The Cab Ride

A few years ago, I spent some time in Beirut. I was visiting our projects and hanging out with our people and trying to figure out which side of the street I should stay on. Oh that's a real thing, people. It matters in that city.

One evening, my colleague and I needed to take a taxi from one part of the city to the other, about a 25 minute drive. But it quickly became apparent that our taxi driver did not know how to get there. Instead of asking my colleague which way to go, he dismissed her and just kept driving. Even when she told him to turn, he ignored her.

After an hour, he became increasingly more frustrated. And she and I became increasingly more concerned. It was night, we were foreigners, and we kept driving further and further away from our destination and closer to the surrounding mountains. The same mountains where scary people with guns tend to hang out. There were times when I actually thought he was up to something devious, that maybe this was my last cab ride I would ever take.

{Dramatic pause}

My colleague kept trying to provide insight and suggestions, but he wouldn't listen, either throwing up his hand in disgust or ignoring her completely. He finally began pulling over, every ten minutes, asking for directions to our destination. First at a gas station, then at a flower shop, then at a restaurant, to some people walking down the road, and so on.

As as his frustration mounted, our fears began to as well. Why wouldn't he listen? Why was he so angry? Why didn't he trust us enough to know where to go? Why wasn't I at home with my mom?

Finally, after two hours, we finally made it. Somehow he found the main highway again and found his way. He didn't talk to us when we exited the vehicle, we just paid him and he sped away. My colleague and I were so thankful to be around people we knew that we nearly danced in the street. There is nothing better than the familiar when everything else is completely foreign.

Recently, I was teaching a group of high schoolers on the importance of relying on Jesus when we do not know which way to go. And I used this story as an example. I realize that so often I refuse help when offered. I ignore Him when He is gently trying to point me in the right direction. And I often ask anyone else I can find for help, for direction, for comfort before I ever turn and acknowledge the One who knew the way all along.

I am just like that cab driver sometimes. I look for answers from those who don't know and get angry or ignore the One who does.

I bet that cab driver never thought God would use Him for such a lesson. Scary men with guns aside, I am thankful for that experience.

And I am thankful I didn't disappear into the mountains forever.

The 14 Hour Webinar - Part 2

Greetings from my office chair.

I am now beginning hour 9 of the webinar and am learning how to run mail merges in our database so I don't have to re-create them in Word. Actually, it is quite brilliant and is going to save me a lot of time. Mail merges and I have a complicated relationship. Sometimes we love each other, sometimes we hate each other's guts. So, in a very strange way, I see this as a type of therapy so we will have a more fruitful relationship in the future.

That last sentence could be a cry for help.

Andrew, the guy leading this webinar, is surprisingly funny and personable. He is working from his apartment in New York City and occasionally his dog barks or runs into the computer. I appreciate that. It keeps things real.

And of the other 26 participants, 25 of them are women. I am not sure what that means, other than Kevin, the lone guy, is probably feeling extremely manly right about now. Or maybe he isn't. I am not sure. I really don't know Kevin but I do appreciate his ability to virtually hang with 25 women.

In other news, I am wearing salmon colored ankle pants with leopard flats. Proof:

 

 

Webinars, although extremely beneficial and useful, are an extrovert's nightmare.



The 14 Hour Webinar - Part 1

I am currently in the middle of a 14 hour webinar. I am learning how to properly navigate a database that was created by a NASA rocket scientist who thought it would be fun to teach liberal arts majors how to slowly go insane.

It is exactly as awesome as it sounds.

I have barricaded myself in my office with the door shut. I told my colleagues that if they needed to reach me they could email me, like a lifeline of sorts. What I failed to mention, however, is that if I do not emerge from my office later this afternoon, they may want to come in to check on me. My brain may have exploded, and in that case, yuck.

Squats, lunges, jumping jacks and peanut butter all help to move this along.

So, Memorial Day Weekend. I hope yours was stupendous! Mine was completely wonderful. Every weekend should be a three-day weekend, especially in the summer. I played some ping pong, planted flowers, attempted to hit a few balls at the driving range, hosted a block party, celebrated a birthday and ate some frozen yogurt. I went to bed last night smelling like a campfire, slightly sunburned, totally wiped out and full of s'mores. I would call that summer perfection.

 What did you do? Does your hair smell like smoke this morning? Are you licking marshmallows off of your elbow? Is your skin the color of a tomato? Are your flowers planted? Garden weeded? Are you well-rested? Totally worn out? Did you put a few miles on your car? Your bicycle? Your running shoes? Your credit card?

