Boy, has it been a hot minute in here.
Truth be told, I had a rough summer. There’s nothing like feeling like your whole world has turned upside down—you realize you’ve forgotten who you really are, and honestly, you realize you need to start over, on life.
After what felt like climbing mountains since forever, I’m happy to say that I’m finally starting to see the peak of this mountain. I’m not there yet, and I don’t know when I will be, but I know I will and I know I’m getting there.
I’ve been testing the waters here and there, trying to find myself again. I’ve done things like starting a gym membership, getting a Cricut machine, going ziplining, racing my first ever 10K—things things that have always been on my list and never got around to it until now.
However, if there is one thing that made me realize I’m (somewhat) back on my feet, it’s being in the kitchen. During those months, I honestly lost all motivation, even on food. I didn’t care much about what I ate—I had to scrape and dig to somehow keep my foodie Instagram going. And being in the kitchen was absolutely one of the last things I wanted to do.
But I’m feeling that mojo again. When Chrissy Teigen released her second cookbook, Cravings: Hungry for More (a.k.a. Cravings 2), it was the motivation I needed to get back into the kitchen (thanks, Chrissy!), even if it did take a little while. So much so that I starting posting what I’ve been making in the kitchen in my Instagram stories, which may sound silly, but it’s a huge step (and sign) for me. Food, cooking, photography—three things that I know I love and that speak to me.
SIMPLE SKILLET BROKEN LASAGNA
SALT-&-VINEGAR
BAKED FRIES
GARLIC-HONEY
SHRIMP
Of the three recipes I’ve tried so far from Cravings 2, my favorite is probably the Simple Skillet Broken Lasagna. It’s such an easy, stress-free recipe for lasagna, and it came out delicious.
I know there’s a lot more ahead of me, so here’s to more time in the kitchen, to getting closer to the peak of this mountain, to finding myself again.