Maui: Day by Day

I didn't do a post of everything we did while in Maui by day. If you are interested in reading it, you can find a sequence of events here along with a ton of other pictures: http://meganelizabethsturges.blogspot.com/2012/10/picture-overload-maui-edition.html

Mmmmm... Mama's Fish House sounds SO good right now.

L&T

For the first few years at BYU, I lived at IHOP and on campus. Not literally. Technically I was paying rent at the University Villa, but I was rarely there, spending my waking hours at work or on campus. My sleeping hours were also, mostly, on campus...

Since IHOP provides their servers with one meal per shift, I subsisted largely on chicken salads, Country griddle pancakes, omelettes, and stuffed French toast. When I occasioned to stop by at home or had the (rare) day off, I ate apples and bagels.

And when I was on campus: I ate L&T.

L&T is a soup and salad place, but they also have delicious wraps. My favorites: the chicken taco on a tomato wrap, or the Oriental hold the water chestnuts, sub for grapes on a spinach wrap. Every time I ate there it was a horrible time trying to decide which amazing wrap to choose. I had a roommate who solved this easily by eating lunch with me, ordering the opposite of me, and then swapping halves.

Throughout the years, I remained true to L&T, and I rarely ate anywhere else on campus. Even since I've graduated, I find myself craving the delicious wraps, and if I happened to be on campus, buying supplies (or BYU brownies) for the office, or to meet up with a friend, I would take the opportunity to grab me a wrap.

Today, as I approached the well-known zig-zag line, I looked up to see that menu had changed.

I was in a panic. The Oriental was missing. Since it's hot outside, and the Oriental is filled with lettuce, mandarin oranges, cashews, and grapes, it seemed like the perfect choice. Now I was in a pickle. The chicken taco remains on the menu, but there are other things to try, like the Vietnamese Ba Mahn, or a Greek something or other... all interesting choices with intriguing dressings. But still missing the Oriental.

I ordered the Vietnamese Ba Mahn.

I want to be mad at L&T for changing such beloved favorites, but at the same time...This is the closest thing I have tasted to Cheesecake Factory's Vietnamese Tacos, that I have ever seen. And in fact, they give an excellent description (that I'm going to have to go back and copy) of what exactly goes in the wrap. Something to do with pickled carrots, radishes, sweet pork, cilantro, and a sweet chili dressing. The only thing that detracted from the wrap, was the fact that they add -- unnecessarily -- croutons to the whole thing. Now that I have the list of ingredients, I just need to locate steamed bread and BOOM! I've got a delicious Vietnamese taco recipe!

I will definitely be getting this again. As sad as I am to see the Oriental retired, I am super happy for its replacement.

L&T was also known for giving out their amazing rolls with each plate lunch that you got. You had the choice between white or wheat (I always got the wheat) and they would put it in a to go container or on a plate. They've gotten rid of the rolls *sad face*, but, they've also gotten rid of the plates and containers, and opted for butcher-like paper that makes it much easier to transport the wrap. Also, in substitution for the rolls, they wrapped a pineapple spear up with my wrap....which was delicious and was a great replacement for the roll.

Conquering Celery

Remember this post? Remember the numerous Facebook status updates on how vile celery is? Get ready to be amazed!

For the past few weeks, I've been having these...baby cravings for some celery. But every time I've gone to the store, I've turned up my nose and walked right by. First, the price for celery has increased. Second, they were all looked pretty disgusting (i.e. wilted, brown, spotted, rotted, etc.). But today, I stepped into a new grocery store and there they were, freshly sprayed, glistening in the produce aisle.

I took it back to work, washed off three ribs, slathered them in the secret (i.e. key) ingredient and walked down to my desk where I greedily ate all three without flinching, without dry-heaving, and without throwing any of it out! (Except the really, really stringy parts that I couldn't deal with.)

Now, don't get mad. Let's look at the positives: I was craving celery. I ate celery. I liked the celery. There was green onion in the secret ingredient.

Ok, fine. I admit it: IT WAS A GREEN ONION CHEESE BALL! I filled the little crevice of the celery stalk with green onion cheese ball and I do not feel bad about it. It was so good.

Now, it has taken me since September to get to this point. I've bought celery a few times before, and never been able to finish the whole thing and I didn't enjoy the few pieces I did eat. But now things are going to be different.


I sort of can't wait until lunch tomorrow.

Street Taco

On Saturday, despite my delicate health (I've had a head cold for the better part of a week) I let some guy take me to a taco stand located in Sandy. It's about a block or two south of Hooter's, and behind a saloon. Since my companion for the evening was Mexican, and he was the one who discovered the place -- and had been raving about it for almost a month -- I told him that I wanted him to order for me. He seemed nervous, afraid that I wouldn't like what he ordered or that I had a weak stomach and couldn't handle some of the more interesting choices.

He ordered everything in Spanish, so I only caught the few familiar words and made sure I didn't hear things like lengua or cabeza. He ordered one beef taco and one buche. I happily ate both, after loading up the meat and tortilla with an onion and cilantro mix, a few vinegar soaked carrots and experimenting with the different salsas/sauces. And then I wanted to know what I was eating. He didn't want to tell me what the buche was, afraid that I would be too disgusted to continue.

Buche is the stomach. He says, of a cow. The internet says of a pig. Either way, it's stomach.

It tasted delicious.

