Shady Cupcake Dealings

I have been making a few cupcakes lately.

As in billions. I have been making billions of cupcakes lately.

And I cannot tell you how much I love it.

My darling friends, who know how much I love my Kitchen Aid mixer and who whole-heartily support my love of cream cheese frosting, have become excellent customers. Some are even repeat buyers. And last night, two of them showed up at my door shoving wads of cash into my hands in exchange for their sugar fix.

I dig it.

I am happy to be their supplier. It could be my new calling.

The Recap You Didn't Know You Needed

My re-entry into the real world last week was a bit rough. My plane from the DR had to make an emergency landing in Miami. It had something to do with our landing gear not working properly and the pilots were 94% sure that we would land without a problem.

Ummm...

 

Awesome?

Needless to say, we landed perfectly and then proceeded through customs, immigration and then re-boarded with the same fearless pilots for our layover in Atlanta. But because of our small detour, both my aunt and I missed our connecting flights and instead arrived home much, much later.

HOWEVER. The trip was unbelievably amazing. Relaxation was the goal and it was accomplished in strides:

The weather was a perfect 80 degrees.

The food was so fresh and delicious that I actually ate shrimp.

There were long conversations into the night, both in Spanish and in English

There were new recipes to tackle in a fully-stocked kitchen.

There was dipping your toes into the ocean and swimming until you became pruny.

There was dancing. Oh, there was dancing.

 And there was time to soak up the glorious sun (with SPF 50, of course), while deepening old relationships and developing new ones.

It was dreamy in every possible way.

...

And then I came home and the Arctic Vortex arrived.

But my dad also came home for his 72 hour furlough and everything seemed right with the world, Vortex included. On top of that, I got to make cupcakes for a baby shower: coconut cream and double chocolate fudge.

They are my new best friends.

We also went out for my birthday. I wanted us all to be together to celebrate. Sadly, Claire was down with a migraine but the rest of us ate for her:

 

 

 

 

 

Carr looks like an undercover cop in this picture. Love it.

 

 

Spirit fingers at dinner? Of course.

Two of my most favorite boys.

And finally, if you didn't know, Denver is going to the Super Bowl this weekend. It's a big, freaking deal. And our downtown looks so fantastically cool. It's going to be a great game!

 

Time to Ride, boys!

And the Goal Was Reached

Hey there internet readers: Guess what?! Treehouse Sanctum reached their funding goal for their new album!

That's right, you heard me. They needed $1600 to make it happen and 26 people came through and donated $2,285!

Wow. You guys are ridiculously nice.

They will finish up their album in the next month or two and then Shake the Shadow will be available for your listening pleasure.

Big thanks to all of you who made a gift towards their hard work. I admit, I am super proud of them. And I can't wait to read all the nice things they say about me in their album cover.

I am sure it will delightful.

And probably invisible.

Need Dessert?

IF you live in the Denver area...

And IF you need help with your Thanksgiving meal...

AND IF you are out of time and don't know what the heck you are going to make for dessert (other than the infamous pumpkin pie)...

AND IF YOU just want to outsource one of your many tasks this holiday season...

AND IF YOU JUST WANT ME to show up at your doorstep...

THEN shoot me a line and I'll help you out! Gourmet Girl to Go is now taking dessert orders for Thanksgiving!!

(Just for clarification, I am Gourmet Girl to Go.)

That's right, just tell me what you want (within reason) and I'll bake/make/create it for you!

Pies?

Yep.

Cupcakes?

Absolutely.

Cakes, brownies, Oreo balls?

Why the heck not!

Email me or catch me on Facebook and I'll make all of your Thanksgiving dessert dreams come true.

(Do you have Thanksgiving dreams?)

(Because you should.)

(They are delicious.)

Slot # 2

I have entered into a wonderful season of contentment. It's not that my life is perfect, (Um, hello Alamosa), but my heart has moved into that sweet spot between peace and comfort.

I have my own schedule, I can sleep in late, I can eat cereal for dinner, I can lay horizontally in bed, the bathroom is all mine, I can travel anytime my budget permits and I get to bake with people for fun. It's a pretty good gig.

