With the hustle and bustle of purchasing gifts, traveling home to Virginia, celebrating Christmas, and mom's birthday, my December chocolate club nearly slipped my mind! Luckily Lexington is home to one of the Cocoa Mill branches so I slipped in to their store front between rain showers and created a custom box for myself.
I've been to the Cocoa Mill numerous times over the years, but my typical purchase is a chocolate covered Oreo or an assortment of bark to take back to friends in New Orleans. This may be the first time I tried their bon bons. While they may not have as broad of a selection as I am used to at Sucre and other chocolatiers I have sampled through my Club, I was pleased with my truffles!
ROW #1
Dark Raspberry
Milk Bailey's Irish Cream
Dark Jack Daniel's
"Bittersweet" (Dark)
Milk Hazelnut
ROW #2
Milk Chocolate
Dark Bailey's Irish Cream
Milk Grand Marnier
Milk Chocolate
Dark Grand Marnier
ROW #3
Dark Hazelnut
Milk Jack Daniel's
Dark Mint
Dark Cappuccino
Dark Hazelnut
Their guide does not offer much fluff when it comes to the names of the truffles. It is all pretty straight forward: each variety is available in both "bittersweet" (dark) and milk. In an effort to be open minded (open palated?) I selected a cappuccino truffle and two orange flavored ones (Grand Marnier). The orange was very orangy... meh... not my favorite. I think I was wise in selecting the dark version of the cappuccino over the milk. The coffee flavor blended in nicely with the darker cocoa. My favorite was the Dark Hazelnut. Yum! All of the truffles had a creamy consistency. I would definitely purchase a box of these again in the future, if not for myself, then to give as a gift :)
It has been years since I was home in time to participate in the Rockbridge Christmas Basket program, but I made a point to be back in Lexington for it last Saturday. Taking place at the Horse Center, essentially hundreds of volunteers come together to pack over 1700 boxes with food and toiletries (purchased with donations) then deliver those boxes throughout the county to needy families. The program has operated for over 60 year, distributing around 35 tons of food and 1200 toys this go round.
Set up around the arena. | Tables with gifts and food set up ready to go.
How it works: there are people who line up with boxes (assembled by middle and high school kids the day before) and are given slips of paper with the recipient's information printed on them. They push these boxes along a line of tables set up where other volunteers on the opposite side of the table place the designated items inside the boxes. Mom & I were assigned to the be the first stop for the box pushers at the canned ham and tuna station. Other items included in the boxes were peanut butter, cereal, soup, pasta, toothpaste, etc. If a family receiving a box had children a gift bag was given to a volunteer who was handed the gift that coordinated with the gender and age of the child.
Stack o' hams
Bright and early! Not as cold as I expected. In years past it has been snowing outside!
The Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, Ruritan Clubs and Rotary Clubs, high school kids and college kids, young and old all come together to make it happen. It feels good to do something worthwhile and helpful, especially during the holiday season and is always nice to see families bring their kids out to volunteer.
Check out the video WDBJ7 recorded. Mom and I are in the back ground behind Ms. Hawkins when she is talking :)
One of the up sides of entering a temporary early retirement is getting to go to the movies during the day when the theater isn't as full and the prices are cheaper! Even better is when your friend's mom has a Groupon to the Prytania and gifts it to y'all to enjoy Mockingjay Part 2! I read all of the Hunger Game books a few years back before the first film debuted but I honestly don't think that I saw Mockingjay Part 1. It didn't seem to matter, it was easy enough to follow along with the final installment of the series.
Sara and I had our pick of seats since the half dozen people at the afternoon screening were spread out. About 30 minutes into the movie we began to hear a clicking noise coming from behind us in the corner near the lobby area. I made the comment that it sounded like a typewriter, but of course that seemed like an odd possibility. The tick tacking went on and on with Sara and I giving each other annoyed side glances every few minutes. When the movie ended we decided to exit through the side door where the noise was coming from and sure enough, there was a man sitting at a folding table with a type writer just going to town! It looked as though he was in fact re-typing an entire book. What the heck? Why? So strange. And rather obnoxious.
