Author Archives: Liz

Transitioning Away from Deliciously Bad Mexican Food: Mango-Pear Guacamole

There is a direct correlation between a Southern town’s size and the number of cheap Mexican restaurants within its city limits. I know this could probably be said about all restaurants or, for that matter, other service industry establishments. But … Continue reading

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Preparing to Leave: Roasted Corn with Lime and Manchego

I’m not scared to move to New York. I’m just a little confused. Compared to anywhere else I have lived, New York is breathtakingly, mind-numbingly massive. It’s like watching a newborn child for a few hours compared to interacting with … Continue reading

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Crawfish Monica: In the Season of Jazz Fest and Gift Giving

I have always really liked listening to DJs on the radio. The ones who talk much more than they play music and have obnoxious laughs that bubble through the speakers and who are generally disliked by their listening audiences. I … Continue reading

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When Veggies Play Dress-up: Roasted Cauliflower with Lemon-Herb Dressing

My boyfriend once told me that he’d break up with me if I ever became a vegetarian. This was not a carnivorous admission of a meat-free phobia, nor was it a revealing statement that opened the windows into the mind … Continue reading

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A Perfect Picnic Dessert: the Most Chocolatey Brownies

In my persistent and very dedicated search for the perfect bite of chocolate, I’ve found only one constant: the brownie. Nearly every brownie holds a delicious bite of chocolate and sugar that is craved in the dead of winter when … Continue reading

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When Life Isn’t a Picnic, Pizza Helps with Hard Decisions

When I was 15, my dad gave me my first Hemingway book saying, “He made me realize writing doesn’t need to be fancy. It can be simple and be good.” Like my father, I fell in love with Hemingway’s journalistic … Continue reading

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Italian Sausage Stuffed Peppers for Summer Grilling

In the spring of 1997, Comet Hale-Bopp brightened Northern Hemisphere skies. I was seven years old, in the 2nd grade, and fascinated. It was the celestial sketch that kids my age drew in paintings during art class: a glowing orb … Continue reading

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Life Guarantees: Deviled Eggs in the Picnic Basket

I have always hated the saying, “There are two things in life you can rely on: death and taxes.” What kind of life is that if those are the only two things that you can count on? I have so … Continue reading

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Bunny Bread: Easter Picnic Basket Must and Self-Medication for Homesickness

I am incredibly homesick. I wish I could say I reached this realization in a respectable, rational way, but that would be a lie. I actually recognized it while reading The Hunger Games series. I’m not especially proud of it. … Continue reading

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Reminiscing on Fried Goodness: Smoky Fried Chickpeas

When I was driving around New Orleans on Mardi Gras night, searching desperately for an open grocery store that sold raw oysters, I could have been compared to a movie superhero. Not even a superhero, though. Just calling me the … Continue reading

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