However, I still have my moments of wondering what the heck I am supposed to do with my life. Should I move to a new state? What is God asking me to do today/this week/this month/forever? Should I go back to school? How can I be more loving in my relationships? Why did I buy this shirt? And the ever popular: Will I ever get married?

Now, that last one is a combo deal: sometimes I question this all on my own and wonder if God has destined me to be fabulously single forever. Other times, the world puts this crazy amount of pressure on me to be hitched, or at least dating, or AT LEAST trying to find someone online.

I did that. It was not my favorite.

This is the one question that I seem to get from every angle.

Yesterday, as I was driving, I had a brief moment of "GOD! Where are you? I am still here! And I would really love to do this life with someone who is somewhat normal and extremely handsome."

Perhaps you have had similar conversations? No? Awesome.

Anyway, that moment passed, contentment settled back into its place and I went on my way.

And then last night happened. I have bible study on Monday nights and as I walked into the church, one of the administrators asked me from across the room:

"Hey Sarah. Do you want a husband?"

Um, what?

"What did you say?"

"I mean, would you like to get married? Do you want a husband?"

Trying to play it cool just in case she wanted to set me up with her crazy cousin or something, I said, "Well, I had always considered that part of my life plan."

"Okay good. You are now on my list. In fact, you have moved into slot #2. I am praying for your husband."

And just like that, God reminded me that He indeed had not forgotten. I am now slot #2.

The Hand Pie Class

On Saturday night, I got to hang out with some very amazing women. We have all been friends for years, but rarely (as in we have never) get to all hang out together. It was a night full of every wonderful emotion...and pie.

The night was full of pie.

These fabulous women asked your favorite Gourmet Girl to Go to host a hand pie class. So I did what any respectable baker would do: I strapped on my John Deere apron and got to work.

On the Hand Pie Menu:
Salted caramel apple
Brie and berry jam
Chocolate and marshmallow.

But of course, you could mix and match all night long!

As you can see, it was a fairly intense lesson. Hand motions were involved.

There was also laughing. I mean, you can't take hand pies too seriously, people.

And then there was this. I just don't even know.

 

These women quickly got to work and created AMAZING pies!

Here is Tricia mixing the dough.

Others chopped up caramel and unwrapped chocolate.

And two of us sliced apples for the salted caramel apple filling.

Everyone made their own: rolling, cutting, filling, crimping, creating. The kitchen smelled incredible!

And the final result were these adorable, edible hand pies of heaven.

Angels sang above us. I am not even kidding.

 

And these women?

 I had so much fun with these incredible women. It was a night to cherish and savor, in every possible way.

 

 

And Then My Phone Fell into the Cornbread Batter

Thanks for the blog love, peeps. You made my weekend! Let's just hope I can try to act as normal as possible to all the new readers. But I am pretty sure this post will do the exact opposite of just that.

You see, I was making you all a recipe yesterday. It was a new recipe, full of bacon, which really is the only kind of recipe you should make: Bacon and Green Chile Cornbread Muffins.

And yes, they were magical. Especially with chili and football.

Just as I had added the egg to the batter, and while I was deftly taking a picture of me gracefully pouring the milk into the bowl, my phone slipped from my hands and fell in. Right in. As in it fell right into the cornbread batter.

People. All I could say was "oh no" over and over again. My nephew Noah, who was carefully watching my every move, thought it was perhaps the most awesome thing he had seen that day. And he had already shot my leg with a Nerf dart as I attempted to Karate Kid him in the kitchen. So, needless to say, he had already seen some form of awesome from his favorite aunt.

But that is not the worst part.
The worst part is that my phone is ghetto. GHETTO. You see, last year, after this really horrendous blind date (you can read about it here), I dropped my phone in the parking lot and the screen cracked in a million places.

However, I am cheap frugal and have waited and waited to buy a new phone. Hey, this one still worked, even if I did miss every fourth word in my emails.

But, when you combine cornbread batter with a severely cracked phone you end up with a hot mess that sticks to your face and makes you smell like a farm truck. As I told my coworker about this mishap this morning, she let me borrow her phone to take a picture of it.

