Nawlins

Remember when it was so hot and muggy outside you couldn't breathe? Sigh. I do.  It's -7 degrees right now and as with all post-Christmas snowstorms, I'm over it. 

Back when it was warm I went to New Orleans for work, and thanks to work was able to gorge myself on local cuisine.  Remembering that helps to offset the regret for not becoming a teacher to get snow days.  

Fried goat cheese salad with mixed greens.  

Gumbo.  Extra stars for presentation.

The best part of traveling for work? Ordering fancy food from room service to eat on the bed while watching cable.   

I was watching 'Bringing Up Baby', and man was that girl spoiled.  What about his fiancee? 

Red Beans and Rice.

Frog Legs!!!!! I DID feel guilt about potentially eating a Disney character (hello, Princess & the Frog). Would it be cliche to say it tasted like chicken?

A pit stop from walking around to get self serve yogurt and look out over the river (FYI this was prime oil spill time and the 24 hour news networks were reporting from this riverfront). Two seconds after I took this photo I spilled all over my chambray dress. Messy eater, party of one.

 

Talk about serendipitous, a college friend of mine was traveling through New Orleans solo one of the days I was there.  Bourbon street it so much more fun with a buddy. 

Buttery oyster, fried pickles, fried alligator, the works.

Eggs benedict, my favorite breakfast.

Alligator Ravioli

Flight of moonshine.  Can you believe we did this for a work dinner? I can't.  Nevermind the fact that I was supposed to sip it politely isntead of tip my head back and down it.  I knew that.

The world's best BLT

Homemade salted caramel popsickle.  Mind altering.

You must visit this place in the warehouse district.  It's fancier next-door neighbor (same owner) 'Butcher' was equally phenomenal.

Is that a strip club sign in that picture? Eh, probably.  Oh New Orleans, I think of you fondly as I turn on the space heater next to me.

Overrated

And no, Dave Matthews band or Nicholas Cage, I'm not talking to you. I'm afraid my friends, this is all about the blahness of Oatmeal. Probably a pretty unpopular thing to say in the orbit of health food blogging (although I'm not entirely sure I can even claim that anymore).... I digress, I keep giving traditional oatmeal chances and it keeps dissapointing me. I mean, I WANT to love it. It's cheap, easy and a throwback to Little House on the Prairie... so what is not to like?

So last week I looked up a healthy crock pot recipe (say it ain't so!)

Healthy Crockpot goodness (Eating Well)

• water
• steel cut oats
• dried fruit

I did not put my iphone in the oatmeal, although it probably would've made me love it more. I was SUPER excited to wake up to a crockpot full of healthy breakfast that would keep me full all day. Oh Joy. Oh rapture.

Except it was NOT my everything. There was hardly any flavor..... so I dumped pure maple syrup on it.... thereby reducing the health factor. Then I realized that although Dates are God's gift to us.... nature's candy, if you will........... they looked like cut up hot dogs in my oats. Do you see how pink and fleshy they are there? ewwwwwwwww. Also the raisins were looking like Kalamato olives to me.... another contradictory flavor and not so much a feast for the eyes. I forced a few bites of this and then grabbed a granola bar and string cheese on the way out the door. Fail.

To make things worse, apparently today's the worst day ever. No offense Dr. King. Also I'm sure anyone working in government would whole heartedly disagree with that (I probably would too if I was home in my PJs with unwashed hair watching hours worth of soaps and Jerry Springer).... but according to THIS MSN Health article (thanks for passing along the depressing news Debbie Downer Emily) the depression of the holidays being over and any remaining debt or junk in the trunk, coupled with broken resolutions and cold gray awful weather that's not going away any time soon, and reading blogs without any regard for run on sentences..... well.... it makes today a peak depression day for people. Who does depression hurt? Everyone.

That picture actually kind of cheers me up... but only because I picture this cat getting ready to say 'Can I has a cheezburger?' .. HA... lol cats get me every time. Me and old ladies and 14 year olds.

In other news John won a HUGE game this weekend and I'm still recovering from the fun celebration with his friends and family.... I've got an exciting crate and barrel table coming with some assembly required this weekend, and girls night is tomorrow. Whoop Whoop!

So there i was.... minding my own business....

Okay, not to get all iphone on you, but I have been reunited with itunes (we were on a money saving/no additional computer memory hiatus for a few months) and it . is . Glorious.

So last night after watching a PBS documentary on 'In The Heights' the AMAZING Broadway musical, I proceeded to download a bunch of showtunes that I love (we didn't have cable or neighbors growing up, and mom would rent us musicals from the library.. I am a fan) .... and itunes suggested I download a Song from 'A Chorus Line'. Now, itunes knows my musical tastes pretty well by now. However.... How they KNEW I was in a summer theater workshop as a kid and performed this very act (at both a theater and the county fair) I will never know. Well played itunes/stalking, well played.

So there I was... on my way back from lunch and listening to my new sweet musical tunes and I get excited to start pretending to tap dance to 'one singular sensation' when this came on instead....



WHAT??????? I accidentally downloaded the GERMAN VERSION of the song by accident. MWAHAHAH.... It sounded a lot less appealing. Kind of harsh actually. Oh those mean-sounding Germans.


So then... I got to thinking. Where did I see a picture from that very song/performance? And then I looked around. And then....randomly... for no reason whatsoever, I located said picture at my desk. My desk? My bewilderment is the internet's gain. Check out my SWEET cumberbun and bowtie (I'm second from the right... with approximately the same haircut i have now)

But again, for no apparent reason, I have the second photo in this series at my desk also (which is WAY better by the way).

Behold my brother now (or at least what you can find as his FB profile pic)

And Brother then. In front. Yes that one.

Oh what his former Navy shipmates would say. Also, for kicks.... (and because this is supposed to be a food blog for crying out loud) I took a photo of lunch. Note I took a page out of brooke's blog to try to create art via ketchup. Too bad that stuff came out so quickly instead of a margarita glass I made a gametime decision to do a pointy blob.

Ahhh art. Interpret, if you will. Is it a flower? Is it a sun? Is it a self portrait of a grow-your-own-boyfriend doll? (shout out to kostas). Art is love people, art is love.