A Food Interlude: Part II

Its been to busy in my life (Hi, December!) to write, but not too busy to bake. Or maybe I've just been busy baking? Who knows. 

Here's what I've been baking lately:

1. SHORTBREAD!

I love me some shortbread. My grandma makes EXCELLENT shortbread and has always assured me that its easy to make. Which is probably why I was so mad I had to scrap my first batch of dough because it wouldn't come together at all. What a tragic waste of butter. 

HOWEVER, I was determined to get it right and I tried again. Apparently the second time's a charm! Its not the most beautiful shortbread in the world, and my chocolate drizzling skills obviously need work, but Roommate Jen ate all my "reject" pieces and declared it "delicious", which is enough for me.

The rest is currently in the freezer, awaiting the arrival of my family on Saturday.

Yeah, did I mention I'm hosting Christmas this year? Yikes. Adulthood is weird. 

2. MONKEY BREAD MUFFINS

Did you ever eat Monkey Bread as a kid? We always called it Monkey Brains. Usually you make it in a big bundt pan, but it absolutely works in muffin form. This is what I made to console myself after my initial shortbread failure. It tasted like childhood and victory!

3. WHITE CHOCOLATE MACADAMIA NUT COOKIES

These were less exciting since they were made for my boss whose father passed away this week. I happen to know they are his favorite cookie and also that no one in his family really cooks or bakes. I figured one plate of these could stay at home for cookie binge comfort and maybe the other plate could be used for refreshments at the visitation. 

When I went to the funeral, my boss' mother thanked me for the cookies and said she ate an entire plate herself.  It was nice to know they helped, even just a little. 

4. CAKE BITES

These suckers are labor intensive, but always a hit.  My preferred flavor are red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting. Because anything that is a vehicle for cream cheese frosting is a win in my book. 

I did have an orange and vanilla one the other day though and tasted just like a dreamsicle, which is never a bad thing. 

These are currently hiding in the freezer waiting for my mom's birthday part. I know I don't have near enough, but I just don't have another 3 hours to devote to these babies. 

5. VODKA MARTINI WITH BLEU CHEESE STUFFED OLIVES

Ok, truth is I didn't make this, but I've had a few recently and they always make me feel like a sophisticated adult, which I most assuredly am not.  

My parents arrive Saturday, my brother and his fiance arrive Thursday...I'm just strapping in for the crazy and hoping we can all enjoy this rare time together. 

Which I'm sure we will, since there will be cookies and martinis. 

Happy Christmas, everyone! 

Boulder, CO May 2012: An Altered State

This was my first trip to Boulder, but my second trip to Colorado. I visited Denver in July of 2010 to visit my friend Jenna, my frequent partner in Pittsburgh-related crime, who had relocated there after a few years in Tanzania with the Peace Corps. Denver was a cool place, but I felt like I stuck out like a sore thumb. I was NOT an Denver person. I don't hike. I don't ski. I wasn't tan (even though it was July). I wasn't an activist for social justice, the environment or puppies. Plus the altitude and I did not get along. I had fun seeing Jenna, but I knew that I could never be a Denverite. 

So it was with an apprehensive heart that I went to visit Jenna in Boulder a mere two years later. Boulder is pretty geographically close to Denver. I flew into the Denver airport (a place that seriously creeps me out because you're greeted by an insane Bronco statue with GLOWING DEMON EYES) so technically I was in Denver for at least a little while...but then we were off to Boulder. 

Jenna must have known that she would have to really sell Boulder or I would never come to Colorado again so we started things off right: with margaritas. 

What followed was a weekend of lightly buzzed bliss. Boulder. Is. AWESOME. If I'm ever a millionaire (or marry one) I will go to Boulder for a month and eat my way through town. I come from a sub-suburban town where our restaurant options are Chilis or Applebees. You know what I never saw in Boulder? A Chilis or Applebees. I'm sure they are there somewhere, but I never had to resort to eating there, and that is what matters. 

We ate. We drank. We drank some more. We visited an awesome street fair that was happening downtown and I bought presents for people (I'm generous when I'm buzzed). We saw movies. We watched episodes of our favorite British sitcom The IT Crowd. 

HOWEVER, since you can't visit CO without going at least a LITTLE native...we hiked. It was glorious! We took so many pictures and, in the end, they all look more or less the same :) I felt so in touch with nature! I felt so athletic! I felt so sophisticated because I took pictures on a REAL CAMERA and not just one on my iPhone! 

We were so busy being proud of ourselves that we were almost late for our BEER TOUR! If you are in Boulder and love micro-brews, I highly suggest this. We had so much fun. 

Go to Boulder. See friends. Drink beer. Climb mountains. Eat at places that are not Applebees. You won't regret it. 

I didn't. 

My Thanksgivings: Part 1, Grand Ledge, MI

You guys, this is what Thanksgiving should be like:

And that is what Thanksgiving was like in Grand Ledge. It was 100% traditional.

It was at my Grandmothers house. 

There was a ton of family.

There was a hungover cousin.

There were children.

They were sticky (CHILDREN ARE ALWAYS STICKY!)

It was loud.

It was great. 

The best part was Friday evening (we celebrated the weekend BEFORE real T-day since there were many schedules to juggle) when I arrived at my Grandma's house for a little 1-on-1 time before the madness began on Saturday. 

She wrote a book you guys. My grandma wrote a book! She had a book signing! I was so proud. 

My grandma is a historian and genealogist and her collection of postcards from Clinton County was published and I have an autographed copy. Its like I was hanging with a celebrity. 