He asked if I was ready for Round 2, which, I was surprised that we were going on to Round 2 and he seemed disgusted that I should hint at the fact that I would be satisfied with only two of these delicious tacos. He was smart and ordered me the spicy pork and a barbacoa. Again, I played with the sauces and topped them with the onions and cilantro, and yup, they were also delicious.

For the grand finale, he tried to talk me out of one of his favorites. "Most people can't get over the texture," he told me. I promised him that it probably wouldn't bother me. "It's spicy," he said. I told him I liked spicy. I asked him what it was, but he refused to tell me. I reminded him how I didn't turn up my nose at the buche and that he should realize that I just like tasty things. He ordered me one chicharrón taco.

I didn't add any sauces, because he told me that there was plenty of flavor and I didn't need to add any more spice. So I put some cabbage and a little more onions and cilantro and tried it.

I can see why most people would not enjoy the texture. Chewing on slugs does not sound appealing, but if you can get over that aspect then it's delicious. The flavor is really, really good.

Still, he wouldn't tell me what I was eating, so I tried to guess. Eyeballs? No. Brains? No. Other innards? No. He hinted that it might be on the outside and I thought we were talking cows... Udders? No!

Hmmm..... cajones?

No. Those are called something else and are not tasty at all.

Finally, as I finished the taco, he told me: boiled pig skin.

I wanted to be grossed out. I really did. But it was a good taco and I couldn't really bring myself to be too disgusted by it. He explained that at least what I was eating was clean. In order to be able to eat the skin, it had to be boiled for a really, really long time. Then it was cooked again.

He told me that he was impressed that I was so willing to try things, and actually liked it. I summed it up: I like good food.

I recommend this shady little taco stand, where tacos are only $1, and the girl that sells them is really friendly. She told me that I needed to come back when I was actually hungry so that I could try the whole menu. Apparently, five tacos is nothing.

Saturday Dinner

I pulled out everything that I bought last week when I went grocery shopping to take inventory of what had spoiled and what could still be used. Since it was my birth week, I ate out or ate leftovers all week long and didn't touch the stuff that I actually bought. Luckily, nothing is spoiled, yet. Unluckily, it is only a matter of time.

Anyway, tonight's dinner was made trying to use as many of the perishables as possible, without having to go to the store and get more ingredients. That, my friends, is the very definition of Hobo Food.

I couldn't decide if I wanted a baked potato with peppers or some sort of breakfast burrito, so I turned it in to a combination.

I shredded the potato into a pan to make hash browns and decided to add zucchini, cilantro, onion flakes and lime juice and then, on a whim, fresh jalapeno and some white pepper. I made some over-easy eggs and put it on top of the mixture and...

Success!

It was really delicious, if just a little bland. Even with the heat of the jalapeno it needed a little something else, and I'm thinking a fun type of salsa would have been just the trick. Or maybe some extra cilantro. Either way, I think I will make it again.

That is, if I have the same ingredients on hand ever again. Now I just have to clean it all up. Oh, and even though I thought this might be a completely original idea, I just Googled zucchini hash browns and there are several recipes that pop up... So I guess not.

Weekend Update

Friday, Melissa had some friends over and we sat around and talked for a little while, but then they left to attend a concert. Melissa and I were trying to come up with something to do, but both of us were fairly exhausted. We didn't want to be lame by going to bed at 9:00 p.m. on a Friday night, so we read from A Compendium of Kisses. Really, Melissa was sleeping and I was cracking up over my inability to read out loud. Butchering words led to more laughter, which led to Melissa waking up long enough to see tears running down my face and her gasping and me wheezing... and finally we decided that we had enough and it was time for bed.

Saturday I woke up for a RS breakfast. We had French toast, which I sort of have a weakness for. And then I didn't do much until I headed up to South Jordan to meet up with Lauren. We went to an improv comedy show. I like improv, and I respect people who are able to be funny on the spot. That's not an easy thing to do. Provo has Comedy Sports, which is big on BYU/LDS culture and has a very defined theme and set up. It has its own venue. Push My Button is not as organized. They perform in a small coffee shop. They rely a little too much on audience participation, which led to some pretty strange and too elaborate prompts. There were some really funny parts, but for the most part, it wasn't that entertaining. They roped me in to "playing a game for prizes", and I won the Halloween trivia (answering 5 out of the 6 questions quicker than my opponent). Only... they gave the runner up a gift card to Applebees, and the winner got two free tickets to their next show.

...Ok.

Anybody want two free tickets to see Push My Button next month? Let me know.

Utah roads are an absolute mess right now. And on my way home from South Jordan, I had to navigate my way through all the detours and orange barrels. It was confusing and frustrating. They had closed the on-ramp to I-15, so I had to go up and around on a road that wasn't clearly marked as the detour, and I was only guessing where I needed to turn. Luckily, I guessed correctly. When I made it to Utah County, they had closed down the highway to one lane, and all I saw was red brake lights, so I decided to get off at American Fork and go down State Street. Unfortunately, I think I picked the worst exit to get off. There were two detours to take you to 500 East and back to the freeway. Then, because of the Haunted Forest, there were hundreds of cars wherever there weren't orange barrels. I got temporarily lost, guessed my way to State Street, and headed home... of course, that took a bit of time because State Street is down to one lane as well. Sigh.

