there's nothing better...

than grilling on a summer afternoon. I'm in madly love with it. Did ya hear me? In. Love. (wish I could say that about a man, but we're working on it). There are so many delights that you can grill, from vegetables to fish, to pizza, to pineapple. The possibilities are endless. I may or may not be obsessed with this medium of cooking,  just a lil' bit. In South Africa we called it Braai. Same thing. No matter what you call it, relish in it. It's amazing. Below are some of my best grilling tips.

1. Clean your grill out completely every year. One man's ash is NOT another's treasure. Trust me on this one.

2. Oil all of your food before you put it on to prevent sticking. Lighter oils such as grape-seed (found in large quantities at whole foods) work best. Take one of those cool brush thingies (you know we all love those) and paint your food. It's fun and I guarantee it will save you the sad face from when your food could have been perfect but isn't later.

3. Chicken=low heat and slow. Beef=high heat and fast. Simple.

4. Only flip your food once. For all of you flip happy grillers out there, I have a message for you. You are losing the juice and the flavor! All food has sugar in it, which sinks to the bottom of your food and seals in the juice during the grilling process. Please for the love let's keep that juice and flavor in that burger and only flip it once. You will thank me later.

5. Experiment. You just might be surprised that you can grill a variety of things items, such as strawberries, or lasagna, or s'mores.

same changes

“20 years from now you will be disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the one’s you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” -Mark Twain

It seems that I always get back to blogging on flights. I spent the past year in Boston teaching and in New York for the summer as a Chef, and I am yet on another adventure. I find myself glowing in the fact that I am headed home to Salt Lake to spend two and a half weeks with family and friends that I adore. These are the people that know me best, have sent me on adventures time and time and again, and the reason I am able to make changes, so many changes, so often. I am not a person who is content staying in one place and leaving this world undiscovered. However, it has occurred to me on many occasions that I would never be the person I am without such a solid foundation to pull from. This rock foundation consists first and foremost of my belief in my Heavenly Father and his Son Jesus Christ, and then my family, and the many wonderful people I have rubbed shoulders with over the years along with a solid education and knowing my values. This rock has been my pedestal to leap from in my adventurous spirit. It has allowed me to be ever changing. This summer was a busy one, cooking for 80 youth from around the world. I learned much from them as we stood side by side chopping, and hearing about their lives at home. There is something beautiful about reminiscence of home. Ah, home. Such a sweet sweet word. Again, after these next two weeks and much thought, prayer and contemplation, I will experience yet another change. I will be making my new home (for now) in Greenwich, CT working as a personal chef. For the first time, I have no other goals than to experience home wherever I go, and to excel in my profession. I have no training aside from life experience and cooking for the world in a sense, but I am certainly passionate about cooking and hope that it shines through my work. I hope to share a bit more of myself through blogging. I tend not to blog when life get's stressful. Let's be honest...this last year was very stressful and I am definitely delighted to move on from it and reevaluate. Does this happen to anyone else? Alas, it's time to wrap up this post as I descend into stunning Salt Lake. Bring on the Cafe Rio, Mountains, and Family photos!