Because I am married now, I suppose it's high time I figured out this whole cooking business. I used to blanch at the idea of cooking just because one is married. Surely as a newly-wed student, I would have more important things to do than have lasagna or meat loaf on the table at 5:00 sharp. But I've had a change of heart. There are various reasons for this fact, but it boils down to how much I love eating and how I now have limited access to my mom's amazing cuisine.

I ordered this great cookbook called The Food You Crave by Ellie Krieger. It has recipes that focus on healthy fats and a ton of fruits and vegetables. I've been playing with it a little and Christopher has been a forced participant of my newest craze. Don't get me wrong--the lemon chicken soup with orzo and thyme was great, and the peach french toast bake wasn't bad either. But last night I attempted fettuccine with roasted red pepper sauce and it was pretty terrible. And it was completely my fault. I decided that a hand mixer could take the place of a food processor, and I forgot to drain, rinse, and slice the roasted red peppers. The whole jar went right in and it seriously messed with the sauce's consistency and flavor. Sad.

Christopher gamely took seconds and told me not to get too discouraged. But the truth is, I should have relied on a trusty plate of nachos instead.

"She did not cook so much as assassinate food. "
--Storm Jameson

Last night, my husband and I went to the James Taylor concert at the USANA amphitheater. Being a newlywed, I assumed that it would be a luxury to go to the show now that we have to buy so many things we never knew we would need. (Not-fun things like an iron, comet, flour, etc...) But since I have an awesome husband who can always tell what I want before I'll even admit it
myself, Christopher surprised me with tickets to the concert the day before. It was a great night.


What I love about James Taylor is that he's the voice that has always been around. When I was a little girl, my sisters and I would dance to Steamroller and Shed a Little Light for attention until my dad would pull out his video camera. In junior high, following my oldest sister's lead, I would play his stuff every morning while I failingly attempted to apply makeup only a seventh grader could believe looked good. At the end of that particularly rough school year, Lacey and I got his autograph together at one of his shows in Salt Lake. I consider his voice an old friend by now. His lyrics are so great that just hearing Carolina makes me believe that the south is full of geese in flight, and moons and omens, instead of what is probably true--that it's full of varmints and probably doesn't have a Nordstrom.

Now that James Taylor is getting older, and I am getting older, we remain friends. He let me put Never Die Young on my wedding video, and I changed plans to go to his concert last night. And in another act of friendship, I will suggest that you check out his latest at http://www.jamestaylor.com/