Things or activities that cause lady boners:

Alcoholic Drinks in tiny Mason Jars:

Braids!

Tim Riggins. 

NAIL ART!!!

JENNIFER LAWRENCE

CUTE DRESSES AND COWBOY BOOTS! 

PUPPIES AND BABIES!

BABIES DRESSED AS PUPPIES!

PUPPIES DRESSED AS BABIES!

OUTDOOR WEDDINGS!

Did I mention TIM RIGGINS?

AND OF COURSE A HEALTHY DESSERT

 I don’t know a woman on the planet that doesn’t go ape shit for a good dessert. The problem is the guilt most of us feel as we stuff our faces with sugary, creamy, chocolatley delights. We can feel our asses getting bigger, and we are never in the moment of truly enjoying what we are eating…well at least I’m not. I don’t know about you but as I am eating a dessert my mind is somewhere else, I am constantly thinking “how can I work this off tomorrow?” During my mental workout routine, I  realized I have eaten 10 cookies and I am curled in a ball on my couch counting the different scenarios in which I am going to die alone.

It’s desserts like this Vegan Vanilla Flan with RoastedCherries that get ladies like me all hot and bothered. I was inspired by Dr. Andrew Weil’s Vegan Coconut Flan. It is packed with healthy proteins and healthy fats and tastes indulgently delicious. Also did I mention there is no refined cane sugar in it? A dessert I can indulge in that I can feel good about eating? BONER ALERT. (Thanks to Catherine Reitman for coining that phrase)

I recently discovered the magic of coconut sugar. It’s derived from the coconut palm tree and has a lower glycemic index than regular cane sugar. While it’s no miracle food, it’s definitely  a better alternative to cane sugar. If you want you can read more about it here.  If you can’t find coconut sugar just sub brown sugar or sucanant.

The recipe calls for agar agar powder or flakes. It’s usually in the part of by the seaweed and other asian products in your health store. If you can’t find agar agar powder, you can use gelatin but then this dessert would not be technically vegan, since gelatin is an animal derived product. There are also great vegan vegetable based gelling agents I found at Whole Foods. You can use these with a 1:1 ratio. (1 tablespoon: 1 tablespoon) When all else fails. Google. Order it online.

I recently got myself a new hand blender from KitchenAid, and let me tell you it’s pretty magic. It makes making this recipe super easy, but if you don’t have a hand blender need not worry a regular blender works just fine! Alright enough talking let’s cook!

 I start by making a syrup and pouring them into my molds. I used rectangular molds but feel free to use circular ramekins or  any other shape. Reserve 1 tablespoon of the syrup. 

I heat the non dairy milk with a vanilla bean and the agar agar. After 5 minutes of cooking I blend it  with 2/3 cup of silken tofu, 1 tablespoon of syrup, 2 tablespoons of coconut sugar, and a pinch of salt and blended until smooth.

Then poured that into the molds.

Cover in plastic let it set, unmold top with your fav roasted fruits, fresh berries and VOILA you have FLAN! Congrats girl.

Back to the sprouts. We all know these little guys have been making a “comeback” for a while now, I was even told that by one unnamed produce creeper at my local Whole Foods (read about it here). The rapid turn-around from being the most hated to the most loved vegetable has always dumbfounded me. Did no one think to roast these little guys before the year 2000?!  The flavors of a perfectly roasted brussel sprout is something to be savored. Roasted or sauteed brussel sprouts pair beautifully with smoky flavors like bacon, and their naturally sweet, nutty undertones are elevated when paired with something fruity like dried apricots or thick syrupy balsamic.

My go to recipe was simply to roast them. Simple. Easy. Then I was introduced to what I thought was the most delicious way to consume this vegetable. I went to a party a couple months ago and none other than Chef Alex Guarneschelli was there casually cooking in the kitchen. I walked in and nearly collapsed. I went full Californian on her and was like “WHHHATTT ARE YOU DOIN HERE?!?”

