If you had asked me three years ago if I ever thought I would have problems procreating, I would have laughed my ass off and quipped a smart-assed response like "My family breeds like rabbits - what a silly question."

Here I am three years later reflecting on the lengths that I've gone to to try and create an offspring for reasons I have yet to figure out. This crazy roller coaster ride started in September of 2007 when something wasn't right. My perfectly well behaved body started getting all wonky on me.

This is a wonderful all purpose spice rub that I use for all sorts of things — chicken, rice, beans, curries, shrimp, you name it. Mostly I use it to make chicken kabobs. Just toss your pieces of chicken in some of the rub and add a little salt and pepper and grill away.

So I recently broke down and joined a book club.

I have finally come to terms with the fact that I need to do something "suburban" so as not appear completely uninterested in the goings on around me. The funny thing is...I don't really enjoy reading.

Most people who are avid readers relish in the long hours of solitude and escape that comes with the act of being immersed in a great book. NOT ME.

This is without a doubt one of my favorite soups to make in the summer time. It's very veggie!

Last weekend at the farmer's market I picked up some lovely light purple eggplants and I was able to pick about 10 roma tomatoes from the garden so I decided to make this soup for my weekday lunches.

Over the 4th of July weekend there was quite a bit of excitement around the use of abundantly available fireworks. In fact it was almost like a neighborly competition to see who could provide the largest and most extravagant selection of explosives.