“In Lynchburg, Virginia, home of Liberty University and just an hour away from my own alma mater, there are always Paneras and Starbucks full of Baptists fresh from Bible Study...zipped snugly into their North Face jackets and so surely into their faith. The leaves have changed color and the air is crisp and chilly and smells like campfires in that grey morning fog and when I am home for Thanksgiving, I pass through on my way to the J.Crew Factory store and even now, I will feel just a little bit jealous of them.”

I wrote this short essay about fall and faith for The Equals Record three years ago and I just came across it again this weekend. I'm so thankful for blogging--it's strange and wonderful to have this little snapshot of me in Minneapolis, still thinking about the things I thought about in Charlotte and now California.

And I needed this reminder from my past self: I feel overwhelmed with the possibilities, and grateful that, even when it's hard, I didn't stay in one place forever.

Read the full piece here.

In the past, I haven't really made a lot of fish at home. We've lived in a few apartments and for some reason I always feel like it stinks up the whole place, so I'd save it for nights when we planned to grill outside (or I'd just order a seafood dish at a restaurant and not have to clean up at all!). While I was writing my cookbook, the fish chapter seemed like it was going to be the hardest for me--but after a bit of experimenting I learned that preparing fish at home is actually super easy and quick.

I'm excited to welcome Bumble Bee to the blog once again--I always love it when they ask me to cook for them. This time I tried out their new Bumble Bee SuperFresh® product--they sent me the Tilapia with Lemon, Pepper, and Herbs and it was so easy to prepare that I whipped up a green bean and potato side dish to compliment it.

Green Bean Potato Salad with Garlic-Lemon Butter

Ingredients: 

• 1 pound of fingerling potatoes, washed and sliced in half
• 10-12 ounces of green beans, cut into halves or thirds (depending on the size)
• 3-4 tablespoons of butter
• Zest and juice of half a lemon
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced or sliced thinly
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions:

1. Cook the potatoes in boiling water for about 10 minutes, or until they're fork-tender. Steam or boil the green beans just until they turn bright green but still have some snap to them, about 4-5 minutes. Drain both and add to a large bowl.
2. In a small bowl or saucepan, melt butter and mix with garlic and lemon zest. Give it a stir and add the lemon juice. Stir to combine and then drizzle over the green bean and potato mixture. Toss to combine and season with salt and pepper.

A couple of messages from Bumble Bee:

“Bumble Bee SuperFresh® smells and tastes amazing. No fishy smells here. Because you prepare Bumble Bee SuperFresh® straight from the freezer, there isn’t any smell associated with thawing fish. And our frozen protein has stayed that way from harvest to your oven unlike most of the “fresh” fish you find at the seafood counter. That means it is fresh tasting, and fresh smelling.”

“All our seafood is no mess, and no fuss; just pure perfection, time after time. Our premium Salmon and Tilapia come with their own parchment paper baking pouch and go from freezer to table in under 25 minutes. High in protein, richly seasoned with pure and simple ingredients that let our fish shine through! ”

This is a super easy dinner you can make with minimal dishes, which I always love. The fish only takes 18 minutes, so you can preheat the oven while you prep the veggies and then cook everything at the same time. Talk about 30 minutes or less! I've been eating the leftover green bean and potato salad all week, reheated slightly with a generous grating of fresh parmesan. Delicious.

Check out the Bumble Bee SuperFresh® store locator here or order with Amazon Fresh here.

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of CLEVER and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

Five more favorite songs (right now), almost a year later:

• I Want to Feel Alive, The Lighthouse And The Whaler
  • On my Discover Weekly playlist this week and I've listened to it approximately 39472 times so far.
• Older and Taller, Regina Spektor
  • I love this whole album, but I think this is my favorite song out of the whole thing.
• Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want, The Smiths
  • Perfectly melancholy to play over and over on a fall afternoon. I never really listened to The Smiths but then I watched 500 Days of Summer and too much Gilmore Girls in the same week.
• 666, Bon Iver
  • I'm trying to be open-minded about the new Bon Iver album but I'm still getting used to it. This song reminds me the most of the previous album, which is why I think I like it the most.
• No Room in Frame, Death Cab for Cutie
  • Ben Gibbard for President.

What are five of your favorite songs right now?

PS I love the idea of keeping up with a "Five Favorites" series, but I want to include more than just songs. I asked for suggestions on Twitter and so far have gotten responses of books, beauty products, snacks, fashion finds, and TV shows. Anything else you'd like me to include? Let me know!