Now, I never get star struck but when graced with a mega-talent and personal culinary hero of mine, my knees tend to buckle with excitement.

Alex was preparing little crostini with ricotta cheese, pancetta and these delicately roasted shaved brussel sprouts. Damn it, those brussels had my name written all over them. I went over a snuck a spoon full of sprouts on my plate so could get a taste. WOH. They were unlike anything I have had before. They were smoky yet sweet, crunchy yet soft, what was going on?!?!?! I asked her how she cooked the brussel sprouts and she graciously shared her recipe with me. Now, if you are at all familiar with Alex Guarnashcelli and the way in which she describes food you are very well aware that she can make any type of food sound enticingly sexual. There is just something about her careful word choice, and inflection on certain syllables that paints a picture of a beautiful and sexy food experience. She is like the Mother Goose of the culinary world, if Mother Goose only read 50 Shades of Grey.

I am not going to try and replicate her vernacular, because I won’t be able to do her justice. This was her rundown of the process:

First you have cut the brussel sprouts as thin as possible. A mandoline works best but if you can’t get your hands on one then thinly slice with a knife.

When cooking the sprouts the goal is to get them to have both a smoky charred and a caramelized flavor. To achieve this start by putting the sprouts in a very hot DRY (meaning no oil) saute pan, and lets them char a bit on the bottom.

Then move them around to let the sprouts on top get a little char-loving too. After that add a touch of oil, and a pinch of salt. This will start the caramelization process. Cook them until they are just al dente and have a gorgeous two toned quality to them. The smell is unique, almost like freshly popped popcorn; it’s a crazy sensory overload.

I have made these brussel sprouts now about 100 times, and they never fail to be incredibly delicious. I have clients, friends, and family constantly asking me to make these for them. PLUS, I have yet to meet a child who doesn’t inhale them. Even the pickiest of eaters have dubbed these as good eats. I always make more than I need because there can never be enough and they make fantastic left overs too! I often drizzle a light ribbon of balsamic glaze on the top, or add some finely chopped toasted almonds. I even get cray sometimes and add sauteed  finely diced apples…yes I just used the word “cray” and yes I hate myself for it.

Sometimes I make a big batch of these brussel sprouts, put a poached egg on top and call that dinner, or breakfast….or lunch. I would like to follow up that statement with the fact that I am very single and live alone. SO I would say I WIN. Don’t believe me read here: http://www.buzzfeed.com/erinlarosa/the-24-most-underrated-parts-of-being-single.
I don’t suggest you consuming a whole bowl of brussel sprouts and an egg unless you are very very comfortable with your significant other. Y’all catch my drift? Cool. So…yah…let me leave this post on that painfully uncomfortable note…..

Until next time friends,
Alex

YES. I just love the way that word sounds. To me, brunch is the key to a happy life. Sunday morning is my absolute favorite time of the week. After church on Sundays nothing makes me happier than to spend the rest of the day eating amazing food, and drinking incredible cocktails with great friends. I used to work 7 days a week, but now try and take Sundays off when I can. Now more than ever my Sundays off are the days where anything goes.

During the week I am pretty rigid with my breakfast fair. Keeping it healthy and light with things like protein smoothies, and or egg-whites. But Sundays?! Girl, you best watch out. I am a waffle eating monster.

I love how the deep cravaces of a good crispy waffle hold warm syrup so perfectly, like it’s just waiting for me to break through and unleash a river of syrupy goodness onto my plate. As I have said before I am not a huge fan of overly sweet eats. I like things with balance. Waffles, when done right, are the perfect balance between savory and sweet. Below is a recipe for Salted Maple Bacon Syrup. Iam not a pork eater but occasionally I will indulge in a bit of bacon…and this syrup is well worth the indulgence. It’s kind of crazy delicious, I suggest you try it:)

The blend of flour I use in this recipe is nutty, and warm. I developed this Whole Grain Flour Blend after reading my homegirl Shauna Ahern’s entry on gf whole grain flours. If you haven’t read it, check it out here. 