Behold:

As you can see, cornmeal batter has found its way into every possible surface on my phone. It is in my speakers, my battery/re-charge portal, the cracks on the screen, under my phone case and in the ear bud hole.

Miraculously, the phone is still working. In fact, it didn't skip a beat, which is both tragic and budget-friendly at the same time. I just wiped it off with a wet paper towel and kept on cooking. I thought about washing it off and putting it in rice, but I thought that adding rice to the mix would make me smell like Thanksgiving. Cornmeal batter was plenty.

It reminds me of these commercials on TV:

So, in the future, if you see me talking on my phone and cornmeal falls from my ear, please just realize it came from my phone and not my actual head.

Because really, that would be ridiculous.

If I Had a Rain Day

For those of you who do not live in Colorado, we are experiencing a bit of rain. It has been raining almost non-stop since Tuesday and it should continue through at least Friday evening.

Snow? Piece of cake.

Rain? Mass chaos.

We don't really know what to do with all of this water because we live in a high desert climate.

(I almost wrote "dessert climate.")

(Of course I did.)

Rain always makes me want to stay home. I have hit the snooze button more in the last week than I have in a month. There is just something about the water running down your window pane to make you think, "Nope, not gonna happen today."

(If I lived in Seattle, I would be paralyzed with lack of motivation.)

So, if I had a Rain Day, and got to stay home with a totally free schedule, these are the things I would do:

1. Sleep. Yes ma'am. I would sleep until I couldn't possibly sleep anymore then I would move down to the couch where I would rest from all of the sleeping.

2. Bake. Oh, friends. The things I would bake! Some of them include my favorite Warm Apple Cake and Caramel Sauce. Perhaps the Pumpkin Cupcakes, and of course, Pumpkin Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies. Then, I would tackle something new, like doughnuts. Oh, and I'd have a full pot of coffee available the entire time.

3. Read. I read the first two books in the "Divergent" series during my little beach getaway and I loved them. I can't wait for the next one to come out in October. So, if this rain day comes in October, that would be first on my list. I also need to catch up on some of my Joel C. Rosenberg, especially with all that is going on in Syria. And, I would probably read a cookbook because those feed my soul with inspiration.

4. Organize. It takes me a little while to get in the organizing mood, but it needs to happen. I have a year's worth of Bible study that needs to be sorted and filed, I have old clothes that need to be donated, budgets that need to be updated and ridiculous other things that are essential to me being able to function.

5. Invite a few friends/sisters/cousins over. They must wear stretchy pants. They must come hungry. And they must bring their favorite movie. Oh, and bring their own spoon for cookie dough.

(SIDE NOTE: The words "sweat," "exercise," or "muscle confusion" did not appear anywhere in my list. Let's just be clear.)

So, what would you do on a Rain Day?

A Tapas Cooking Class

Last night's cooking class was off the hook. These girls came with aprons in hand, ready to bust out some serious food.

And the end result? Five new recipes masterfully created and inhaled.

It was a total success and a fabulous way to break in a brand new kitchen!

Just look at them. They brought their gastronomical game faces.

Prosciutto wrapped asparagus?

CHECK.

 

Cheese and bacon stuffed Brussels sprouts?

CHECK.

 

 

Baked ricotta? Watermelon, feta and mint salad?

CHECK and CHECK.

Baked peaches with maple cream sauce?

Um, a picture couldn't do it justice.

A happy Gourmet Girl to Go?

Absolutely.

 

Nicely done, ladies. You nailed it.

 

Oh, and I think you could be apron models. That's a totally legit profession.

 



Brussels Sprouts, Skinny Pants and A God Who Loves

Hello. I am still here. My trip is still to come and I am more than ready to stick my toes into the ocean. Toes and oceans goes together like peanut butter and everything else. I am very excited.

In the meantime, I have been cooking and baking like a crazy woman. My oven seems to be on more than it isn't and I have found myself eating watermelon for more than one dinner. Is there anything better than cold, sweet watermelon? Nope, not in August there isn't. Unless it is cold peach cobbler, which, you know, awesome.

