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Lamb Ragù {Paleo and Gluten-free}
The comforts of food and it’s universal ability to connect us, has constantly come up as of recent, reminding me that this is one of the core reasons that I have found such a true and passionate love for cooking, food and more importantly serving the people I love.
This winter in particular I have noticed my cravings and my desires for food have changed quite drastically from previous seasons. I know, in part, some of that comes from the distinct and more winter-like season we have actually been experiencing here in Southern California, complete with rain storms and lots of cool, grey days. But it also occurred to me very suddenly as I was writing this, that in a time when there is so much uncertainty and unrest, so much aggression and fear, we are finding the need and desire for comfort and love wherever we can find it.
I was watching Michael Pollan’s Netflix series, Cooked, the other night, and while I can’t recall which episode in particular, of the four, that I heard this in, he so brilliantly and matter-of-factly said at some point “It’s no longer a given that people will cook.” I had never really thought about that, given the way that I grew up and the lifestyle choices I have made for myself. But, for centuries cooking was a given, it was absolutely obligatory to our survival. We had to cook in order to eat and we need to eat in order to live! I realized as these words touched my ears that this unknowingly is probably the largest part of what I enjoy so much about cooking every day. About cooking for the people I love. It feels like a gift! As a woman that has no children, cooking for other people is my moment to feel as if I am giving the gift of life. Because food IS life. It IS love.
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Cast Iron Ribeye Steak with Red Wine Mushroom Sauce
Disclosure: Post sponsored by Ralphs, but all opinions are my own. Please see below for additional disclosure.
With Valentine’s Day around the corner, I have been thinking a lot about this maybe slightly silly day that started as a Hallmark holiday. I don’t totally subscribe to the notion of needing a holiday to shower the people I love with gifts to show my love. To me, sharing your love and gratitude with the people who mean the most to you, this should be every single day, all year long. Jewelry, flowers, chocolates and other gifts, these have always felt trite and unneeded on this one arbitrary day.
But as this year, in it’s infancy, has already had it’s challenges where we’ve sadly witnessed far too much hate and negativity, possibly more than any other year before, this year I am feeling really fond of a day set aside to celebrate love, in all it’s vast variations. Not with gifts and tangible offerings per se, but more acts of love and kindness! Not just for our spouses, partners and family but everyone in our community, locally and globally, in any ways that we can.