Sunday we had stake conference. Both Melissa and I dragged ourselves there. The first meeting was fairly unremarkable, except, one of the speakers (the wife of one of the high councilmen that serve in our stake, approximately 45-years old) decided to talk to just the girls; she said that she was sad that the guys seem to get ripped in to every general conference, and that they were all great and wonderful and stuff like that. The girls needed a little constructive criticism; according to her, we need to "be less picky and more submissive". She didn't explain enough to know if that is what she actually meant -- if she actually wanted us to go back 200 years before women had rights and were imprisoned in insane asylums for speaking against their husband's ideals (I'm reading a book on one such case right now) or if she just wanted us to.... what? I don't know.

The usher didn't have a hunchback, or a droopy eyelid.

 

 

 

 

The second session was better in way of speakers, but worse in the fact that there were a whole lot more distractions. The first meeting met in an auditorium. The second in a double chapel with hard folding chairs and an overheated gym. There was an usher who reminded me of Quasimodo from The Hunchback of Notre Dame...he had really crazy, buggy eyes. And he just walked up and down the gym floor, hunting anyone down who wasn't in a seat and making sure we were packed in there like sardines. We had sad next to a bigger guy from our ward, and spaced the chairs perfectly, and along comes Quasi, and he makes us move down, making everyone uncomfortable and then continued to patrol the area so that we were afraid to move again. We did, though, during the intermediate hymn, finding our original places much more comfortable. He was so distracting, though. And every time he walked by, we wanted to punch him.

The speakers were better this time around. I really do like our stake presidency. They are good men. One of them is actually my mom's old seminary teacher from high school! Crazy, right? He's my favorite. And our stake president is Canadian, and really funny. He stands up and tells us how grateful he is to have his "first wife" in the audience. Then, he had to clarify that she is his only wife. He told us about this weird, old many that used to live in his ward boundaries that they used to make fun of. "We all have trials," he said, "some of us are heavy and weird and that's our trial." He then went on to say that this man moved to be close to the temple in Cardston, Canada, and did some 200,000 ordinances before he died in his early 80s. President Hatch talked about how this man, who didn't have a lot of friends and family on his earthly life, was probably heralded in to heaven by the 200,000 souls he did temple work for. The amount of awe and respect in President Hatch's voice was enough to know that he regretted having made fun of this strange individual, who obviously amounted to much more.

President Hatch also talked about the people that go in to talk to him before they get married, or as individuals, and express fears about the future. I guess it isn't surprising that my peers are all worried about what the world has to offer them. They are afraid to have children because the moral standard of the world continues to decline; the economy is never stable; divorce rates continue to rise; etc. etc. etc. He told us, "You have the brightest of futures of anyone on the history of this earth. You have more good and more joy to look forward to. Yes, there will be trials. But, miracles are born out of trails and sacrifice."

The whole time I was listening to his talk, though, I was thinking that I'm not scared to get married. I'm not scared to have children. I am not worried about how I would support a family -- I know that God sustains us. I am scared about the future, though. Because I'm scared of having a future where I am alone. For some reason, a lonely future sounds neither bright or joyful.

After conference, I went home and made pumpkin pies. They turned out delicious. I know, because I had some for breakfast. I'm pretty pleased with the crust, which we all know is one of the hardest things to pull off, and I didn't over or under bake them. Now, I just have to decide if I am going to share, or if I am going to devour them all up myself.

Baby Poop

I was hoping to be writing about a new recipe I just discovered and how awesome and easy it was to make and how delicious it tasted and how I was going to go broke buying avocados in order to eat it....

Unfortunately, I spent the better part of my evening shopping and creating a not so "healthy" dinner, that I literally had to suffer through eating. I guess that's one way to control your portion sizes!

Since it is officially soup season (YAY!) I decided to look up a few new recipes to try. I had an avocado that was on the verge of expiration, and so when I saw "AVOCADO SOUP" I thought that it accomplished both my goals. Little did I realize what I was getting myself in to.

It started out OK. You can't go wrong with sauteed onion, garlic and corn on the cob. It smells delicious and I knew I was in for a treat. But then I opened the box of vegetable stock, and I got a little worried. As I should have been. Once I had followed the direction to blend the simmered soup in the blender, I realized that I had made a terrible mistake.

Ok. So, yes. I deviated from the recipe slightly. I added some collard greens, and just a few pieces of celery (I'm was trying to get rid of the celery I bought -- don't worry, it is in the trash now, and can no longer harm me!). I figured that once it was all blended up, I wouldn't even notice they were in there. And it's supposed to be healthy for you!

The baby poop/food that I had created didn't smell bad, but it certainly did not look appetizing. I didn't know what to do with it. I tasted it. I tried to convince myself that it wasn't as bad as I thought. And then I thought that if I had to eat more than a taste -- if I attempted to eat even a full spoonful -- I would probably throw up. Not to mention, the instructions say that it is meant to be served chilled. So I took to pouring out some portions for Melissa and me, and ended up splattering it everywhere. It seriously looked like a baby had had a huge blowout all over my kitchen! This stuff is a disaster!

But I had spent all that time, money and effort to making this a healthy meal! What to do? Luckily, we have a neighbor who has attended/is currently attending culinary school. I decided to turn over the concoction to him. With just a dash -- Ok, a cup -- of salt, and a bunch of lemon juice, add just a bit of sour cream.... The baby poop was palatable.

I think I made it about halfway through my 1-cup serving.

I guess that is one recipe I will not be recommending. I do, however, recommend you make some contacts with a culinary artist/student. They come in pretty handy.

