The Fat of the Land

I went to my parents' house today and brought along my good friends Bonnie and Gabe because Gabe needed 7 lbs. of blueberries to make a blueberry flavored beer. (Gabe's hobby is home brewing- he's very talented.)
Bonnie and Gabe we doubtful that they could get 7 lbs. of berries from our 6 trees, but after an afternoon of picking, we actually got 14 lbs! Mom was so proud. :)
My parents have always been avid gardeners, and this year, they've outdone themselves. In addition to their giant blueberry trees (that my grandfather actually planted years ago) they have a huge garden with all sorts of veggies, as well as another plot for melons, rows of blackberries, and another plot for corn, beans, and wheat.
We helped out in the garden this afternoon and we all took home produce as our reward. We got tons of radishes and new potatoes, and an entire laundry basket full of turnip greens! I also took home two yellow squash, one small zucchini, and the biggest zucchini I have seen in my life. It was longer than my forearm and thicker than a soup can!
Of course, I had to cook it immediately. I had some small bay scallops in the freezer because they were on sale at Whole Foods this weekend, so I decided to stuff the zucchini with scallops. I just made up the recipe as I went along, but it turned out really well so I am going to share it!

1 Zucchini (It doesn't have to be a huge one, but it should be as big as you can find.)
2 cups (give or take) bay scallops
1/4 Italian breadcrumbs
Garlic Powder to taste
Onion Powder to taste
Salt and Pepper to taste
Hot sauce to taste (I used some homemade sriracha that Bonnie gave me)
1 Handful of Parmesan Cheese

Microwave zucchini for 10 minutes. (I had to nuke mine for 15, but it was so big that it almost didn't fit in the microwave!)
Cut zucchini in half, scoop out insides and reserve. Place hollowed zucchini shells in a baking dish, set aside.
Chop up the zucchini insides and sautee them over medium heat in a little butter. Add scallops and cook, stirring frequently) until the scallops are done (approximately 5 minutes).
Add salt, pepper, garlic and onion powders to taste.
If the scallop/zucchini mixture is very watery (mine was), drain the water out and return to the stove.
Add hot sauce to taste. (Note, if you've never tried sriracha hot sauce, I strongly recommend it. It is delicious and pretty easy to come by- it will definitely be in any Asian grocery, but you can find it at a lot of supermarkets as well these days. Here is a fun NYT article explaining what it is.)
Mix scallops and squash with the breadcrumbs and a little bit of the cheese.
Fill the zucchini shells with the scallop mixture, top with the remaining cheese and bake at 400 for 10 minutes.

Finally

After work I went to TJ Maxx and finally found a frame that will hold two 5X7 photographs. I've been meaning to frame the pictures that my dear boyfriend and I ordered from the Crescent City Classic, but I've had a very hard time finding a) the time to look for picture frames and b) a frame that suited my purposes.

I actually wanted a frame that would stand on its own, and the sticker on this frame said that it would, but it was lying. We had to hang it on the wall. On the plus side, it was only $8, so I can stomach a little deception for a good price. :)

Anyway, here is a picture of the pictures of us crossing the finish line.

I also got a new wallet at TJ Maxx because my old one was falling apart. I was very fond of my old wallet (it was pink snakeskin!), but it was time for a new one. This one is teal leather (or fake leather, who knows) and actually will hold more stuff than my old wallet, so hopefully it will last a bit longer before I completely destroy it.

I am habitually hard on wallets. I keep too much junk in them and the resulting strain tears them apart at the seams. When I was in college, I actually carried a men's wallet and either stuck it in my backpack or tucked it in my pocket, but once I started relying on a purse again, I found the men's wallet to be way too bulky. This wallet, like my last, is long and skinny and will actually fit in my bags without making an unsightly lump.

When I first walked into TJ Maxx I thought "Why don't I come here more often? There is so much cute stuff." After I had to rip myself away from an adorable Lesportsac bag for $25 that I did not need I had my answer. There is just too much cute stuff there that I want!