I had a cooking class last week with some fabulous girls who I love and adore. We focused our menu on the wonderful world of carbohydrates and made my version of crack bread (look on Pinterest for this...it is everywhere!), baked four cheese mac and cheese with bacon, and homemade salted caramel sauce with ice cream. That meal is sitting nicely on my hips but it was worth every bite. And they did a fabulous job putting it all together!

Tomorrow, I have another cooking class and this one is all about tapas, or, if you are not from Spain, appetizers. But "tapas" just sounds more international and sophisticated, which is what I am approximately .9% of the time. On the menu: prosciutto wrapped asparagus, baked ricotta, stuffed Brussels sprouts and a watermelon and feta salad. For dessert, baked peaches with streusel and maple cream sauce.

And everyone said "amen!"

I am really excited about this class because it is cooking with fresh ingredients that are in season. And the recipe I put together for the stuffed Brussels sprouts may show up on this year's Thanksgiving menu. Who knew a Brussels sprout could be the bearer of herbed cream cheese and bacon? That is something I am already very thankful for.

In other non-gastronomical news, I have now become a fan of the skinny pant.

WHAT the WHAT!?

I know, it's like the world is spinning the other direction (which, wouldn't that throw everyone off!). But it is hard to avoid this trend. "Skinny" is everywhere! And even though this girl is approximately 46,902 treadmill miles away from being skinny, I realized that if I am going to have anything to wear this summer other than yoga pants and my pajamas, I had better embrace them. As a result, I have them in almost every color. Miracles, people. They are happening.

And finally, I heard the most amazing sermon at church on Sunday. I mean, it was life-changing. It was about loneliness and how we were never created to be alone (Genesis 2). And in a world of social connectedness, humans have never been lonelier. One of the things the pastor challenged me on was my desire to only show the good stuff: the happy photos, the beautifully filtered photos, the photos where I look as skinny and pretty as possible. And yet I never show the photos where my hair is gnarly or when I have a zit on my chin or if the dress I am wearing resembles a blimp. As a result, we all think that everyone else has it together and we are the only ones that do not.

Yep, I struggle with that. I am huge fan of the filtered photo probably because I don't think the real one is good enough.

When will my tiny brain realize that the real one is the one God pursues, loves and died for?

I am working on this.

And with that nugget, I give you an unfiltered photo of my skinny pants.

Five Things

I have this new blogger friend. She found me on Facebook on my Gourmet Girl to Go page and invited me to participate in a "Five Things" question series. I agreed right away because 1.) I need blogging material and 2.) I cannot say no to new friends.

Her name is Kris and you can find her blog here. I am a big fan already.

So, without further ado, here is a snapshot in time, or, in other words, a ton of information you have never wanted to know about me. Just think of it as my contribution to helping you get through hump day.

(Which, by the way, I am LOVING this commercial:



Totally brilliant.)

Okay, now without further ado, here it is:

Five Things I am Passionate About:
1. A simple life. My mind is often so cluttered with stuff that I forget to live well. So simplifying is my theme right now. And I love it.

2. Food. I love food. I love growing it, eating it, cooking it, baking it, sharing it and preparing it for anyone who will eat it. It is my love language and my spiritual gifting, if that were a real thing.

3. My family. They are a crazy bunch of people, but they are my people.

4. My friends. I have amazing, incredible friends. Holy cow, who knew I was I cool enough to have friends like that?

5. Jesus. Amen.

Five Things I Would Like To Do Before I Die:
1. Get married. I practically have it planned out on Pinterest anyway and I would hate for that board to go to waste. But in all honesty, I am one of those girls who has thought about her wedding since she was little and I would love to experience it with the right person.

2. Hike Machu Pichu. I know many of you must be shocked over the word "hike" but that is one hike I would gladly tackle.

3. Own another horse. I was 12 years old the first time I got a horse and I would love to see how I would handle it now. Besides, they smell really, really good.

4. Take a week-long cooking class in Europe. Italy, France, Spain, Ireland, any of those countries will do. I want my entire week to be covered in sugar and flour. And chocolate. And maybe some cheese. I don't think that is too much to ask, do you?

