mean to really be fearless?Taylor Swift sings about it, Alton Brown declared Marti Duncan (season 8 FNS...yes, we're obsessed) - FEARLESS. But what happens after the jump? After we ARE fearless...does the fear go away?I have this need deep down to be fearless.About what, you might ask?Fearless about being myself.If you're a regular reader (all 10 of you), you can see a vein running through my previous blog posts, Who am I? What do I want to be? Who am I made me to become right now?I have been doing freelance graphic design here and there for the past 5 years - that's what my goal in college was to do. Don't ask me why I chose Graphic Design as a major (sorry mom!)...after a lot of thinking I have rested in the fact that God totally took control of my life and decisions and some how I decided I was going to study Art, not music (which had been my goal my whole life). So fast forward 9 years after that decision and I'm here, working in full time ministry doing a little design here and there at work and some freelance work.And I'm just done trying to do art "for the money".I want to do it for the love of art.I want to be fearless about who I am.About my art.Fearless about what others might think.Fearless about failure.Fearless about success.So after many quiet hours of thinking, discerning, talking it out with the Mr. and a few trusted sources I have decided to embark on something new.www.aliciasturdy.comThese are the gifts I was made to bring to the table right now in my creative expression. Please hear me, I'm not quitting my job or dropping everything to grab onto this dream. My life with remain normal (I am liking my life! There is nothing wrong with it!) except for the fact that I will be doing life with a camera in my hand. A rainy Saturday morning in your kitchen with your family will tell a story - so will a wedding, a baptism, a love story, a new baby - it will tell your story.If you feel you're jiving with me - spread the word. My friend has decided to live fearlessly. She wants to capture your life - all the nooks and crannies of it. She wants to start a fearless movement - be who you are in front of my camera, fearlessly.

Then there was silence.Silence to sit. Reflect. Hear God. Absorb the moment.To ask God, what do you want me to do.And He said, "Just be."Sit still. Listen. Rest. Reset. Realign. Stretch. Breathe.What if we just rested, absorbed the moment we are in and drink deep. It might be painful, it might be full of joy, it might be rejuvenating like the first drink of water after a long, exhausting run.And in the silence, peace. Whatever shape that comes in. Even if it doesn't look, feel, or sound like peace you're familiar with - rest.The more I seek you, the more I find youThe more I find you, the more I love you. What if peace is seeking you? What if you're running? What if when you stopped, just to be - you stopped long enough for peace to find you. Engulf you. Overcome you.We want to always be going, be doing,To the next thing, place, destination, job, thought, person. Stop seeking, and just Be. Just be who you are, what your are. You.Rest. Be.Stop. Listen.

For Andrew.For my family.For my friends.For my job.For my passions.For ideas.For moving.For being at a place to look back.For rest.For Grace.

I've recently started out on a journey called "7". 7 months, 7 areas of life to stop and take notice. An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess as the book title describes. I'm reading through this book with a group of women who are also taking time to stop and consider the same - we are all friend of a friend, facebook friend of friends - connected by the interwebs.Our first month to take stock of is food. If you know me, you know food is one of the moons that orbit my world very closely. I love to explore my kitchen, my town, and far away cities through food. It only makes sense that if I'm going to through myself into an all out "mutiny against excess" that Alicia Sturdy starts with food. I made a list of 7 areas of my life+food that I would eliminate and/or be intentional about.My first order of business is number 5: Eliminate Store Bought Bread. So last night I made some from scratch.I don't know if you've ever made bread from scratch...but it definitely takes time. And patience. And waiting. But when I took that first bite of toast this morning as I was (of course) rushing through my morning routine, this thought entered my mind:"It tastes like real bread."Have I been so rushed, so on the move that I haven't stopped to notice what bread tastes like? One thing I have been noticing has been slipping out of my daily life, is time. Time to take things slow. Time to sit and read a book. Time to sit down at the dining table to eat. Time to reflect & grow. I have been rushing, throwing things together, and leaving a messy wake as I go forward.And these six little ingredients, they are helped me stop, even for a second. To slow down. To savor.1/2 cup warm milk 1/4 cup warm water 2 1/2 tsp yeast 2 tsp sugar 2 cups flour 1 tsp salt

