Adventures Abroad & At Home: Part I

Holy Canole! Where does the time go? (Am I too young to be saying things like that?) The last 30 or so days have been jammed packed with good food, friends, and family. I am the sort of person who is a foe to change – a creature of habit if you will. I drive the same way to school every day. I eat the same things for breakfast, and always opt to eat fan faves for lunch and dinner.

The night before my departure to the Emerald Isle, the boyfriend and I made a quick trip for Chinese and to hang out one last time. True to practice, I ordered the same thing one last time, and only ate half the cookie like always. You know, if you eat the whole cookie your fortune won’t come true. Well ladies and gents, it looked like fate was on my side!

I was FORTUNE-ate enough to have the opportunity to visit my dear old friend, Nora in a far off place called Ireland! My first shot to try new things rolled down the skinny airplane walkway, and nestled itself on my fold down tray.

That’s no waffle folks! That was a cookie & it was delicious… (Please excuse my un-manicured thumb!)

Leaving Nuevo Mexico!

Passing Through NJ.

Sunset from over the Pond.

Land Ho!

The flight was a bit scary and the views were stunning…but I did made it over the pond.

Finally made it! Everybody say, “Hello Nora!”

In an effort to keep me up and stave off jet lag, she walked me all over Maynooth and I got to take some of these candid shots!

The countryside was fantastic – rolling green hills and great weather. The city was different, but equally beautiful in comparison! I know everyone says this when traveling, but I genuinely mean it. The people there we incredibly friendly! A couple of times the two of us laughed a little too hard and may or may not have missed our turn, but a kind passerby didn’t hesitate to give us a hand.

Anyways, that’s enough chatter. I present to you…. Dublin, Ireland!

Our First Day in Dublin!

 

The city was charming and we had a great time! The picture above was taken a block or two away from the Kilmainham Gaol. Not only was the guided tour affordable, but it was quite interesting! Although, I must admit that we saw more of the city from behind the glass windows of some of Dublin’s finest restaurant! But that’s another post…

See you at Part II!

The Green Chile Convert

The Green Chile Convert: How a New Mexico Native became a Prodigal Daughter

“Some are born to love chile … others have chile thrust upon them.”

For most of my life, I have been the odd-man out in my family. If you are unfamiliar with New Mexican cuisine, you are about to become very familiar. The good ole Land of Enchantment is the square-ish state smushed between Texas and Arizona, and is decisively forgotten by the rest of the country. It’s like the other 49 states skipped 5^th grade and refused to learn states and capitals. They dropped New Mexico and adopted Puerto Rico. You may think I am kidding, but I have LITERALLY been asked if I needed a passport to leave the STATE.

Now that’s off my chest…

The food in my favorite state revolves around our favorite vegetable fruit (Sorry science – we just don’t see it that way!) Green Chile. Usually the star of any dish, it is often accompanied by the dream team:

Cheese. Beans. Rice.

If you ask any New Mexican, if your green chile isn’t hot, then you are eating a bell pepper. Canned chile is sacrilege, and buying it freshly roasted is the optimal (and only) choice.

That doesn’t leave a lot of room for a girl whose tongue and tummy are linked directly to the Anglo-Saxon side of her. Meanwhile, everyone else in my family, and the state, eat like this…

I have always loved the smell of roasting chile outside of our local grocery store when fall rolls around the corner, but I have never been able to withstand the spicy pepper it comes from. It never logically occurred to me that it is a good thing to put something in your body if you have to double glove your hands to peel it. Even then, a faulty brush of forehead sweat, and you could be sending your eye into a frenzied state of panic.

My first experience really enjoying chile was when I was working a baseball game a few summers back, and all Dion’s was selling was a large pizza slice with Green & Pepperoni. Now I don’t know about you, but running around in the hot sun, makes you hungry. Hungry changes a person. One bite, then two, and suddenly I was on the bandwagon, shouting, “full speed ahead!” I didn’t forget the burn, I embraced it.

That night, I went home and broke the news to my family.