I did make a couple other purchases today. I saw a health food store in the corner of the TJ Maxx strip mall that I hadn't seen before and went in to check it out. They were about to close up, but I picked up some ground flax seed to add to my cereal and oatmeal. Flax seed is full of fiber and omega 3 fatty acids, so it will be a good healthy addition to my breakfasts.

I also ordered a couple of books from Amazon.com to read on my vacation.
I ordered The Forgotten Garden and We Have Always Lived in the Castle. The latter book is supposed to be pretty creepy- the author also wrote The Haunting of Hill House, which I read and enjoyed in high school.

Aside from that I've had a pretty calm evening. I made maple glazed salmon with rosemary; whole wheat couscous with spinach, walnuts, dried figs and dried cranberries; and roasted zuchinni and squash for dinner because I was feeling pretty creative. It was a tasty meal!

Now I'm relaxing with a glass of white wine and settling in to finish planning our Maine vacation. I have been making a spreadsheet with all of the places we may want to go, along with pertinent information like their address, hours, and entrance fees. I'm such an engineer. I am really excited because in a week, I will be relaxing and hopefully chowing down on some lobster! :)

Norma's Sweets Bakery

Yesterday, as I was having my hair colored, my colorist mentioned that her cousin works at a Honduran Bakery in Kenner. Since my office is basically on the line that divides Kenner from Metairie, I was intrigued. I was even more intrigued when she mentioned that they have savory items like sandwiches and empanadas. It turns out that Norma's Sweets Bakery is about a 5 minute drive from work, and so I had to check it out. Especially since it had a nice review on Nola.com a couple months ago. I was actually feeling pretty blah at work today, so I thought that picking up some lunch from there would be a nice pick me up and a great chance to get out of the office for at least a little while.
I walked into the bakery and everything smelled wonderful! I ordered a cuban sandwhich and allowed myself to be talked into a tres leches cake as well. They also gave me a free guava and cream cheese fruit turnover.
The cuban sandwich was excellent and big enough for two meals (which bodes well for my lunch tomorrow). The bread was crunchy and buttery and pressed flat. It had roast pork, ham, swiss cheese, mustard and pickles. The roast pork was my favorite part of the sandwich because it was so tender.
The guava and cream cheese turnover was also very good. I've never had guava before- to me it tasted like a cross between strawberry and melon. It was very fruity and good, and the cream cheese made it very rich. It was encased in a warm, buttery, flaky puff pastry crust. I only ate half because I had to save room for a couple bites of tres leches cake.
I happen to particularly love tres leches cake, and this one did not disappoint. The sponge cake was soaked in a mixture of evaporated milk, condensed milk, and heavy cream that oozed out of the cake after I'd scooped out a bite with my spoon, and topped with whipped cream. It was wonderful and rich, and I only managed to take a couple bites before I was stuffed!
The bakery was full of other items I would like to try- empanadas, tamales, pastries, and breads; plus a great deal of Central American groceries. I will definitely be going back. Although I may have to wait until my arteries unclog. Haha!

Bargain Shopper

I am feeling very smug today because I got a great pair of hiking shoes that were marked 50% off today. I went to Academy Sports and ended up combing through the clearance isle because they were getting rid of their hiking shoes for this year. Unsurprisingly, most people in New Orleans don't do a lot of hiking in the summer! I looked all through the shoes and found several pairs that were awesome except for the fact that the only sizes left were smaller than a 6.5 or larger than a 10. (So if you live in New Orleans and need a woman's size 12 hiking boot, you should totally go check out the Academy on Jefferson Hwy.) I am a 7.
I was about to give up and go order some Merrel's online, when I happened to glance in the men's section of the clearance isle. There was a pair of size 7 woman's Keen Voyagers for $44! I am super excited b/c they are $100 online. I tried them on and they fit perfectly. I also quickly used my Crackberry to look up some reviews online and the reviews were excellent, so I got them!
I love getting a good deal!