Life is moving forward.I felt like it was time for a change - to leave Refined Sugar in my Chicago world and move forward with a new adventure.I want to do photography. There I said it. I want to take pictures of people, moments that are real, and create images that cozy up to you. I'm afraid - I'm afraid that people will think I'm not good enough, that I'm just another "lady with a camera", that my art will be disqualified as a hobby.And I want to write. I have post upon post in my drafts that just didn't really feel right on here. In my last post, the wheels were turning in my head - keep it simple. Fresh. Real.So if you want to come along with me on this photography+blogging journey: join me over here.www.aliciasturdy.com or aliciasturdy.wordpress.com (for your RSS feed)And if you want to hire me: holla back.hello@aliciasturdy.com

City love.In my About Me post, I mentioned I was soulfully born in 2003 - but I want you to know this has nothing to do with my relationship with the Lord, or Soul music. But it has everything to do with that first shift inside of learning more of who you are.My first city memory was when we were little, we use to drive through Chicago on our way to Florida for our family vacations. Sitting in traffic in the Loop on 90/94 I asked about the big buildings with all the windows busted out. My dad told me they were apartment buildings and that people lived in them, little kids like me (maybe I added that in my mind). I was mesmerized on so many levels - looking back I think that was my first interaction with urban poverty...right there from the comfort of my family vehical. I felt grateful that I did not live there.Fast forward 10 years - I am navigating for my mom as we are driving in downtown Chicago for the first time. I thought we had driven into a construction site (really - how would that happen?) but we were driving under the El on Lake Street. This is when I discovered my sense of city direction. I am reading street signs, navigating on that little map she gave me and we arrive at our hotel. We walked to get pizza after and I went to take pictures with my camera of the Chicago Theater. Looking back, my mom was terrified (maybe?) to be walking the streets of Chicago at dark, at 10pm. I don't remember being afraid - I was excited. I wanted to soak it all in. The lights at night, the people, the possibilities for adventures. I felt grateful that was going to live there.Over the next 8 years, I dove right in. And what I mean by dove in, I mean I dove "the exact same way a cartoon circus performer dives off a high platform and into a small cup of water, vanishing completely" (via). I took the el for fun, I would wander downtown for hours, I would get off at a random train stop and explore. I commuted to work on the El, the Clark bus, Lake Shore Drive. I trained for two marathons in our grid of a city, explored every combination of streets to run, parks to stop for a drink of water in, and Starbucks bathrooms. I was a nanny in my "gap summer" between college and "adult life" - I saw homes that you wouldn't believe. Wealth you wouldn't believe. Once I got my adult job, my office was in the John Hancock building. 9 months later, our new office space was ready for us and we moved to Cabrini-Green. Talk about seeing all aspects of the city. During my time there, my job was in Urban Outreach. I walked through Cabrini on my way to and from work, made friends with the people that crossed my paths. I worked with different non-profits for one project I had. I'd drive from Albany Park to Lincoln Park, to Garfield Park, to Little Village, to the South side. I learned the city - it's people, it's rhythm, it's smells. I felt grateful for my experiences there.Last June with all our belongings in a giant metal box, we got in our little Chicago-Craigslist car and drove to Connecticut. I strained to see the skyline in the rear view mirror as we sped down the Dan Ryan Expressway until all I could see was road behind us. We arrived in Connecticut on a Thursday night, and went out for Thai food. I felt disconnected inside, my power plug of energy - that rush I got from my constant urban exposure, was gone. The first day Andrew went to work I dropped him off and started driving towards the sign that said N.Y. City. It's almost as if the car drove itself, found free street parking, and ejected me right there on E. 73rd street. But this wasn't my city - this was a whole new ball game. Of fast driving taxis and crowds of tourists and a confusing subway system. A city grid that I didn't know. And yet I walked. Walked 30 blocks just soaking it in. I ate lunch by myself, with this giant goofy smile the whole time - practically jittery from my urban high like when you drink too much caffeine. But it didn't matter - I was there. Recharged. Ready to feed me again. Even now, a year later - every time we step out onto a city sidewalk for another journey in New York, my body relaxes, feels at peace. The honking cabs, the crowds of people, the smells; they almost envelop me like slipping into a bubble bath. Every time - I feel grateful.But now I see - it's not just Chicago. It's not just New York. It's what my soul has become because of these places. I have discovered this new season of life we are in has granted my 'city soul' a wonderful gift - the gift of finding "the love of place" all over again. The gift of understanding you learn to love a place by investing in it. The gift of seeing "city love" in any place, especially where I live right now. I feel grateful that God has brought me here.

