Coming backAs I sit here at my laptop, I think ... "How am I going to do this?" Where do I start? What am I going to talk about? HOW am I going to even begin writing about the journey that I have been on?
Countless times have I started typing and set aside a few words, a paragraph or two, or even a whole page. Though, I never did post. I didn't think I was ready. Thoughts, feelings, insights, etc... entries in my email or journal, in personal texts, on scraps of paper, or swimming in my mind. And I am finally deciding to bring it all together. To share my burdens, my joys, my strengths and weaknesses, my insights, ... my life; this blog is no longer just about food. And if there's an ear out there, I am blessed. And perhaps I can bring truth to your world, as God has brought it to mine. Truth. About our purpose here. Truth. About my struggles. Truth. About my joys. Truth. About health. Truth. About our world. There are so many lies we were born or taught into believing and their manifestations are far beyond UgLy. But when we learn the Truth, we can make the changes we need to be better for our Lord and Savior. The changes that perfect us and make us new. I am becoming new. It is no easy journey and I am certainly not through, but I will no longer let the waiting period dictate the postponement of sharing my story. And so let it begin. This is my story... |
"Food is an infinitely rich subject, and there's always something about it to understand better, something new to discover, a fresh source of interest, ideas, and delight." |
In my last post I forgot to mention exactly how I made my cranberry apple sauce. I cooked 10 oz of cranberries in maple syrup, water, and white sugar with a bit of ground ginger and nutmeg. And then I added some zest and juice from an orange, lemon, and lime with the final touches being half of a finely chopped apple and 2 oz of cranberries. The result? Citrus and spice cranberry sauce. I think I'm going to claim it as my own and make it for future Thanksgivings. Though I always have preferred the canned... And with that cranberry sauce came leftovers so I turned it into a few sandwiches and then eventually mixed it with the rest of my apple sauce from the store. The result? Cranberry apple sauce! With a dash of cinnamon. And later in the week I received kefir (highly fermented milk) from a local farmer's market. By the time I got around to using it, it was wayyy to sour to drink straight so I incorporated it into a few things: banana steel-cut oatmeal and norwegian pancakes (http://www.feastie.com/recipe/norwegian-pancakes-or-lapper). I cut that recipe in 1/4 and added some spices and vanilla extract. The pancakes were really moist, fluffy, and delicious, though rather hard to flip in the pan. The chemistry that made these pancakes so scrumptious was the fact of adding baking soda to the kefir and allow bubbles to form. The other two important acts in this kefir pancake fiasco was to mix the wet and dry ingredients just enough so that the flour was still clumpy, but the batter was formed as well as not to flatten the pancake with a spatula! Big no no unless you're trying to make a crepe! (But you'd start off with a whole different batter that is much more fluid and smooth in texture. Last Thursday after work, some RFC co-workers and I went out to the House of Blues for dinner! My friend's boyfriend works there so got us half off! The House of Blues is both a restaurant with live music as well as a house for concerts. They are just adjacent buildings rather than two-in-one. Walking up to the restaurant, there are chairs and tables spread throughout and then a few steps leading up to the outdoor bar and the entrance to the restaurant. Inside, there are two walkways dividing booths lining the walls tables and tables lining a wooden railing. In between those two railings, the floor descends for more seating and a small stage for live performances. The hostess's stand is covered in organized beer bottle caps while the walls are covered with artwork of various personalities. My two friends and I sat in a booth on the right side of the restaurant and were served by none but my friend's boyfriend, of course. We all ordered together and shared a crumbly jalapeno cornbread that was served in a mini cast-iron skillet with a large dollop of homemade maple butter. THAT was pretty awesome I'll have to admit. And then my friend and I split a BBQ bacon burger and Aaron's Pasta Bolognese. The burger was good, though typical. However, the pasta dish was delectable from the ground veal, beef, and pork bathed in a sauce of red wine and stewed tomatoes and given a parsley garnish for an earthy taste. O and let's not forget the Asiago cheese, of course. Our other friend ordered the lobster mac n' cheese, from which we stole (with permission!) a few bites. The dish was light on the flavoring, but heavy on the cream. I'm not sure I would recommend it, but we all have our own cravings and taste buds to which we should respond accordingly. At the end of the meal a surprise dish of chocolate mousse with strawberries. We kind of ate it to fast to take a picture, but you can see it on the slideshow of pictures on the restaurant's main page! After our meal, we just talked and watched this elderly lady dancing with so much spirit! It was such a great sight with all of the happiness emanating from her soul. Here's the website for anyone interested in going btw: http://www.houseofblues.com/orlando/crossroads And for a few more pictures and information about the place: http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/dining/diningdetail.cfm?restaurant.id=175 Well I've got the next three days off, so I'll leave you for now. But I will be back because, well, there is always good food to talk about!