The documentary, The Wolfpack, has been in my Netflix queue for a few months now. I had heard bits and pieces of what it is about and Norman Reedus promoted it some on his Instagram when it was released (he is friends with the director, Crystal Moselle) but I just never got around to watching it: I tend to do that, leave things in my queue for months and months while picking other things to watch instead Any way... wow.
The short of it is: six brothers (they have one older sister, Visnu, who has cognitive disabilities) were kept in a 6 room apartment on the 16th floor in the Lower East Side of NYC by their parents and were only allowed outside on very rare occasions. The mother home schooled them and for entertainment, as well as a way to escape their confined reality, the brothers became obsessed with cinema. They would transcribe entire scripts from films such as The Godfather, Pulp Fiction, The Dark Knight, and Reservoir Dogs then create props and costumes to use in reenacting the movies. This was their normal for over fourteen years before one of them, Mukunda, decided to disobey their father and leave their apartment building alone in 2010.
Only 15 at the time, Mukunda wore a mask fashioned after Michael Myers that he had made for reproductions of the Halloween franchise. In the film he says he went into a grocery store, a bank, and a pharmacy before the cops were called due to his unusual masked appearance. Once Mukunda stepped out, the others began to go outside with him (in their "wolfpack") after they confronted their father and told him they were no longer going to live by his rules. On one of their adventures out they met Crystal Moselle, started discussing films with her, and from there began telling their story on camera which turned into this documentary.
My understanding of their situation was that their father, Oscar Angulo, has problems with alcohol as well as some mental conditions (paranoia) and felt that by keeping his family close and shielded from society he was protecting them. The mother, Susanne, does not strike me as a weak woman, but one who was convinced that Oscar's extreme views were necessary. She has since reconnected with her family that she had not seen or spoken to for decades. It appears that the father is essentially ignored by the family now and that while most of the boys still live in the apartment with their parents who remain married, they are taking steps to lead a "normal" life and are pursuing careers in the film industry.
In my typical fashion, I have read a bunch of articles about the family and watched interviews on YouTube. They have a fascinating story to tell and, all things considered, look to have adjusted to life in the limelight rather well. From their Instagram accounts I have gleamed that they are becoming world travelers as they promote the documentary as well as some short films they have made. With Crystal's help they are creating Wolfpack Pictures, a film production company. All of the boys, er, young men, are intelligent and polite with an extreme love for their mother and a true passion for storytelling. I think the world will continue to see unique and awesome things from these guys!
From left to right: Krsna (who goes by Glenn now) 18, Govinda 23 (twin), Narayana 23 (twin), Crystal Moselle (director & friend), Susanne (mom), Mukunda 21, Baghavan 24, and Jagadisa (who goes by Eddie now) 17.
I recommend checking out the documentary as well as their short films: Mirror Heart and Window Feel!
The Arts Council of New Orleans held their second annual Luna Fete event earlier this month. This year there were exhibits in a few places: Lafayette Square and up and down Oretha Castle Haley Blvd.
The Lafayette Square installation was "The Pool" by Jen Lewin. It has been shown over 30 times since its creation in 2012. Essentially it is a circular area of ground covered in hard plastic discs that people can walk on (kids tend to do a lot of jumping) while the lights change colors under your feet. When Sara and I went there was a small group of women doing a yoga class on the circles (it was strange and annoying because the instructor was speaking into a microphone so everyone had to hear "inhale and exhale" over top of the music that was simultaneously playing). There were folks of all ages taking in the colorful scene and lots of kiddies running around having a blast!
Over off of O.C. Haley Blvd. on the Ashe' Power House Theatre was a display more similar to last year's light show. It was produced by OCUBO, a Portuguese artist studio.
According to an information sign displayed by the projected piece on the theatre there were other exhibits along a few block stretch of O.C. Haley Blvd. Sara and I wandered up and down the street seeing a few things of interest, but honestly I was very confused. There was no one telling people what was going on or encouraging viewers to come and participate. I felt very lost and underwhelmed. I appreciate the point of Luna Fete, but, and I can only speak for myself, I would prefer a lot more guidance with the installations.
After five years of being away, I was able to go home for Thanksgiving this year!! Of course this had to do with my recent departure from Sucre, allowing me to be in Virginia the whole week of Thanksgiving and into the week after. Here is the Brogan side of the family. We had a very full cabin this year forcing some spillover onto another table!