Ants on a Log

I remember snack time in pre-school. Once I got in trouble for slurping my soup. Once we ate green eggs and ham. I remember eating mostly everything they put in front of me... until this.

Ants on a log.

It's supposed to be more appetizing to kids when you give healthy food a fun name. I took a bite, and I wanted to spit it back out immediately. So while all the other kids devoured their logs and picked off their ants, I ate the ants, licked out the peanut butter and left the celery behind.

I hate celery. I don't like it in anything. It ruins the tastes of salads. It is gross in soups. The only celery I don't really mind, is celery salt. And I'm pretty sure that doesn't count. However, I used to feel the same way about lasagna and avocados. And since I love both of those things now, I every once and a while feel like I need to give celery another chance.

And I always want to spit it out.

It's a good thing celery is cheap. Because I bought a thing of it last night, thinking I needed something green for the day. I washed it carefully, making sure I did not have any traces of dirt. I smelled it (and turned up my nose) and then I decided to try the old ants on a log, and I grabbed the peanut butter.

It took everything in me to not just lick out the peanut butter. I finished almost a whole one of these --->
but I couldn't do it. I just don't like it!

Sorry celery. You nasty.


P.S:
HAHAHA... oh my goodness. You won't believe what I just discovered about celery. I stole the picture from the website and decided to read it after I finished typing this up. It doesn't change how I feel about the vegetable, though.

I hope you had a wonderful weekend!
It is no secret that one of my favorite foods that I often tout is our humble, common friend: Celery. When people tell me they thought it was “just full of water,” it gives me the perfect lead-in to say, “No, no, no!” Celery is high in potassium, a necessary electrolyte which helps with cellular cleansing and fluid levels, and since it is a natural diuretic, helps keep blood pressure normal. It also has Vitamin C. Ha! But you’ve heard about me talk about all that stuff before! You want to know about the Viagra mention!!
Well in my quest to reduce the alarming amount of medications and drugs that proliferate across the Western world, I thought I would take a little stab at the increasingly popular Viagra. It is still a drug, it still has lots of side affects and dangers (possibly affecting vision, causing heart attacks, etc.) and it still compromises our liver- as all medications do.
According to an exhaustive study of purported aphrodisiac foods, celery is the “sexiest” substance on Earth. It has a combination of Vitamin E, magnesium, niacin, potassium and zinc, which are all required for optimum sex. Celery also contains arginine, which is an amino acid that expands blood vessels the way Viagra is supposed to do. And while we are on this topic, I might point out that arginine also  increases blood flow to the um, female genitalia when ladies consume celery, making the female genitalia more responsive. Viagra ‘aint doing that!!
Lastly, celery has an aroma which contains the two steroids called androsterone and adrostenol. Research has shown that when we ingest celery, the subtle odor of these two natural chemicals travels through our bodies and works to attract the opposite sex. Single? Trying to get a date? You might just want to eat a few celery stalks before you head out on the town. And my friends that have been consuming my celery-containing Glowing Green Smoothie- you might just want to offer some to your spouse, girl/boy friend, and see what that does for them!

4 Stalks a day keeps Viagra away!

Of course, celery does relax the muscles that regulate blood pressure, and improves blood flow. This also helps with our beauty needs, like helping to reduce undereye circles which indicate stagnant blood and adrenal exhaustion.

So yes, Viagra is just one more unnecessary drug that we probably can do without in many cases, especially when we have celery!!
Have a great start to your week.
xx Kimberly

Butterbeer Cupcakes

Butterbeer Cupcakes

I have admittedly been super-lax about baking and cooking these days. But every once and a while, I stumble upon some amazing recipes that I want to try, but I'm too lazy to make. Such is the case with the Butterbeer (yes, that's Harry Potter Butterbeer) cupcakes. When I stumbled upon it on pinterest.com, I just passed along the recipe to my friend Megan, and asked her to make me some.

Fortunately for me, she was excited to try them. And happened to have all the ingredients necessary! So today, she came over to my house and made me cupcakes.

As promised, these cupcakes are divine! They are seriously the best cupcakes I have ever tried. And it might have a lot to do with the fact that they are butterscotch flavoured....which I absolutely love. Luckily, Megan took her share away and I shared half of mine with some guys in the ward -- because I know I was tempted to eat them all.

I do not think that it is over the top to think that I will be dreaming of these things tonight!!

Butterbeer Cupcakes - from the Pastry Affair
Adapted from Amy Bites

Yields 18 cupcakes

Butterbeer Cupcakes
2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup dark brown sugar, packed
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon butter flavoring
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup cream soda

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a cupcake tin with baking cups.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract and butter flavoring.

Fold in 1/3 of the flour mixture, then the buttermilk, 1/3 of the flour mixture, cream soda, and then the remaining flour. Folding in these ingredients will prevent over-mixing and will result in a fluffier, less dense cupcake. Fill cupcake liners 3/4 of the way full and bake for 15-18 minutes, or until the cupcakes are golden and spring back when touched. Cool completely before frosting.

Butterscotch Ganache
11 ounces (1 package) butterscotch chips
1 cup heavy cream

In a small saucepan on medium heat, melt the butterscotch chips into the heavy cream, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature before using.

Butterscotch Buttercream
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup butterscotch ganache (recipe above)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon butter flavoring
Pinch of salt
3-3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
Splash of heavy cream (as needed)

In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter until light and fluffy. Mix in the butterscotch ganache, vanilla, butter flavoring, and salt. Beat in the powdered sugar for 2-3 minutes, starting with 3 cups and adding more only if necessary. Add the cream a tablespoon at a time until desired consistency is achieved (I only needed 1 tablespoon).