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At last! I've a moment to sit down with you and talk about all the fun that I've been having down here. Much of it will be in the pictures (I mean a picture IS worth a thousand words anyway, right?), but I will guide you through some of the tens and tens of pictures below. There are two ... well, okay, THREE main events that have taken place: a cafe trip (yes I'm counting this as a main event. Call it a date with myself), Slapsgiving (the term was coined from Modern Family I believe), and Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party. My first one will be a bit more elaborate than the other ones and the tense will be in the present time, though it occurred in the past. Think of it as Ebenezer Scrooge visiting his past while still living in the present time; his past carries itself out as though it were happening there and then. This was my (now belated) post just last Friday: Cafés. They are what draw people like me out. Away from the normal housework and lifestyle that I live (though I can’t really say that I live a normal lifestyle here at Disney, but that’s beside the point) And what is a normal lifestyle anyway? I like mine and I choose to live it out. And today I’ve decided to venture out and treat myself to lunch, a good book, and perhaps a fun hot drink later in the afternoon. And the place that I’ve chosen is located around downtown Orlando, called ‘Bikes, Beans, and Bordeaux’. It’s a coffee, wine/beer, and food café that supports local biking events and I believe hosts different events. I’ve not looked too much into it, but the atmosphere is nice: a few couches and tables, artwork for sale on the burgundy red walls, chalk-written specials on their boards, and a television featuring a bike race. And I’ve just started on my lunch: half of their salad of the day and half of The Messenger Sandwich. The meal is a nice, light, yet flavorful set-up. The sandwich is composed of turkey, sliced red apple, swiss cheese, red onion, and honey mustard, hot pressed between two slices of wheat bread whereas the salad consists of kale, quinoa, craisins, whole walnuts, roasted butternut squash, and their homemade sundried tomato-tahini dressing. I do love the warmth of the sandwich and the texture from the salad is just phenomenal, let alone the taste. I get an earthy bite from the kale, a sweet and nutty crunch from the craisins and walnuts, and then an almost smoky aftertaste from the dressing. I want to compare the Panini to a familiar dish, but then I realize that it’s my familiar dish. So you’ll just have to come over then so I can make it for you. Post lunch (and a cup of maybe chai … maybe a latte. I mean they do have 25 different syrups including watermelon, peppermint, lavender (was it rose?), and several other common and not-so-common varieties. It is a bit chilly in here given the cool, cloudy day outside. The rest of my day involves a trip to Trader Joes, Aldi, Fresh Field Farms, and maybe Wal-mart. Later tonight I’m coming back to downtown Orlando to celebrate my roomie’s 25 birthday. And guess who’s DD? I volunteered. I think I’d prefer it. The following day I was up early to have enough time for the gym, some errands, and cooking. I transformed 13 pounds of potatoes into 13+ pounds of mashed potatoes and then made a gravy to go with everything. I cranked all of that out in a little over one hour since I was severely pressed for time! I surprised myself honestly. The event itself was held at a friend's house and was potlluck style where everyone signed up to bring a Thanksgiving-related dish. We all had a lot of fun: making Indian or Pilgrim hats out of construction paper, deep-frying a turkey (don't worry there was a baked one as well!), playing card games, eating until stuffed like the turkey itself, and then hanging out around a bonfire. I left a bit early since I carpooled with friends. Though we all met back up again to watch a Muppet's Christmas Carol over tea and hot chocolate. After work in the morning and a quick shower, I headed straight to my friend's house for her bridal shower. Other than my older cousin's, I've never actually been to a bridal shower so I learned several things - some more helpful and amusing than others - but also just had a lovely time with women from my church. Right after that, some of my friends and I headed out to prepare for our evening out at Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party at Magic Kingdom. I was Santa Clause, three friends were elves, and one other was a reindeer. We got a lot of cheers and looks in general from cast members as well as guests. It was a long night, but it went fast. We took several great pictures, ate free cookies and drank free hot chocolate up to our eyeballs, and went on as many rides or to see as many characters as we could. It was a BLAST. Aside from that, nothing but the ordinary has been happening in my life: work, Epcot's Candlelight Choir, cooking and eating good food, exercising, hanging with friends, etc. Life is going to get really busy really soon so I'm not sure what I'll