My sister gave me this mug for Christmas...so true.
Be careful what you tell me, because a version of it may end up in one of my books!
A lot of readers ask me if my books are autobiographical. The answer...kind of. Not the main story lines, but certain elements, anecdotes, characters, and places are drawn directly from my life (or my friends' lives).
In The Misadventures of Catie Bloom, Catie can't cook. Not even a little.
Until later in life, I didn't know how to boil rice. Or much else. I lived in New York City in my twenties and you don't cook. You order takeout...or pour a bowl of cereal. Ovens are where you store your sweaters.
But when I got married and moved to LA, we suddenly got all mature and started hosting dinner parties. So I had to find at least a few recipes that were easy, but impressive. That's where I discovered the goat cheese and beet salad recipe. The one Catie makes at the opening of the book.
It was my go to starter, and I always cheated...buying pre-cut onions (I hate chopping onions!) and canned beets to roast (have you ever tried cooking and preparing raw beets...don't). The salad really is way easy and yummy. EASY being the key word.
And I don't think I could have written the book without Blue Apron. Ha! Yes, Blue Apron has made me a chef. Or a wanna-be. Now I understand the basics of cooking. And I can cook fish and steaks to perfection. Blue Apron is awesome...but why all the chopping? Why??? Momma only has so much time before the children turn into gremlins! (no, I am not sponsored by Blue Apron...in fact, all that chopping got to be too much and I gave up on them..sorry, not sorry.)
My cooking may have improved slightly, but I still can't crack an egg with one hand. I have recently perfected Mickey Mouse shaped pancakes. So there's that.