Sizzling Scallops and City Lights

My recent trip to LA and how to conquer scallops at home

Just getting back from a quick trip to Hollywood where I attended an event called the Industry Dance Awards. I had the honor to be nominated as Favorite Convention Teacher of the Year, although I didn’t win, it was a blast to be recognized by my peers and see some familiar faces in my old city.

It’s been almost 3 years to date that I left my hometown for the quiet suburbs of Georgia and every time I go back to LA, it somehow just feels so different. I was speaking to a friend there and found myself saying that Los Angeles is not what it used to be but then I began to think that maybe I’m not who I used to be. I was born in the city of Hollywood and my life growing up was quite different than most. Regular celebrity sightings didn’t faze me, and a typical Sunday was spent watching the street performers on the Hollywood walk of fame with my family. I was accustomed to having 2 seasons a year, summer, and anything below 70 degrees (which most of the time didn’t even fall lower than 55).  

After starting our family, things changed, and priorities did as well. Suddenly, trips on the 405 (IYKYK) gave us major anxiety and the cost of living was feeling overwhelming. I spent my younger years moving in full speed, traveling the world, working with some A list celebrities and hitting the clubs on Sunset Blvd every weekend. It was a fast-paced lifestyle and believe me, I have the stories to prove it. As I started to mature, I soon began to feel my soul crave a more relaxed lifestyle. Once John and I got married the first shift happened and then starting a family really moved us into a new realm.

John and I sat down and talked. What did we want to feel going into this next chapter?

Ease, health, safety, and financial security were all on that list and luckily we have found all those things here in our new city. Space for the kids to play, a plot of land where I could grow an abundance of vegetables and the ability to exhale. We do miss our friends and family, the beach, and the beautiful food LA offers but nothing makes up for the serenity and feeling we have now in our new home. It’s given us confirmation that listening to our inner guidance is so important and remembering the only constant in life is change. I’m not the same woman I was at 26, I’m 46, and this little family adventure has brought us closer and confirmed that as a unit, we are up for any adventure.

If we tune into what we truly want, and listen, there is something always showing us the way. Fear likes to be comfortable and will always want to hold us back. It takes a lot of courage to make a move, change a career, go after that dream you always have dreamt of and most of the time, we are in our own way. The thing is, life is short…

So why the hell not? You gotta move different if you want different.

What’s one thing you’ve always dreamt of doing but keep talking yourself out of?

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This week’s recipe

Since we’re talking about things we’ve always wanted to do but seem scary, I know for many, cooking scallops at home fall into that category. I’m here to tell you to go forth and conquer your fears, it’s much easier than you think. We’ve been traumatized by Gordon Ramsey flinging undercooked meat against the wall on Hell’s Kitchen but trust me, you got this.

Here's my checklist for scallop success:

**1. Selecting Fresh Scallops: