I was here in the Smokies… but oh how different things were then! I still remember waking up in a fright most mornings, petrified at the challenge that lay before me. Next Food Network Star would start shooting in just a few weeks, and I would cry at the thought of what I’d have to [...]
Smokies Report-ies! from aarti on Vimeo. -x- aarti
We rose to a white Christmas up here in the mountains. I can’t take the camera outside for fear of it getting wet, so I snapped, oh, 6 million photos of the little birds feasting on as much seed as their tiny beaks could carry. (I’ve changed the way I’m posting these photos; click on [...]
Almost every Christmas, Bren and I make for the mountains (the Smoky ones!). We look forward to it every year. There’s no better place to celebrate Christmas; we’re surrounded by these majestic, mysterious mountains, with no TV, no radio and until this year, no internet; usually, we’d have to trundle down the mountain to the [...]
You all are constantly curious about the spices and ingredients you should have on hand in order to whip up a little taste of India, or at least a little taste of my kitchen… finally, a series of videos you can always turn to when those questions arise. I shot 4 web videos right before [...]
I want to write to a word of encouragement to you. You especially, my dear — the one hiding in the shadows, who is silently weeping through this time of year, whose lack of finances is painfully apparent at a time when folks are stampeding stores for the best deals on Christmas presents (for others, [...]
I’ve been suffering a few dizzy spells recently and I’m not sure what’s up. I’m blaming the cleanse, and so I’m sorry to tell you, I’m stopping. As I write, Bren is at the neighborhood In ‘n’ Out, grabbing me a double double with grilled onions, protein style. Hey, I know it isn’t healthy, but [...]
I know, it’s Wednesday but whatever. I’d like to start sharing some of the music that’s really moving me at the moment. And there’s no better way, in my opinion, to start this off than with Tom Waits. Tom… fricking… Waits. (I think that’s the only way to refer to him by the way.) Have [...]
I’ve written about my friend Heide before; she’s one of the first people (along with Bren and my bike gang) who encouraged me to apply for Food Network Star even though I didn’t really believe I could do it. Heids is also a huge fan of Giada. So today, I took her with me to [...]
Ah, greens. You know they’re good for you, (can’t you just hear your mother now, harping on you to eat your vegetables?!), but damn if they aren’t the boring-est (yup I said it) vegetable sometimes. Sauteed with olive and garlic is fun and all, but can a sistah get something with a little more va-va-va-voom [...]