When I picked up Will from school today, one of the other moms asked me about my writing. She’d noticed my email signature, which indicates that I am a writer and editor and a few of the sites that I regularly write for. The question caught me totally off guard — but in a good way.

For as long as I can remember, I wanted to be a writer. While other kids would pretend to be doctors or policemen, I used an old dressing table in my room to pretend that I was writing a novel or filing an important news story on deadline. It was just my thing.

Writing is very much a part of who I am. Someone on a message board recently remarked about how a profession can’t define you … I totally disagree when it comes to the arts. When you are a writer, an artist, a singer, musician or performer, it’s very much ingrained in who you are.

Since writing is such a big part of me, I am not used to people asking about it from such a ground level. It made me smile to talk — if only for a few seconds — about how I came to be a writer and what I write about.

What I failed to mention when I was speaking with her though was another important part of my job: creating new recipes. I love the art of creating. I love pulling together flavors that just work well together and using them in new and different ways.

One combination that I love is artichokes and lemon — particularly when we are talking about fresh lemon. After Cate confessed how she often uses bottled lemon juice, I started paying more attention to what I use and have found that the taste of lemon juice and zest are far superior than the bottle. Color me a total convert.

As for the roasted vegetables, I absolutely love roasting veggies and tossing them in pasta. Pretty much everything is better roasted. It really brings out the flavors in the veggies … so, when I read about a pasta that Patsy at Friends, Family and Food made with roasted tomatoes and asparagus, I had to make something similar for dinner.

The result? A slightly tangy, rich, light and fresh tortellini pasta … Mmmmmm.