What I did in January What did I do in January? Not a whole lot. I've been trying to save money so I haven't been going out much. Plus I still have a huge to-do list full of things I didn't accomplish on my Christmas break. But, I have been blogging! I'm really proud that in January I consistently posted two posts a week. I now just have to keep that up...
It was my first time in Europe. My first time out of the country. I'd tagged along on my friends' three-week backpacking trip - eight cities in six countries- a pace that now has my quivering. Paris was our last stop. And, like many American girls who had never traveled before, Paris was my dream. The Eiffel Tower was my dream. Seeing the Eiffel Tower, the symbol of romance and beauty and all things European, up close and in person, was my dream....
I first "invented" these alcoholic pudding shot recipes five years ago for my thirtieth birthday. I believe the conversation, in my head, at the time, probably went something like this: Val 1: "What should we have at my birthday party?" Val 2: "Jello shots?" Val 1: "But we don't like Jello." Val 2: "We like Jello pudding." Val 1: "So...
The taste of butterscotch pudding reminds me of my childhood. While I preferred the chocolate varieties it wasn't unheard of to have a creamy, buttery, bowl of butterscotch now and again. The taste of butterscotch flavored shots, namely, the buttery nipple, reminds me of my college days. Those days before I could quite handle my alcohol (OK, still can't) where any shot I took was masked by a layer of ungodly sweetness. (OK, I still prefer my alcohol masked with sweetness). And butterscotch flavored buttery nipple pudding shots remind me of being an adult. Which I am currently. Because everyone...
You've heard of mudslides, right? Those creamy cocktails you've probably only ever had as a nightcap to a meal at TGIFidays. And, certainly, you've heard of Jello shots? Those slimy frat and/or bachelorette party essentials of slime cubes pumped full of vodka. But, have you heard of pudding shots? They're just like jellow shots but made with Jello pudding instead of Jello jello. And they are delicious. Especially these chocolatey, creamy, mudslide pudding shots. Mudslides are a "trio" cocktail, a cocktail that consists of a spirit, a liqueur, and something creamy, be it cream itself or an Irish cream. Technically, maybe...
Have you ever had RumChata? The creamy, dreamy, sweet, alcohol is liquid perfection. If you ask me. And what's even more perfection? Using the liqueur to make horchata flavored RumChata pudding shots. That recipe is dessert perfection. If you ask me. The first time that I had RumChata rum liqueur I was in a bar in the Wicker Park area of Chicago (read: hipster central). I was with a friend and we noticed a sleek white bottle that we'd never seen before mixed in amongst other potables on the shelf. We asked the bartender what it was and then quickly ordered...
It came to me while doing my yearly binge watch of My So-Called Life: I'm almost as old as Patty Chase. Let's let this sink in for a moment. I'm almost as old as Patty Chase. Have you never seen My So-Called Life? I don't know if we can be friends. Buy the box set from Amazon or stream it on Hulu. Go binge watch it now — I'll see you back here in 15 hours...
Today I turn 35. There's something about birthdays that reminds me of how good my life is. I tend to focus, to write, about the thing going wrong in my life, the things I want to improve on, the goals I'm striving towards. And, don't get me wrong, I'm thinking of those things now too: thirty-five has me seeing forty in the future and taking stock. But, on birthdays, it's easy to remember all those great things in life too....
I take a lot of photos on my travels, as most people do. OK, no, I probably take about a million times more photos on my travels than most people do...
I spend way too much time in my bedroom. But there's really nothing more comforting than crawling onto a queen-sized pillow-top mattress, covering yourself in a thick comforter, propping up a million pillows and reading a good book...