Borscht

What's the most powerful memory that you have that's tied to a specific smell? I think many of my memories are tied to remembering a specific smell, whether it be the wet streets as it starts to rain in Seattle or the blast of aroma of freshly baked bread as you walk in the door.

One of my favorite parts of cooking is the smells. You start out using a spice like freshly ground nutmeg or crushed garlic. Wonderful smells individually start to come together with other ingredients as you cook or mix them together. Then as something simmers away on the stove top or starts to bake, the aromas fill your home, tempting you with what's to come. I love the anticipation of it, the not being able to fully experience the food yet, but with some smells that are powerful enough, you almost can.

Pineapple Chipotle Mango Guacamole

It's the 14th of January and this is my first post of the year. Two weeks into the year and I feel like it's already been months.

We're launching a new business, completely un-food related, and it's made it a bit more difficult to be in the kitchen. We've been pulling many more of the "breakfast for dinner" or other quick classics to keep us moving along. I'm still planning to keep posting though so don't give up on  me quite yet. Spending time in the kitchen is still a great release, I just have to plan that time a little more strategically now.