My whole grain mix contains almond flour, so if you have a nut allergy make sure to follow Shauna’s ratios so you can create your very own blend! It’s so fun…and quite delicious.  I added flax to the mix for some extra fiber, and a dash of cinnamon for an extra little tastebud “hug”. Sub out buttermilk for unsweetened almond milk and coconut oil for butter and you have a dairy free recipe:) Like magico! The coconut oil will not give you the same dark brown color like the butter does but it is equally delicious.

If you haven’t seen my episode of Bites and Booze; Gluten Free check it out below. One of my favorite people Joy Wilson of JoyTheBaker.com came with me all the way to New Jersey and helped me settle into my first day of filming my cooking show. I was so nervous, but having her there made me feel so much better. Not only is Joy an amazing baker, she is an amazing friend and one that I cherish deeply. 
You can for sure see that I totally sweat through my shirt too…That was the last time I wore silk on camera. ; /

Happy Sunday Y’all!
xoxo
AT

Then I asked myself “is this bitch high? She thinks I am really going to go to a potluck?”

I texted back “a whole weekend with 100 lady bloggers in the middle of nowhere California? No, I am good, but thanks”
Melissa replied “I didn’t ask, I am telling you to buy a ticket. Everyone is going. You won’t regret it.”

I spared the arguing with her, because I have learned I can never win. She’s smart, and much quicker than me.
Reluctantly I ended up buying a ticket, and this past weekend was the big event. Even though I was excited to see all my friends, I was still not thrilled on the concept of being stuck at a barn in the middle of God knows where for 3 whole days talking about quiche and God knows what else food bloggers talk about.

To my pleasant surprise I ended up having one of the best weekends I have had in a long time. I got to meet so many new people and was inspired by everyone there. The creativity was infectious and the food was overflowing. It was totally my kind of gathering. I let loose and had a BLAST!

If you know me, you know that I can’t go anywhere or do anything without making a ridiculous statement. In honor of my love affair with tequila, and the launch of my new friend Gaby Dalkin’s book Absolutely Avocados I brought many sombrero themed costumes to wear through out the conference. They were a huge hit. They were so ridiculous, but everyone seemed to really enjoy them…..at least I know my friends and I did.

When I first started food blogging my friend and my mentor Diane Cu told me “you will meet your best friends in this community”. I rolled my eyes and thought she was crazy. Turns out Diane was right. I have met some of the most incredible, creative, driven, supportive and loving friends anyone could ask for. Even though I just met some of them recently, I know our friendship will last a lifetime. I am so thankful to call these idiots my friends.

This weekend was one of many more I hope I get to spend with them, and everyone else I met at the event.

After it was all over, I was exhausted, but my weekend was far from finished. My friend Rachel and I headed down to Costa Mesa, CA for a photoshoot with my friends and mentors Diane Cu and Todd Porter for a new KitchenAid campaign. Any chance I get to be in the studio and watch these two masterminds work, I do. I learn so much from them every time I am around them and their love and passion for what they do seeps through their pores just like tequila does mine during a hot and sweaty soul cycle class.

Even though I was mainly on dishwashing and prep duty all day, I didn’t care one bit. Just being apart of the process was priceless to me. Diane and Todd were one of the first people to encourage me to follow my passion for food and food photography. They believed in me and my talents as a chef and an artist which in turn has fueled me to keep going, to keep learning and in turn show constant gratitude to the people who believe and encourage others in their daily lives. The whole experience on the set was humbling and inspiring.

After a 12 hour non stop work day we headed back to Diane and Todd’s house for a wrap party. I am surprised any of us were still standing, but we were. We were all on a high and ready to keep going.

