Crazy about

Why the title Crazy About? Because these are all the things about which I am crazy – preparing food in general, sharing, nuts, salads, dessert, travel, wine, and beverages.

Travel has been my greatest teacher and source of inspiration. It can be a physical trip to a foreign land or a journey through the pages of a magazine or book, but either way, when I close my eyes, it can elicit memories of taste, tears, or laughter.

Nuts, nuts, nuts. My favorite - nuts. I am crazy about them. Not a day has gone by that I have not eaten some nuts – starting with my beloved Grenoble walnuts to the humble peanut and noble macadamia. I am fascinated by the variety, the amount of flavor, and their health benefits. Bombs!

Salad is, of course, something I cannot imagine my life without. Including them in my book was inspired by my followers on Instagram after I received comments on my pictures of salads requesting that I do so.

Desserts. There isn’t always room for dessert after a good meal, and truth be told, I can’t imagine life without dessert. No way. I had a period in my life when my dinner consisted of pineapple and pecan tart (in that order). I have tried to wean myself off dessert. It never worked. I have come to realize that if you keep moving and eat sensibly, a piece of good dark chocolate for dessert will do no harm.

And then there are cocktails. There are times when you meet fantastic people that inspire you to try something new. So you listen, taste, understand, try again, and realize – there is something to this! From homemade syrup and bitters with local, seasonal ingredients. The kind I like. The kind that can serve as a beautiful aperitif before a meal or throughout the entire evening.

We live only once, so everything should begin, continue, and end with the best. Every day is a gift. We take it for granted until something out of the ordinary happens. Of course, it is difficult to reminds ourselves of this every day, particularly when you are stressing about work, finances, or something else, but we should try. The crazy part is that there are basically only two choices – do you want to change, or not? The question is the same for food – do you want to change and eat healthier, varied foods and try something new, or do you want to continue to eat the same thing you have always eaten and say that is the way it is. That's what the book is about.

143 recipes. Travel and all that is good.