So - my friends are moving.Erikka was my college roommate for two years, and is one of my best friends. Her husband Eric has been the director at a camp in New Hampshire for the past 5 summers. She moved there after they got married 4 years ago, and luckily last year when we moved to the East Coast this put us a mere 2 hours away from them.They're moving in to a new season of life, and with that, moving out of New England. So, we wanted to do a little photo shoot to capture life in their little corner of New Hampshire. There was a lot of romping through fields, pulling over for "the perfect light" and of course a NH covered bridge. The best part? We ended the evening over a giant pizza at the best place in town.We are here at their house again this weekend - the last weekend! We packed the kitchen, ate pringles & teddy grahams. We watched REV (our new favorite excuse for talking in British accents & testing Erikka's Kate Middleton IQ) and now we're sitting on the couch together watching Friends. So, bye bye my friends - we love you, we will miss you, and we will see you real soon.

So - my friends are moving. Erikka was my college roommate for two years, and is one of my best friends. Her husband Eric has been the director at a camp in New Hampshire for the past 5 summers. She moved there after they got married 4 years ago, and luckily last year when we moved to the East Coast this put us a mere 2 hours away from them.

They're moving in to a new season of life, and with that, moving out of New England. So, we wanted to do a little photo shoot to capture life in their little corner of New Hampshire. There was a lot of romping through fields, pulling over for "the perfect light" and of course a NH covered bridge. The best part? We ended the evening over a giant pizza at the best place in town.

We are here at their house again this weekend - the last weekend! We packed the kitchen, ate pringles & teddy grahams. We watched REV (our new favorite excuse for talking in British accents & testing Erikka's Kate Middleton IQ) and now we're sitting on the couch together watching Friends. So, bye bye my friends - we love you, we will miss you, and we will see you real soon.

I know I have been personal but not "up close" on this new blog. I have referenced people, situations and places loosely, but never named things specifically out loud.So maybe I need to write a little about myself, why I am blogging, and my hope for all this in the end.But let's take this slow.Today, I'll tell you about me.I am Alicia.Married to Andrew.Daughter of Michael & Kathy, Daughter in Love of Rob & Kim.Sister to Melissa+Kaylee & Kaitlyn+Christopher.Physically born in 1985 and raised in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan (not to be confused with the Mitten portion of Michigan).Spiritually born again in December 2001.My citygirl soul was born in 2003 & raised in the great city of Chicago, Illinois.I am a city girl at heart.An external processor, ESFP and 7 on the enneagram.Have a Bachelors Degree in Art from North Park University.Art was not what I thought I would do.I play music, and thought I'd be a music teacher.But, deep down - I am just an artist of many mediums.I have been impacted and changed by the people in my life.My family. My friends from my hometown. My girlfriends from college, my family of friends I left behind in Chicago.I fell in love with Andrew after a long obedience.We met in a worship band at college, and led a missions trip together to the Dominican Republic.He didn't "like me back" at first.We started dating when he kissed me on the floor of my furniture-less apartment on the corner of Kedzie & Carmen (he decided he "liked me back" then).We fell in love in the city.Taking rides on the EL late at night.Stopping for Starbucks in Lincoln Square.Our not so real first date was at Tre Kroner one Wednesday morning for breakfast - it felt like half the school was there, staring at us.Our real first date we went to see the movie "Rent" - we were the only non same-sex couple in the theater.Three years later, he asked me to marry him on a rooftop in downtown Chicago.I worked at a church for 5 years in Chicago - one year doing Communications and four years in Urban & Global Outreach.He went straight from undergraduate studies to Seminary.We married in 2008 in the north shore of Chicago.We moved from Chicago in June 2011 for him to take a job in Connecticut.He's a youth pastor. I work for the regional office of our churches denomination.I am thankful God has placed me here.Boston to the East. The mountains to the North.The ocean to the South. New York City to the West.I am loud.Talkative.Have a strange draw to Marathon running.Live in a 175 year old house on a busy corner. It's bright yellow.Spontaneous.Gregarious.Love to entertain.Independent.Love to capture the moment.Always wanting to change the furniture around.