Feel free to comment more than once. It's just me and some guy named Andrew and 26 other people trying to plow through this material without actually losing IQ points.

Or, if you are in the neighborhood and want to drop off some coffee, I will open my door for you.

My Mainframe is Fried

And hello to you.

Not that this has even a smidgen of an impact on your day, but I have been having computer problems like it is 1994. My hard drive at worked totally crashed. The back-up laptop won't allow me to check my corporate email. The back-up hard drive won't accept my login. So the only alternative has been to use my iPhone, which worked until the battery ran out and I had to sit in my car in the parking lot to charge it.

FIRST. WORLD. PROBLEMS, people.

With that said, I appear to be up and limping running today. In the grand scheme of things, a crashed computer is not even a blip on the radar. But sometimes, when your work and often your support system is completely connected to technology, being without it almost seems as though I have lost a family member, like a second cousin or something.

Speaking of cousins, I miss mine. It has been YEARS since I have seen any of them. Truly, years. My trips to Alamosa have consumed free weekends when I could have spent them in Oklahoma, otherwise known as "God's Country." Thankfully, the aforementioned technology keeps us in touch, making them all seem a little bit closer than they really are.

However, just in case there is any confusion or perhaps you have not felt particularly included lately, dear cousins, let me set the record straight: YOU ARE INVITED TO COME HERE. I will promise you good food and excellent company. And you are free to wear only stretchy pants during your visit. Consider this your evite forever.

Now, onto the weather.

Even though it is supposed to start snowing again tonight (WHAT THE HECK, GLOBAL WARMING?!), this past weekend was absolutely divine! Not only did I freckle like a three-day old banana, I also got a farmer sunburn that will look particularly lovely in a tank top. Apparently there is a reason why the Irish live on an island where it rains all the time. Our skin just can't handle direct sunlight. We're like vampires, only with much cooler accents and normal.

And lastly, I am addicted to mangoes on Greek yogurt. I sprinkle a little cinnamon, a handful of walnuts and natural sweetener on mine and then I inhale it. It is so delicious. I encourage you to try it sometime. If you do not have access to fresh mangoes, any fruit will do. It's like summer in a bowl.

And now, I must try to find my email so I can connect to our server so I can re-route my mainframe to the millennium falcon. Wish me luck.

The Launch...Finally!

As some of you may be aware, particularly from the incessant posts on Facebook, I have finally finished my Gourmet Girl to Go website.

And let me tell you something: IT IS A MINOR MIRACLE!

People, I am not a tech person. I can barely shut off my alarm clock let alone design and launch my own website (which, is unfortunate for my day job, since I am in charge of that website as well).

However, the brilliant techie angels were with me, in their little nerd glasses and pocket protectors, helping me create the most simple, user-friendly website known to mankind.

And now it is LAUNCHED!

And by launched, I mean shared with 300 of my closest friends, who may or may not need culinary services.

This makes me so nervous.

However, this website has the potential to be out there for the rest of the history of the world (or until I get married, pregnant with quadruplets and have to hire someone to cook my meals, shave my legs and pluck my gray hairs, in that order, and no longer have time to teach others how to cook or bake).

I am way, WAY EXCITED to share this new website with you! It is designed to inspire you to get in the kitchen with your friends and invite me over to play! I promise to bring chocolate. I promise to bring peanut butter. And I promise to have a blast with you. For reals.

So, without further ado:  The Gourmet Girl to Go website!

Take a peak, look around. And if you want to chat about bacon, just fill out the contact form and I'll give you a ring. I promise!

And, as if I couldn't be more of an egomaniac, my friend Katie even designed a logo for me. Are you ready for this?!!

It's like a cartoon version of myself! I have officially reached TOTAL NERD STATUS! Now I just need theme music and a super power!

I will point out that I am a big fan of her ponytail and whisk. And the pie does look particularly delicious. I also love her heels, because obviously every good cook wears heels in the kitchen.

SIDE NOTE: No, no they don't. I will not be wearing them.

So, thanks for the love and support for this new-found venture!

Thanks for the encouragement and patience as I am sure you have been greatly anticipating my website!

And thanks for inviting me to cook with you someday! I guarantee it will be a delicious. And I guarantee I will help you with the dishes.