Speedy

Greekfest was so much fun last night! I am very pleased with myself because I ran the 5K in 27:32. I don't actually time myself when I run and am pretty sure that I'm not covering exact distances (I just plan out a route on walkjogrun and assume that I'm close to that), so I wasn't sure what my time was going to be last night. I told my friends I'd be done in around half an hour and that I'd meet them inside the festival. When I was lining up, I ended up chatting with a couple of older men who were running. They asked me what I thought my time was going to be and I said "I dunno, around 27 minutes." They were like "Oh, so you're a real runner!" This actually made me feel like I totally lowballed my guess and then I thought to myself "Well won't I feel silly when I finish at 30." Once the race started I felt great and was running at a pretty comfortable pace. I passed the first mile clock and saw that I did my mile in exactly 9 minutes. This really pysched me up. I got to the second marker right at 18 minutes. I was so excited and that really pushed me through the third mile. When I finished I was so proud of myself! I don't train for speed because I think the reason I had shin problems while running cross country in high school is that I'm just not meant to go fast, so I was definitely pleasantly surprised by my pace.
I was also pleased by my new running belt. My friends held my bag for me so I only had to carry my cellphone in the belt, but it really came in handy when it came time to find my friends. I didn't have something like this after the Crescent City Classic, and the logistics of finding people after the race ended up being pretty tricky. This solves that problem, even if the idea of wearing a glorified fanny pack takes a little getting used to. When my friends saw my running belt I just said "Isn't this the hottest fanny pack ever?"
After the race I went on to have a great time at the festival with my girlfriends. I ate probably 2/3 of a pound of lamb and a good part of a Greek pastry box. And drank free beer from the runner's only beer booth. :) So good!

Workin' For The Weekend

I am really looking forward to my long weekend!
Tonight I am supposed to run in the Greekfest 5K race. I say "supposed to" because the weather forecast for the entire weekend is currently pretty grim. If it is pouring, I'm not going to run. I will go hang out with my girlfriends instead b/c I don't want to make them wait for me in the rain while I run (and I don't want to deal with getting too wet and miserable either).
I hope we will get at least a little sunshine because the festival is outdoors all weekend and I am looking forward to the awesome food as well as the run. I hope I don't have to miss it!
Saturday it's supposed to be even more rainy than today, but I will probably be finding something to do with my friend Sarah. Both of our dear boyfriends are studying for their Board Exams so we want to get out of the house and out of their hair!
I am looking forward to Yoga on Sunday. I was talking to my Pilates/Yoga instructor and he said that if I remind him on Sunday, he'll include a bunch of fun balance poses. I'm also supposed to hang out by my friend's pool on Sunday, so we'll see whether or not the weather lets that happen.
My plans for Monday include hanging out with my friend Xiujuan and later drafting an itinerary for my trip to Maine!! I also need to get some shoes to hike in- suggestions from my outdoorsy friends are welcome in the comments. :) Since we're spending two days in Bar Harbor, I expect to spend a good bit of that time checking out Acadia National Park. There are only 2 weeks left until we go on vacation! I am so excited!!

Quote of the Day

"Try to remember, 10 years from now, when you're second guessing this decision that you made, that you made the very best decision that you could make on this day with the information that you had today. As the years go by, you'll have more information and you might wish that you had done things differently. But just don't forget that on the day that you had to make the choice you didn't know and you only knew what you have now. Don't abuse yourself later for what you didn't know now."

(From Elizabeth Gilbert's mom, in this article on Jezebel.com)

I am really prone to blaming myself for things that are beyond my control and second guessing the decisions I have made, which I suppose comes from having a lot of memories that, frankly, make me sad. I'm pretty good about not dwelling on them in my day to day life- but I'm not very good at forgiving myself. This is a good reminder for me that I can't blame myself for not knowing what would happen in the future.
This quote is from a nurse who worked at Planned Parenthood in the 70's, but I agree with Jezebel when they say that it is applies to all of life's decisions.

