Stacey Morris
Author and food blogger
• Current residence: Loudonville
What are you listening to?
I love anything from the 70’s (America, 10CC, Queen, The Commodores) but my morning Pandora playlist is anything spiritual like Krisha Das, Jai Uttal, or Deva Premal. It gets my day off to a peaceful start.
What are you reading?
“How to Meditate” by Larry Terkel and “The War of Art” by Steven Pressfield. Both are helping me push through creative blocks, see the big picture, and not be so hard on myself.
What are you watching on TV?
I love cooking shows, but the mellowed out, non-competitive ones. This obsession with turning something as enjoyable as cooking into a tightly timed obstacle course, or a humiliating judge-fest makes no sense to me. I love ‘hanging out’ with home cooks like Nigella Lawson, Ina Garten, and Laura Calder, whose “French Food at Home” show always has simple and intriguing recipes.
What was the last movie you saw?
“Chef.” (By now you’re sensing that I’m slightly into food.) It was a wonderfully acted and written, life-affirming movie set in two of my favorite cities: Los Angeles and Miami.
What is your dream vacation?
To do what my family and I did last winter: hop a plane to the West Coast when it’s bitterly cold here and spend a week exploring our favorite places: Venice Beach, the Santa Monica promenade, Exhale Yoga Studio, Nate & Al’s (a Jewish deli in Beverly Hills), Erewehon Natural Foods (an indescribable planet of healthy living) and of course, our beloved Astro Burger in West Hollywood.
What are some of your hobbies?
Cooking, reading, and yoga. I’ll always be a bookworm, and keeping my weight off means paying close attention to cooking well and moving regularly. Since dropping 185 pounds I’ve discovered how much I love moving, and it’s also great calorie insurance. I do all kinds of yoga, including DDPYOGA at home, hot yoga classes at the Hot Yoga Spot, and restorative yoga at Yoga Mandali in Saratoga Springs. I’m also working on becoming a certified DDPYOGA instructor.
What would your last meal be?
I’m laughing because back in my dieting days, I had “last meals” all the time…and it always backfired! My ideal meal would be decadent, but balanced. To me there’s nothing more delicious than a home-cooked turkey with gravy, gluten-free stuffing, green beans almondine and cranberry sauce.