Eeeeeeeats!

I love food. Like, a lot. Like, more than your average person. Like, more than other people who say they love food. I’m serious. I have those other people beat, I promise. You might be thinking, “I don’t know Rebecca? I really love food too and I have the Bon Appetit magazine to prove it.” But I’m here to tell you that you actually don’t. Not as much as I do.

They have the best produce at Harmons Grocery, including this adorable mini pinaple!

I love going to markets to find fresh ingredients. I love flipping through cookbooks (and pinterest) for new ideas. I love cooking and baking and smells from the kitchen. I love making a plate beautiful and unique and a feast for the eyes too. Going out to a beautiful restaurant with quality food and a trusted friend is one of my all time favorite activities! You should listen to my family when we get together; 75% of our conversations are about food. I adore eating food! But mostly I think I relish in bringing friends and family together with food. Cooking for people you love makes all the prep and time and cost worth it, don’t you think?

My favorite cookbooks! 1. Super Natural Every Day by Heidi Swanson, 2. Huckleberry by Zoe Nathan and  Matt Armendariz 3. The Family Flavor by Whitney Ingram (and beautiful photos by Sheena Jibson)

I can’t be sure, but my first memory with food may be eating those pink and white animal crackers as a kid; you know, the kind with tiny colored sprinkles. The pink ones were just SO PINK! (Mmmmm food dye! Mmmmm red no. 40! Delicious!)  I’m sure my first memory of cooking is a batch of pancakes from scratch. I remember dragging my Moms big red Betty Crocker cookbook, and a chair from the dinning table over to our kitchen counter to prep. I’m sure I left the kitchen a disaster and the pancakes were probably burnt. But I’m so glad my mom let me freely explore her kitchen! So much of my love of food comes from my amazing chef Mother.

Pops and I ordering more food than two humans can consume at Aristos in Salt Lake City

I'm fancy. I made these orange flavored cookies. 

In 4^th grade best friend Lucy Meza and I giggled ferociously while we made cookies and accidentally spilled way too much vanilla in the batch. To this day I swear they are the best cookies I’ve ever made. I’m always trying to recreate that serendipitous spill by throwing in too much vanilla extract, maybe adding some almond extract etc- anything that may taste unique and good. The thing is, the ingredient I’m really looking for is nostalgia and I’m not sure what grocery store aisle that can be found on?


In college I experimented with ingredients and spices. Some dishes were okay, so many were total misses. The first dinner party I threw with my roommates went horribly wrong! Everything was late and the fettuccini was not quite right, and of course! –the boys we invited over weren’t even interested in me. But it was fun to cook! Cooking meals away from home made me feel adult, and independent, and capable. Eventually I learned which spices worked and which didn’t, and how to perfect timing in my kitchen.

One of my favorite recipes from Huckleberry. So good and so easy!

About 5 years ago I was terribly in love with a boy and would cook for him all the time. I loved cooking for him and with him. We joined a produce co-op and would get mystery vegetables in our weekly basket. It was fun to try to figure out what the heck we were going to make with …  jerusalem artichoke root, (which, contrary to it’s name, is not AT ALL like a normal artichoke) or excessive amounts of butter lettuce, or some mystery squash. It felt satisfying to create something with someone. It felt scary and a bit freeing at the same time to put something of myself into a dish and then give it to someone. Our first kiss was interrupted by the oven timer going off for a batch of fluffy German pancakes. We made stakes for valentines day with my cast iron skillet. I used his Moms apple crumble recipe for his birthday. And I made him gut and clean the turkey (ew!) when we hosted Thanksgiving dinner at my house one year.

3 years later when we broke up I wasn’t hungry. Not for a long time. I’m pretty sure I survived off hummus and pitta chips for a solid year. I didn’t cook. For a while, walking into the kitchen made me cry. For a while walking into any room made me cry so I don’t know if that is saying much. Eventually though, my appetite came back and I got hungry too cook again too.

 This Oregonian had to get in some berry picking this summer! McBride Briar Patch in Mapleton.

I still remember the first meal I had post break up. It was probably 4 or 5 days after the event and I hadn’t eaten because I just couldn’t. An acquaintance (who is now a best friend) stopped by with a plate of food. She just handed it too me and said something kind and left. I felt so loved.  Chicken and rice casserole has never tasted so good before or since- ever!

Treats and a great view at Eva's Bakery in Salt Lace City.  

Navigating singlehood can be treacherous… and hilarious. I’ve spent lengthy conversations with kindred friends while we commiserate. More than once we’ve concluded that the beautiful tart or cookie from our favorite patisserie is more exciting than our upcoming date with some dude. The thought of a confection can fill me with more joy than the idea of another exhausting 1^st date. 

Are you kidding me!? This place was precious! Sugar Bakeshop in Charleston SC

Brunch with my girls (don't mind the messy hair) at The Copper Onion in Salt Lake City

I was certainly feeling this when I visited Boston a few years ago. Yes the town was lovely. Seeing my best friend who lived there was lovely. Walden pond? Lovely. But oh my gosh! you have to try the pistachio cookies from Mikes Bakery and you absolutely MUST go to Flour for the best meal of your life!  I have a sizable pinterest board entitled, “Food to Visit” and I don’t feel ashamed of that. Not even one little bit!

One of my favorite meals ever! The Tupelo Honey Cafe in Asheville NC

Coconut Chocolate cake with strawberries on top by me. 

I guess what I’m saying is- I love food; But not just the tastes and smells. I love how it is woven through the fabric of my life.  I love how a certain dish brings me back to a place and time and the people that were with me. I love how my absolute reliance on food to sustain me and keep me alive reminds me that I must rely on Christ with the same kind of intensity and rejoicing. There is an abundance of love that is offered through a cup of tea, or a slice of homemade bread, or a bowl of soup, or a cookie.  Food reminds me that in life there is so much to be savored.