Years ago, when I first heard my mom was moving out of my childhood home and out of California, while I was living over in Italy, I was pretty devastated. My hometown had slowly emptied of friends’ parents and other reasons to stop by other than the outlets in the years since I had left [...]

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I didn’t think I’d end up going to Spain 3 times in the last 12 months, after having waited to visit it until I moved to Europe in 2003, and then not again until last year, but there you have it. I have a soft spot in particular for Barcelona, but when I was able [...]

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I’ve cooked with quinoa for a while now, and I keep finding ways to use it in savory dishes. But what about sweet? I wanted to start using quinoa as a porridge in the mornings as I had been reading about, but since I have quite a lot of oatmeal around the house, and not [...]

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First impressions can mean a lot. It’s taking your knowledge of something or someone (probably close to 0) and filling that cup entirely in one shot. But I don’t believe first impressions are the definitive insight into that person or place, and with time you can peel back all the layers. Barcelona has a secret [...]

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These crispy, hot bites with a tender finish and that sweet aftertaste artichoke hearts leave in your mouth when you eat them alone. These particular fried artichoke chips, or in Spanish chips de alcachofas fritas, (even more fun, in Catalan: xips de carxofes fregides) we devoured (and then savored when we ordered them a second [...]

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