These past few weeks have been uncharacteristically tumultuous. Trying to define the success of my blog, dealing with a day job, letting go of my New York frame of mind and attempting to embrace life in California – these all weighed heavily on my shoulders. Funny how a phone call from a missed friend can trigger a new way of thinking. But it did, and now I’m making a change.

I woke up this morning with extra pep in my step and a lightened mind. Decisions tend to have that effect. Ultimately, I decided to make my life my own. My work life, home life, west coast life, east coast life, all of it. They will now be a whole instead of separate entities, summing up exactly where I am right now.

I am done worrying about daily traffic and the number of comments my posts generate. It is quality I’m seeking. The quality of my readers, my friends, my writing, my life. The stress of analytics takes the joy out of blogging. And if it’s not written with love, who would want to read it? That said, if you enjoy what I say and how I cook, leave a comment and let me know. Or, friend me on facebook, follow me on twitter, send me an email. As Nanette from Gourmet Worrier pointed out, it’s all about the relationships you make along the way.

This means I may not comment as often on other blogs – but I promise, if I do comment, it is not because I want something in return. It’s because what you say affects me in one way or another. Danny from Food Bloggers Unite touched on this recently as well.

There is, of course, a limit to how much I can achieve, since the job that pays my bills is in no way associated with Local Lemons. But I have decided to tie Local Lemons into my personal facebook page. Having a fan page and a personal page makes me feel like I have two personas, and I want Local Lemons to be fully integrated into who I am. Eventually, food and family (and maybe my own café?) will be everything, but since it’s not quite yet, this is a start.

So my friends, this is me. With a thank you to Dawn for much-needed laughs, and a big congrats to my husband for landing a stellar job. Now on to the food…

Today’s recipe is a simple one – probably the easiest I’ve posted. It features pimientos di padrón, the Barcelona specialty you can now find at Bay Area farmers’ markets. There are two ways to make these mild peppers – fry them in canola oil that reached 375F, or slow-cook them in olive oil until they turn brown. Either way, douse them with flaky sea salt before popping them in your mouth. They’re only around for a couple of weeks, so seek them out while you can. At $12/pound, they are definitely not cheap, especially considering many bars in Barcelona serve them free with a drink. But Europe is much further away these days, and these peppers are well worth the price.