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.

Like Butta...

When I was around this age.....
I would eat sticks of butter like they were candy. Gross right? They were delicious. My affinity for butter continued grossing out friends and roommates well after college. Then of course, when I decided to be healthy I abandoned my buttery ways for healthier options. Possibly that is why I forgot to include it when baking this weekend?

So I found some recipes for brownies and blueberry muffins on the stonyfield website for cooking with Yogurt (i.e. as a substituting for oil). I was WAY excited because I had all the ingredients on hand (pro of baking versus cooking, more shelf stable items) ....... Too bad that 'ol 'room temperature' butter thing meant that I microwaved the butter...... which is where it sat forgotten UNTIL I had already divided the muffins into the pan. A few expletives later I thought, well......what the hell, and swirled the melted butter into the already-mixed-already-in-the-pan muffins. Guess what? No bueno. That coupled with the addition of whole wheat (i went half and half as opposed to all white flour per the recipe) and probably too much oven time = hard and grainy muffins. They were decent when eaten immediately (but obviously i was full from batter), but the next morning they probably couldn't chipped a tooth. YIKES.

And THAT ladies and gentelman..... is why lauren can't bake. Muffin.... FAIL.

The brownies weren't horrible.... and by that I mean I ate most of the batter and was pretty indifferent about the actual baked goods themselves. MEH.

In an effort to show a picture of something I was successful at.... here was my lunch yesterday. I successfully had multiple food groups (protein of the animal and plant variety, grains, veggies.... that's hummus in there and WW pretzelsl, FYI) .... so let's redirect our attention to that, shall we?

This last weekend I got together with some friends for a slumber party and the hannah montana movie. What's that you say? Well, our respective ages were 24, 26, and 28......................... going on 12. It was so much fun, just being goofy and ridiculous at the sorority house. It was pretty much my everything :)

TGIthursday homies :)