As a guy who spends the bulk of his day in meetings or buried deep in his computer under the deafening hum of global conglomerate florescent lights, there are 3 things in my life that truly ground me. The 3 little girls at home; The garden dirt I carry around in a secret compartment under my fingernails; And an assortment of blades sleepily tucked away resting for an evening of active culinary whacking. In a pinch, a glass or 5 of nice wine helps, too. Big fan of saucy little dishes... 1.) Saturday morning breakfast tacos. 2.) Christmas duck experiments. 3.) Any of a number that include whipped cream, dimples, and out of control princess giggles. My cold-frame (small greenhouse for wintering over plants) is rather useless 9+ months out of the year here in Texas. Recently, I have been using it to slow cook roasts in the springtime sun. Cooks a brisket in about 4 hours. Some random French Laundry salmon dinner experiment at the not-too-often-seen-father-in-law's place. If you come across it, read carefully the step that has you wash off the salt rub before cooking... Not sure which comment was more jabbing - "Are you trying to preserve us?" or "I like the hint of salmon you added to the salt."