I was in high school when I got my first taste of Amy Tan's writing, and it came in the form of her short story "Fish Cheeks." With just eight short paragraphs she brought tears to my eyes, and I still read it at least once or twice every year around the holidays (often out loud, to anyone who will listen).

The two of us have obviously come from different backgrounds, but there was something in Tan's story that I identified with deeply when I first read it--it was the image of her mother in the kitchen, surrounded by piles of food, outdoing herself once again. So much of who I am is based around food, as well as the fact that for so long, my mom was the one cooking it.

Her father, my grandfather Albino, was a terrific cook, and my dad tells the story of going over to their house in California and being totally unprepared for the number of dishes presented to him at dinner. My mom takes after Albino in that way, genuinely asking "Is this enough for three people?" as she gestures to five bottles of wine or a humorously large flank steak. Our friends know not to eat before coming over for a visit.

My brother and I are each decent cooks, both self-taught and passionate, but Sean takes after our grandfather the most. Maybe it's their shared name--with a middle name like Albino, Sean was always going to be an adventurous soul. Either way, the two of us have always been close friends, and so many of my favorite family memories revolve around food.

As Thanksgiving draws near, I can't help but think of the traditions that Rob and I will continue one day when we have our own children, or the new ones that will happen without us even realizing it over the years--like the Thanksgiving 5K race downtown that morning, marinated cheese, or bright red Cosmopolitans with the neighbors before an enormous dinner.

“I fell in love with the minister’s son the winter I turned fourteen. He was not Chinese, but as white as Mary in the manger. For Christmas I prayed for this blond-haired boy, Robert, and a slim new American nose.

When I found out that my parents had invited the minister’s family over for Christmas Eve dinner, I cried...What terrible disappointment would he feel upon seeing not a roasted turkey and sweet potatoes but Chinese food?

On Christmas Eve I saw that my mother had outdone herself in creating a strange menu...

...It wasn’t until many years later—long after I had gotten over my crush on Robert—that I was able to fully appreciate her lesson and the true purpose behind our particular menu. For Christmas Eve that year, she had chosen all my favorite foods.”

— Amy Tan, "Fish Cheeks"

This post is brought to you in partnership with The Family Dinner Project, whose mission is to inspire families to enjoy food, fun, and conversation together.

The Family Dinner Project is honoring Giving Tuesday (December 2) and the holiday season by inspiring dinner-oriented acts of giving: to participate, simply snap a dinner/giving-related photo and share it via Twitter or Instagram using the hashtag #familydinnerforward between December 2-16. You can share as many photos as you like, and all photos with the tag will be entered to win prizes from Lenox. Learn more here.

Photos by Sarah Gatrell of Photo + Love.

As I'm sure you would expect from a Paleo eater, I'm a pretty big fan of sweet potatoes; but the truth is that I don't eat them at home very often--other than baking chips in the oven, I don't really do too much with them. But over the weekend, I made some sweet potato hash browns as part of an at-home brunch and they were delicious and easy, so I'm sharing the recipe with you here today!

Ingredients:

• One to two sweet potatoes, chopped or diced EDIT: I originally made these really thin (as you can see from the photos, but now I prefer them diced--see here.)
• Two tablespoons of ghee
• One to two cloves of garlic, crushed
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions:

1. In your largest pan, melt the ghee over medium-high heat.
2. Add sweet potatoes and mix around so all sides of them get covered with ghee. Spread out into an even layer and let cook for a few minutes.
3. Stir the sweet potatoes and spread back into an even layer. Let cook for a few more minutes.
4. Repeat step 3 until all sides are crunch and golden-brown. Be patient (it took mine almost fifteen minutes), but keep an eye on them so they don't burn.
5. Serve with fried eggs, or whatever else you might want for breakfast!

If you could only eat one thing every day for the rest of your life, what would it be? (Ignore the reality of nutritional value and/or food allergies.)

It would be virtually any kind of Asian noodle dish-- mainly Pad Thai, a big bowl of Pho, or Lo Mein. I was an enthusiastic pasta eater before I went Paleo, and while of course I'd love to dig in to a pile of fettuccine Alfredo every now and again, I don't find myself craving pasta the way I crave Thai or Vietnamese food. Obviously rice noodles don't make me feel sick like regular pasta does, so maybe that has something to do with it, but I'm pretty sure it's just because Pad Thai is the best.

Why did you choose Spanish as your major at first? (Edited to include everyone reading): Did you ever change majors? What were they and why did you choose them?

I chose Spanish because Psychology wasn't working for me anymore and I felt like doing something that came easily to me for a while. I grew up on Spanish, so I could read and write it really well. I had actually placed into some 300 and 400-level Spanish classes as a freshman, so I had a lot of credits already. Speaking the language was a challenge, but I got through my classes and mostly enjoyed it. I switched to the English department when I realized that I was basically a History major who just took classes in another language, which was fine and super educational, but I didn't know what I was supposed to do with it after college was done.

Name one thing that someone said to you that impacted you in a deep and meaningful way. Who said it and what gave it so much significance?

This was recently--I was listening to a podcast and the speaker said (obviously not directly to me, but I'll take it) that you should never say anything if you can't follow it up with the phrase "...and that's just the way I want it." It's so simple, but it makes a huge difference in the way you approach your day-to-day life.

"Ugh I'm so anxious," is something I say on what often feels like a weekly basis, but I've been so much more careful about throwing it out there these days because the truth is that feeling anxious is the exact opposite of "the way I want it." Our words are pretty powerful things, and that little tip was a huge reminder.

What's your favorite novel? Do you think that when you read it had anything to do with it sticking with you?

My favorite novels definitely coincide with specific times in my life, since I have a couple favorites and they all make the list for different reasons. For example, Atonement is a favorite because not only is it gorgeous, but I read it my senior year of college for one of my favorite classes, and in it the main character was reading Clarissa, which we were simultaneously reading for the same class. It was a fantastic connection that I'm so glad my professor took advantage of.

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Now it's your turn! Leave a comment with your answers to the questions above--these posts have become my favorite and it is such a pleasure getting to know you all a bit more.

Thanks to everyone who submitted a question (I sometimes post requests for them on Facebook or Instagram). If you have one that you'd like me to include in my next Q&A post, send me an email and I'll get it on the list!

Photo is one I never posted from this shoot with V.A. Photography last year.