Enjoy your family on Thanksgiving (even if they're crazy, loud and sticky). 

That is all. 

A Food Interlude (Pre-Thanksgiving)

If you work in an office, you know what this time of year means: FOOD EVERYWHERE! 

My office currently has 3 potlucks scheduled from now until the New Year and the number will probably just keep going up. 

Things I Love/Hate about "Food Days" in my office.

1. The eating begins promptly at 8:00 AM which means by 8:05 I have already eaten my weight in cookies AND Swedish meatballs. 

2. The area where the food is kept is on the other end of the building from my office. This means that I am far away from it (pro!), but every time I go down for a plate I have to parade it through the hallways with my weakness on full display (con!).

3. Whenever you bring something to these things you always hope it disappears really fast because that means word has gotten around that its good. There is nothing more shameful than having to take home a full 5 Layer Taco Dip because no one ate it. 

4. At least everyone else in the office is in a food coma by about 3:00 pm. 

I don't think I have to worry about #3 this time because I brought these amazing Creamy Pumpkin Pie Bars (recipe found here) and so far they are a big hit. As of noon, there are only 2 left. 

I do have to worry about #1, however. Here is the breakdown of my second plate of the morning. (As of noon, I am on plate 3)

Stay Hungry, my friends!

Pittsburgh, PA. April 2012: A Repeat Performance

This was my third trip to Pittsburgh, PA to visit my friend Erika and my 4th time there total. The first was on a choir tour with my college Women's Chorus and we were there a total of about a day and all I really got to see was the inside of a church that was sadly lacking an audience for our concert, and the cramped spare bedroom of the grad school couple who were putting us up for the night. 

My first trip to Pittsburgh was in November of 2010 and it was something of an epiphany for me. I realized I could just buy a plane ticket, go somewhere for a long weekend and then come back without taking more than 1 vacation day. It was a discovery that changed my life and I've been attempting and perfecting these long weekends ever since. 

Starting in 2011, my good friend Jenna has joined in my yearly Pittsburgh Pilgrimage. Its like a mini high school reunion, except in a completely separate state and minus all the people you never want to see again. 

There are certain things we always do when we're in Pittsburgh, so every trip there almost seems like we're just repeating the events of the past year's trip. However, I really don't mind. And this year, when we tried to throw something new into the mix (go see a baseball game) it snowed.

In late April.

I'll take that as a warning from the universe to stick to what we know.

Things we always do in Pittsburgh: 

1. Go shopping at the Waterfront. I love outdoor malls, even when they are super fancy and contain things I cannot afford. We always hit up Barnes and Noble and compare reading lists. Jenna's is always full of academic stuff and Erika's is full of the classics with some history thrown in. Mine is usually an embarrassing combo of romances and fantasy, but read what you like, I say!

Then we go to Macy's and I spend as long as possible drooling over Fossil and Coach bags that I will never afford. I also take lost of pictures since last year my mom bought me a gorgeous Fossil I had been lusting over. I'm hoping for a repeat performance this year. I'll send you a picture, mom! 

2. We go to the Pittsburgh Zoo & PGH Aquarium. Simon and Garfunkel once told us that its all happening at the zoo and I believe them. I. Love. Zoos. I will go to any zoo anytime. The thing that really sets the Pittsburgh Zoo apart, is the zoo key you can buy for a couple of bucks. There are these boxes by the animals and when you put the key in one way, it will tell you information about the animal you're seeing. BUT! When you put the key in the other way, it plays a song about the animal. 

I have no idea why 3 "adults" are so obsessed with these zoo songs, but they're amazing. If you get a chance to hear the Tiger song and the Rhino song, I remember they were the best. 

3. We go to D's Six Pax & Dogz, home of my one true love: The Beer Cave. It is also where I discovered my favorite beer to date: Peak's Organic Nut Brown Ale. I am constantly searching for it in Michigan and can NEVER FIND IT! Even when I was recently in Colorado, where it is brewed, I could NOT FIND IT. I have pictures of the bottle on my phone and show it to people in liquor stores asking desperately if they have it. They never do. 

They also ask me to stop shoving my phone in their face. Its a problem. I guess what I'm saying is, if you see Peak Organic Nut Brown Ale, hold it close, because it is a precious gift. Also, if you find yourself at D's order the Mac & Cheese topped Hot Dog and a steak salad. Did you know that Steak Salad's in Pittsburgh come with french fries on them? Best. Salad. Ever. 

All in all, it was an amazing way to start out my Year of Travel. 

Grab some friends and get thee to Pittsburgh. You won't regret it. 

Next up: Boulder, CO!

Reentry

Its been a while, but I'm back! 

I'm pretty disappointed in myself. 2012 should have been the year of blogging. I went places! I did interesting things! I ate so so so much! I took so many pictures my iPhone begged for mercy.

Since I've already missed my chance to chronicle my adventures as they were happening, I'm going to go back and recount what I can remember...

It all started in January when I realized life in my town was boring, stagnant and unsatisfying, but at the same time, moving wasn't really an option. However, travel WAS an option. Soon one plane ticket became two, two became three and suddenly I was so deep in my Year of Travel I hardly even remembered what my own bedroom looked like. 

And it was absolutely worth it. 

Over the course of this year I went to Pittsburgh, Boulder, Boston, Minneapolis and Austin. My final trip of the year, to Syracuse, is coming up in a few weeks and I can't wait! 

So without further ado:Pittsburgh, PA!