currently eating

- whole wheat guinness pumpkin cocoa pancakes
- guinness
- caramelized bananas
- sauteed peaches

inspiration: skywalker

currently eating

battered, panfried salt and pepper tofu

damn

it really does taste better when you store it in glass!

dogfish 90 min ipa

This bottle was absolutely made for savoring on a perfect springtime afternoon. Even the texture of the paper is meant to mindlessly graze with my fingers.

Happy Easter.

curious cravings

Today I made myself chocolate covered bacon: thick cut smoked bacon baked to crispiness, then crumbled and smoothered in melted bittersweet Sharffenberger chocolate and cooled back down to firmness. The chocolate was left over from some holiday baking: Thomas Keller's ad hoc brownies. I never thought I'd enjoy it, but it is really such a fine balance: the bitter richness of the gourmet chocolate, with the smokiness of the crispy bacon bits. Think of it as similar to the salty crunch that nuts add, bumped up a few notches.

So much better than store bought. In fact, if the only chocolate covered bacon you've had is the store bought packaged kind, then yes, that was pretty disgusting - but would you buy bacon in any form all packaged up like that? Obviously not.

Anyway. I was not disappointed by the results of my efforts, or by the quality of ingredients I could have wasted with my little experiment (though calories are cheap!). I almost wish I'd never discovered this curiously amazing combination.

bunny gummy tummies

Trader Joe's, how do you do it?

Cute and chewy and fruity and gushy in the center, all at once. Five servings per container? Who, exactly, are you trying to serve with that?!

<3 bunny gummy tummies!

wonders in technology

The iolite vaporizer, by Irish company Oglesby & Butler, is an herbal vaporizer that is not restricted by things like lighters and power cords, as it is butane fueled. This little device retails at $249, approximately five times the cost of the vapor genie, the world's first vaporizing pipe.

While I'm no stranger to paying linear increases for less than linear benefits, this easily concealable device blew me away. After my first weekend with my iolite, I think the worst thing about it is the ease with which it allows me to take my meds. Honestly, getting this thing fired up takes less effort than sending a text message. It trivializes the experience in situations like public gatherings and while driving. I can see how its use can be abused by less responsible individuals than myself...

for the girl who's got everything

Thank you, 420 Science!

Yeah, they seem awfully expensive just to store your meds, but I'm all about doing things in style. And these are a great alternative to the dispensary plastic prescription bottles, which can alter the taste of your medication.

I got several awesome designs, but my favorite is this heart one: subtle but gets the point across, while still being cute.

in the middle of the night

During my late night vape session (which was completely necessary to put my anxiety to rest after an incredibly frustrating work issue that went entirely too long with tons of unexpected roadblocks), I just came to a pretty huge conclusion about the last relationship I was in, and about life in general. A point of view I'd never even glimpsed before. An interesting and strangely calm point of view. I am grateful for these soothing thoughts, but I wonder whether they're rational. I mean is that the same kind clouded logic that makes me believe that freezing blueberry yogurt is actually a good idea?

I wonder if I will feel the same way tomorrow.

frozen yogurt

While rummaging through the fridge for some tasty treats the other night, I spied the nonfat blueberry yogurt. I skipped it in favor of a container of leftover frosting, but it occurred to me that I might enjoy some frozen yogurt later. I wondered whether freezing Yoplait would yield the same results as Pinkberry. (Oh, but for the brilliant things you come up with while under the influence!) So I tossed the blueberry yogurt into the freezer and forgot all about it.

And the frosting was incredible. It was left over from the Guinness St. Patty's day cupcakes I'd made just a few days before. Butter, cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla bean, and a splash of Bailey's...yes, it tasted even better than it sounds. I ate it with a purple handled spoon. I had several heaping tablespoons. Unfortunately, I woke up the next morning with a frosting tummyache. Definitely worth eating about half a stick's worth of butter for...

