So today was supposed to go one way… and it went another. Heading to Toronto to honour my middle child (you know - the difficult one!! ) because she’s graduating from the University of Toronto. It’s my dad’s alma mater. He’s not here to see it, but he would be so incredibly proud of her. But stressed because of a lot of different things going on. Spending the weekend with my ex and his girlfriend and his family… a celebration hosted by their family. It takes me out of my comfort zone because I like to be the host, especially for something that honors my daughter. I get along with these people so well, I’ve known them for 40 years, but still… But grateful to have Billy by my side. We make everything fun! I had everything ready to bake - a ton of things for these celebration events, we were driving up, and I wanted to contribute. I was organized within an inch of my life. I even made sub buns to pack a lunch for our drive to Toronto. Then when we woke up… The cat was sick again. He literally did not move for five hours. We’re in crisis mode thinking what are we gonna do? Do we bring him with us? Do we leave him with a 17-year-old boy who’s our cat sitter? Like what do we do? If the end is nigh, should we leave him? Soooooo Billy uses his credit card points to buy me a ticket to Toronto, and off I go for the whirlwind weekend to celebrate my daughter, solo. Not at all what we had envisioned. And I sit at the airport waiting feeling completely defeated. You see, my daughter has lots of family around her dad is there. I’m there, and Billy - well he’s kind of peripheral. But I love that. He’s excited to be there. He’s the only one who hasn’t seen her apartment in Toronto, and he was really looking forward to that. That type of thing just makes me feel warm and fuzzy. But the truth of the matter is this isn’t about me. This is about my daughter, Paris. Her accomplishment from one of the top universities in the world. It’s been a rough four years for her. She had lots of ups and downs; things I don’t even wanna mention. So it’s an accomplishment that she made this far. And I have to put my personal feelings aside to remember that this is about her and not me.

Part of my philosophy behind helping couples connect through food, is really that we need to have fun in our lives. There’s so much going on, businesses to create, connections to be made, products to sell. But we have to have fun as well. Furthermore… We have to have fun with our partner and our families. I know a lot of you will say well my job is fun or my business is fun and I get that. But what message does it send your partner when all the fun you’re having is doing something without them? Cooking together should be fun, it should be light and engaging. You should be stepping into the kitchen with the intention of connection, but fun connection. So often cooking is a chore, but we need to make it more than that. It has a power to be something more, so let’s take advantage of it. Let’s make every moment count and have fun.

Let’s just say borrowed it… From Mel Robbins! “Relationships are so much more than just love. It’s about finding someone who motivates you, supports you, pushes you to be better, and brings out the best version of YOU ❤️”

Who has a picture they want to share of yourself as a child?! I’ll go first - I think this was around 8 yrs old!

Want to know the definition of bliss?! Dinner with my fam. Billy and JJ, sure, we are always here but today the Lovely Miss Riley is home from training camp… ooooohhhhhhh my heart! ♥️ Made fish and chips - first time ever lol Resounding success I’d say. These little moments f connection - brought together by a good meal - this is why I do what I do because I know the magic exists in the recipe of food and love. It’s Chef’s Kiss type magic 🥰