Not Without My Notebook

I had a wonderful weekend! Kristi's wedding was, of course, a huge part of that. Not only was she a stunningly beautiful bride, she was an organized one! Her wedding was amazing, especially considering the amount of work that she and her friends did themselves. At one point, when we were heading out to the limo she exclaimed "Not without my notebook!!!" I told her that would be the title of the Lifetime Movie about her life.
But I'm getting ahead of myself.
Thursday night, my dear boyfriend and I flew to Seattle. Due to a flight delay in Denver, we didn't arrive until 2am. We stayed at his parents' house Thurs. night and spent an enjoyable Friday morning having brunch and wandering around downtown Seattle with his mom. Brunch was at Le Pichet, and it was wonderful. I had a bowl of homemade yogurt with walnuts and honey, and Le Tartines- two slices of bread with pate on top. So good!
We had lunch at Whole Foods. I am so jealous of the Seattle Whole Foods because they have a noodle/satay bar. After my rich brunch, I was happy to chow down on some tofu and veggie satay. I also picked up some goodies- some Larabar flavors I haven't found in NOLA, a couple packets of Justin's Almond Butter (I love all the flavors they offer and they make a great on the go snack!), and a bag of Chocolate Covered Cocoa Nibs.
Kristi later told me she heard that the nibs were supposed to be strong, bitter and savory. I put some nibs in my yogurt and fruit this morning and didn't think they were too bad at all. I wouldn't eat them alone by the handful (I'd say they are about as sweet as baking chocolate), but I thought that they were a tasty addition to my yogurt. I'm eager to try them in oatmeal with a banana mixed in. Maybe the chocolate coating is the only thing making them sweet, but I like the strong cocoa flavor as well.
Friday afternoon, we went to Kristi's rehearsal dinner. It was at a park in Renton, Wa that was right next to a lake. It was a beautiful setting for a cookout, and happily, I didn't get too cold! After that, my dear boyfriend went back to Seattle to stay with his parents, and my hotel suite became the bridal headquarters. Kristi, the other two bridesmaids, and I stayed up chatting, snacking, drinking wine, and doing our nails until our friend Janette (who was also sharing the suite but had a late flight) got to the hotel.
We woke up pretty early Saturday morning so we could all get ready to take pictures. Once we were ready we rode to Tacoma in a limo to take pictures in a pretty park. Riding in the limo was really fun- I've actually never been in one before!
After the pictures, we went to the Renton Community center and set up for the wedding. Let's just say that I ended up dreaming about setting tables later that night! We did a lot of work, but everything went really smoothly and the end result was beautiful. I am so proud of how much work Kristi did in advance to prepare for such a gorgeous wedding and am thrilled that it turned out so well. If she gets tired of being a Chemist, she has a promising career as a wedding planner to fall back on!
Finally, we went back to the hotel so Kristi could change back into her dress. A highlight of the day for me was when we all left the hotel singing "Going to the Chapel." It's fun to be so silly with my friends. :)
The wedding ceremony was beautiful. Kristi and her husband Colin read a heartfelt statement to each other before they said their vows and I thought it was really beautiful. I cried because I have known Kristi and Colin for so long and I am so happy for them!
The reception was really great. Kristi made all of the food herself, and it was excellent. The main course was pulled pork, coleslaw, biscuits, macaroni and cheese, and salad- to honor her Southern heritage. Yum!
Another highlight of the reception was the wedding cake. It was a 3 layer cake that featured a candy river and a model of Kristi and Colin kayaking in their wedding attire. One of Kristi's friends (who is defending her PHD next week!) made the cake, and Kari, one of the bridesmaids, made the topper. It was amazing. It was also tasty- the layers were champagne cake with mango curd, and almond cake with strawberry filling.
On Sunday, my dear boyfriend and I woke up early to head back to the city to have brunch with his parents. As we were leaving, we actually got to see the newlyweds, which was a pleasant surprise. I didn't think they'd be up that early. Anyway, Kristi gave me a big hug and informed me that if I get married again, I should have a destination wedding. Haha!! I can't argue with that. :)
Brunch this time was at Cafe Campagne. It was amazing as well. I had the Oeufs en Meurette, which was two poached eggs served on garlic croutons with pearl onions, bacon and champignons in a red wine and foie gras sauce served with pommes frîtes. My morning of insanely rich food continued with a stop for gelato. I split a cup of panna cotta and tiramisu gelato drowned in espresso with my dear boyfriend. I was stuffed!!
We flew home yesterday afternoon and other than being long, the flight was pretty uneventful. I've been pretty tired today because we didn't get home until 11:30, but I am glad to be home and happy to be back to my schedule. I am also looking forward to going on a nice run after work. I need to stretch my legs out after so much flying.