Two Boys and a Gourmet Girl

A couple of weeks ago, my friend Emily invited me to come over and teach her boys how to bake. Emily and I have known each for a few years and have even travelled to India together. There is nothing like an international trip to make you bond with another person, especially when you experience squatty potties together.

Her boys, Will and Jack, were already familiar around the kitchen and they came prepared with aprons, a chef's hat and a Star Wars spatula. What more do you need, right?

There is just something about a kid in an apron that makes me weak in the knees.

On the agenda were Monster Cookies and chocolate-dipped Oreo pops with sprinkles. Sprinkles make everything better, except vacuuming.

We first tackled the Monster Cookies, making them from scratch. These boys dove right in! They measured, scooped, dipped and stirred. They asked fantastic questions like "How many teaspoons are in a tablespoon?" and "Can I eat whatever chocolate chips are left over?"

I replied with "four (which I later realized was three)" and "of course you can, just as long as you share with me." Hey, chocolate chips are my favorite food group. I have a hard time parting with them.

Once the dough was thoroughly mixed and tasted, we began scooping. Will was very precise with his measuring, making sure each cookie was about the same size. I made sure they were spaced evenly apart so he didn't end up with one ginormous cookie. Which, you know, would still be delicious.

Jack, on the other hand, decided that one ginormous cookie was the way to go. You can see his in the picture above.  All you need is one or two more of those and you have lunch.

To top it off, Jack sprinkled sunflower seeds all over his big cookie. That kid is after my own salty/sweet heart.

After those were in the oven, we brought out the Oreos. I wanted to show them that you can take something already baked and make it even better.

But here is where things began to fall apart.

First, the pop sticks we used caused the Oreos to break apart.

Next, the food coloring I used to color the white almond bark caused it to freeze up, leaving us with huge chunks of chocolate gunk. Not ideal for consumption, let alone dipping.

Thankfully, some of the white chocolate had been set aside and the boys just rolled with it and dipped their Oreos by hand, using copious amounts of sprinkles to finish them off. Emily, in all of her culinary genius, had yellow dipping chocolate and melted it down to help cover the rest of the Oreos.

As much as I wanted this lesson to be flawless, and the perfectionist in me was secretly crying inside, this was an excellent example of how baking does not always turn out perfectly. It is a work in progress. And even a messy cookie can still be a delicious one.

I think Jude liked them, but the jury is still out.

Overall, these kids blew me away by their questions, attention to detail and love for all things butter and sugar. And I loved hanging out with them! There is nothing more fun than to see kids enjoy being in the kitchen and wanting to learn something new. I was totally impressed.

Bravo, boys! I think you're ready for your own TV show. 

Greener Grass

Every time I return from a trip, whether that be overseas or over state lines, I hit a bit of a slump. I find myself discontent, bored and tired, making me the most dull person to be around. I am sure it has something to do with the return to normalcy and the coming off of some sort of travel high.

Currently, that is my state of being. It does not make for good blog material. No one wants to read about my overwhelming pile of laundry or how I feel like I need to change everything in my life that I have the power to change: where I live, what I wear, my hobbies and my hairstyle. Apparently, I am caught between wanting to do nothing at all and doing everything I possibly can. And that just makes me tired.

My trip to Philadelphia was insanely busy and full of many wonderful new things, like the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall and The Famous 4th Street Cookie Company which has the best cookies ever created in the history of baking. That, my friends, was a gem of a find. I was also on an extrovert's joy ride, talking and meeting with tons of people every day, discussing things that are dear to my heart and crucial to my work. And I lived for five days in a fabulous hotel with a Starbucks downstairs and the aforementioned cookies right out the front door. Obviously, I was slightly out of touch with reality and even considered taking the housekeeper home with me.

On the flip side, Philadelphia was cold and windy, I ate only carbohydrates for five days straight and I hated paying $13 everyday just to have internet. Part of me was craving home and everything familiar.

I realize I am a very fickle human being. I want what I do not have or cannot attain, yet I long for everything familiar when I no longer have it in front of me. I want both the exciting and the mundane, the thrill and the calm, the adventure and the routine. And at the end of the day, I just want to lie down on the couch and watch Netflix.

What the heck?!

On Saturday, while Vicki and I were busy talking to people about IDEAS and our work in social justice, a couple of girls came up to talk to us. I asked one of them what she was enjoying about the conference and she said this:

"I learned that if I am always thinking that the grass is greener somewhere else, perhaps I need to ask the Holy Spirit to water the grass I am standing on."