To Assemble
Pour butterscotch ganache into a plastic squeeze bottle. Stab the tip of the bottle into cupcake and fill each cupcake with butterscotch ganache until it starts to overflow.

Fill a pastry bag with butterscotch buttercream and pipe onto the top of each cupcake. Drizzle on the butterscotch ganache. Lick your fingers clean if you just so happen to get extra butterscotch on them. If you have any leftover butterscotch ganache, it can be used as ice cream topping.

Store in an airtight container at room temperature (that is, if they don't get devoured immediately).

J Dawgs

Photo Copyright - J Dawgs website

I think most people that live in Provo know the name J Dawgs. Students who spend a lot of time on BYU campus have probably eaten there a time or two -- some admittedly eat there more than they should.

I was never one of those students.

I didn't have a typical BYU Freshman year experience in the dorms and dining plus. I heard of J Dawgs, but I think it took me a good two years before I knew where the stand actually was. And once I knew, I still didn't go.

After seven years of living in Provo, I can finally say that I've had a J Dawg. They catered our ward opening social last night.

Their buns are good. Their dawgs are good. And the sauce is good.

I guess I can see why people like them.
I wasn't particularly blown away, or anything.

But then I checked out their website... .their website is sweet.

Pizza Pirates

Last night I worked late, and so I decided to order a pizza that would hopefully arrive around the same time I did. I knew on Friday night, it might be too much to hope, so I happily waited for the estimated 45 minutes to pass, and then started getting annoyed. So I called, and while I was on the phone, I received a text. I waited to hang up with Papa Johns, who brushed me off, rather rudely, "Oh yes, it will be there soon. Ok? Bye."

I checked my message to find the following from an unknown number:

Shelli...you are eating our pizza...yours is sketchy..Hawaiian with green peppers...

It only took me a second to realize that whoever this person was, thought I was enjoying their pizza whilst they were being forced to enjoy mine (it was BBQ chicken with green peppers). So I replied.

Sounds delicious...Only I haven't gotten mine! You pizza pirate! How did you end up with mine?

Yes we did. Weird choice in toppings. :)

Delicious though. I try to have something green in all my meals...even pizza. And I'm starting, so I'm kind of upset that my pizza is where ever you are...and not here!

We texted back and forth until both of us had our pizzas. Mine had been remade and finally delivered. The delivery girl refused to take any sort of responsibility for having delivered my original pizza to the wrong place, even though I told her that the people she delivered to had texted me and told me what happened.

I was upset that I had to wait for over an hour for my pizza. I was upset that they didn't replace the pizza sauce to my breadsticks with another garlic sauce, as I had requested. I was curious as to why they didn't have me sign a slip, like they usually do when you put the pizza on a card. And I was ticked that I had added my tip on before the delivery girl even got there.

I felt bad to the pizza pirates, who texted and said that when they finally received their order, it was cold.

What concerns me most is that I have a pending transaction on my bank account for TWO orders. And when I called to get that cleared up, the manager was sort of an idiot. I don't know if he was listening, but he was like, "Did you get your pizza and your breadsticks?"

Yes. But that isn't the issue. I just don't want to be charged twice!

So, hopefully, only one transaction will go through, and not both of them. And you can bet that I'm probably done with the Provo Papa Johns.

Meet Jeeves, My Chauffeur

A few days ago, Louise (my vehicle) decided she no longer liked her ignition switch. Now, sometimes during the winter, she didn't want to start up and resent the key being jammed into the ignition, and I understood that. It's cold in the winter, and I hate having to wake up, too. But in the middle of the summer? No, thanks, Louise. She already is temperamental about the driver side door -- which sticks and jams and is a general pain in the butt whenever it is over 90 degrees.

Anyway, as I was driving around, delivering cupcakes on Tuesday, Louise decided she had had enough. I couldn't turn the key in order to turn off my car. I left it running while delivering to the last houses, but once I got back to my apartment, I forced the thing to shut off, and couldn't get it to turn back on.

We called James and told him to come over and see if there was anything he could do. He could do something! He managed to turn the car on, not once but THREE times. None of the rest of us were able to accomplish even that much. He promised that he would drive me to work in the morning, or anywhere I needed to go until Louise straightened up and then returned for the evening.

When I went out to start Louise the next morning, I was hoping that she had gotten over her little grudge towards me, but no dice. I called my dad to let him know what was going on. I called my favorite mechanic in the Provo/Orem area: EP Auto, and I called one other mechanic recommended by EP. Of course, Dad can't help me from Ohio, and the mechanics both claimed they were too busy to see my car until middle of next week. So I called Andrew who has a fabulous mechanic. Up in Salt Lake.

As promised, James came over and rescued me. He got my car started so I could get gas, and then started it again at the gas station, and we headed up to see Bill of Rockport Auto in Salt Lake City. Bill recently broke several ribs and had only one operating arm, but he assured me that he could have the problem fixed by the end of the day or early today, and sure enough, he called me this morning to say that it was done.

Not only did he get it done in record time, but he didn't charge me very much, and for that I am very grateful.

