June 2013 – Loving Food, Fashion, & Life

The Ice Cream Maaannnnn!!!

Posted on June 30, 2013 by LFFL

So the ice cream man comes ding, ding, dinging around the corner a few hours ago and I reverted back to 6 years old again! STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You should have seen me. It was the saddest thing EVER, but I was going to get that ice cream even if my shoes fell off my feet. You know how you have to throw on your shoes at the last second? There’s a rush of adrenaline going to get out the door before he leaves you in the dust.

And it’s been so long since I had ice cream from an ice cream truck, that I guess I didn’t realize prices would have gone up since the 1800’s. I mean, why would I realize pricing applied to ice cream trucks, too? Kids shouldn’t have to suffer!

So, if you have nothing else to do today, listen for ice cream bells (the ones on the street—not in your head), have your running shoes ready, and don’t forget your ‘green backs.’ (For those of you that don’t speak thug—that’s money, dollars, whatever.) Dart out the door and be 6 years old again, if only for a moment. Livin’ life, baby!

Take-Away Life Lesson: The ice cream man doesn’t wait around long for anyone. He doesn’t care. If you’re not out the door within two seconds of those first couple of dings, you’ll probably miss your shot.

It's Cookie Time

Posted on June 29, 2013 by LFFL

Well, these little darlings (or big, technically) came from Whole Foods Market yesterday. I usually walk right past the bakery area, but yesterday I was feeling a little daring. And since I’ve never tried their baked cookies before—I figured, eh, why not?

You just open the clear cases, take a sheet of thin paper they have there and grab your own cookies and other baked goods, put them into a sack or box, and be on your way.

So the first one, front and center, is the Cocoa Chewie Cookie—the only thing I can tell you is it’s full of the chocolatey loveliness that it looks like it is. It lives up to its name. Although its look and size made someone think I had a hamburger pattie on my plate with two cookies. (Apparently, my reputation precedes me.)

Top right is your basic Chocolate Chip Cookie—there was nothing special about it. Just a good chocolate chip cookie.

Aaannnndddd on your far left, folks, we have here what’s called the Vegan Crazy Jeff’s Cookie—yeah, he’s crazy alright whoever he is. I didn’t make it past the first bite on that one.

So, if you have nothing else to do today, try some fresh-baked cookies at your local health food store and see how you like them. Get up and experience different things. It’s better than doing nothing. Live a little! Even if you just live to learn that Crazy Jeff will no longer be a part of your life again.

Take-Away Life Lesson: There’s always some truth in the naming of a food product. Read between the lines.

Out Of Turkey They Say

Posted on June 25, 2013 by LFFL

Turkey Melt sandwich with sliced turkey, Swiss cheese, bacon, and sourdough bread.

Around 4:00pm yesterday, I phone-in a to-go/take-away order from my local hometown diner—“a turkey melt sandwich,” I say. Well, no such luck. They’ve been outta turkey all day! I guess the lunch rush earlier sucked for them since they couldn’t make most of their sandwiches or salads because their turkey was missing.

Well, the no-turkey-thing threw me for a loop. I didn’t have a backup plan and was freaking out—umm, umm, umm. I mean, how hard is it to just order something else? After about 10 ‘umms,’ I hurriedly tell them to just get me a tuna croissant instead. Yeah, they had tuna. Phew.

The guy taking my order asks if I want my ‘usual Monday bread pudding.’ (Man, they know me all too well.) But I clearly tell him ‘NO, not this time—just the sandwich.’ (I’ve no clue why I said NO, but I did.)

When I get to the diner right after 4:00—LOW AND BEHOLD—they get lashings of turkey coming through the back door. Yay! The guy that took my order rushes to the front line to halt the tuna order and they make my turkey melt instead.