As usual, any time I go home there is a lot of running around so the days went by quickly, but it was filled with lots of family time and helping out where I could. Before dining with mom's side of the family for dinner, we did lunch with dad's side in town.
For Sara's birthday we went to NOLA Brewing's Tap Room for some McClure's BBQ and beer! A bunch of her friends joined us as we enjoyed good food, good beverages and good company.
You can create your own flight of four beers from over 20 different options on tap. I went with the following:
NOLA 7th Street Wheat: brewed with fresh Lemon Basil
Summer Returns Saison:blend of NOLA Blonde and NOLA 7th Street Wheat on Saison Yeast
Boil Advisory: blonde with crab boil seasoning
Four Roses Stout:barrel aged in 4 Roses bourbon barrels
I really liked the Boil Advisory one! The seasoning was subtle, but it was there. Flights are a fun way to try a few different flavors without committing to a large glass!
Late last month it finally felt like "the right time" to leave my job. I had worked at Sucre all but two weeks of my five plus years living in New Orleans making my way from Store Associate to Shipping Assistant then to Fulfillment Manager, which title I held for the last four years. It was bittersweet leaving a place that has, at times, consumed my every waking moment, but also allowed me to create numerous lifelong friendships. Always challenging and changing, I really liked doing my job, but I need to make a change and challenge myself in new ways, so I am currently unemployed and focusing on my next move.
In my last few weeks at work I made a little note in my phone of things I would and would not miss...
I Will Miss:
Making lots of colorful spreadsheets
The feeling of accomplishment when an extremely busy holiday rush is complete
Trying all of the yummy culinary experiments in the kitchen
Collaborating, trouble-shooting, and, most importantly, laughing with co-workers
Access to so many sweets all the time!
I Will Not Miss:
The smell of brown butter being made (tastes great, smells terrible)
Powdered sugar making its way on to all articles of black clothing
Waiting in line for the bathroom
Running to the trailer in the rain
Access to so many sweets all the time!
On my last day the Euphrosine crew enjoyed bahn mis from Dong Phuong--my favorite! Lace made me this DELICIOUS caramel apple cheesecake! I had to ask for the recipe because this must be created again.
The lovely ladies of the Confection Studio office brought my eye candy Pinterest board to life with these (sort of creepy) cutouts of some of my preferred men! You have Rachel as Cillian Murphy (with his Peaky Blinders look going on), Melody as Norman Reeds (channeling early seasons of The Walking Dead), Jessica as Joe Manganiello (a la Magic Mike), and Lace embracing the hotness of Taylor Hanson (from his younger, long blonde hair days)! So funny!!
Cleaning up my desk/area was a trip down memory lane. Brie made this sign for me during my second Mardi Gras at Sucre!
Over two weeks since I pulled out of the parking lot for the last time and it still hasn't fully sunk in yet.
Saturday afternoon was the perfect weather for Meghan & James' "I Do BBQ" couples shower. Having worked with Meghan for years now, I am always in awe of how crafty she is! She can sew crazy intricate costumes and outfits, create beautiful sweet treats, and apparently throw a very lovely country themed BBQ!
There was a s'mores bar for folks to roast marshmallows and create their own dessert. Yum!! Also, my lemonade and sweet tea vodka drink in the background: perfectly country!
The only picture I managed to get of the couple opening gifts. Even Meghan's dress fit the theme of the party!!
The mosquitos eventually ran folks inside when the sun went down. They shouldn't have to worry about that during their February ceremony!
I couldn't help but do a repeat this month! I tried Kate Weiser chocolates back in March but a lot of the bon bons arrived melted. Now that the heat has died down a touch in the south, I went online and built my own box of flavors. It is a very cool feature on their website where you can visually see each chocolate and fill a box with your desired flavors. Fun!
No melting this go round!
Another colorful chocolatier who uses splattering and painting along with airbrushing to achieve cool patterns and designs.
