A few weeks ago I spent a week in Cincinnati for work. At first, I was annoyed as would anyone when they find out that they have to leave their husband and sleep in a hotel for more than a night. But only after a few hours in, I was delightfully surprised.

Cincinnati is basically the doppelgänger of Pittsburgh so strangely enough I felt right at home. I stayed at a hotel called 21c and I kid you not, it was the best hotel experience I've had in my life. The rooms were clean and beautiful, the service was on point and the food was delicious. It made being away from home not so bad. My go-to dinner was the burnt carrot salad and like I do with all dishes when I fall in love with them, I immediately tried to re-create when I arrived home.

Today, I'm back in Cincinnati for work - this time, 24 hours - and in honor of this trip, I wanted to share this recipe with you.

Bon Appétit!

1 bunch of cilantro
4 carrots
1 red onion
1 avocado
1 tblsp olive oil
Crumpled feta (optional if vegan)
Pumpkin seeds for garnish

First step, pickle onions. I learned how to do this here. I threw in the garlic clove and peppercorns, but left out the other optional flavorings. The onions will be ready in 30 minutes, but are better after a few hours so plan accordingly.

Next, wash and peel carrots before cutting into three-inch sticks, making sure they aren't too thin that they could fall through the grill. Prepare the carrots with a little salt, pepper and olive oil in a bowl then throw on a hot grill, rotating every few minutes. Once almost burnt, remove the carrots and begin to plate.

Place a handful of cilantro, somewhat de-stemmed, on the plate, followed by a few slices of avocado and picked onions. Position about six carrot sticks on the pile and garnish with feta and pumpkin seeds.

That's it! It looks fancy, right?! 21c people: if you're reading this, how did I do?