For those of you who don’t know Diane and Todd’s site White on Rice Couple, they  are obsessed with their backyard garden- and rightfully so. Built from humble beginnings the two of them have created a special santuary for themselves. Right now it’s citrus season and their trees were dripping with gorgeous blood oranges, tangerines, meyer lemons, kumquats, and oro blanco.

I don’t know about you, but when I see a whole mess of citrus I can’t help but think TEQUILA!

I grabbed the blood oranges off the trees and I started juicing.

Next I muddled some fresh mint I picked,

added a bit of lime for brightness, orange bitters for body and voila. A clean, delicious light margarita. The juice was sweet enough where I didn’t have to use any sugar. It was pure, simple and delicious.  A no added sugar margarita? I will take 5…I did…I took 5….and drank them…all of them….5. It’s okay you can judge me.

After this weekend, I am full. Physically, emotionally and which ever other way you can be, I am. I learned so much and experienced something I normally would have passed up on. To think I almost didn’t go because, well frankly I was being an asshole. It makes me realize if I was just a bit more adventurous, a little less cynical and believed in living in each moment there isn’t anything that could stop me from experience all that life has to offer. Sometimes our biggest enemies our ourselves, and it takes a few good people and maybe a few good cocktails to help you realize that.

If you are in a position to help someone, give words of advice or just believe in someone you see trying to find their way, I encourage you to please do so. Your simple words, or actions can influence someone’s life in the biggest way…. and who knows it might earn you a killer cocktail as a reward.

Until next time my friends,
alex

This pasta is grain-free, gluten-free, nut free, corn free, and if you omit a garnish of the Parmesan cheese it will be dairy free as well as vegan. So BOOOOOOM! (I don’t know why I am getting so agressive).

You can  serve this “pasta” with your favorite warm tomato sauce for a comforting hearty dish OR you can serve it cold for a nice light summer time meal….Holy crap it’s almost summer. I am excited and frightened at the same time. Good thing is this dish is just the thing I need to help me stay on track and get me into a bikini by June. Let’s just say the winter months weren’t pretty….like crawling onto my couch and eating tons of thai food alone kind of pretty.
Plus holiday gatherings with the fam…and then more of me just eating thai food alone watching all 5 seasons of Friday Night Light. WOOOOF. I was a disaster.

Anywho, luckily I snapped out of it and it’s been a couple months of me eating healthier and working out more, but dang it ain’t like it used to be when I was in my early 20′s. I would literally eat salad for a day and then sneeze and drop 10 pounds. Now I am eating like a fucking bird, working out like an Olympian and lucky if I can shed 1 pound a week. I am not a fan of this getting older thing at all. It’s bullshit if you ask me.

okay, enough of me rambling and more of us eating this delicious pasta. I hope you like this recipe as much as I do.

xoxo Gossip Girl….oh wait wrong sign off….

Until next time friends,
Alex

if you want to see the video of this recipe, click here!

It’s another beautiful day here in Southern California and I am feeling really blessed this morning. Now, I do NOT want to turn this blog into some sort of pseudo diary, but I want to share with you some of what’s been going on with me in order to explain my thoughts and this recipe I am going to share.

Girl, I had a WEEK last week. You know, one of those weeks where you feel like nothing is going right?! I work my little booty off every single day in hopes to make progress in my career. I have dreams and goals of doing something much bigger than myself and I work everyday to get one step closer to realizing those dreams. It’s not easy, but I don’t think anything worth anything is easy to achieve. There are more days where I get told “no” than where I get told “yes”, and it’s those “no” days where I have to step back, reflect and grow. It’s important to be tough and have a thick skin and to not let anything or anyone discourage you from realizing your goals. It’s exhausting, and emotionally draining  but you gotta keep going! There are days though, where it’s okay to break down and just have a good ugly cry session.

We are all allowed to have a good ugly crying session once in a while. It’s good. It’s healthy. It’s definitely not cute, but something that is necessary. We got to let it out. If you don’t know what a good ugly crying session looks like it looks something like this.

