Hey there, old friend.

I hope my three-year hiatus from blogging didn’t leave you in the lurch. Can I call it a hiatus if I can count the times I blogged prior to my break on one hand? I guess the nice thing about it being MY blog is I can do whatever I want. To put it simply, I was out of the proverbial office (ootpo).

Since we last talked (or at least since I last talked at you), a lot has changed. And a lot has stayed the same! I’m (still) not a girl, not yet (although maybe closer to being) a woman. I am by no means a professional chef or professional cool girl in any way, but I am not afraid of trying, and as a wise man (rat)  once said, “Anyone can cook, but only the fearless can be great!”

The culinary highlights of my past three years include braising a whole octopus, attempting (and failing) at making a Timballo, being told by strangers on Tiktok that I cut onions wrong, many impromptu fresh pasta nights, accepting canned tuna, miso pigs in a blanket, pairing fresh peaches with goopy stinky cheese, and learning to love (kewpie) mayo. 

I also now have a cat named Polenta.

All of this is to say that I am back and better than ever. We’ll chat soon–until then, here are some snacks to hold you over.