My husband is a movie lover. All things movies, he loves. He is even one of those people who goes to the movies by himself (I shouldn't make fun of him, I am one of those people who eats alone at a restaurant). One of the movies he loves (don't judge) is Just Friends with Ryan Reynolds. It. Is. Ridiculous. But - so quotable.One of my favorite, most quoted clips from the film is when Anna Faris sings a song called "Forgiveness". It's hilarious and just plain silly, but something about it today has one line stuck in my head.Forgiveness is more than saying sorry.I just came out a season that was hard on my soul. I felt I was wandering, reaching out to grasp whatever thought, idea, identity seemed to be "right", and ended up not lost, but wandering. As I move farther away from that time, and thankfully have had friends to ask me the right questions (at times hard questions) - I have done a myriad of things in the name of "forgiveness". I have confronted and emailed those who I have felt hurt by, those whom I've hurt, I have journaled letters never sent, I have asked God to please help me "get over" feeling the anger and frustration I had. But yet, at the end I still felt "wronged".How did I get here? And where is here? I hadn't really moved. I have gone through the steps, the motions of forgiveness. I was trying to fake it til I made it for crying out loud! Why was I still so angry?And then one Monday morning, I was talking on the phone to a dear friend who has walked along side me through this, and she said a simple statement - "I think you just need to forgive."Although she has said this to me 100s of times, I know the Lord put my heart in a place where I could truly hear it clearly. A place where I could understand forgiveness is more than an email, more than "still being right", more than feeling justified. Even now, my phone just lit up with a text message from a girl in our youth group at church. It was one of those chain text-message pictures people send around, but I couldn't see the picture clearly, only the word "Forgiveness" light up on the screen. The first thought flashed through my head, "WHO can see my computer?! That I'm about to write this!?" Nobody of course - but I'm going to take that as one more little sign from God that this truly is the right road to keep traveling. That I have truly forgiven not only in my head, but in my heart. And I need to continue doing that not just today, but every day.No matter the history, no matter the hurt. Without looking back, forgiveness means letting go. Giving it over. And moving forward.

The other day I was walking home from the gym and was thinking about the timing of everything. Our next Call, when people die, when babies are born, when our babies will be born. What if the time isn't right? I found myself making a deal with God;"Ok God, how about when I loose 30 pounds and we have money to move into a house, then we can have a baby?" or "Ok God, I'd be okay having a baby next summer. After the marathon." or "Ok God, we can move to X city once we're done with Y."I felt God say "Yep, okay. You know I already know when 'that' time is. I made it that way."I felt silly.Of course God knows. He knows. Just because he does. And He lets me think me in my tiny little world down here, I have control over it. But gently reminds me that I don't.Timing has always been a fear factor in my life - what if it's not the right time to buy this? To go on this trip? To make this huge decision? The saving Grace to my anxious flippity flop of a mind is that GOD orchestrates the timing. He has the big picture.The most moving image I always find rest in is that of a tapestry weaver and overseer in a sermon I heard a while back. As the overseer is calling out the orders to progress on the weaving of this intricate tapestry, one of the weavers makes a mistake. He stops to apologize but the overseer says to keep going. As the tapestry is nearing completion, the weaver is getting more and more upset about his mistake. Now this piece, which was suppose to be beautiful, intricate, orderly, and cohesively designed - will be ruined with the flaw of the glaring mistake he has made. As the tapestry is finished, the weaver takes a step back to the overseer's perspective - and he cannot believe his eyes. The overseer, who had full perspective the whole time, has taken the mistake in the weaving and made it the centerpiece of the tapestries design - its result is more beautiful than the original. What was thought to be an error in the work flow has now made this tapestry turn out to be grander than it's original design.We cannot see the timing - the beauty that God is weaving in the tapestry of our life We are working so close, so focused in the threads that we forget that we do not see God taking our mistakes, taking our choices, and making them into something we could have never dreamed it could be.