5. Memorize large sections of the Bible. Isaiah 40, the entire book of James, 1 John and any of the psalms are on my list. I am horrendous at memorization unless it is put to a song. So I guess this is fair warning if I ever sing verses at you. Don't be alarmed, I'll try to jazz it up a little.

Five Things I Say A Lot:
1. It's not my yard.
2. I could stick my entire head into this bowl.
3. Salted caramel is my love language
4. Seriously.
5. I'm over it.

Five Books/Magazines I Have Read Lately:
1. Country Living Magazine. Naturally.
2. The Harbinger. This was a few months ago but it was a quick and intense read.
3. Treasure Island. It has been over 20 years since I last read that book and it was totally different than what I remembered. It's funny how that happens.
4. The Spirituality of Fundraising (Henri Nouwen). I re-read this all the time because it is essential to my job. It's good stuff.
5. Joy the Baker's Cookbook. I love her, her writing style and her recipes. I highly recommend following her blog!

Five Favorite Movies:
1. The Goonies
2. Pride and Prejudice
3. Braveheart
4. Lord of the Rings
5. Strictly Ballroom

Five Places I Would Like to Visit:
1. New Zealand.
2. Peru
3. Greece
4. Egypt
5. Montana

Now, I am supposed to invite five other people to participate but I am kind of lame and don't know many bloggers. So, if you would like to tackle this list, go for it and just let me know! I'll link you up.

Oh, and happy Wednesday, people of the world wide web.

Kick Off Your Sunday Shoes

Last night, I went to the Kenny Loggins concert with one of my dearest friends, Kathleen.

Let's just let that soak in a minute.

First off, Kenny Loggins. I lived the entire decade of the 1980's in the single digits, so needless to say, I was on the younger side of the population pool last night.

Second, my pop culture intelligence was somewhat limited during that time and I only knew of Bon Jovi from the posters my gorgeous cousin Sherry had on her ceiling.

And on top of that, I was home schooled during that decade, which meant I wore more denim jumpers than leg warmers. And that just makes me sad.

However, I wasn't totally in the dark because out of that decade came some of the most iconic movies of my lifetime. And a lot of that has to do with the musical genius and cinematic treasure that is Kenny Loggins. Without him, Top Gun, The Karate Kid, Footloose and Caddy Shack would have been completely lame.

I mean, can you imagine Footloose without "Footloose?" Nope. Not at all. Kevin Bacon would have all these pent-up dance moves without it. And there is nothing I love more than Kevin Bacon dancing. Nothing.

So, in honor of the fantastic evening I had last night, and because it is Monday in the middle of July and we all need a reason to dance, I give you this video.

A couple things I love:
1. Kevin Bacon and his bow tie
2. The shoes
3. The copious amounts of glitter
4. Willard's tux
5. Kevin Bacon and his bow tie





You're welcome.

Gourmet Girl and 3 Cooks in the Kitchen

My second cooking class last week left me covered in cheese and licking caramel sauce off my fingers.

(That very well could have been the best sentence I have ever written.)

My amazing friend Sheryl, with whom I traveled to Senegal and Morocco a few years ago, works with college interns every summer. She asked me if I would come to her house and teach a few of them a couple of new recipes. Since there is nothing I love more than to teach others how to make food less complicated and more delicious, I quickly agreed.

Besides, my Friday night plans up to that point had been a bag of chocolate chips and Netflix. Don't be jealous.

So, on the menu:
Homemade pizza with caramelized onions, mushrooms, pesto, garlic and cheese
Vanilla bean ice cream with salted caramel sauce
Raspberry and dark chocolate banana bread (for breakfast, of course!)

Sheryl, Kelsey and Holly: the cooking dream team.

The girls, Kelsey and Holly, jumped right in! We talked about the scariness of yeast and its potential to take over your kitchen. We learned how to speed up the caramelizing process of onions by adding a little butter and brown sugar. We discussed the finer points of pesto and the beauty of a pastry brush. All the while, Sheryl created a fabulous salad so we could at least pretend to be healthy.

 

By the time we sat down to dinner, we had an amazing pizza, fresh salad, and salted caramel sauce bubbling on the stove. Before dessert, we mixed up our banana bread and baked them in small loaf pans, perfect for interns to eat for breakfast or lunch or in the middle of the night when all good cravings hit.

