A personal vent. I promise it will not happen too often.

So I know it is not really my style, but I just need to talk things out. As very few people actually read this rickety ol' blog I feel like it is a safe place. So what the hell why not. I'm no Meg McBlogger but this girl has a 10 bag weight on her back that needs to be unloaded.

Life is not easy. Ooohhh, how very philosophical of me, but tis true. Lately I have been in the valley of self doubt and self loathing and I need to do/say something or I may explode. I know my problems are not great. I am a lucky person who has a roof over my head and enough money to feed myself and live my life in a fairly nice way. So while my issues may be insignificant they are my problems all the same and I'm just in a funk.

There are a few reasons for this: 1. a horrible job that I loathe going to on a daily basis, 2. over being in DC where I just feel so out of place lately, 3. lost in a sea of doubts of whether I should try to go to grad school or try for a different job, 4. sometimes being a single girl just plain sucks. Such seemly insignificant issues that just engulf me.

My friend was the tapping bee from Blind Melon and she was telling me how in the video the little girl is mocked or ignored and then she finds that field full of other bees like her and is happy. Remember? She went on to say that she just feels like she has not found her bees, and I knew exactly what she meant. I have some great people here but something is ultimately lacking. I have started to doubt in the human condition as of late. I have been let down by promises of friendship, love, and building a life that I just feel so, well, sad.

I know that things will get better. I hope sooner rather than later, but it will happen. If it doesn't then I am planning to blame it on a combination of seasonal depression and lady troubles.

How did I survive without you?

Oh Immersion Blender, how did I ever make soup without you? Why did I think that blending in batches in a blender was a solid way to go. How silly I was. Now that you are with me I am a one pot soup maker. Because of you I blended that pot of soup in 2 minutes flat. Let us never part again.

Sincerely,

Veronica

P.S. My sweet potato soup is delicious. ;)

Etouffe Brute?

I have been back from New Orleans for 2 days and I'm still stuffed! Oh holy rice Batman! As in rice in the jambalaya, etouffe, gumbo, and red beans and, d'oh, rice. And then you have the oysters, char grilled please!, beignets, pralines, and more liquor then Dionysus would know what to do with. So yeah, I am still stuffed.

It was an amazing long weekend full of good friends, partyin', food, and a wedding as well. (we cannot forget that). Can I just say that the wedding was amazing. The bride looked beautiful, the groom looked ecstatic, the scenery was gorgeous, I teared up a bit, and we danced the night away celebrating. And really, isn't what it is all bout? Well you know for me the food was a huge draw as well, but first and foremost it was about being with two special people as they promised their lives to each other.

But while I was there I was able to hit up some of the tourist hot spots:

1. Beignets and coffee at Cafe Du Monde

Which was sugary deliciousness and you must do it at least once when visiting New Orleans.

2. Checked out one the many beautiful cemeteries and gave my regards to Voodoo Queen Marie Leveau

Technically Marie Leveau is no longer in her crypt. They worried about overzealous followers stealing her remains so they moved her to a different location.

3. Went to a real voodoo spiritual center

The priestess of the center was, how do I say this.......a little strange. I'm just not very in tune to the voodoo spiritual beliefs so it really didn't make much sense to me.

4. Char grilled oysters at Acme Oyster House.

Oh my bivalve, these were so amazing. Cheesy, buttery, smoky, and yummy. I also had my first etouffe experience here, but it just does not look so pretty on camera.

5. Took a streetcar to the Garden District.

Such beautiful houses in this part of town. The wedding actually happened in a beautiful old mansion in this area as well.

The Garden District is also home to Nacho Mama, which I found just hilarious. If I wasn't so darn full I would have tried this joint so I could just yell out Nacho Mama as many time as I wanted and no one would judge me. Actually they would have judged me, they just would not have said anything, which is close enough.

There is still so much that I would like to check out/eat in New Orleans, but my first time there was an amazing experience. Hope you enjoy the pics and have a great week!

Is Cupcake Wars in My Future?

These cupcakes are actually a bit bittersweet for me. My co-worker Eric, who has been a tremendous friend to me since we met over 2 years ago, is moving away. He was offered a bigger and better job down in FL, and I am so happy for him but also so sad to be losing someone who has been one of my "rocks". Those kind of people are hard to come by, especially in DC, but I know that Gchat will keep us together.

Before he leaves, I promised him one last baked good. I should say that he may have hinted in a very obvious way and I went along with it. But what to bake? Something that I could easily bring to work and share with the "Lunch Bunch" was going to be ideal, so cupcakes immediately came to mind. When I came across this recipe for Chocolate Cardamom Cupcakes I was immediately intrigued. One of our local gelato shops makes cardamom gelato, which is my fav, and I just knew that I had to try to make these cupcakes.

The cardamom flavor is very subtle, but the scent as you bring these towards your mouth is amazing. Unless you don't like cardamom then you would think they smell pretty rank. I would love to try this recipe in a vanilla cupcake, as I think the chocolate is very powerful and is definitely the main character. I wanted a stronger punch of cardamom and I think with a basic vanilla cupcake I would get that. But despite that this was an awesome recipe for a beginner cupcake maker.
I just hope that my co-workers think the same thing!