While I was without my car, James dropped me off at work and then picked me up. Yesterday, he picked me up from work and drove me to dinner with the FTC. We met at La Jolla Groves. It was... good. But I won't say that it was the best thing I've ever eaten. The atmosphere is really cute (and fancy-ish). And it was fun to see Kati and Meghan...and then watch Kati chase Meghan with her (cute) pregnant belly.

If you ever need a personal driver, I recommend James. He has a pretty decent taste in music. He's very prompt. He will literally take you anywhere you need to go. He does drive like a Californian, so... be warned of that.

For a Thank You and for James' birthday, I took him to Thaifoon. I was super disappointed to find out that they had removed my FAVORITE dish. I didn't love what I got (some pineapple, mango chicken and shrimp dish... it was OK, just not the Mahi Mahi that I wanted). We had free appetizers and enjoyed the coconut shrimp and potstickers. James liked his Mongolian beef. And I liked our spring roll dessert. I got two more stamps in my frequent diner card, but I'm afraid that I won't get the rest... I just don't know. That Mahi Mahi is my favorite. Dear Thaifoon managers, please bring back the Lemoncrusted Mahi Mahi.....

Sigh.

After dinner, James and I walked back to our respective cars. I sat down and put my key in the newly graphite-d ignition switch, and....nothing. NOTHING! Oh no! What did I do? Did I leave a light on? I called James to tell him not to leave the parking lot so that he could come jump me. He turned around, confusing the parking attendants and proved his manhood by being able to put the jumper cables in the right spots and... nothing! EEK!

It took two tries and then.... I remembered. I had done something that I haven't done in seven years. The last time I had this problem, I was living at the University Villa and not one single guy there knew anything about cars.

Louise has this security feature, that if you remove, you are not going to get the car started. No matter what you do -- even if you hot wire her, she's not going to start. I had taken it out and put it in my purse.

Oops.

After I remembered, everything was good to go. Poor James. At least he doesn't have to be my driver... until Louise's next temper tantrum.

Jeeves, aka James

Baked Potato + Vegetables = Delicious

I haven't overhauled my diet completely, but I have been trying to make a more conscious effort to eat more fruits and vegetables everyday instead of other.... garbage. I'm in no way becoming a vegetarian, but I am pretty sold on the idea of doing several vegetarian meals during the week, and limiting meat intake to become more of a side dish instead of a main course. (That is, unless I ever get the idea in my head to make a meal for a man... because I know that men are carnivorous.)

My good friend Kira made a dinner a few months ago that she discovered on Pinterest.com that involved a baked potato, bell peppers, and zucchini. She stir fried the vegetables with olive oil and soy sauce, and it was really delicious. I vowed never to smother my baked potato in cheese and sour cream ever again.

So I had the intention of recreating the meal a few nights ago when I realized that I had used all my bell peppers for my stir fry (that I had made the night before -- which means, yes, I cooked myself a dinner, a real dinner two nights in a row). Anyway, I looked through my fridge and decided to try something a little different.

While my potato was cooking (in the microwave), I put some broccoli on to steam. I cut up the zucchini, a tomato and a jalapeno and threw it in a skillet with olive oil that had dehydrated onions already mixed in. Topping it with salt, pepper and a little bit of garlic... WAH-LAH! It was a culinary masterpiece.

I did put cheese on my potato.... but I don't know that it was entirely necessary.

Vietnamese Tacos

If you want a party for your mouth that instantly makes you want to melt, then you want to eat The Cheesecake Factory's Vietnamese Tacos. When I was first recommended the tacos, the bartender told me that a lot of people don't like the steamed bun because they think the bread is soggy.

I can't get enough of the steamed bun (unless it is hard like it was tonight! *sad face*). The first time I tried it, it just melted in my mouth! The steamed bread makes it super soft and it absorbs the juices in the meat, almost marinating it.

Steamed Asian Buns with Roasted Pork, Marinated Cucumbers, Carrots and Onion with Chiles, Cilantro and Sesame Seeds.

 Aside from the description listed in the menu (above), I have no idea how to begin to make these tacos on my own. But I have to learn! Everything is seriously delicious on its own, but when you take a bite, the flavours blend so perfectly that the taco is absolutely mouthwatering!

Besides the flavour, the Vietnamese Tacos are the perfect dish because they are served on the Small Plates portion of the menu. Which means you get three tacos for $5.95, and it is the perfect portion size! You are plenty full after polishing them off - and don't even think about trying to save one, it's impossible! - but not entirely stuffed.

I obviously do not have a career in food photography, but even with my bad photographing skills, I hope you can see how truly amazing these little babies are! The perfect blend of flavours and textures make this the most appetizing dish I have ever had.

I crave these things, and it's no wonder as soon as you've had a bite. If anyone stumbles upon a recipe, please let me know!

Hobo Diet

My dad is concerned that I "eat like a hobo."

He thinks that a weekly trip to the grocery store might cure this habit I have of not eating at my apartment until I have to, and then emptying the contents of my cupboard and trying to make something remotely edible out of the mix of ingredients.

And then eating it.

There are some things that really go well together. For instance, one time a friend of mine and I got together and emptied the contents of our fridge and came up with a culinary masterpiece: chicken rubbed with lemon juice and crushed red peppers, topped with Swiss cheese and sauteed mushrooms. It turned out delicious.

Cream of chicken soup over rice with vegetables stirred in is not the best thing I've ever eaten, but it's passable.

Cottage cheese and black beans and green peppers = disgusting.

A can of green enchilada sauce, refried beans, wild rice, pepperjack cheese and some sour cream wrapped in a tortilla... well, it's just like eating a frozen burrito. Only, a lot more....runny.