 

 

 

 

The girls entertained me with their stories about family, life in college and their summer in Colorado. I almost started talking about my time in college and then I remembered that I am not nearly as cool as I think I am because they were six years old my freshman year.

 

(That could have been the most depressing sentence I have ever written.)

 

Overall, the evening was fantastic! I love teaching people about food and the joy it can bring to any gathering. And I love feeling like I am one more fall away from a broken hip and a walker with tennis balls on the feet.

 

God bless the young.

 

If you would like to sign up for a cooking class, feel free to visit the Gourmet Girl to Go website! You can also LIKE me on Facebook where I post my latest culinary successes and disasters.

 

And if you want, we can even talk about the glory days of college where Chandler Bing was a household name.

Gourmet Girl and the Women's Group Cooking Class

Last night, I held a cooking class for some of my most favorite friends! The girls from Women's Group (Abby, we missed you!) asked if I would teach them a few dishes in honor of Heather and Jenn's July birthdays. And I said "Does Pluto still wish it was a planet?"

Heck yes.

So, on the menu:
Quinoa salad with fresh veggies in a lemon herb dressing
Baked ricotta with baguette
White chocolate tart with peaches and raspberries.

Or, in other words, MORSELS OF AWESOME DELICIOUSNESS.

The girls tackled the dishes like pros! They diced veggies, whisked dressing, melted white chocolate, mixed cream cheese, prepared ricotta, sliced peaches and made an overall fantastic meal! And at the end, we all sat around the very same table we sat around over 10 years ago on the night we all first met each other. We had come full circle! And we still looked 23. What are the odds?

Here are a few action shots:

Here is Jenn mixing garbanzo beans, fresh corn, tomatoes, orange bell pepper, green onions and lemon herb dressing into the cooked quinoa. She is such a great stirrer.

Heather, Natalie and Kim (with Rachel's arm) adding peaches to the tart and licking the bowls.

Rachel presenting their amazing white chocolate tart. And no, there were no leftovers.

The girls: Rachel, Heather, Jenn, Natalie and Kim. 

I seriously love these girls. And I loved our meal together. You know you have good friends when they hire you to cook and you put them to work instead.

Great friends, actually.

My Most Favorite Holiday

Today is the day before the 4th of July, (otherwise known as the 3rd of July). It is the eve before my most favorite holiday.

Last night, I attempted to hang red, white and blue bunting from my front porch as an expression of my patriotism. I nearly catapulted myself into some shrubbery, but thankfully I stayed upright due to my amazing core strength. Due to a variety of circumstances, plastic siding and faulty Velcro being the main ones, I failed at my attempt. Nevertheless, I will try again. I consider it my civic duty.

The 4th of July is every good emotion and memory I have wrapped up in one explosive day. I love everything about it, even the possibility of losing a toe because of a wayward Black Cat.

I love the 4th of July.

I love big, juicy hamburgers on the grill, smothered in onions, tomatoes, ketchup, mustard and dill pickles.

I love cousins who spend their entire year's allowance on fireworks and happily light them off in the driveway.

I love the hot sun on my shoulders and the freckles that result.

I love the Star-Spangled Banner. I could hear it everyday of my life and not grow tired of it.

I love homemade ice cream and my Aunt Marge's homemade fudge sauce.

I love the endless possibilities of how one can use a water hose on your family members.

I love the sense of unity, of community, of celebrating something that people are still fighting for.

I love cream cheese frosting, especially in the form of the flag.

I love parades, floats, marching bands and kids riding their bikes with streamers flying off their handlebars.

I love tradition and celebration, using this day as an excuse to get together.

I love this country. Having traveled to over 25 others, I am still glad this is the one I come home to.

 I hope your 4th of July is fantastic in every possible way.

 

 

The Simple Life: Phone Home

I left my phone at home today.

Not on purpose, of course. Who in the world would purposefully leave their lifeline at home? That's just ridiculous.