have for you in my next post. Oh and some of my pictures are out of order, but I think you'll get the idea as to where they belong. Though before I do leave you, I wanted to discuss a sort of project that I've been thinking about. Or rather a new assignment: every 2 or 3 weeks I should go out to a Disney resort and walk around, eat at one of their restaurants, and blog about it. So my blog will be partly focused on the places that I visit and eat at. What do you think? If you have any recommendations or advice, please comment below! By now I hope you've all had the chance to read my last post about my Aunt's and Uncle's visit because now I want to take you on the adventure of my visit home. I've added a few photos that were taken before (and a bit after) my venture up to PA so please do enjoy, but you'll also see many many pictures taken in PA (and NY) so be sure not to skip over those! Ohh boyy where to start?? Hmm. Right at the beginning: Friday, October 17. It was a sunny, hot afternoon here in FL and I was ready to hightail it out of here and head up to my lovely, autumn-dressed Pennsylvania. And so I did! Oh, but the flight and drives were beautiful: welcomed and surrounded by trees of browns, reds, oranges, yellows, and even greens. A chill in the air, yet dismissed by the warmth of the sun ... My friend Natalie picked me up from the airport (since she lives so close to it) and drove us to the grocery store to pick up a few things for dinner! It was a way-too-long-awaited wine and dine sleepover night. With hungry tummies, we walked briskly through the grocery shoppe, leaving with the ingredients for a hearty meal: london broil, creamy garlic smashed potatoes, sauteed vegetables, and a bottle of Bogle Red Zinfandel. Growing up, Natalie's mom made London Broil so we were familiar with the eating part, but not so much the cooking part. We ended up cooking it well done... it looked rare on the inside but I learned that when the steak appears so, take it off and let it sit; it's so hot it will continue to cook! And if it's still rare when cut into, cook it a bit more! For dessert, we made apple crisp a la mode (vanilla frozen yogurt that is). After a great night's worth of talking we called it a night. The next day my sister Ariel picked me up and dropped me off at our mom's Calling All Angels Thrift Shoppe. We hung around there for a bit before she left and once lunchtime came around, my mom and I walked to the local deli to purchase two hot veggie wraps (one with chicken and the other turkey). But it was soon time to head off to my father's house for my Christmas present that night. Any guesses? Well unless you already looked at the pictures!! So my friend Becky and I drove up to meet my dad and Karen (his fiance) and immediately head off to the city (in NY that is!). We were driven to a few of my dad's locations of work where he added life to rooftops and building walkways - literally! My dad's a landscape contractor; he works with the Earth! It's really amazing to see what he creates<3. No sooner were we on our way to dinner. I can't recall the name of the restaurant, but it was a hole-in-the-wall corner restaurant. It had the smallest of space, though the most delicious of food. And there was even a little bar in the center of it serving coffee, tea, and alcoholic type drinks. If you're ever so curious as to what we ordered, you'll have to hunt in the pool of pictures below. Which might give away our evening plans: Aladdin on Broadway! It was a spectacular show, with great costumes and giggly humor. My favorite actors were the Genie, Jafar, and his parrot Iago. The actor playing the Genie put his own special touch on the character; he didn't compete with Robin William's creation. And Jafar was the actual person who voiced Jafar in Disney's animated film Aladdin! I was floored when I came across that bit of information. But the show really is a must-see. Around 10:45 or so the show came to an end and we were heading back to the car. SURPRISE! We couldn't get it to start. We tried a plethora of things, but all of our efforts were to no avail; the car would not start. And so we had to take a taxi to the metro at Penn Station, to the train at Secaucus which headed to Port Jervis (two towns over from our town). The train was a crazy and interesting scene, with loud and rowdy people (some drunk), others as tired as the lot of us, and then some. Finally at 3:45 pm we got home and headed to bed. Becky slept late, but this little miss was up at 8:30 am (because, well I just don't sleep in). So my dad and I took a trip to the local bakery and then auto shop to find a new battery and charger. Karen and him went back into the city to save the car, Becky was off to see her dad, and I was off to see my nieces/nephew/brother/sister-in-law for a quick visit! After only an hour with them, I was soon pulled in the car with my sister Ashley and Toria and brother Andy to drive Toria back to school. We had a nice walk through her college town from a coffee house, to a chocolate and candy shop, to a bakery, and then to a cafe so Andy could grab a burger