Yeah, so, it all sounds unappetizing. And it definitely does not sound very healthy. But, when it's between that and going to the grocery store, sometimes it is just worth it to mix some things together and see how it works out for you.

This week, I don't have to worry about breakfasts or lunches. With all the food floating around the office: Peruvian fruitcake, bags of pistachios, apples and oranges, crackers and peanuts... I'll still be eating like a hobo. But at least I won't have to buy lunch!

Thankful Post #2

I wasn't going to make this a daily thing, but as I was sitting there eating lunch I thought, I'm so grateful for the Columbian Exchange.

That might seem like a weird thing for most people. But it is not different than a math major doing crazy calculations for fun. Or a psychology major analyzing the people they come in contact with. Or... whatever, the Columbian Exchange is something we discussed in several of my geography classes and it was one of my favorite topics.

In the Church we talk about how Christopher Columbus was inspired and directed by the hand of God in order to "discover" the Americas and therefore set the path whereby the great US of A could be established allowing for the restoration of the gospel. But that was only one of the things that Columbus' contact began.

Before the Columbian Exchange, there were no oranges in Florida, no bananas in Ecuador, no paprika in Hungary, no tomatoes in Italy, no potatoes in Ireland, no coffee in Colombia, no pineapples in Hawaii, no rubber trees in Africa, no cattle in Texas, no donkeys in Mexico, no chili peppers in Thailand and India, no cigarettes in France, and no chocolate in Switzerland.

Can you imagine a world like that?

And since my ancestry comes from the Old World, without the Columbian Exchange, I would be stuck over there eating haggis... or something really nasty, instead of enjoying a delicious tortilla (New World) with black beans (New World) and sweet pork (Old World) smothered in cheese (Old World) and spiciness (Who knows?).

Thank you Columbian Exchange for my sweet pork burrito! And for all of the delicious, creative meals I eat and enjoy!

The Copper Onion & Capitol Theater

Last week I had the opportunity to have a little night on the town with a good friend of mine.

Waiting for the Opera to start.

We left work earlier than we are both used to and headed up to Salt Lake for dinner at The Copper Onion. It had come recommended from a friend of William's, and neither of us had been there. I had taken a glance at the menu before going, but didn't know what half of what was listed on there actually was. We ended up ordering a salad (that, curiously enough, tasted like feet unless you got a bite of red onion, and then tasted actually kind of good) and bone marrow.

Yes, you read that right.

Bone marrow has the density and texture of... a slug.

It didn't taste bad... it just was interesting. And now that I've had it, I can safely say that I probably won't ever eat it again. The real treat, of course, was the entrees. William got the ribs (already off the bone) which was so perfectly tender and moist and absolutely, incredibly delicious. Probably meat heaven on a fork. I got the veal meatballs. And they were also very yummy. I should have gotten pictures of those dishes.

Next we were off to...

Capitol Theatre for La Boheme. It was my first experience at the opera and I enjoyed it quite a bit. I think more now that I've had time to reflect on it. I was too busy trying to take in the whole atmosphere, that I didn't really think about the actual opera until days later. I thought it was interesting that I enjoyed the female voices more than the male. (My preferences are almost always reversed to that.) And I liked the blended voices more than solos. Also, the song about the coat was weird, and pretty pointless. It was fun to see all the different characters that attend the opera. There was a pretty large age range, dress range and appreciation range. I found myself mostly surrounded by thespians, which is always interesting.

I have to thank William again for a pleasant evening. I really liked my first experience at the opera and I definitely hope it is not my last.

Delicious

Thaifoon has long been one of my favorite restaurants in Utah. My first visit was a business dinner when I worked at Novell. I got the Pad Thai, as it is almost always a safe choice, and tried some of the different appetizers and they were all really good. And that's what I have stuck with the few other times I've gone. I really like the atmosphere. It's dark and there is a water wall and cloth napkins... the music left a little something to be desired.

Last night, William and I went up to Thaifoon to celebrate his birthday and I decided to branch out. William ordered the Bankgkok Duck and I had the Mahi Mahi. Our server (who was fantastic) was kind enough to point out that the "crusted" part of the Mahi Mahi meant that it was fried, and I opted out of that. We had edamame for an appetizer.

Best. Dinner. Ever.

Everything was really good, but the Mahi Mahi was particularly delicious. The rice was so good and complimented the fish and I loved the little kick that the citrus-chili sauce had. I think I could eat it everyday.

It was our first experience with duck, which tasted pretty good but was a little too fatty for me. The duck salad was really yummy, though.

Because it was William's birthday, we also got a free dessert, and he chose what I think was probably the best choice on the menu. The Banana Caramel Spring Roll.... it was a perfect blend of flavors and texture. I didn't like the vanilla bean ice cream, but William ate that. And the rest of it was soooooo good. William even ate the mint leaf.

After dinner, I was stuffed. So we walked around Gateway and watched The Switch. I was expecting it to be like Big Daddy - read: funny - but it wasn't at all what I expected. I still haven't decided if I liked it. Though, I can probably say that I won't ever watch it again. The little boy in the movie was super adorable, though.

Overall, a top night. Happy Birthday, William.

Mmmm.... I'm eating the leftover edamame right now, wishing I had saved some Mahi Mahi for today's lunch.