Going to the Chapel

And I'm gonna be a bridesmaid!!! :)
I'm flying to Seattle after work today because Kristi is getting married on Saturday!!
I am very excited about this weekend, although I am a little nervous about the weather. The rehearsal dinner is going to be a cookout in a park from 4-9pm tomorrow, and the low is 48 degrees! Eek!
Packing last night had an extra degree of difficulty because most of my cold weather clothes are in storage, since its been warm in New Orleans for the past 2 months. I think I managed pretty well regardless though- I had a few long sleeve shirts and sweaters in my closet, so I packed them, along with both a light jacket and my pea coat in case I get really cold. My dear boyfriend thought the pea coat was a little much, but my friend Lauri who is already up there assured me that she has worn Kristi's pea coat once this week already.
I also really like the way I packed- I stuck to a basic color pattern of blue, green, and black, so everything goes with everything else.
The best thing so far about being Kristi's bridesmaid is the dress (similar to this one, but a bright aqua seersucker fabric). Everyone says that their bridesmaids will be able to wear their dresses again, but Kristi's is the first I've seen that I would actually wear again. In fact, I've had this dress for a year and I've spent the warm portions of that year cursing the fact that I couldn't wear the adorable dress just hanging out in my closet! Even better, the reason I've had it for a year is that when we bought it, it was on sale for $30!
I am also excited about the dress because my mother brought me back some beautiful glass jewelry from Italy, and the pendant and ring she gave me will go perfectly with the dress. I am also wearing some dangling silver and blue earrings that mom lent me, and at the reception, I plan to stay warm with a shawl that my brother's girlfriend was kind enough to lend me.
Despite having to pack yesterday evening, I also managed to go for a nice long 4 mile run. I haven't run that far in a number of weeks and I could really tell. I had a great run and felt wonderful during the whole thing, but I was really tired afterward and I'm feeling pretty achy today. This just tells me that I need to be more diligent about getting in a long run at least once a week. I don't like the thought of losing my hard won endurance. On the other hand, I've enjoyed mixing up my workouts lately. I've recently added yoga, weightlifting, and swimming to my workout options, and it has been a lot of fun.
Other recent news is that my friend Xiujuan just told me that she is having a baby. I think this makes 13 friends who are with child this year. There must be something in the water. :P
So I will end this post with congratulations to Kristi, Xiujuan, and all my other friends who are engaged, getting married, or having babies this year.