ROW #1
Passion Fruit: white chocolate ganache with passion fruit
Sweet Potato: milk chocolate caramel ganache with sweet potato puree and cognac
Salted Caramel: smooth salty caramel in a dark chocolate shell
Mango Habanero: dark chocolate habanero ganache with mango pate de fruit
Orange Butterscotch: dulcey caramel ganache with orange, butterscotch
Apple Sage: green apple pate de fruit with sage infused ganache
Cherry Almond: cherry pate de fruit with dulcey almond praline
ROW #2
Dark Chocolate Caramel: caramel made with 85% dark chocolate
Caramelized Pineapple: dulcey caramel ganache with pineapple puree
Pistachio: pistachio gianduja enrobed in dark chocolate
Hazelnut Latte: dark chocolate coffee ganache with hazelnut praline
Port: dark chocolate ganache infused with port
Banana Dulcey: dulcey blonde chocolate infused with ripe bananas
Ninja Turtle: smooth, buttery caramel with toasted pecans
Red Wine & Berries: dark chocolate cabernet ganache with freeze dried berries
Yuzu: dark chocolate ganache infused with Japanese lime
Almond Caramel: salted caramel combined with homemade almond butter
Key Lime Pie: white chocolate graham cracker ganache with key lime pate de fruit
Pumpkin Spice: white chocolate pumpkin spice ganache
ROW #5
Raspberry: dark chocolate ganache with raspberry pate de fruit
Apple Sage: green apple pate de fruit with sage infused ganache
Orange Butterscotch: dulcey caramel ganache with orange, butterscotch
Lavender Apricot: lavender infused dark chocolate ganache with apricot pate de fruit
Salted Caramel: smooth salty caramel in a dark chocolate shell
Grapefruit Cashew: grapefruit pate de fruit with cashew praline
Strawberry Basil: strawberry pate de fruit with white chocolate ganache and sweet basil
There were a handful of seasonal options that were not available the first time I ordered these lovelies. Apple Sage, being one of the limited editions, was very good: kind of warm and fall tasting. The Pretzel Praline shocked me because it tasted like fingernail polish remover?! Could just be my taste buds but I was not digging it. I was definitely digging the Sweet Potato and the Caramelized Pineapple!
If I ever make it to Dallas I want to swing by her shop! I'll put it on the bucket list :)
*all names/descriptions were copied directly from the guides provided with the collection.
Girl's Weekend 2015 was another successful shopping filled girl fest!
We hit up nearly every Goodwill we passed from Charlottesville to Williamsburg. We consumed quite a bit of sweets. We saw a lady nearly choke on her breakfast before a stranger helped her clear her throat. We discussed jeggings a lot.We were flabbergasted by a girl who walked into a interstate rest stop bathroom bare footed. We tried on a lot of ponchos and bought a few. We planned the Thanksgiving menu. And most importantly, we laughed a lot.
I brought some Kate Weiser chocolate bars that I purchased with my November Chocolate Club. Mom, Judy and Nita poked fun at me the whole time I was taking pictures. They were not appreciating the importance of lighting and placement!
We stopped in a cute little cupcake shop in Richmond. Lots of lemon and peanut butter happening here. Not pictured are the dog treats we bought there as well. Lacie and Lucky are loved :)
Saturday was an unseasonably warm and rainy day but it did not keep us, or anyone else, away from the outlet mall. Umbrellas in hand, we systematically made our way around the stores. There was excellent people watching to be had!
The traditional photo taken by Uncle Dale of the woman with their loot!!
I hate going to Walmart. In Virginia, in Louisiana, anywhere. I hate it. They're usually dirty, the employees are generally not friendly, and I feel like I am supporting a giant corporation that puts on the front of being great (low prices, convenience), but in actuality really sucks (poor benefits for employees, low quality items). Unfortunately I let my desire for those low prices get the best of me the other night when I decided to stop in and grab a few things. I consciously chose not to drive further away from the house to go to Target knowing that opting for Walmart would save me time. Time, the ultimate form of currency.
I had not even gotten out of my car when the regret started sinking in. Perhaps the store I went to is not in the best part of town and therefore the patrons are of a certain caliber. Perhaps my standards for humans are higher than the average demographic of this neighborhood. Perhaps I just don't like people and therefore find being surrounded by them less than pleasant. Whatever the case may be, I saw not one, but two instances of people putting their used shopping cart directly behind the car parked beside them. Meaning they loaded their items into their car then pushed their cart to a location where the owner of the vehicle beside them would now need to move the cart yet again in order to leave the parking lot. I suppose my days at Kroger made me more sensitive to buggy practices. It is rude and lazy to put your cart anywhere other than in a return corral or back inside the store. Rude and lazy. It is plain disrespectful to put your used cart in the way of another vehicle. What the hell is wrong with people?!
