Today is my birthday.

26 was a really hard year for me. I didn't share most of it. I was ambiguous and distant online and sometimes even in my personal life, and I think that made things harder. But I will say this:

Even throughout life's troubles, there is still full and deep joy to be had. Life is complex, and that is beautiful.

There is a long and lovely list of things that have brought me joy this year--my wonderful marriage, our sweet and sometimes rowdy puppy, and big successes in my career. I traveled and ate and made new friends and turned an unfamiliar city into a home. I discovered new passions and am learning, slowly but surely, to let go.

So today, like most days, I'm looking forward to what good things the future has in store. Here's to 27.

Photo by V.A. Photography.

Last night I found myself feeling uninspired so I did what I always do and flipped my copy of Old Friend from Far Away open to a random page and read what was there. This quote was staring me in the face and I was writing it down before I even had a chance to realize that I have already quoted it once right here.

“Don’t be hard on yourself...Allow the luxury of time, dreaming out the window, a little noodle walk through a dime store, then like a female lion after her prey, go directly into the animal art of pen across paper...

I know more but I don’t push it because there are things I don’t know that I want to come to me. I’m calling up understanding beyond myself. If I get too determined, too linear, I’ll miss the tugs of intuition at the periphery of my perceptions, the things I don’t want to say, the things I have never said...”

— Natalie Goldberg, "Old Friend from Far Away"

Maybe it's time for me to find some new books.

Either way, I feel this way every year and can't seem to escape it--September is here and there are pumpkin beers on draft everywhere but it's still too hot. Students are back in school and I am another year away from it all with dishes in the sink and essays I wish I had written months ago.

So I wait.

--

Currently I'm reading a collection of letters between Julia Child and Avis DeVoto and I'm simultaneously charmed and discouraged by their passion for food and politics and friendship and life and everything in between. Sometimes I wonder, did Julia ever have days or even weeks where she just didn't write a thing? Where she went to bed early and felt uninspired and grateful for takeout or leftovers?

I like to think that she sometimes woke up with a stuffy nose and a headache and decided to take a nap in the afternoon instead of folding laundry or working on her next project, which is exactly what I did yesterday.

"I'm enjoying it immensely, as I've finally found a real and satisfying profession which will keep me busy well into the year 2,000. But I wish I had started in when I was 14 yrs. old,." she wrote about the cooking classes she started teaching with two other women in France.

I feel that about my own life sometimes. But other times it is clouded by self-doubt and worry.

I think we'd all be a little more successful (and happy) if we could only get out of our own way.

This post is sponsored by Hebrew National®.

Fall is right around the corner for most of us, unless of course you live in the South like me; if that's the case then you still have at least two more months of hot weather, which will likely be spent seething in jealousy over all the pictures of Pumpkin Spice Lattes and jeans and boots that are taking over your Instagram feed. Don't worry, I'm right there with you.

So while I'm still grilling more often than I'm not, I'm trying to put a cozier spin on my food--hot coffee in the morning, maybe a crock pot dinner or two, and lots of roasted vegetables, like this lovely broccoli I've paired with my weekly hot dog. Yes, Rob and I eat hot dogs at least once a week (all year 'round). Lately I've been loving them bun-less as usual and topped with some buttery sauteed onions.

I'm sharing my roasted broccoli recipe below. This recipe works with almost any vegetable!

Easy Roasted Broccoli

Ingredients (serves 2):

• One large head of broccoli, chopped
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions: 

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, season broccoli with olive oil, salt, and pepper.
3. Place on a large baking sheet and bake at 400 for about 20 minutes, or until browned and crispy around the edges.

I love making a bunch of broccoli this way and eating it with mayonnaise! It's a great side dish for an easy dinner like grilled hot dogs. Hope you enjoy them while anticipating autumn!

*The combination of franks and these toppings may not be kosher.

What makes a Hebrew National kosher hot dog premium? It's all about what makes the cut (and what doesn't). We're choosy about what goes into our franks--we use only premium cuts of 100% kosher beef from the front half of the cow and then choose the best from that. No artificial flavors, colors, fillers, or by-products. When your hot dog is Kosher, that's a hot dog you can trust! For more summer fun with Hebrew National, visit facebook.com/hebrewnational.