Determination and patience

I've literally eaten every last bit of my dark chocolate peanut butter. Now I have to decide whether to get more of the same, some almond butter, or both. Such difficult decisions. :)

Shrek

I read a lot of blogs that pertain to nutrition and fitness, and I get a lot of good ideas for things to incorporate into my own life. I also read a lot of stuff that I think "not in a million years would I try that." I feel that way about raw food and veganism, for example. It's great for some people, but not something I'm interested in.
The Green Monster was something I also put in the "more power to ya" category. I'm not 100% sure what blogger started the Green Monster trend, I think it was Angela from Oh She Glows, but most of the bloggers I read drink them now. Generally, they consist of spinach or kale blended with almond milk and fruit (like a banana or frozen berries). I had no intention of ever making one, but for some reason, this evening I did.
I wanted a smoothie and had all the ingredients, so I thought "Why not?"
My first green monster contains 1/2 a bananna, a few frozen strawberries, 2/3 cup almond milk, 3 big handfuls of baby spinach, and 1 teaspoon of my dear boyfriend's spirulina powder.
Surprisingly, it is really good!!! It's super refreshing, and very healthy. It isn't too sweet, but it doesn't taste vegetal, it just has a mild earthiness from the spinach. I'm a fan!
I've also included a picture for your amusement.

The Dollhouse

For the record, I am a total dork for Joss Whedon. I adored Firefly and now I am addicted to The Dollhouse. This is saying a lot because I really don't watch that much TV. If you haven't seen this series, you can check out a number of episodes on Hulu.com. Sadly there are rumors that Fox is going to cancel this show (I will be so sad!) so if you happen to be a fan, you can go here to sign a petition to keep it going.

Another Delicious Healthy Thing

This one may actually be a little too delicious- I am going through my jar way too quickly!
Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter!!! I got a jar of this a couple of weeks ago and lately I have been eating it with a banana for most of my afternoon snacks. It is bliss.
I also bought a cupcake for my friend's birthday yesterday called a "fat Elvis." It was a banana flavored cake with peanut butter frosting. I am hereby mentally referring to my afternoon snack as a "fat Elvis" because that cracks me up. :)
But I digress....
One of the many nice things about the Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter is that its nutrition information fares pretty well in comparison to regular peanut butter. A serving size is 2 Tbsp. and has 170 calories and 6 grams of protein. You get a couple more grams of protein out of Extra Crunchy Jif (Which is what I would normally use to satisfy my peanut butter needs), but there are actually 20 fewer calories in a serving of the Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter. Nutella, in contrast, (divine chocolate nut butter that it is) has all the calories of the Extra Crunchy Jif, but only 3 grams of protein in the same 2 Tbsp. serving size.
The problem is that this stuff is almost too good! Sometimes it is really hard to stick to a single serving. On the plus side, nothing breaks up a long day at work like knowing you have a really decadent snack to look forward to in the afternoon!

Cinco

When I had tamales and "taco salad" last night, the fact that today is Cinco de Mayo somehow totally escaped me. Two of my dear friends are celebrating birthdays today, so I'm actually going out for Mexican food today as well! And to top it off, I used the leftover salad toppings to make myself a big pot of brown rice and black beans to eat for lunch all week. I guess I'll be celebrating Cinco de Mayo all week!
My "taco salad," by the way, was excellent. I ended up just adding tomato, avocado, green onions, diced green chilies, and salsa to baby spinach. It had everything I like about taco salad, but was actually quite healthy.
Prior to dinner last night, I lifted weights for the first time in quite a while. I enjoyed the workout and it didn't feel that difficult at the time, but today I feel like I've been hit by a truck. I am also starving. (I've been sneaking bites of chocolate peanut butter to supplement my afternoon snack- a banana with more of the aforementioned peanut butter.) I guess that means it was an effective workout!
In other news, our neighborhood mamma cat (who I call Domino) has given birth to her third litter of kittens since we've moved into our apartment. We discussed the issue with our next door neighbors/feral cat co-feeders and they are going to see if they can get the humane society to come spay Domino and have her kittens adopted. I hope that good homes will be found for the baby kitties because they are tiny and adorable.