I frequently find myself thinking this exact phrase over and over. "I want to be so many things".

In my lifetime, I have probably dreamed that I could be at least 100 professions. Oh ya, here are just a few. Starting from the beginning but in no real order.

Teacher. Ballerina. Book Store Owner. Librarian. Writer. Basketball Player. 4th grade teacher. Music Teacher. Art Teacher. Band Director. Choral Director. Singer. Graphic Designer. Corporate Graphic Designer. Freelance Graphic Designer. Graphic Designer at a Missions Agency. Youth Pastor. Worship Director. Professional Counselor. Photographer. Artist. Art Historian. Art Gallery Curator. Hair Stylist. Professional Blogger. Etsy Shop Owner (yes full time, yes I have thought this). Mom. Missionary. Customer Service. (Ya, not sure where that one came from.) Outreach Coordinator. Church Communications Director. Paperstore Owner. Stationary designer. Professional Pinterester. *Don't we all? Chef. A real one. Bakery Owner. Ice Cream shop owner. (with my sister, Kaylee) Really good home cook. Food Blogger.

Ya some are very specific (Etsy Shop Owner? Seriously?) and some are pretty broad (Graphic Designer...technically I could be an "Etsy Shop Owner" and an "Artist" and a "Paperstore Owner" and still be just called a Graphic Designer). Sometimes my head just begins to race with thoughts, I want to be so many things! I want to do so many things! And of course, I want to be good at them. I just don't want to "do" these things, I want to do them well. And I want everyone to know, that I "do" "this" well.

Shauna Neiquest posted this the other day and I felt one stanza sting deep.

Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Ouch. She's so right. Right now, my job is Office Manager to East Coast Conference (of the Evangelical Covenant Church, too long to say, but it has to be said for some people who don't know what "East Coast Conference" is). Ya, not a very glamourous job description. Not as good sounding as "Director of X" or "CEO of Y"...but the line "however humble" brings me back down to it doesn't matter what I call what I do.

I'm in the business of God's Business - Knowing & Loving People. No, I'm not a pastor giving much needed wisdom or some profound blogger (well, this is a blog; and this thought might be profound?) but I feel called to people. However Humble a profession I find myself in. I'm in the business of People. And how God does his business with people? Love.

Lately we have been joking around that anytime after the 4th of July signals an almost immediate countdown to fall. It feels that as I've gotten older, this window of time between 4th of July and Fall has grown shorter and shorter. In high school it's the ever impending date of "back of school" (September), in college it's when I'd move back to Chicago for the year (August), then at camp it seemed that that the 4th is the "beginning" of the camping season, but then everything after that is a blur and then suddenly I'm finding myself washing clothes, transferring summer goods to storage and taking out books, dishes, sweaters...college stuff. School stuff. Meaning, that August/September deadline is just around the corner. Even now, though there is nothing to blur the lines between back to school and Fall except the weather - any cool day after the 4th seems to be Fall whispering "I'm coming soon. Don't forget".Today in conversation with someone, the word "Fall" hadn't hung in the air less than 2 seconds and I immediately felt myself longing for it. For orange and red. For crunchy leaves. For pumpkins. For sweaters and leather boots and scarves. For change. For the "next".Fall can be time when it seems everything starts to die...but really it's when growing underneath starts. Begins.

Today is here. Today is fresh.

Today, brings promise. Today, bright and new.