“Mom. Dad. Today, of my own free will, I ordered and ate green chile and enjoyed it.”

You would think I was waiving around a Yale acceptance letter – my mom even put it on the calendar! Being part of a chile loving family will always mean that someone will like chile hotter than you, or they may chuckle when you pour yourself a glass of milk to chase down that green chile stew. But one thing I have learned, is that they’re not laughing at you anymore, they’re laughing with you.

I’ll leave you with this.

An Apple a Day

Hello lovelies!

Today we have passed the two-week mark on my self-appointed February Food Challenge and are commencing the two week countdown. (Which has been highly anticipated since Day 1.) This experience has been harrowing, and inspiring mostly harrowing. The office where I work, looks a lot like this….

Except, I’m a larger mouse with a bigger appetite. And instead of cheese, it’s cheesecake. Mmmm… cheesecake. Not to mention, my blessed coworker is the candy-man. He leaves a distractingly large bag of chocolates on his desk for everyone to share. I’m not sure if you are familiar, but those gleaming colorful wrappers taunt you. Those savvy slogans are especially vicious.

Admittedly, this has been a better experience than I let on. The deliberate absence of sweets, has made me realize how easily chocolates come in and out of my line of vision. And more often than not, they are just in arm’s reach. And holy canole! Mmmm… canoles. I would have eaten every single thing that was in sight.

It was actually eye-opening, because I realized I am a lot like this girl!

Actually, I lied. I’m this kid.

On the bright side, if there is one, is that during this torture challenge, I have been spending more time with people that I adore. Just this weekend, my love and I took my baby cousins to the zoo and to Tingley Beach. By the end of the experience, we were a little disenchanted with gorillas and a bit hungry, but their smiling faces and wet kisses were well worth it. Sure, the four of them (lover included) dined on animal crackers, while I munched on apple slices. But I think that maybe being together, kinda made my apple a little sweeter.

Affection Correction

Today is the fourth of February. Maybe not for me, but for you it is. So, for the sake of argument, it’s the beginning of a new month. As the majority of you are fully aware, the 2^nd month of the year is typically characterized by over-the-top, ooey-gooey, lovey dovey stuff. Well, it has come to my attention that I pretty much celebrate every month of the year with this exact mentality.

At this moment you may be thinking that you’ll just sign off now if I go into details about the exact shape and masculine features of my lover’s nose, which I do adore. But you are just in luck! It’s true, I must confess. I have a love affair with chocolate.

URGENT PSA: Chocolate is the gateway drug to all things sweet, and delicious, and tasty, and oh boy – I am getting out of hand!

Addiction runs in the family. My mom can’t seem to quit the chips & dip, and I’ve got a hankering for something sweet. So basically any potluck is our nirvana. As easy as it would be to toss all the blame on my mother, I do believe in the fair and just. So it must be revealed that my dad has definitely contributed to my… er… problem. Long story short, he took a page out of Lupin’s handbook – “Eat this, you’ll feel better.” Thus chocolate has always been a treat, but it has also been my go to comfort food. Voila! Nature and nurture have come together to thoroughly rock my world and set me on a course for obesity.

Ideally, that is not the path I would like to be on. Which is exactly why I have opted for this change of lifestyle, and why I am documenting it. To jump-start this revolution, I have decided to do something drastic. For the month of love, I have decided to give up, no, trade something that I love to focus on other things that I equally adore.

Good-bye chocolate (sniff)! Hello new world! Somehow that does not feel as good as I thought it would writing it.

Good-bye warm, crumbly cookies. Good-bye bite size brownies, red velvet cake, and cold creamy ice desserts.

But also, Hello family time! Hello to big family dinners, and game nights galore. Hello lover, I’ll visit more. (Rhyme game too strong?) I am looking forward to playing Settlers of Catan (link here if you want a non-food obsession), and laughs all around as we gather in the den to play Reverse Charades. This month – I am going to try to focus on family, and not food. Wish me luck!

 

Good-bye sweets, Ta-ta for now!