Carla Laureano: A Life of Passion, Purpose, and Inspiration

There's crab with avocado and lemon crème fraîche on a sesame cracker. Chicken liver mousse with caramelized onions and apples. And Ana and Melody's favorite, asparagus and leek on a Parmesan crisp.

Time to choose a palate cleanser. I hope you like sorbet?"So they were done with the personal. "If you make it, I'm sure I'll like it."He did, though he preferred the cucumber-mint to the tomato and watermelon that she put in front of him. Both the lamb shank and the quail were great, but they agreed that lamb said spring more than summer and chose the quail.

Things happen in this world- sometimes accidents, sometimes a result of our own actions- but that doesn't mean God's abandoned us. It just means that we live in a messed-up world. It's when we trust Him completely that He begins to bring good out of bad situations.

All that quiet, it gave me a lot of time to reflect on my life and how far I'd strayed from my values, from God. It's easy to creep away one step at a time... and then one day you realize you're calling yourself a Christian, but no one would ever be able to tell the difference.

You are not the sum of your accomplishments or your failures. You have absolutely nothing to prove- not to me, not to your critics, and certainly not to your stepfather. If God had wanted you to be anything other than who and what you are, He would have made you that way.

Here's the thing about dreams. Everyone thinks that if something is meant to be, it's going to come eaasy. Life isn't easy. It isn't supposed to be. Doing something worthwhile takes sacrifice. Do you think I've loved every minute I've spent at work? I've spent years being miserable. But I've given up everything to get to where I am, and I'm not going to let one little setback get in my way. I'm going to prove them wrong. No matter what. That's what it takes sometimes: sheer stubborn will.

They were perfect- crisp on the outside with a creamy interior, at once both salty and sweet from a double bath in boiling duck fat. Not exactly the healthiest of choices, but oh, it was worth it.

Something smells amazing. What are we having?""Moules marinières," Rachel said. "It seemed a shame to let mussel season close without making it at least once.""Oh la la," Melody said. "Paris must have been in the air today, because I made a napoleon."Ana handed over a half-filled wineglass and gave Melody a quick hug. "You're killing me, Mel. I'm still recovering from last week's Death by Chocolate Mousse.

Her Instagram feed filled up with gorgeous photos of her creations displayed alongside books, some of their links tenuous at best. Double chocolate cookies made with huge chunks of Valrhona chocolate found their American-Parisian mash-up reference in Alcott's Little Women. Currant cinnamon rolls as big as a baby's head were paired with The Secret Garden. Her lemon-blueberry muffins posed alongside a favorite childhood picture book, Blueberries For Sal.

Think about it. Pray about it. The fact that you're concerned about doing the right thing means you're halfway there. Just remember, you're not responsible for everyone else's actions. Only your own. So whatever decision you make, be sure you're doing it because it's what God would have you do, not simply because it's most comfortable.