*blink, blink.*

Well, isn't that just brilliant.

Perhaps there is beauty embedded in my pile of laundry. Perhaps I can make my own unbelieavably delicious cookies. Perhaps I do not need to get on an airplane just to find adventure.

Perhaps I need some help with watering.

A Snow Day

As Vicki and I were getting ready to head to the airport this morning, we got a text saying that our flight from Philly to Denver was cancelled because of the blizzard in Denver. I am so thankful we received it before we left the hotel because it made our day so much easier. All we had to do was turn around, re-check into our rooms and book our flights for Monday.

I so love technology.

So, for our "snow day" in Pennsylvania, Vicki and I set out for an ATM to bankroll our outings. Unfortunately, the GPS lead us astray, not once, but twice, and when you are navigating all of that by foot, an outing turns into a pilgrimage.

I hate technology.

However, along the way, we found the LOVE park! Recognize this famous sign?




I think every city should have a LOVE sign.

And, of course, a giant macaroni:




And yes, yes I do love it.

We then ventured forth and spent two hours in the Barnes Foundation Museum. Dr. Barnes was a doctor from Philadelphia who amassed a huge collection of Impressionistic art and donated it to the city. It was incredible to see Manets, Renoirs and Van Goghs up close. I feel more sophisticated just typing that out.

While we were inside growing our minds and expanding our artistic tastes, an arctic blast from the frozen north swept into the city and we fought each block on the way back by walking at a 45 degree angle. We finally found our way to Chili's where I ate my weight in guacamole. I think food tastes better when you come in from the cold.

For the evening, Vicki and I are geared up to watch the Oscars and dissect all of the red carpet dresses. This is, by far, the best part of this show. We are also casting ballots on who will win and the loser has to buy the other one dessert. My game face and my stretchy pants are ready for the challenge.

So, whether you are snowed-in in Denver, stranded in Philly, or you are somewhere in between, I hope you have a glorious Sunday evening. I look forward to getting home tomorrow but I must say that I have really loved my time in Philadelphia. Between the history, art, room service and the Reading Terminal Market next door, I may just stay in this Marriott forever.

Promoting Justice

Hello from the Philadelphia Convention Center!

Today is the first day of the Justice Conference where we are recruiting for positions in anti-human trafficking, women's empowerment and peace and reconciliation. Here is Vicki at our booth:




Lizz said we look totally legit, which is something you always want to hear about your place of employment.

The conference runs for two full days and they are expecting 5000 people to attend. It is every extrovert's dream.

I get to wear this very cool laniard with an all-access pass to anything I want.




I may hold on to this! Maybe I can have access to other things too, like meeting Dave Matthews or something.

If you are in the Philly area, drop on by! We are giving away Snickers and luggage tags, both crucial to our work.

The Birthplace of Freedom and Cheesesteaks

I am feeling a bit patriotic today. As a history nut, Philadelphia is like the Disneyland of historical playgrounds. Everywhere you turn is another famous house or building or statue of someone who was instrumental in my ability to travel, work and bake with freedom.

I really love this land of ours.

We took a bus through the city that stops at all of the important places. It was colder than the arctic tundra so I was very happy to just ride along.
















Here are the "Rocky" steps. I swear I could hear the guy next to me humming Eye of the Tiger.

At Independence Hall, we got out and walked around. This place is incredible. It actually made me a little teary.












Oh, if these walls could talk.




And then, there's this:




I had the overwhelming urge to ring it but an orange jumpsuit is not my best look.

We stopped for lunch at Reading Market. It is the most amazing covered market that just happens to be across the street from my hotel.

Oh, darn.

It is filled with bakeries, sandwich shops, butcher shops, cheese stalls and ice cream counters. It is every kind of culinary wonderful.








We rounded out the first half of our day with a cheesesteak. When in Rome, right?

The Tuesday That I Thought Was Monday

As you may have guessed in my title, I woke up thinking that today was Monday. I know that does not make any sense since we just lived through Monday, but I did not have to work yesterday so I must have just thought that yesterday was my second Sunday.

However, can you imagine my SHEER DELIGHT when I realized that today is actually Tuesday?! It's the small things, people, that help us get through our days. Even days that we thought we had already lived or had not yet lived or were living twice.