I pay, he packs my to-go sack—and WHY does he give me a FREE BREAD PUDDING anyway?!! ROCK ON, DUDE! It was already made and sitting there when I walked in the door, but I thought it was for someone else. They just LOOOVVVE me there!! I go there way too much. Such are the perks of being a ‘regular’ customer—(and I’m really nice to them, too).

When I get to the car, I set everything up dining-table-style before pulling off. I open the box with my turkey melt inside and I’m sooooo disappointed. I hate when it doesn’t look like anything special. I mean, just LOOK AT IT! It wasn’t pimped out even a little like I thought it’d be.

I really could have made that puny sandwich much cheaper at home myself within 30 seconds. BUT—the free bread pudding made up for it. Clearly, I should have stuck with my 2nd option of the tuna croissant—which I happened to order today! See how much better it looks?

Tuna Croissant—tuna salad on a croissant.

So, if you have nothing else to do today, find a favorite diner you love, order up some good food, show your face on a regular, and get to know the workers. Call the servers by name, tell them yours, and tip well. They’re usually more than happy to bend over backwards for you. Always ‘get in good’ with them. You never know what kind of perks will come out of it.

Take-Away Life Lesson: Apparently, some sandwiches you should just make at home yourself.

Chocolate Love In A Furniture Store?!

Posted on June 21, 2013 by LFFL

Who knew I could find bloody good chocolate in a furniture store! We have a really nice, ginormous furniture store here where I live that I absolutely love. So I decided to go ‘window shopping’ briefly for a white, glass dining table.

But when I first opened the door to the store, I could smell chocolate wafting through the store. OOHHH, MY! (You can probably guess where this story is gonna go.) So I look around intently and follow my nose wondering what kind of furniture could possibly smell like chocolate!

AAHHH—THAR SHE BLOWS!!!—just a stone’s throw away from where I was standing. It’s not furniture, it’s actual chocolate! I never knew I’d find chocolate goodness inside a furniture store, but I’m not complaining.

So I decided to trek upstairs first to check out the dining table goods. And, might I say, I found a couple of tables that were totally GORG, totally me! And I was there all of 5-10 minutes when I trekked back downstairs—and there’s that smell again. So, obviously, I check out the chocolate candy store.

And, BOY, did I find me some chocolate-covered marshmallow lovin’ where I least expected it—amongst furniture madness. ‘See’s Candies’ is what it’s called. I’d never heard of it before, but I just HAD to get at least one chocolate something or other. And, BOY, that sucker didn’t even make it out of the parking lot/car park!

So, if you have nothing else to do today, go to the biggest furniture store you can find and order yourself massive amounts of chocolate. And if you don’t smell any tempting flavors as you’re strolling through the store—go ahead and do some furniture ‘window shopping’ and get a wish list going for your future self. It’s always fun to dream!

Take-Away Life Lesson: Apparently chocolate melts fast in your hands in 90 degree weather. Keep a stash of handwipes on standby.

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Does This Mean I'm Official Now?

Posted on June 20, 2013 by LFFL

Ooooooo, look what I got today! I just fancy my business cards! I guess this means I’m official now. I pretty much felt forced to get these after that Whole Foods incident.

The company I bought these from gave me my first set for free. But after I chose the ‘high-class’ thick and glossy paper AND had the nerve to put print on the backside too (as only a high-maintenance-acting chick would do), I ended up paying a nice sum for these anyway.

BUT—heretofore—if somebody asks me if I “have a card” because I’m taking pictures somewhere, I can go “BAM!”

There were several designs I could have had put onto the back of these—and I chose the one that was desperately needed—I mean, the art of tipping has gone kaput.

Sooooooo many people either:

Don’t realize they should be tipping
Don’t have the math skills to tip properly
Are too cheap to tip (there, I said it!)

Either way, I think tipping should be taught by parents within families and within the school systems. No wonder some people are clueless. I was one of those people at one time.

I didn’t learn this at home or in school. Oh, noooooo. I only realized this on my own one day while watching a talk-show on television. I felt AWFUL after watching that show because I had NO IDEA I should have been tipping all those peeps all this time.

