My personal culinary journey (so far)!...

Peppermouth (June 2011) There are a lot of influences when it comes to my culinary journey. My grandmother is once such powerful influence. She’s famous (at least in northern California) for her tamales, enchiladas, chili rellenos, and heavenly rice. Rice so fluffy, so tasty with just the perfect amounts of flavoring. Garlic and onion sautéing is one of my top favorite smells in the world, and her cooking always includes those staples. Just about every family gathering included her food, and to this day, people are still ordering tamales from this little, spit-fire...

How to live in heat...

My daughter beating the heat (6/21/11) Happy Summer Solstice! So it’s going to be 113 tomorrow here in Phoenix. I am not looking forward to this. Not one bit. I’m drinking hot coffee right now even though it’s 105 outside. I don’t care, I want to ignore the heat! So here are several tips & tricks for living in the south west heat! Don’t go outside This is our “winter” at this time of year. You know how in the icy-north people don’t go outside when it’s super cold? We don’t go outside when it’s...

What good educators hope for...

This week a “Teacher Leader” will be facilitating and leading a community meeting with parents and community members. Really, it’s a fact-finding time for school organizers in their lower-income school district. Topics will range from anti-bullying...

Moving at the speed of love...

Sometimes love looks like it’s sleeping. And sometimes love requires a thoughtful, listening ear. Why are we afraid when there is so much love? Well, so often it can feel like our lives (or at least our older selves) can be summed up in this sentiment penned by Shakespeare: The bright day is done, And we are for the dark....

Laugh… Much...

“Humor can be marvelously therapeutic. It can deflate without destroying; it can instruct while it entertains; it saves us from our pretensions; and it provides an outlet for feeling that expressed another way would be corrosive.” “Humor, like hope, permits one to focus upon and to bear what is too terrible to be borne.” - George...