This weekend was all about catching up with friends, catching up on laundry and catching up on sleep. I took Friday off from work as a day to recover from our marathon of meetings in the last two weeks. I tried to lay as horizontal as possible for most of the day, with the exception of eating pancakes with my girl Tara.

Saturday, my mom and I trekked to Alamosa where we spent time with my dad. Alamosa is known as one of the coldest towns in Colorado but thankfully the day was beautiful and you could actually enjoy walking outside. I have come to greatly appreciate the Walmart in Alamosa. Not only is it the only place to shop, but it also has items that I cannot find anywhere else, like cinnamon chips (for this amazing recipe) and cupcake liners that look like soccer balls.

Again, it is the small things that make our world a better place.

Sunday, I finally did a few loads of laundry. I also nearly got bucked off the elliptical machine while I was trying to text (thanks a lot, Melissa) and went to a crazy delicious restaurant with my great friend Sara. Since I knew I did not have to work yesterday, I stayed up way too late eating ice cream and finally finishing the West Wing series. I always hate ending a series. I feel like I have lost some close friends who I know are completely imaginary. But still, goodbyes are never easy.

Monday dawned bright and early with a few work emails, a breakfast burrito with Lizzy and a quick drive up to see Sam and Noah. Noah also had the day off and Sam was working from home. When I left, I wished them all a very happy President's Day in which Noah promptly replied, "You have made this the best President's Day of my life."

And then my heart melted into a puddle and I died.

The rest of the day was spent grocery shopping, vacuuming, having a quick but wonderful meal with Melanie, Bible study and making a chocolate ganache tart for a birthday party. I don't think the presidents thought that the day set aside to celebrate their collective birthdays would be filled with vacuuming and tarts, but what they don't know won't kill them, right?

Tomorrow, I head out to the bustling city of brotherly love, also known as Philadelphia. My colleague and I are recruiting for job positions overseas and will return on Sunday. Since Dowtown Abbey has concluded for the year, (which, by the way, WHAT THE HECK, Julian Fellowes!?) my goal is to go to bed early and sleep until Easter. If that actually happens, eat a marshmallow peep for me.

Thoughts From The Couch

Yesterday, I worked from home. This migraine continues to linger and my schedule was void of any sort of meeting, gathering, conference or seminar at the office.

Besides, if there is one thing that modern technology has done for the work force it is to allow it to be productive remotely. And by remotely, I mean my couch.

God bless Al Gore for creating the Internet.

As I was sitting there, checking email, sipping coffee and eating cookies for breakfast, I collected a few thoughts that I wanted to share with you:

1. P90X is nuts. I saw an infomercial for it yesterday and once again concluded that Tony Something-or-Other is a little bit on the cray-cray side of life. I once attempted P90X, (or I should actually say, P38X, because I was only able to do it for 38 days), and concluded that it was way too time-consuming for my very busy life. For a brief moment, I was tempted to try it again yesterday, but then I remembered that my left elbow still only functions as eye candy and my ability to tolerate Tony's pep is almost non-existent. But, you have got to give the man props for doing so many pull-ups.

2. Life is better in pajamas.

3. I am in the middle of designing my Gourmet Girl to Go website. It is both exciting and mind-numbing. Exciting, because I can't wait to officially launch it and mind-numbing, because website templates may be the death of me. But I am loving the process of starting my own business. Wowza.

4. Sunshine has the ability to change your outlook on life. For the first time in many days, the temperature rose above freezing yesterday and the sun had a huge role to play in that. I am a summer girl, through and through.

5. Sara's Oatmeal Cinnamon Bliss Bars continue to rock my world. So simple yet so delicious. I had dinner with Sara last night and we both concluded that while cinnamon chips seem to only be a seasonal item, butterscotch chips, chocolate chips, dried cranberries or nuts would all be equally amazing in the recipe. The possibilities are endless, really. Basically, the dough is a blank canvas and you are the artist. Go forth, creative ones, and bake!

6. My hair is slightly out of control. And that may have something to do with the fact I haven't washed it since Monday.

7. Kim Kardashian and K-Middy are both due with their babies in July. I am not sure how I feel about this. I really don't think those two should ever be in the same sentence together. But what is even more alarming is that I have opinions about this.

8. When I was younger, I had a horse named Honey. I had a cousin who liked to call her Hiney. We keep things classy in Oklahoma.

