Food-G: A Blog in Review

It's been a good ride, but the time has come to close the curtain on Food-G. Don't cry. I'm not abandoning you! Just moving... to a place where you can find all the stories, photos, and recipes you've enjoyed here, but with a clearer mission and many improvements.

My new home is called The Sunday Dinner Revival. Go ahead and take a peek, but please excuse the metaphorical sawdust and cardboard boxes. I'm still putting on the finishing touches. Later this month, I'll invite you to the Grand Opening, once everything is in place.

For now, I think it's important to honor the time we've had here with a little reflection on the Food-G journey. So, get cozy, make a cup of tea, and take a stroll with me down memory lane...

It all began April 24, 2009. It was a time for comfort food and my first post was this recipe for Chicken Jook, aka Congee.



Chicken Jook with Ginger and Scallions

I was living in employee housing, while Noah was away on contract. The economy had just tanked I decided that it was time to focus my writing on food. Noah returned to Juneau that spring, and we found a wonderful place to live for what would be our last summer in Alaska. I miss taking photos from that deck, like this one:

Roast Chicken Brie and Fig Sandwich with Asparagus "Fries"

We soaked up every little detail we could from Alaska, etching details like the sight and sound of a humpback's misty plume into our memories.

There were barbecues:

Crock Pot Pulled Pork

There was berry picking:

View "Tess's Jewel Berry Crisp"

There were warm days in the sun:

Cucumber Watermelon Licuado

The very long days began to grow shorter and before we knew it, it was time to move on:

View "Blueberry Cottage Cheese Pancakes"

We didn't know where we were headed. We only knew we were ready to find home. While we waited for some direction, we hopped on Aunt Pam and Uncle Win's sailboat in Miami, and didn't get off until we reached St. Lucia, 38 days later.

Sailboat Cookery 101

We were grateful to have such a special adventure, and lots of time to stare at the ocean.

View "Do You Fon-Do?"

Eventually, we had to return to our life, and all the big questions that needed answering. Where were we going? And what would we do when we got there?

Have you ever heard the saying, "Leap, and the net will appear?"

Noah and I were called back to the place where we fell in love: Montana. There was a glimmer of a possiblity of a job there for him, which would allow us to know, for the first time in 5 years, where we were going to be in 6 months. It was year round , versus contract work, and it was the kind of position that has very low turnover. It could be weeks before something opened up. It could be years.

We got in the car and headed West on a wing and a prayer. After crashing with friends in Missoula for a few weeks, and deciding we didn't want to sign another lease, we moved into a hotel. We lived there for 2 months, eating continental breakfast, and cooking dinner on our 2-burner kitchenette while we waited and hoped and willed things to work out.

Food-G was there through it all, a constant in a sea of change. In fact, it was in that little hotel room that I wrote my highest hitting blog post of all:

Lady Budd's Basted Eggs

It was also in that hotel room that we found out, in the course of one life changing day, that the offer we made on a house had been accepted, AND a position had opened up and Noah got the job.

Have you ever laughed and cried at the same time? I felt the full rainbow of emotions that day, but most of all gratitude and RELIEF.

In March of 2010 we moved into our very first home. We had gotten a good deal on a little 2-acre spread we named The Ranchito. Fixing it up became a full time job. We moved a lot of dirt and made our first and only house rule: If you don't have a shovel in your hand, you don't get to complain.

Morel Mushroom Crepes

In August, yet another of our lifelong dreams came true, when we brought Pablo home.

View "Creative Dog Treats"

Oh man, was he ever worth the wait. He is the most fun, silly, lovable companion we could have ever hoped for.

Before we knew it the leaves were turning. My new website, The Sunday Dinner Revival, was under construction. I had moved into my newly renovated office, the holidays were just around th corner, and we gave ourselves a much needed break from projects on the house.

Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese

Thanksgiving rolled into Christmas,

The Turkeytini. No gravy necessary.

and suddenly BOOM! It's 2011. New home. New job. New life. Heck, it's time for a new blog. And not just a new blog, but one that really digs into the meat of what it is that we've been sharing here on Food-G; a celebration of life's table and all that it brings.

Thank you, dear Food-G readers, from the bottom of my heart, for being a part of this journey. You have left comments, shared ideas, offered support, told stories. It has meant everything to me, and I thank you for being the hub of this wheel.

It's time to leap again, into new and exciting possibilities. I hope you'll come with me, and we can continue to gather at my new and improved table.

Big, huge love,

G.