Today; I see over the hills, valleys, darks, and dips of life the tapestry of Your weaving in me.

You; who formed me, know me, lead me, let me stumble and fall.

Let my heart know You, seek You, wrap around who You are.

Today is here. Now. And I'm standing in it. Aware.

Galatians 5

vs 5-6But we who live by the Spirit eagerly wait to receive everything promised to us who are right with God through faith. For when we place our faith in Christ Jesus, it makes no difference to God whether we are circumcised or not circumcised. What is important is faith expressing itself in love.

vs 13-14 For you have been called to live in freedom--not freedom to satisfy your sinful nature, but freedom to serve one another in love. For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: "Love your neighbor as yourself."

vs 22 -26 But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Here there is no conflict with the law.

Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. If we are living now by the Holy Spirit, let us follow the Holy Spirit's leading in every part of our lives. Let us not become conceited, or irritate one another, or be jealous of one another.

Driving home after dinner the other night with a friend, the talk turned from babies, jobs, design, and clothes to blogs. Why are blogs so hard to write? Should posts be personal? Do they need a focus? What should it be? What should mine be? What is interesting? Will people read it? Do I care?All these questions came up unanswered as we turned in the driveway - but I could tell ideas were reeling through each of our heads.I get the feeling food blogs might be a bit of old news - something that peaked with the last theater showing of Julie & Julia before Redbox, and took on a whole new identity with the birth of Pinterest "food" boards. There are much easier, quicker, cut-around-the-personal-blah ways of accessing recipes online. But is that why we read food blogs? Is that why we write food blogs?My idea really took flight on my lunch break today. I have been coming home for lunch (I work a mere 5 highway miles away from my office) in an effort to save money, and save my waistline by cooking my own healthy meals at lunch. Today, I decided to make a quick "breakfast burrito". Andrew is usually the scrambled egg maker in residence, but with him out of town  - I was left to my own devices. As I stood stirring my stringy, dry scrambled eggs at the stove (frustrated to no end) I felt defeated. My list of "easy things I can't make" only has really contained Chocolate Chip Cookies until today (true fact). Adding scrambled eggs to that list made question -  I am so willing to dive right into roasting my first whole chicken last week, creating my own spice blends and combinations of my favorite dishes...why do I not take this on with the same gusto I do when making those?SO - back to basics. No, I'm not going all Ina Garten on you (yet)...but back to the beginning of how to really cook. I sat down to eat my scrambled egg mush and pulled two cookbooks off the shelf - first, How to Boil Water and second, How to Cook. Recipe by recipe I'm going to make each one - no matter how simple, no matter how complicated. No matter how many dishes (sorry Andrew), no matter the left overs. And maybe I'll even throw my own little twist into each dish!So if you'd like to join me, cook along with me - let me know! Let's learn how to cook!

My spell check just gave me a little reality check with my post name...New Revelation. As many of you know, I can't spell and heavily rely on spell check (have you received an email or text from me..ever?)Spell check asked me...did you mean Reevaluation - Revelation - Revaluation? As I sat and thought about what these three words have in common besides letters, I was struck with the fact that maybe these three words my spell checker has asked me about have been the chain of events leading to my new revelation. I'm talking about my life. My time. My body. Me. Reevaluating...my actions. What I eat. If I exercise. Who I spend time with.Revelation...most times my actions do not line up with what I want in my life. What I feel I'm called to, in honoring myself & God. Revaluation...valuing my words, decisions & deeds more. A revaluation is typically an increase in value...not a decrease. Wow, all that from spell check. Anyways..so the last few months I have been processing these three things...and came to a decision that I value myself more. I want to value myself more. In this new season of life we're in...I value the time with my husband more. Therefore, I'm careful about our schedule during the week so we get to spend time together on our evenings off. In this new season of life we're in...I am evaluating how I process stress and its relation to food. In this new season of life we're in...I want to treat my body with care. It's the only body I get. After some mindless blogsurfing one day I stumbled upon the Whole30 plan.