It starts like this: “I’m okay, I’m okay…..”

WHICH QUICKLY ESCALATES TO: “I AM NOT OKAY!!!!”

THEN YOU TRY AND CALM YOURSELF: “Shh, just calm down, you’re fine, it’s going to be fine”

AND THEN YOU THINK IT’S OVER….DEEP BREATHS…. DEEP BREATHS! “Oh GOD!!!! WHY?!?!?!?!!”

“I am so sad.”

THEN YOU TAKE A NAP.

AND ALL BETTER!

WEE I’M ON A BIKE!

Don’t lie, we all have done it.  If you haven’t done it, try it. Thank me later. The important thing is to let it all out, but  also keep your sorrows in perspective. I’ve learned it’s those moments post ugly cry to count my blessings which in turn fuel me to keep going.

So how does this tie into banana bread? I am glad you asked. It’s recipes like this banana bread that bring my feet back on the ground and remind me that even though things might be tough at times I am  lucky I get to do what I do everyday.

I recently made a big batch of this bread for a friend’s swanky LA party, how excited do you think girls got when I told them I made gluten free, sugar free, and dairy free banana bread!?  Girl, I could of told them I was pregnant and I wouldn’t get nearly the same reaction…which always makes me feel super confident about myself and the day that I announce  to my friends that I am pregnant. : /

I baked the bread in mini loaf pans and wrapped them super cute with ribbon. Barf who am I? I was so busy and stressed with work that whipping up 35 mini loafs of banana bread was no easy task, but it got done in the nick of time! Of course, the party got canceled last minute (It’s LA…nothing out of the norm).  Knee deep in banana bread, my kitchen a mess, and feeling completely defeated, I felt the knot in my throat start to grow. It was coming…the ugly cry was coming. YUP. It happened. It happened real good. Before I knew it, it was over. I took a nap, ate some pasta and regrouped.

As I sat eating my pasta I thought, “how lucky am I that I am crying about banana bread? Really Alex, you’re an asshole. Get up and do something, make yourself useful.” So instead of throwing the bread away I put them in my car and as I was running my errands that day I passed them out to the people who were asking for money on the streets. I even stopped at a bus stop and surprised a lucky group of people waiting for the bus with my banana bread. The look on people’s faces was priceless as I gave them something as simple as some banana bread.  They were so thankful for something that I usually would take for granted. It filled my heart so full, and made me realize that even if sometimes I feel like what I do doesn’t matter, it does. In someway, to someone, we all matter.  I think that’s all we want to life. We want to be heard, we want to be seen, and we want to matter to someone.

So here is the recipe that keeps me sane, and makes me smile. I hope you make it and can share it with someone unexpected.

Recently I have tried to cut out a majority of refined sugars, and dairy from my diet. One great way to replace sugar is to use dates. I boil dates in water and let it reduce by half, then puree it and use it to sweeten things like this banana bread. Also I find unsweetened almond milk a superior liquid option in recipes for baked goods because its creamy, subtle nutty quality compliments  gluten free flours so well.

While I like to make my own blends of flours, sometimes it’s just nice to have someone else do the work. I really really love Pamela’s Gluten Free Baking and Pancake Flour Blend for this recipe. There is something magical that happens with this particular blend, mixed with the date puree and the bananas. The bread is super light, super fluffy but still has great chew. I was just told that this mix contains buttermilk powder, soif you can’t do dairy use a different brand of GF flour, but make sure to add Baking powder (2 teaspoons), 1 teaspoon salt and if your GF flour doesn’t contain xanthan gum or guar gum add a teaspoon in there as well.

I use coconut oil in this recipe because it tastes amazing and it’s much healthier than butter or canola oil. Read more here.

When I eat something indulgently delicious yet still healthy like this bread I am reminded of how lucky I am. To eat is a privelege but to eat well is a luxury. This bread is luxurious in the most humble of ways and I can’t wait for you to try it yourself!