I am partial to lifelines, particularly ones that tell me how much money I have in the bank and how many calories I will waste if I eat cookies for breakfast. It also has all the pictures I have taken in the month of June while I was buried in work and family birthdays and not having time to blog. I am sure you are dying to see those pictures and the first priority of my day was to show them to you so you didn't think I had run away or joined the circus or had forgotten how to type.

I also need my phone because what if I actually have wait in line for something and I don't have Pinterest to distract me?

Or what if I need to check the weather? People! The weather! How will I know?

And I am sure the Facebook world is missing me. I am an expert Facebook lurker and liker. It's just what I do.

And what if I wanted to run a 5K after work? (Let's just pretend, people!) My phone is the only one that can tell me when to run, when to cool down and when to pass out.

Oh, and just in case we forgot about the original function of a phone, it has all of my phone numbers in it. It probably has your phone number in it, especially since the only ones who still read this blog either share my last name or are trying to find out if I survived last month. And don't even begin to ask me if I memorized phone numbers because the only two numbers I have memorized are my office's fax number and my home phone in 7th grade.

Awesome.

That stupid phone. It is just sitting there on my bedside table, probably lighting up with texts and reminders and wondering where I am.

And all I can do is just sit here and live my Monday with carefree abandon that no one needs me right now and that the world is still turning without me making sure of it. I just have to struggle through my app-free day, without  a text, without an email, without the constant desire to make sure I didn't miss a status update from that guy I met three years ago who knows my cousin's husband's sister. I have to endure the freedom of a zero data day.

How will I survive?

I guess I'll just go outside to check on the weather. This Simple Life is harder than I thought.

Treehouse Sanctum. Walnut Room. Friday. For Reals.

I realize that my title could not have been more literal, but just in case there is confusion: Treehouse Sanctum is playing at the Walnut Room on Friday.

As in the Walnut Room.

As in tomorrow.

As in THIS IS A BIG FREAKING DEAL!!

I haven't heard this dynamic duo in a couple of months so I am SUPER EXCITED to hear them tomorrow night!! And I am conveying this EXCITEMENT by CAPITALIZING random WORDS and including MANY exclamation POINTS!!!!!

So, here are the details for those Type A personalities:

Who: Treehouse Sanctum (My big brother Sam and his musical genius partner Danya)
What: A really good time.
When: Friday, May 31, 2013
Where: The Walnut Room
Time: 8:00 pm (It's Friday, people! You can sleep in on Saturday.)
Cost: $7-10

For Type B personalities:
Just show up sometime tomorrow at the Walnut Room.

I hope to see you there! And I know Treehouse Sanctum will be really excited to see you too.

P.S. I can totally get you backstage passes, which will probably look a lot like the back parking lot of the building. But still.

Frozen Joy

For those of you who reside in the Denver area, you have no doubt heard about Little Man Ice Cream. It is a staple around here, boasting the very best ice cream flavors in the entire world. There is always a line out front, even in the winter, and if you decide to get an ice cream fix on a warm night, plan on waiting for 30 minutes.

But oh baby, it is worth it.

On Friday night, Sara and I hit up Little Man after a fabulous dinner at Lola. We were celebrating her birthday and nothing screams "HAPPY BIRTHDAY SARA!" like free valet parking, Mexican food and ice cream. Preach.

After our amazing dinner of butternut squash queso, pork carnitas and skirt steak enchiladas, we naturally had room for dessert. So off we went to Little Man, where we were both craving the one flavor that we cannot live without. It is the one flavor that they always have available because half of the Denver metro area is addicted to it. It is the crack of frozen culinary world, the drug of choice for calorie counters and couch potatoes alike.

Are you ready for this?

Salted Oreo ice cream.

And it is freaking delicious. I mean, just look at our faces! It is because we are eating frozen joy.

They also have flavors like Fluffernutter, Mexican Chocolate and Orange Dreamsicle. But they bring in new flavors all the time, so you pretty much need to go on a regular basis to try them all.

After an evening of culinary bliss and perfectly warm weather, there is only one thing you can talk about: who is your favorite Kardashian. And ours is Khloé, for so many reasons.

Do you have a favorite Kardashian? Don't worry if you don't. You may not even know who they are and that is perfectly okay. It means you are actually living your life and probably going outside on a regular basis and I doubt you ever say things like "I just can't deal" or "I think I will x-ray my butt."