Happy Valentines Day to all my favorite, faithful foodie readers out there! Muah!

I'm pretty sure one of the ways the Lord is showing me that our move to New England was the right one...is that it's pretty much been in the 40-50's all "winter". :)

Spring Grapefruit & Apple Salad with White Wine Vinegarette
When I make a salad, I like the ingredients to be all different textures and varying sizes (within reason...I still want to be able to create "the perfect bite"). I also want it to be pretty too, who doesn't? This salad fits the bill...juicy pink grapefruit pieces, tart, crisp green apple slices, toasted sliced almonds, dark curly kale & tender spinach have all the makes to be in the running for "the perfect bite".

Salad
1 Pink Grapefruit, sliced with membraines removed
1 Small Green Apple, sliced thinly
1/2 cup kale, cut in a rough chop/chiffonade
1 1/2 cups baby spinach
1 1/2 tbsp toasted & sliced almonds

Dressing
1 tsp flaxseed oil (olive will do)
1/2 tbs white wine vinegar
1/2 tbs apple cidar vinegar
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 tsp lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

1. Place spinach in your bowl of choice. Add kale (sliced like this -  but in a bigger chop).
2. Trim rind off grapefruit & slice into pieces discarding the membraine (like below). Add to salad. Whatever you don't use, put away remaining amounts in fridge for a snack for later.
3. Slice apple thinly. Add to salad; and again, put whatever you don't use in the fridge but squeeze a little lemon on top first to prevent browning.
4. Combine all ingredients for dressing. Whisk until emulsified.

5. Dress salad & top with almonds.

New York....New. York.Ahhhh how a weekend in this city can re-energize my soul and tire my legs.Our anniversary is in October, so Andrew decided the perfect way to celebrate was with an east coast "stay-cation" to NY on one of the last beautiful "indian summer" weekends this past fall. We like to stay at this little brownstone on the Upper West Side where the streets are quiet, friendly, and Central Park is a mere 1/2 block to the east. So we packed our bags and rolled towards the city on Friday morning.The city was wonderful: "quiet" and 65 degrees cool as we took our morning walking down 3rd Avenue from Grand Central to SoHo (yes we walked from E 42nd street to below Houston...44 blocks). We explored for a bit, shopped, and headed north to the UWS. 20 minutes and a cat nap later we were walking down Columbus to our favorite West side lunchery: Nanoosh. They are a little Middle Eastern place between 68/69th on Broadway just north of Lincoln Center. We love their hummus, tabbouleh, and especially their mint iced tea. It's perfection. Plus, outdoor seating to people watch on a beautiful fall day.For dessert, another west side find...Levain Bakery.Um...ya. Only the best, warm, crumbly, delectable chocolate chip walnut cookie in New York City...truly the best cookie you'll ever eat. Not to be beat out by the laundry list of other delicious treats we had during our city-stay. I mean: we had crepes. we had beer. we had panini's. we had the best sweet potato fries i've ever had. The cookie was just a snack on our way back downtown. But oh so good.

apple pomegranate tabbouleh

One thing I have really missed about our neighborhood in Chicago, was you could get good middle eastern food at multiple places within a 3 block radius of our house. I have been making middle eastern food at home for a few years now...things like hummus, tabbouleh, taziki sauce, jerusalem salad; but I think this recipe always is my favorite. You can make it year round since most of these ingredients simple to find. My favorite part is the chopped fresh parsley, crisp apples, and tart pomegranates that pop in your mouth.

• 1 cup bulgur
• 3 tomatoes, seeded and chopped
• 2 cucumbers, peeled and chopped
• 1 apple, chopped - any kind (preferably something crunchy but not tart)
• 1 cup of pomegranate seeds (you can buy these at the grocery store if you don't want to seed your own pom)
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1/3 cup fresh mint leaves
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 2/3 cup olive oil
• 1/2 tbs paprika

Place bulgar in a pan (I use a longer pyrex glass dish) and cover with 2 cups boiling water. Soak for 30 minutes...the bulgar should soak up all the water. Fluff with a fork.Chop all the above ingredients and combine in a bowl.Toss everything in a bowl with bulgar. Sprinkle paprika and refrigerate for 2-3 hours to let flavors develop. Toss again before serving.