Thanks for listening to me ramble.

Love,
Alex

So surprise! I had to change the name of my blog…I know I am just as thrilled as you are : / But hey, life happens and we move on. Alas, alextcooks.com is born and I am thrilled to inform you nothing but the title is going to change. Same great recipes and ridiculous stories are to come. I have taken a step back from doing private chef work, so my 15 hour 6 days a week schedule is no more. I will have much more time to blog, which means more recipes and ridiculous happenings for you!

Speaking of recipes, let’s dive right in shall we? Last week I was making a Moroccan inspire meal at work. Roasted chicken with harissa, lentil stew, and couscous. Now when I cook something for my clients that contains gluten the measures that go into me not accidentally cross contaminating are intense. The biggest problem I face though is putting out food I can’t even taste. Usually seasoning is a very tricky, the perfect balance is achieved with just a pinch more of salt, or a squeeze of lemon. I tried to see if I could sub quinoa but my clients were not too keen on it. I remembered being at the Bazaar at the SLS hotel in Los Angeles and having what they called “cauliflower couscous”. It was unreal. Made up of entirely cauliflower, it looked just like couscous but had a flavor that was full of depth and a texture unlike anything I ever had before.

My clients are pretty traditional eaters, and a dish too far out there would not go over too well with them, so I knew if I asked them if they would like to try cauliflower couscous that I would be met with a sour expression and a big fat NO. So instead I took the approach that I knew would win over any traditional Beverly Hills woman. “What if I tried a low carb couscous tonight?!” I asked. “Oooh! That sounds fabulous!” she said. BOOM! Works every time.

Cauliflower often gets a bad rap. Let me just preface this recipe with a quick speech about my love for cauliflower. It wasn’t until this last year I realized how truly versatile and delicious this vegetable is. It’s got a beautiful sweet creamy quality to it and it also roasts up beautifully. When roasted the outsides get toasty and brown and have this like salty caramel quality that balances the creaminess of the insides so well. On the other side of the spectrum it also can be simmered in broth and some sort of milk (either dairy, almond or coconut) and pureed into a light mashed potato like puree. Like any earthy cabbage like vegetable, cauliflower pairs beautifully with roasted nuts and tangy dried fruits. I particularly love roasted almonds, hazelnuts, dried apricots and dried cherries. I often will mix and match them every time I make this dish…which has been almost every night this past week.

The key to this recipe is to balance the earthy rich nutty sweetness of the cauliflower with something bright. In this recipe I use lemon juice, lemon zest and parsley.

I seriously ate bowls of this dish when I made it, and the best part is it’s completly guilt free! It’s a great sub to any grain and will leave you completely satisfied. So that means  all you Paleo peeps can eat it too! GRAIN FREE!  So woohoo for you, and I’m almost positive the cavemen took their food processor and totally made this dish right after they carefully portioned out their daily serving of fruit and threw away any legumes they saw along their travels. Relax Paleo peeps, I love you, but I’m also a jerk.

Okay so here’s a run down of how I made it. Start with a head of cauliflower

Then take the florets and either pulse them in a food processor or grate them on a box grater. You can use the big holes or small, up to you. (insert inappropriate joke here…because I am 5)

Look at this…it’s pretty glorious, isn’t it?

In a large skillet, saute some onions for about 5 minutes until golden brown. Then add cauliflower and saute for 3-4 minutes. Just until the raw taste is cooked out, but the cauliflower still has some texture and crunch. 
Transfer to a bowl, then add all the fixins, portion it out and DIG IN!!!

Making gluten free fried chicken is a delicate dance. You want a coating that will fry up super crispy and also stick the chicken. I went through 6 batches of chicken trying to get a coating to stick. I finally found something that is full of flavor and sticks to that damn chicken. By the time I got to the winning batch, I thought, “Could this be baked instead of fried?” but by that point I was too tired I couldn’t even attempt to look at another piece of chicken. To be honest with you, I still don’t know, all I know is that this fried chicken is the bomb.com.net.org. Amen.