for the road. That night, I met up with my dad at my Papa's house for one of my Papa's wonderful meals: salad, crockpot pot roast with garlic mashed potatoes, and vegetables. He knows I LOVE pot roast (though at the moment I am pot-roasted out). And then we had the dessert that I bought from the bakery! The next morning I woke up at my mom's house and went for a rather quick run (since it was 36 degrees, to which my body was not accustomed! In fact, I had to wear socks as gloves). After my run and a few errands, I went to my good old friend Tom at Tom's barber shop for a haircut and lunch out at the local mill. We each ordered two of their best sandwiches and split them. This is my food theory as you know; when among another, order two dishes and split them. This way you get to sample more of the menu! Later on in the day, I met up again with Ariel to spend a lovely evening with her, Matt, and dear Mister Kibby the Cat. I always feel very welcomed at her house. Perhaps it's her love for cooking, or her fully stocked kitchen, but her house has such a warm feel to it<3. That Tuesday, it was a day for Ashley and I. She picked me up from Ariel's and we headed off to Warwick, NY to have lunch with our dad. We walked around the town a bit while we waited for his arrival. And in doing so I discovered that downtown Warwick is FILLED with coffee shoppes and bakeries!! I window shopped some of them, but mostly walked in all of them to see what each had to bring, in their own unique way. Ashley thought I was a little crazy. What can I say? It's a Nicole thing. After having lunch at (I believe it was called) restaurant G with who we consider to be the best dad in the world, Ashley and I headed out to do a bit of shopping. For dinner, we made taco salad, played UNO, watched delivery man, and went to bed. The following day (we're already at Wednesday! My PA stay was quickly speeding up), I went for another run, had a quick lunch with my mom (tomato soup and broccoli and cheese soup with wheat rolls), and then spent an hour catching up with my friend Marianne over her Tiramisu latte and my homemade honey and vanilla chai tea latte. Before I knew it, dinnertime was rolling around so we all got ready and went out to the local Chinese buffet to celebrate Jerry's (my mom's fiance) 60th birthday! I couldn't tell you the last time I went to a Chinese buffet, but this one wasn't half bad. I took a few pictures too (when do I not take pictures of food?) Thursday, Becky and I made creamy potato soup to bring to visit her dad. What we didn't realize (or rather think about) was that the starch from the potatoes was going to make the soup very, very dense. So when lunchtime came around, we had a thick goo of soup that desperately required some hot water to thin it out a good bit. We watched a few movies and worked on a puzzle a little bit while visiting her Dad. We couldn't stay for more than a few hours because I had an appointment to get my eyes dilated so we said our goodbyes and parted our ways. After my appointment, I went to have dinner with my sister-in-law and brother and the kids. Vanessa made a meal of goulash with sauteed red cabbage and apple, these interesting cracker-based, boiled loaves, and salad, finished off with coffee and apple bread from personally picked apples from Penning's apple orchard. And then we come full circle and a week had already passed! There remained just a morning and a few afternoon hours to spend! So I hung out a bit with my friend Marianne at the Malibu Horse Ranch. We helped take the horses out into the pen for a day's worth of trail riding (that's a big thing that they do they). But Marianne had to go out and help with the rides because they were one wrangler down, so I returned to my mom's and hung out with her a bit longer before my dad picked me up to take me to lunch and then the airport. We went to this Italian place that I'd only ever gone to before. In fact, the last time we were both there was with each other, which was around my early years of college. I was so full after that meal that I totally skipped dinner (we ate late anyway). My trip home was spectacular and full of family, friends, and fun. But I was glad to come back to my own home in FL because, well, I've made my own family down here and I'm in my own element in FL right now. I'm all settled back in now and patiently waiting for the holiday season to come around. Though I believe it is already upon us! I plan on making a lot of really good dishes and sweets so be sure to check back for future posts! Until we meet again friends. |
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February 2017
"Food is an infinitely rich subject, and there's always something about it to understand better, something new to discover, a fresh source of interest, ideas, and delight."
From Pennsylvania to France to Washington DC to Florida, I've had myself many an adventure. Now it's time to indulge in the life of a Floridian. With great food, great friends, and great experiences, I offer you stories and pictures to take you away, into my world at Disney. Categories |