garlic

Today I’d like to raise a glass to second chances.

Last Labor Day Weekend, Jason and I were playing highway hopscotch with our Honda Civic and a rented Penske truck, vying to be the first to cross the state line out of Texas. A cross-section of either vehicle would have made both Tetris aficionados and IKEA stockholders (if there are such things) beam with pride. Sweaters snuggled with salad plates, socks hunkered down in nests of cable cords, all of us bound for a new home in Nashville we’d seen only in a Craigslist ad. No matter. Goodbye death trap highways, soulless subdivisions, and sweating through Halloween. Hello fall foliage, rolling landscapes, and living so close to home we’d barely have to stop for gas. After meandering from Indiana to Ohio to Texas, I was certain Tennessee would be our last stop. Continue reading →

The first time I met her, I thought she looked like a gypsy. She wore a neon orange peasant skirt that skimmed the floor when she walked, the objects inside her overstuffed sequined purse rearranging themselves with every step. Large silver hoops dangled from her ears. She flashed a wide smile, revealing a tiny and endearing gap between her two front teeth.

“I’m Tia!” She exclaimed, extending her arm for an anemic handshake our friend Bethany would someday lecture her about improving. It was probably the only weak thing about her. In the nine years that have passed since than moment in our college dorm, I have become well-acquainted with the ironclad opinions and unshakable resolve of Therissa (to me, forever “Tia”) Johnson. Continue reading →

Girl and Apron

Tex Mex Happy Hour: 4-Ingredient Guacamole with No-Mix Margaritas

Spanish Tortilla with Spicy Garlic “Aioli”