Ruby Slippers

This past weekend was also wonderful because I was well enough to go to the Lake with my high school girlfriends after all.
After work on Friday, I got some supplies (primarily wine, Zapp's, and the ingredients for my favorite tomato and avocado dip), then drove to Natchez, Ms. The mother of one of our friends who sadly passed away a few years ago held a dinner in honor of my friends who are pregnant (I have a lot of friends who are pregnant this year, including three of the 6 girls this weekend. They are expecting babies this summer). It was really sweet, and a great way to start off our weekend. We had lots of tasty appetizers and I had a delicious portobello mushroom sandwhich for my main course. After dinner, we drove to my friend Ginny's family's lakehouse on Black River Lake.
The lake house was really nice! I especially loved that it had a great multi-level deck that we took full advantage of on Saturday. We spent the day sunbathing, eating crawfish, drinking beer/Odoul's, and taking a boat ride. That evening we relaxed, chatted, and ate lots of food. We even made s'mores!
Catching up with my high school girlfriends was wonderful. Even though its been years since we've all been together, we've really made an effort to keep in touch. It has paid off because we all picked up where we left off and really enjoyed each other's company.
On Sunday, I woke up, looked out the window and basically saw the beginning scenes from the Wizard of Oz. A huge storm blew through and causes all sorts of damage to the area! Basically, I could hear a loud roaring noise and saw cows in a pasture across the road running in panic away from a wall of dust. We all ran into the hallway to get away from windows, and peaked out the door so we could see what was going on through the living room windows. It was incredibly windy and loud, but passed really quickly. We though we heard a crack of lightning but it was actually a tree falling on the neighbor's house.
I didn't realize it had been a tornado until we left to go back to Natchez. There were tons of fallen trees and it struck me that they had not all fallen in the same direction. There was also a metal roof lying in someone's yard, and lots of snapped power line poles along the levy. Scary stuff!
When we got back to Natchez and checked the weather, it became obvious that several of us wouldn't be able to drive home without hitting some seriously bad weather. I opted to stay in town until this morning.
That was also nice because I was able to stay with my friend Amanda and her parents. Our friend Meg decided to stay with her baby, Madyson, as well. I enjoyed having an extra day to spend with at least some of my friends, and really appreciated that Amanda's parents let us stay there for the night. A lot of places were closed because Natchez had been hit by tornados as well, but I did manage to get some local food to bring home for my dear boyfriend- Fat Mama's Tamales! I think I'm going to jury rig some sort of healthy version of taco salad (maybe spinach, tomatoes, olives, salsa, and shredded cheese) to go with them for dinner tonight.

Finally

I think I need to make a couple of posts before my two lovely weekends fade away in my memory.
Last weekend, I hosted my friend Kristi's bachelorette party. The girls came in town on Friday at varying times. The early arrivals and I feasted on tapas. After everyone else arrived, we enjoyed delicious snacks, champagne punch, and a very festive panna cotta. (Sufficed to say, I molded it in a naughty cake pan!) We then stayed up until 3am playing Apples to Apples.
On Saturday, (after waking up way too early at 8am) we took the streetcar to the French Quarter and had lunch at Felix's. After spending the day wandering around the Quarter, we went back to my house for crawfish and Abita beer, got dolled up, then went back out to the Quarter! We got home sometimes around 5am.
We got up around noon on Sunday and headed to Jazzfest in time to catch a little bit of Better Than Ezra and all of the Dave Matthews Band. It was lovely and the weather was wonderful! Of course, the food at Jazzfest was once again beyond compare. I feasted on a duck poboy and some tasty Boudin! We ended the night at Lebanon's for dinner because after a decadent weekend in New Orleans, we were all dying for veggies.
Monday arrived way too early, especially for several of the girls who had to fly out sometime around 5am. Unfortunately, they got lost on the way to the airport, which meant that I had to give them directions on the phone around 4:30. Happily, they made their flights!
Overall it was such a good weekend- well worth the cold it brought on! I really loved getting to know Kristi's friends from Seattle and it was so good to spend time with Kristi and my other old friends who came to help her celebrate.