Happy Labor Day!  I hope that you are being very laborless and enjoying the day off with your family!  I have big plans on spending most of my day in the kitchen making pulled pork, testing cocktails (tough job) and prepping for the rest of the week while still managing to spend some QT with my main squeeze.

What do you do on your days off?  I always end up in the kitchen.  Somehow I end up there even if I had plans of doing something else.  It's my space, my therapy, and my creative outlet where yummy and beautiful things that nourish my mind and body are developed.

It doesn't matter if it's a lazy Sunday, or a evening where I am exhausted, more times than not, I will still find myself drawn into the kitchen rummaging around until I find something to whip up.  It's a magnetic pull.

There is something about feeding people and hearing someone tell you that your dish was delicious that does more for my soul than you can imagine.  I get to leave it all on the table, no pun intended and I can't imagine a life where I didn't cook.

I recently read an excerpt by Laura Esquivel "The home is a sacred place where you can communicate with the four elements of the universe: earth, water, air and fire.  You mix it with your love and emotions to create magic.  Through cooking, you raise your spiritual level and balance yourself in a world that is materialistic."  The author of the book I was reading quoted her and then went on to say " In a world that is frequently out of kilter, the kitchen is as mystical as a monastery."

She went on to describe a night in her kitchen where she carefully chops, seasons, and prepares her creation, her masterpiece for dinner.  She calls her family to the table, they eat, sip wine, and everyone is content.  She describes this as "a day fully lived, simply abundant."

It's everything that I feel when I cook.  I pour love into every chop, pour, and sauté, and would be the most happy if all I did for the rest of my life was just that.  It's why I started the blog, because I know that not everyone has this same desire and I wanted to be able to share some of my passion with you.  The goal is that I can help make your life a little easier, and to bring a little abundance and joy to your table through my recipes.

You have no idea how much it means to me when you tell me that you made a recipe and loved it.  My heart fills with joy.  Literally.

Thank you for reading, thank you for sharing, and thank you for encouraging me along the way!  I hope that while you read along each week, you feel my love, you feel my passion, you end up eating some deeelish food and get to know me better in the process.

The past ten months have been a blast and I am looking forward what's to come!

I want to know...what balances you?  What's the one passion that you couldn't imagine your life without? 

Whatever it is, do it with full abandonment.  Happy Labor Day friends!