Fast forward to this morning. As I rush out the door for work, I grab said yogurt, intending on having a nice frozen snack for breakfast. It turns out that in the interesting events that transpired on this Monday morning, I was unable to get to the frozen yogurt until it was...well, not so frozen any more. So I enjoyed a cup of defrosted previously frozen yogurt instead.

I would not say that it was an enjoyable experience.

There's always next time...

going to whitecastle

There's the nervousness. The anticipation. Will it be good? Will it be merely satisfactory? Will it leave me wanting more? Will it develop into a lasting relationship?

Finding a new dispensary is a little bit like going on a blind date.

And I'd say I went on an extremely successful one today.

Took the Mini out for a spin on this lovely Sunday morning. I drove in a bit of a haze, but the weather was good, and it was good to get out of the house. Sure, I made a few wrong turns when I wasn't paying attention to the directions, but hey, this was the scenic route, and the business districts that I aimlessly drove around in were deserted on this Sunday.

As I turned onto a side street while attempting to remember the next two turns, I spied Tuesday Morning. B had told me about this place. Overstock inventory from department stores, it was a pack rat's paradise. I made a sharp turn into the driveway.

I would just go check it out, I told myself. I just had to stop and check out the place that B had been recommending for years. Just a peek.

I walked in and noticed first and foremost that the place was a mess. I mean I've been to outlet and discount retailers before, but this was a whole new level of randomness. All this in a business park off furniture row. The second thing was the smell. And third were...the old people. Senior citizens.

Oh dear. I gingerly walked in without even bothering to pick up a basket or a cart, I was so unimpressed.

Then, I spied the kitchenware section. And minutes later, my arms were full of random items. I balanced them on top of a cooling rack. Sets of purple utensils. Cupcake wrappers. An adorable pink apron with ruffles around the edges. I saw designer glassware, at a fraction of the cost. I applauded myself for not getting the fondue set, which was sounding so amazing at that very moment. Even though I'd binged on an omelette followed by half a box of mint Andes before I left.

Nearly an hour later (I am such the thorough shopper), I was packing my purchases into the Mini and heading on my way again. I watched the blue dot on my iPhone approach...a mobile home community. Orange County has mobile home parks? Really? I made my way through the community slowly, my eyes darting back and forth between the street and my iPhone's blue dot. Why didn't I use my Garmin, which speaks directions in that comforting female robot voice? I'm not sure.

I was getting a bad feeling about this. It didn't help that I now had no idea where I was, and well...mobile homes look...the same. The mini-streets between them aren't exactly labeled, either. When the blue dot reached its destination, I found myself next to a wall. On the other side of the wall was what looked to be a business park. And I was on this side. In the wrong park.

It took me even longer to get out of the mobile home park as it did to navigate toward the green dot. I had no idea where I was. I did circles. Everything looked the same. It was dizzying. The only thing standing between me and my highly anticipated blind date were these rows and rows of mobile homes that all looked the same.

After finally making my way out of the mobile home park, I made my way into a business park. A series of nondescript buildings. Another maze. I finally arrived and walked up to the black door. The waiting room was respectable: nice chairs, modern accents; it looked more like a doctor's office than a dispensary waiting room. The inside room was similarly decorated. The only propaganda displayed were bright, expensive looking signs with clean, modern designs. Classy stoner paraphernalia. I was impressed.

Even more so when the cute and blatantly high guy behind the counter put on a pair of rubber gloves and held the product out for me to inspect under a lit magnifying lens as he excitedly discussed the effects of each selection. He was clearly a true connoisseur. He lit up as he told me about the products. He lovingly handled the flowers. His obvious passion for his work made me giddy. I love meeting passionate people.

I left the dispensary with some new medication, a piece of banana bread, a bit of a crush, and high hopes for a lovely afternoon that would inspire many return visits. A one hour planned outing had turned into more like three hours, but hey, that's what lazy Sunday afternoons are for, right?

And then I enjoyed the Ice Cream.