Carrie Saum

The fastest way to living without strings is to be up front about expectations and exchanges, even if it's uncomfortable. Like money. Like time. Like emotional sweat equity.

Recipe Notice: These are tricky.

I said it. The thing moms are never ever supposed to say. I NEED MORE.

Apparently, there's a thing happening in Houston this weekend. A sportsball game of some sort and people are super excited about it.

Gather anything orange, brown, olive green, harvest yellow, and dead. Dead leaves, dead flowers, dead hopes and dreams, and arrange them artistically on your front doorstep.

This week is full of high emotions.

I now interrupt your frantic turkey preparations for the following announcement: 

EAT PIZZA, INSTEAD.

This is a recipe for pastry. It's ugly. It will make your kitchen hot in a summer's day. Hotter than the surface of West Texas. Hotter than Jesse Williams scorching the BET Awards with universal truth that we all need to heed and hear. It won't win an award or any baking competitions. But it will win your mouth's undying gratitude.

If you grew up in a typical Christmas tradition, you probably had the same dinner at Thanksgiving and at Christmas.

We had no turkey, no casserole dishes heaped sweet potatoes or creamy green beans, no pies made from scratch, no beautiful table settings or nice dishes to heap our non-existent feast upon.