Labor Day Weekend

Labor Day marks the end of summer. School has often started, the nights are beginning to cool down and the pools close. It's depressing, but we celebrate it anyway by getting the day off work...which is totally rad.

I can't really account for the last few Labor Day weekends, though I suspect a few of them have been spent in Boise with my Uncle Allen and his family. Usually I waste the day sleeping, but this weekend was different - it felt longer. I accomplished much.

Saturday I woke up and watched Slumdog Millionaire at the BYU International Cinema. If you haven't seen it: go now. It is sooooo good, and totally worth all the hype that it received. BYU edited the film for us because it is rated R, but it is my understanding that the rating comes from thematic elements and not actual from bad content, language, etc. I recommend it x1000. From what I can tell, even BYU had very little to cut out. Go. See it. I can't believe I've only just now watched it.

Thank you, Facebook! I noticed that Holly was in town, so I made a point to snatch her and take her to the concert with me. It was great to see her!

Kira's dad works for Thanksgiving Point and got us the tickets. This is her adorable son, Owen. Thank you for the fun evening!

After the movie, I decided to take pity upon my poor car and take her to the Car Wash. I vacuumed the inside and scrubbed the outside. I'm afraid to look up how much I actually spent detailing my car, but I do have to admit, it was worth it - she looks so clean. I finished emptying out some of the things that I've been driving around with since my move and then I came home and baked a carrot cake to take up to Holladay for a BBQ with my cousins. That didn't really work out as planned, but I got to say hi to everyone, grab some food and run to Thanksgiving Point to see John Schmidt in concert with Kira and Holly. I've never actually been into Thanksgiving Point, and it is awesome! The stars were out in full force and the gardens are beautiful. I'm looking forward to going back when I have a little more time to explore.

Can I just say, I don't remember 9 a.m. church being so hard to get to...

Today I woke up to the smell of French toast and bacon. My roommates hosted a big breakfast for a lot of their friends. William -- HAPPY BIRTHDAY, WILLIAM -- came to represent the small numbers of my remaining posse. Our house still smells like bacon. After everyone left, I got some things together and headed up to South Jordan for a BBQ at Reuben and Kira's. This is where the real adventures began.

Owen in full agreement of the BBQ.

Reuben decided that we needed a grill for our meat, and that makes sense - it is Labor Day after all, and that typically comes with a BBQ of sorts.

The original plan was to grill up some meat, enjoy some water melon and head to the lake at Daybreak for a little kayaking/sailing. Reuben came home with a $16 grill and got the charcoal lit up. Bryce soon arrived to supervise the whole ordeal.

Of course, under Bryce's supervision, he managed to singe his arm hairs and burn his finger... but we won't judge him. Both Bryce and Reuben are pretty avid campers, and I usually trust them with fire -- if not a grill.

I think that we just didn't let the coals get hot enough before we tried to cook the meat. We were, after all, in a hurry to get to the lake before they closed for our water activities. But the fire kept going out, and the meat was cooking weirdly. In fact, it was more like we were smoking the steaks, hamburger and chicken. The chicken was turning a green, slimy color.... After much debate, we took the meat back inside to cook.

That was only after Reuben dropped the grill on the porch, causing much laughter between Kira and me... It was as if he didn't know there was a screen door. Like when you walk into a door because the glass is so clean...anyway...

We cooked the meat inside to make sure we wouldn't get food poisoning from eating undercooked meat.

One bite, and we were more concerned about getting cancer from the lighter fluid we were eating.

Owen is grossed out by the green, slimy chicken and lighter fluid.

So we gave up on the whole idea, deciding that none of us were quite ready for the grilling championships. I felt like a BBQ was such a grown up thing to be doing on Labor Day and I felt so sophisticated. But I think I love that this happened more. It was definitely entertaining.

The guys went down to the lake for a little sailing. And Kira and I played with this little guy.

And for dinner, we settled for the delicious, American favorite: In-N-Out.

Over all, it was a great weekend. But I'm definitely going to throw out there that we need some grilling lessons before our next BBQ.

Drought

What's up with the places that discriminate against ordering water? I know that it is free (or supposed to be) and that they want to up your bill as much as possible... but what if I'm not a cheapskate? What if I really just want to drink water?

I'm not a pop addict like many people I know. In fact, I almost always prefer an ice cold water to soda, juice, milk or anything else. And I know I'm not the only one. Of course, there are those that just don't want to pay anywhere from $1.50 - $3.00 for a beverage and I really can't blame them for that.

The purpose of this rant, though, is when I go out and order a meal to go and then ask for a water and every restaurant/fast food joint wants to give you the small Styrofoam cup that holds half a cup of water. Do you remember how I ordered the hot sauce? Yeah, that's right. I'll need a little bit more. And they always give me crap and/or charge me when I ask for a bigger glass. If I were dining in, then fine, I can refill when I want. But since I'm LEAVING the establishment, why punish me?

Costa Vida is the worst. The girls get really snippy when you ask for a larger glass. And then they want to charge you. And I think, if I'm being charged, then I should probably get my money's worth and actually drink a pop...but I don't want pop. So now I've just paid more for a water than I would have had if I had just bought a water bottle from somewhere else.

What's worse is when you've gone to a fast food place, and then not only have they just charged you for your giant water, but then they proceed to take half an hour to fill your order. What happened to the word fast? Yeah... I already hate the fact that I can't tell if you are a man or woman and that you charged me for water when all I wanted was a larger cup, but now you are wasting my lunch break.

Thanks.