Sproxno

I spend a lot of time on the road, and some days the schedule goes sideways. Jobs get delayed. New stuff pops up at the last minute. I am trying to keep clients happy, I still have to eat, and sometimes the only option is a five-minute detour and a brown paper bag.

I do not romanticize this. The best choice is to have other choices. I try to pack lunches, keep healthy snacks in the car, and avoid putting myself in a position where fast food becomes Plan A. But there are absolutely days when it is Plan B, C, and D at the same time.

I also know from experience how easy quick food can derail you. My own weight has not moved in one neat, inspiring straight line. I have lost weight, gained some back, lost again, and had to tighten things back up more than once. If that sounds familiar, my post on why losing weight feels so hard after losing, regaining, and starting again gets into that side of it more.

My basic rule is simple: when I have to eat at the drive-through, I try to make the better bad choice, not pretend I am ordering from a spa cafeteria.

I grew up with soups like this on repeat, and I still think it’s one of the most satisfying bowls you can make with humble ingredients. It’s hearty, it reheats like a dream, and it’s the exact thing you want when the weather turns or you just want something steady and real.

I like serving mine with a few Kalamata olives dropped right into the bowl and a piece of crusty bread on the side to soak up the broth. That salty olive + tomato + bean combo is hard to beat.

If you’ve never made fasolada before, this version stays traditional, tastes big, and doesn’t get fussy.

Greek Youvetsi is a traditional comfort dish of braised lamb cooked in a rich tomato sauce and finished with orzo pasta. It was one of my favorite meals growing up, and this version uses both lamb shanks and shoulder chops for extra flavor with slightly saucier orzo that reheats beautifully as leftovers.

I’ve wanted to make this for a long time, and it finally happened because my girlfriend’s mom gave me star anise — which pushed me toward a braised dish. I kept it no-wine, one pot, and built it for leftovers.

It didn’t look like the youvetsi I remember, but it tasted like comfort food should: deep, warm, and better the next day.

Some evenings the Hudson River turns into a mirror. The sky goes gold, the city lights start to glow, and the entire skyline feels like it's floating between two worlds — water and sky.

This photograph, “Current and City”, captures one of those moments looking south along the Hudson River toward Manhattan. The skyline stretches across the horizon while the river quietly carries the light of sunset.

I’ve spent years photographing the New York skyline from different vantage points across New Jersey. But this view — with the river pulling your eye toward the city — always feels timeless.

And that’s exactly why this image works so well as wall art.