I didn't grow up in a traditional family, and I never had a family dinner around the table, so whenever I actually had a dinner 'plan,' it meant a lot to me; it made me feel excited and safe.

I can't get caught up in darkness. I just don't. I always want to gravitate towards light. I love picking yourself up or surviving or being grateful for the good stuff and not getting lost in the tough stuff. The discipline is so natural for me.

When you've been locked up in a mental institution, people are going to ask questions. It was OK, because I didn't have to act perfect all the time.

I think a breakup can be the beginning of a friendship. That's not me trying to make everything OK - it's me saying, "No, we love each other. Let's not pretend we don't."

I never want to get to the point where it's all about my needs, and the hell with anybody else.

I understand there are inevitable things that we have to go through: heartbreak, family problems. I don't feel like some Quixotic idiot who says, 'We don't have to feel pain.' No! Let's feel it, let's make it work for ourselves. But I want us all to be able to get past it.

I love inventive food, but I want the classic dishes to taste like how I remember them. I get a little bummed out when there is too much fancy stuff going on and it doesn't resemble the original dish at all.