Making a gluten free biscuit is a tough job, they have a tendency to be very very dense. This recipe creates a biscuit that is flaky, buttery but has enough body to hold a piece of fried chicken in the middle. That being said, there is always room for tweaks and adjustments. The beauty of gluten free baking is the endless options of flours and starches you can use. So feel free to give these a try and see how you like them. I think they are just delicious. Ps so does my dad, a gluten eating biscuit loving monster. He said they are one of the best biscuits he’s ever had, and I believed him. He usually will tell me when something tastes like crap. He’s from New York, he get’s it.

The best recipes and the best inspiration come from the generations before me, so when I was asked to do a Greek dish for my web series I knew exactly what I was going to do. I wanted to do a spin on a classic diner favorite: The Patty Melt. Instead of red meat I used ground lamb that I season with herbs and spices. Instead of mayonaise I made a dill aoli, and top with balsamic caramelized onions to cut through the richness. I like using swiss in this dish because it’s a really mild cheese that adds that yummy cheesy factor but doesn’t overpower the other flavors of the dish.

To make it gluten free I used my favorite store bought gluten free bread, but you can use which ever bread you would like. The potatoes to go along side this are awesome, they are packed with flavor with out having the guilt of being deep fried. Between the olive oil and the chicken stock these potatoes almost go through a poaching then crisping process in the oven. This process leaves them super fluffy on the inside and crispy on the out. Guilt free french fries! I love it! I love this dish because it’s a unique and delicious way to wow all your friends. Serve this at your next tailgate, BBQ or even for a fun themed dinner.

Whenever anyone smells my perfume they immediatley say “it smells the beach”.

“Funny you should think that because the perfume is called Beach! It’s made by Bobbi Brown” I say.

The smell of this perfume contains all the best parts of being at the beach, it has sand jasmine, sea spray, and mandarin notes and captures the essence of summer in a bottle. Being from Southern California this smell reminds me of home. Beautiful verdant scenery and the gorgeous breeze coming from the ocean…I am one lucky girl. 

I had the pleasure of meeting Bobbi Brown while shooting my cooking show out in New Jersey. When Bobbi and I met honey, it was love at first site. We both share the same love for food, health and have this passion for life that seeps through our skin. It is a connection that you only have a couple times in your lifetime. It’s that connection where you feel like you have known each other forever, and an instant feeling of trust and understanding occurs. She is a remarkable woman and inspires me to strive for excellence every single day. Our height difference is pretty remarkable I must say….

Here is a quick interview I did with Bobbi that day.

Bobbi asked if I could do a guest blog on her website everythingbobbi.com. You can click here and read it! (only after you read this of course..duh, don’t be rude) Here I share my journey with food, in particular the last couple months of my life. Over worked and stressed I turned against everything I knew about health and nutrition and lost myself in junk food. I gained 20 pounds and felt terrible. The New Year brought new inspiration and motivation to loose the weight and get myself back on track. This blog shares recipes and tips and tricks I follow everyday to help me get back to my old healthy self!

You are probably thinking “when is she going to shut up and tell us about how to get the free perfume?!”
I am getting there girl, don’t worry!

Alright, so I wanted to do a giveaway on my blog to celebrate the launch of the blog on everydaybobbi. What better thing to do than do a giveaway of my favorite perfume!? Bobbi Brown Beach usually retails for about $70 in stores, so this is an awesome chance to experience a liquid vacation for free!
Here is how to enter:
Follow me on twitter and write to me @alexthomopoulos with the hashtag #BobbiBrownBeach

OR if you don’t have twitter write me a comment below.
It’s that easy! We will enter all the twitter handles into a random selector and the winners will be chosen at random! The contest ends on Friday February 22nd. So make sure you tell all your friends. We want your friends to smell good…no one likes a smelly friend.