Years ago, when I first heard my mom was moving out of my childhood home and out of California, while I was living over in Italy, I was pretty devastated. My hometown had slowly emptied of friends’ parents and other reasons to stop by other than the outlets in the years since I had left (at age 17), and I knew without my parents living there, I would rarely make the trip down to drive by my old high school or the school where I learned how to write the alphabet. Am I the only one who gets melancholy when they drive by their old schools, doubly so when school is out and they are abandoned?

Luckily I got a chance to say goodbye to my childhood home when I came back a few months before the final move to help pack up some of my things before they actually sold it. I know I’ll always consider California home. Or one of my homes. It will always feel like coming home when I touch down there. And though my old hometown is evolving so quickly I can no longer date a new stoplight or neighborhood, there are some memories that can never be erased from its landscape.

But I now know that my home also follows my parents, wherever they live. Touching down in El Paso to visit my mother feels like coming home, and the short drive over the state border to New Mexico reminds me of the short drive from San Jose to Gilroy (the nearest airport to my hometown). All in all, not many things have changed.

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I’m thinking today we could all use a bit of comfort. For those who are in the Northeast and want the storm to be past and over (with their homes and loved ones intact), and for the rest of us who refresh Twitter feeling helpless…we could use a bit of comfort, right?

Meet Pecorino Romano cheese. I’m in love with it. Really. Except it’s a slightly destructive relationship. I keep eating the thing I love the most. It’s becoming my go-to comfort food, much like macaroni and cheese used to be (and still will remain).
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I love lists and favorites, so I’m going to share a few which have caught my eye now in September. Are you a subscriber to my newsletter? There will be a few favorites in there which aren’t in this post, along with other content (and giveaways!), so sign up now! I’m also on Twitter @rosso. See past favorites.

I spent half of September outside of Italy, in San Diego (and on the Padres’ jumbotron), and in Spain (in a castle eating great things), and here’s what I’ve been obsessing about this month!

Favorite get in my mouth right now: 

I always have bananas in the house. I love bananas, and I love them in smoothies and especially in banana bread. Especially. I think the Upside Down Caramelized Banana Bread Skillet Cake from How Sweet Eats sounds like a must-try, and I have a few substitutions already in mind about how I could lighten it up sugar-wise.

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I didn’t think I’d end up going to Spain 3 times in the last 12 months, after having waited to visit it until I moved to Europe in 2003, and then not again until last year, but there you have it. I have a soft spot in particular for Barcelona, but when I was able to head to Girona, Spain for the Travel Bloggers Exchange (TBEX) conference, I knew it would be a great experience.

The welcome party on opening night did not disappoint. It was in a castle. There were human towers.

And it was catered by El Celler de Can Roca, also known as the #2 Best Restaurant in the World, by Restaurant magazine. If that list doesn’t impress you, they’ve also got 3 Michelin stars.

I’ll let that sink in.

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I love lists and favorites, so I’m going to share a few which have caught my eye now in August. Are you a subscriber to my newsletter? There will be a few favorites in there which aren’t in this post, along with other content (and giveaways!), so sign up now! I’m also on Twitter @rosso. See past favorites.

Favorite bookcase if I actually had room for one (or still collected paper books):

This United States of America book case at Timothy Taylor Gallery. I also love the Oklahoma musical reference in the post title (don’t know what I’m talking about?) I played Ado Annie in my senior musical so I’m a little partial. via Oh she glows

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