Category: Personal

What Cinco de Mayo Actually Is (and Why I Still Make Enchiladas)

What Cinco de Mayo Actually Is (and Why I Still Make Enchiladas)

I did not grow up observing Cinco de Mayo. Nobody in my Texas family did. It wasn’t a holiday in the way Christmas or Thanksgiving or even the Fourth of July was a holiday; it was a date on the calendar that occasionally meant something 

Friday Roundup #23 (From Florida, Because Mermaids)

Earthset over the Moon’s far side, captured by the Artemis II crew on April 6, 2026. Image: NASA. This roundup is coming to y’all from Weeki Wachee, where I’m spending the long weekend with a friend. If you’re not familiar, Weeki Wachee is a Florida 

Friday Roundup #22

Friday Roundup #22

The weather has been beautiful the last couple of days. I’m hoping it holds through the weekend because I have plans. What are you reading/watching/cooking/dealing with this week? Let me know in the comments. P.S. The tomato-garlic sauce is embarrassingly simple. You’re going to wonder 

Friday Roundup #21 (On Sunday, Because February)

Friday Roundup #21 (On Sunday, Because February)

The blog has been quiet this past week. Work has not been.Next week should be better, and tomorrow is Presidents’ Day, which in our house means a long weekend and a chance to get some end-of-winter things taken care of. Today it’s rainy and cold 

Being Authentic

Being Authentic

This is the forested area behind our house. It’s the part of our property that the creek runs through. It’s where I go when I need peace and calm and to escape from the world for a little bit. If you’ve been reading this blog 

Friday Roundup #20

Friday Roundup #20

Y’all, it’s Friday and I’m ready for the weekend. This has been one of those weeks where the weather can’t make up its mind, work has been relentless, and I’ve been coming home too tired to do much of anything except exist on the sofa. 

What We Owe: Black Southern Foodways and the History We Need to Know

What We Owe: Black Southern Foodways and the History We Need to Know

This is the first in what will be an ongoing series called Food is Political. I thought it was appropriate that this first post come during Black History Month and gives me a chance to talk about attribution, appropriation, and giving credit where it’s due 

The Optimist: The Best Seafood in Atlanta

The Optimist: The Best Seafood in Atlanta

In July 2019, I took Zach to The Optimist for his birthday. It was our first time there, and I’m just going to say it up front: it’s the best seafood we’ve had anywhere. Better than St. Simons. Better than the coast. Better than a 

Friday Roundup #19 (On Saturday, Because This Month)

Friday Roundup #19 (On Saturday, Because This Month)

It’s the end of January and already this month has been a heck of a year, hasn’t it? I completely forgot the Friday Roundup yesterday. So we’re doing it on Saturday instead. That feels about right for how January 2026 has gone. That’s It. That’s 

Here We F****** Are Again

Here We F****** Are Again

I had a whole other post planned for today. A fun one. One talking about our favorite seafood restaurant in Atlanta. It was written, scheduled, and ready to go. And yesterday morning cos-playing ICE thugs murdered another American citizen. This time a man. A nurse. 

Friday Roundup #18

Friday Roundup #18

It’s been a couple of weeks since I did a proper Friday Roundup – last week I skipped it entirely, and the week before that I replaced it with the Renee Good post. And today I got to it late in the day. So here 

What My Mother Taught Me About Cooking (And About Being Fearless)

What My Mother Taught Me About Cooking (And About Being Fearless)

She was fearless in a way I didn’t fully appreciate until I was older …