12 days til Christmas- are you freaking out?I am not freaking out...yet... :)I have bought ONE present for Christmas...and it's sitting in a Target bag closed shut waiting to be wrapped. I had bought some gifts for my mom & mother in law, but ended up returning them. So I am back at square one.Sunday I'm meeting some friends in NY for the day, so I'm hoping to just do one giant swoop (with the rest of those 50,000,000 tourists)...we'll see.I don't know why I'm not in the Christmas mood this year, and honestly you Connecticut folks might want to slap me, but this northerner desperately wants some snow on the ground (and NO I haven't forgotten our lovely Halloween snowfall!) Honestly, I am thinking more about Christmas food. Desserts, cookies, family traditions, appetizers for parties, anything Christmas+food equals.Gift giving is not my thing. Trust me, I have given you all gifts many times over in my mind. When I shop, I usually see something I would like to give... but I don't end up buying it because it doesn't seem like a good enough gift! It feels like I'm just buying "stuff"...and that's not how I want to show my love for those I'm buying for. As I have gotten older, I have started to make food for Christmas gifts...concentrating most on treats I'm guessing my gift recipients would never make themselves.Last year (and probably 15 pounds ago due to it!) I made these truffles for the gifts along with a few other things (to be revealed later!). It was days of testing different ganache, going through quite a bit of cream, and scooping/ dipping hundreds of tiny chocolate balls that resulted in a whole lot of love and chocolate.Hopefully these are gifts to you...special things you and I will only  (dare?) make this time of year. Hooray...the holiday's are here!Side note: Also, as you may have noticed I take pictures of everything...unfortunately, these are the only a few photos I could find from Christmas last year. See below, you'll understand my confusion...no truffles but a man in full snowsuit riding a bike and some potato chip sunglasses.

tuxedo truffles

The inside of these tiny bites of glory is a soft, delicious, smooth ganache. You can choose to "dress" them in a hard chocolate coating or roll them in powdery delicious dark chocolate cocoa powder. Mmm...enjoy.

makes 24 truffles depending on your scooper size..I use a smaller one

ingredients1/3 cup of cream1 bag white chocolate chips1 tablespoon unsalted butter1/2 bag of dark chocolate chips1. take a small sauce pan in heat the cream over very low heat2. put your white chocolate chips in a bowl (I prefer glass I don't know why)3. once the cream is hot, pour over chocolate chips & wisk until chocolate has melted.4. Add butter and wisk until it's smooth and beautiful.5. refrigerate your ganache for 1-2 hours or until firm.6. While you're waiting (or when your ready to scoop the truffles), put a silicone mat or parchment paper on a baking sheet to get ready for the next step.7. Use your favorite scooping tool (this is mine) and scoop out as many little ganache balls as you can get out of the white chocolate. If you don't have a scoop, you can use a spoon. Roll the ball between your palms to make them perfectly round. Do this quickly though, as the heat of your hands can melt the chocolate and then you have a mess (!) Refrigerate on the lined baking sheet one more hour to harden (or my favorite, stick the pan out on the porch or in the garage...hey..it's cold out there!)8. Put dark chocolate chips in a microwavable bowl, and microwave in 20 second increments (stirring inbetween) until melted. Stop microwaving when there are a few chunks left in the chocolate and stir until they melt along with it. It makes the chocolate look nicer in the end.9. Dip each ball in the melted chocolate (2 forks make it easier to fish out dipped chocolate balls). If you like to get fancy, immediately roll in cocoa powder after dipping in the melted chocolate (I prefer Hershey's dark chocolate cocoa powder...but any kind you'd like). OR you can roll in anything that sounds tasty! (coconut, chopped hazelnuts, sprinkles, rainbows)10. You can place them back on the parchment or on a cooling rack to harden.11. Wait 10 minutes before eating them all to regain your composure to devour them ALL. And to let the chocolate set. :)