Leap!

Spontaneity continued to pay off this week. On a whim I applied for a preschool aide job on CareerBuilder.com late Saturday night, and by Tuesday at 5pm, I had the job. Change terrifies me, but I've decided that it is time to move forward in life. It is time for me to learn how to leap willingly.

Leaping willingly has always been a challenge for me, sometimes literally. Somewhere there exists a very embarrassing video in which my family and our friends spend 15 minutes trying to convince me to jump off of a cliff into the creek below. Eventually I sucked up my courage and took the plunge (and lived to tell), but during those 15 minutes I stood paralyzed on the edge, convinced I couldn't jump out far enough to avoid hitting the rocks below. I need to realize now that I won't hit the "rocks" and that I can try something new without feeling weighed down with dread.

I'm going to go leap into packing for Florida, and them I'm going to go dive back into the ADRC copy of the Momofuku Milk Bar that I got from Netgalley.com. I will be back sometime around the first of September with a review and hopefully not to many pounds gained back thanks to recipe experimenting.

Combine Two Loves

In addition to the genres I have already rambled about I have to tell you that I love cookbooks. This is firstly because I love to cook and bake, but secondly I find cookbooks fascinating. It has rightly been said that books unlock the doors to imagination. I find that well executed cookbooks unlock not only our sense of imagination, but all of our other senses as well. I can spend hours pouring over cookbooks dreaming up special meals.

Recently I joined netGalley, and the first book I read for this program was Food from Many Greek Kitchens by Tessa Kiros, which is being released June 14th by Andrews McMeel Publishing. I love Mediterranean food and have long been on the lookout for a good Greek cookbook. It seemed like kismet when I saw this title listed in the available galleys and I have to say Tessa Kiros does not disappoint.

Food from Many Greek Kitchens is a veritable feast for the senses. Not only does every recipe sound both wonderful and delicious (even the ones with octopus, and it takes a lot to make me want to eat octopus), but the book itself is gorgeous. The pictures spaced throughout the book are breathtaking. They truly make Greece come alive for the reader. I honestly cannot decide which recipe I want to make first. I need to make a grocery list so my pantry and fridge can be stocked and ready for many possibilities! I have already put this book on my Amazon "Need Now" list because I cannot imagine not owning a hard copy. I may never get to actually see Greece in person, but I am very sure that in a short amount of time spent with this cookbook I will begin to feel like I have been there. Each recipe is like taking a trip.