9. I am slightly concerned about saving for retirement. I really don't know how to do it. I mean, I am invested at work, but after that, it's like speaking Chinese. I either need to figure this out so I don't live with Claire when I retire or I need to marry rich. I think we all know which is the better choice here.

10. Someone sent me a greeting last week that said: "Happy birthday, Sarah. I hope this year is much better for you than it was for Jesus at your age." 

Apparently being 33 is fraught with danger. I think I will avoid Jerusalem this year.

Happy, happy Thursday to you!

A Year in Pictures

So...2012 wasn't all bad.

These pictures reminded me of that. Thank goodness for cameras, right?

Thank goodness that scenes and people were captured so I don't sit around thinking that 2012 was a big waste of time.

Thank goodness.

I may have missed something otherwise.

The depths of winter. This is the only big snow I remember from last year. It was perfect for frolicking and staying inside and baking something delectable.

Melanie on her birthday, where we had the most amazing cookie, ever. It had chocolate covered sunflower seeds in it. How genius is that? This fabulous little bakery closed over the summer so now I am on the hunt to find that recipe. And once I do, I shall call it "Melanie's Favorite."

Every girl should have a cookie named after them, don't you think?

I love this picture. It could be my favorite of the year. There's a lot of weight behind this one.

Tunisia.

Beautiful, mysterious, hopeful, persevering. I loved this country. It is a small gem that should not be overlooked.

And neither should Herb. Don't overlook Herb. Hey may spit on you. He's got major attitude.

And then there was Vegas.

Everyone should go to a wedding in Vegas. And if there can be a drive-thru, that's even better.

I love this girl.

The 4th of July is my most favorite holiday. This kid rocked the flag on his helmet and came in second place in the 5K run. As in second overall. AS IN HE BEAT HIS DAD. That's pretty awesome.



These two had a billion shows this year. They are the most famous of the almost famous music groups out there. Way to rock it, Treehouse.

And then there was Hurricane Isaac. Can you even believe we flew into an actual hurricane? And our plane was the last one to land. It's crazy how close we came to missing out on this:

I really hope heaven has beaches.

I went hiking. Miracles are happening all the time.

Sweet Melissa. She rocked my world with her lip gloss tutorial and she (along with a few others) catapulted me into the online dating world. Oh, and I babysat her kids. My ear will never be the same.

And then this happened.

Best. Photo. Bomb. Ever.

Hee hee hee.

This was our theme for Thanksgiving. And it happened, for 48 blissful hours.

Tara and I at the top of the Empire State Building. A completely fantastic trip in every possible way.

And a completely fantastic girl.

She's fantastic too.

And then there's this.

Not bad, 2012. Not bad.





The First Class

So, about last night...

...it was fantastic.

It really was completely and utterly fantastic.

First, Vicki was an amazing host. She made sure I had the oven on the right temperature. She made sure everyone had a refreshing beverage. And she even made sure that everyone listened to me when I had something really important to say about cookie dough.

She was a rock star.

For those of you who were wondering or praying or pacing the floors, rest assure that not one person or building burned to the ground. In fact, it was as smooth as I could have possibly hoped it to be. And most of that has to do with a really fun, really excited, really talkative group of women!

If you really want to know, I found myself very nervous yesterday. I kept second-guessing my recipes and my timing and my one-liners. At the last minute, I printed off some ghetto business cards just in case someone needed to contact me...hopefully to book another class, not because of food poisoning.

And I admit that there were moments when I screamed"WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU DOING?!" inside of my head as I stood in front of them.  But thankfully those screams were drowned out by continuous Christmas music and discussions on salted vs. unsalted butter. I am in the unsalted camp, myself.

Somehow, someway, it all worked. And people had fun. And I felt like I could do this forever, especially if exotic places that required my passport were involved.

Most of the women admitted that they didn't cook or bake, one even told me that she is an expert at the drive-thru. But when I asked for volunteers for every recipe, they jumped at the chance to try it out. I was really thankful for an engaged, responsive crowd. And in the end, they each walked home with a dozen cookies and a box full of hand-made truffles. Oh, and we devoured the peppermint roll too.

Some of them even asked if I could teach a class on appetizers, and I said, "Um, yes. I am from Oklahoma where appetizers are their own food group and Velveeta is like a member of the family."

Afterward, once I had washed the chocolate from beneath my fingernails and had slithered my way up the stairs and into bed, my first thought was, "I survived."

And my second thought was, "When can I do this again?!"

I would say it was a very good evening.