HELP

kamran — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 01:14:45 +0000

Dearest Readers,

It was just last month when I met a talented and inspiring blogger, Erika (from Ivory Hut), at a food blogger get-together in NYC. Erika, in a matter of five seconds had me smiling and made me want to hug 50 dozen times because of her kindness towards others and because of how inspiring she is!

After asking each other where we lived, I was absolutely surprised that I had a food blogger only a few miles away from my home!

This morning I sat in the train station, checking tweets from friends, when I read this from Erika’s twitter stream: Our house burned down last night. Barely made it out alive. Homeless, possession-less. But we’re all safe & together. Still richly blessed.

Last night, Erika and her family “had been discussing the logistics of [Erika] possibly attending BlogHer Food 2010 in San Francisco.”

She states, “A mere hour or so later- and instantly, really- we were outside in out shirts and shorts, watching our house crumble as it was engulfed in flames. I’ll never forget that hissing and crackling noise as my husband’s home of almost 30 years practically disintegrated before our eyes.”

Seconds after running out of the house, Erika’s son Tim, without hesitation, immediately ran back into their burning home, after he realized that his grandmother was asleep upstairs. He couldn’t exit the house the same way he came in. He immediately carried “his 82-year-old grandmother out of the window, onto the roof, and eventually down on the deck.”

Erika says that this sight of her brave son carrying his grandmother as he ran down the lawn and away from the house is one that she will never forget.

Erika and her family lost everything- their home, computers, photos, books, identification cards- everything. She describes everything that happened yesterday night in her most recent post- It is with my friends Alice from Savory Sweetlife and my friends Pam, Maggy, & Sharon (from Three Many Cooks), that I join their efforts to help our friend Erica out!

And although this maybe a Food Blog, I hope Erika’s story (from her blog) and this link to the photos and the video of the fire last night will convince you to donate all that you can, to help Erika and her family!

Please use the donate button below provided by Alice and Pam Anderson to donate anything you possibly can to help out Erika and her family- every dollar counts!

©the sophisticated gourmet 2010. | Permalink | 3 comments | Add to del.icio.us

quick puff pastry

kamran — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 02:08:56 +0000

Next week is my big week. I will be heading off to college. It seems as if yesterday was the day that I step foot into the lobby of my old high school, with a cup of Starbucks in my hand, ready to tackle what four years of high school had in store for me.

It seems as if yesterday was the day that I was walked across a warm football field surrounded by thousands of people, ready to accept my high school diploma and see my friends for the last time on that very field.

It feels like all of this happened within the past few days, but it didn’t, I constantly think about my last hugs, last fist-pounds, and last words with my friends from class.

... Read the rest of quick puff pastry

yes, you’re on the right site.

kamran — Sat, 14 Aug 2010 21:34:09 +0000

So, while you check out the new layout, and ~~stalk~~ check out the newly updated pages on this site I’ll take a break from coding and re-sizing photos to go make some chicken salad.

Have fun!