Or maybe you do. I don't know. (I feel like I have gotten myself into a reality television vortex and cannot get out.)

Do you at least have a favorite ice cream flavor? I bet you do. And I bet it is delicious.

The Simple Life Experiment

Yesterday morning I had coffee with my darling friend Heather. She and I get together periodically to talk about shoes and baking and traveling adventures and boys, all things dear to our heart, the last one causing more angst than joy.

And we find ourselves being on the same page with most things, almost to the point where it is wonderfully ridiculous. Yesterday, we camped out on the topic of simplifying. Getting rid of the excess that ends up hindering our lives instead of helping.

And this got me thinking. What are the things that I really need in my life?

My iPhone? Maybe, but I don't need to check it every five minutes.

My Kitchen Aid mixer? Definitely.

TV? Nope. I really don't need it.

Hulu Subscription? Weeeeeellllll...I guess not. Darn it.

And the list goes on.

I loved the idea of taking things out of my life that I have held onto by obligation or trendiness. I think part of my funked-out week had to do with being overwhelmed with too much, or being absorbed with too much. Granted, some things you have no control over, but other things? Heck, yes. They can be kicked to the curb.

Thus: The Simple Life Experiment.

I am dedicating the summer of 2013 to simplicity.

I am sure it will come in a variety of forms, from cooking and baking healthy, clean foods to gardening, reading, traveling and maybe finally getting rid of the Kardashians...maybe. And not spending half of my paycheck every time I go to Target. I look forward to purging, cleaning, down-sizing and streamlining so I have more room to be creative. Or perhaps just so I can take a really great nap. Yoga also sounds like a wonderful new addiction.

Ideally, I would have some chickens and horse to round out my experiment, but suburbia is not conducive to farm animals. But I will blog about it and I will show you pictures of recipes and my scraped knees from falling off of my bicycle.

I promise to not become pretentious and condemn you if you eat Velveeta. I promise to still shave my armpits and to eat pizza and cookie dough every once in a while. And I promise I will not, under any circumstances, wear clothing made of hemp.

But, I have got to do this for me. It's just time.

And I am starting today: I am disconnecting my work email from my phone. A small step for most, but a ginormous step for the FC.

And I already feel better.

So, bring on the simple.

JT's Restaurant Review

As I mentioned last week, my girl Sara and I hit up JT's restaurant, Southern Hospitality, on Friday night. Several of you have asked how it was so I am here to give you my review.

SIDE NOTE: I had originally called it "Southern Comfort," which I am sure they serve there, but that is not at all the name of his restaurant.

I digress.

This restaurant is located in downtown Denver in a fabulous old brick building. We were quickly seated and then proceeded to drool over the menu.

After much thought and a few pointed questions to our server, we ordered the following items:

Cheddar Hush Puppies
BBQ Brisket (me)
BBQ Chicken (Sara)
Mac and Cheese
Corn Bread

First off, let me tell you that you should drop whatever you are doing and RUN to get some of those hush puppies. Quit your job, if you have to. Those suckers are KILLER! They are warm and soft on the inside, crunchy on the out, and are served with honey butter and jalapeño jelly.

Thank you and good night.

Second, the BBQ sauce is great, especially if you are a fan of the molasses/tomato base version. The brisket was super tasty and Sara said her chicken was divine.

Third, skip the mac and cheese. It lacked most things that you would normally qualify as a good side dish.

Fourth, pass on the cornbread. It was tough and cold. Not a fan.

Lastly, however, I will say that the service was amazing! Our server was engaging, friendly and almost ate a bite of Sara's chicken. Some may call that too friendly, but we both found it somewhat charming. It didn't hurt that he was cute.

We skipped on dessert and hit up Little Man ice cream instead. Which, salted Oreo, anyone?! Amazing!

So, there you have it! I would definitely go back for their appetizers, especially before a baseball game. And if you are in the mood for BBQ, their sauce is delish!


**I was in no way paid for writing this review. However, if JT reads this and decides to send me an order of hush puppies, I will not turn them down.