Pati Jinich really opened my eyes to guacamole's full potential. In the states, a lot of food people have an incredibly rigid idea of what is and is not guac. Pati revealed to me that in Mexico there are no rules with guac. Makes the purists here freaking out look super silly. Guacamole is a mole. And like all moles, there are infinite variations, the only necessary thread being the aguacate.

So what about you? Any food/cooking lessons you'd like to share?

Do you love to assemble a casserole? Is filling dumplings your happy place? Could you knead dough all day? What genre of dish is endlessly enticing to you?

For me, its soups/stews. Nothing i love more than slowly building the layers of flavor in a big ass dutch oven. Stirring my cauldron of delicious nourishing potion grounds me.

Obviously its a necessity to feed ourselves, but im talking deeper here. What inspires you? Who are your muses? What beyond the basic need to eat keeps you excited about food?

I am endlessly inspired by Nigella Lawson and her entire ethos around cooking. "Food is both a pleasure palace and a sanctuary." "Cooking is a balm in troubled times." "Food has the ability to make a real difference, every single day." So many amazing quotes of hers ring around my head when im in the kitchen.

For me, cooking is spiritual, practical, creative and scientific all at once. It gets me on my feet, off my screen, and allows me to nourish myself and those I love. It requires all of my senses and no matter how practiced a recipe is there is always an element of improvisation.

I could go on, but im much more curious....why do you cook?

I'm currently super into Chez Panisse Vegetables by Alice Waters and Mexican Today by Pati Jinich. Vegetables is just so useful, I use it as a reference all the time now. And there are so many great ideas! This is my first Pati book and I have to say her food is phenomenal. Everything I've made has been a 9 or 10/10. And she is just a total delight to top it off.

What about yall? Any books in heavy rotation right now?