So the ‘Tip Chart’ on the back is for those who don’t have a clue and for those not great at math in their heads. And 15% has really gone ‘out of style.’ If your server did their job—move your eyeballs over to the 20% column—especially if you can afford it.

These guys get $2 and $3 per hour and can’t pay their bills or take care of their families if they come to work for tips and no one is leaving a tip. They’d essentially be working for free!

So, if you have nothing else to do today, get yourself some business cards made—just because you can.

Just throw your name on it
What you ‘do’ (Couch Potato, TV Watcher, Doodler, Paper Footballer, Food Eater, etc.)
Your mission in life (to stare out the window)
Your contact info OR, better yet, put “Don’t want to be contacted” on them

You’ll feel important once you get your very own business cards in your hands. Then just pass ’em out all over the place!

Take-Away Life Lesson: Always tip people who are in the service industry and tip them the proper amount.

Is It Strawberry Pie Season?!

Posted on June 17, 2013 by LFFL

Strawberry Pie with whipped cream lovin’.

So, what else is new? My car made its usual ‘pit-stop’ to the local diner where all my favorite eatins are—and look what I discovered! We’re in the midst of Strawberry Pie season at the diner.

I’ve never had the strawberry pie at my local diner before so I decided to try one on the advice of a friend. And weeeeellllll, doggie!! is all I can say. That pie and those strawberries were luschiously good!

Bread Pudding with caramel-flavored whipped cream, caramel, and cinnamon & sugar toppings.

As you can tell, it’s also Bread Pudding Monday. What else is new in that department? You know how I do this. I go in with the intent on getting one……..and I end up getting two. I couldn’t help myself. One for now, one for later is the plan—but the later never happens. So it’s, basically, two for now. Who are we kidding?

Warm it in the microwave, toss the caramel-flavored whipped cream on top of the bread pudding, drizzle the caramel on top of the whipped cream, and get-down with sprinkling that cinnamon-sugar goodness all over everything!

So, if you have nothing else to do today, find yourself a freshly made strawberry pie and enjoy it like nothing else.

Take-Away Life Lesson: There’s nothing wrong with having a strawberry pie/bread pudding combo day. You gotta do what you gotta do.

Spa Love—Not

Posted on June 15, 2013 by LFFL

Oh, what a glorious day it was today! Today was spa day which should translate into a pampering/relaxing of some sort. Or at least it, technically, should have been—or so I thought.

First up, the Eyebrow Wax:

After the 15-minute drive to get there, it took all of 10 minutes to rip ’em off—but ouch, ouch, and OUCH! So much for that ‘pampering’ session.

Next up, Hair:

First off, I had to drive to a totally different location 30 minutes south away from the girl that does my brows. Driving a country mile to this location is what was unpleasant, but once I was there the experience was rather relaxing.

Third up, Nails:

Yep, I had to drive to yet another location for this experience—30 minutes north away from the guy that does my hair.

But no one should be at an in-and-out nail salon almost 2 1/2 hours! Yeah, they were super busy but part of my waiting was due to a lady who had her crying one-month old infant with her while trying to get her nails done. It didn’t work out for anyone involved—the nail technician, the lady, her baby, or me!

The particular person that I love doing my nails just happened to be tending to this woman. Go figure. The lady opted to wait 5 minutes to see if she could get the baby to stop crying. Finally she put him back in his carrier and went back to her nails.

Five minutes into it, the poor baby starts wailing again. (translation: she has to pick him up—with her hands which are where her NAILS ARE!)

So, if you have nothing else to do today, schedule yourself a fabulous spa appointment—one that won’t actually hurt you, cause you to practically drive out-of-town, or has a wailing baby.

Take-Away Life Lesson: See if we can’t convince all our favorite service providers to work for the same business (translation: under one roof).

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