Once inside there were employees loitering everywhere. Just hanging out chatting away. Oh, no, don't move when you see my trying to turn down the isle that you are blocking. I'm only trying to buy things from this establishment that pays your check for standing around being in my way. Maybe I was hyper sensitive to every obstacle in the store because I have it in my mind that I don't like being there, or maybe I happened to be shopping during social hour. I don't know.
I attempted to procure the items on my list as quickly as possible and make a speedy exit. While waiting in line (what Walmart have you ever gone into that has an adequate number of checkout lanes open?!) I noticed a tomato sitting in a box of Snickers bars. Like the shopping cart situation, people discard whatever they don't want or need anymore at the closest convenient spot without regard for anyone else. Someone will find that tomato and, depending on how quickly this occurs, will either have to throw it away if it is no longer in a sellable state, or march it back over to the produce section and put it back with the rest of the tomatoes. If you change your mind about an item there are two acceptable options: put it back where you got it (preferable) or give it to the cashier with the simple explanation of "I don't need this". Done.
As I type this up I know that Walmart is not the only place that these annoying things happen. All stores have these problems and more. It isn't the store's fault, it is the human's fault. People are selfish and rarely think about consequences to their actions, no matter how insignificant they may seem. My faith in people was ever so slightly restored when my outing was coming to a conclusion. I had unloaded everything into my car and was walking the shopping cart back to the closest corral when a gentleman heard me behind him, stopped and asked if my cart was a good one? I said yes and he offered to take it on into the store with him. While at the core this was a selfish act: he wanted a cart that didn't have any wiggles or obnoxious noises so he saw an opportunity and seized it, however, he did save me a few extra steps and engaged in a small bit of social interaction.
My goal is to still avoid Walmart as much as possible.
Due to the impending rain, Halloween, well, trick-or-treating, was moved to Friday for all of the local kiddies. This made getting home after a run to Old Navy and Michaels after work very interesting! Lottttts of people out on St. Charles. Any who... I am not one to dress up. I just don't care about it. Some co-workers went for a group theme though, Beanie Babies. They even had Joel participating.
You've got: a teal owl, a zebra, a pink unicorn, a tiger and a flying squirrel!
On real Halloween I avoided the madness of downtown and hung out with Sara as she house and dog sat in Lakeview. She made us some delicious chili and cornbread with a lovely fall beverage made of whiskey, soda, apples, and an apple, ginger simple syrup. Everything was so tasty! That girl can cook! I contributed the makings for s'mores which proved to be yummy but incredible messy!
We watched a few Halloween episodes of Roseanne before switching to The Addams Family which I had never seen. Spooktacular!!
It was a very rainy weekend all around but relaxing!
Almost as a joke I bought tickets earlier this summer to see Hanson at the House of Blues. Sara and her friend Jon had gotten tickets so I thought why not? Little did I know that I would fall in love with them all over again 18 years after I first heard their big hit, "MMMBop"! Their Roots & Rock 'n' Roll tour is a series of two night events playing in ten different cities throughout October.
Outside the House of Blues in the French Quarter | Promotional window | Hanson opening their first night
Me, Jon & Sara!!
The first night Paul McDonald opened for the guys. He was on American Idol a few years back. I don't know any of his songs, but I liked this one that Hanson came out and sang with him and his band. When I looked it up on iTunes (the song is called "Renegades") there was only an acoustic version, but I prefer this more up beat style.
Paul McDonald & the crowd
The first evening Hanson did a bunch of covers of classics such as Billy Joel, Michael Jackson, and Simon & Garfunkel. They threw in a few of their own songs too, "Man from Milwaukee" any Middle of Nowhere fans??
It happened to be Zac's 30th birthday. That is right, the youngest Hanson is 30 years old. Geez! I mean, I knew that they were all older than me, but the last I recall they were all teens/tweens, not married dads! Isaac and Zac have three kids each, while Taylor has procreated the most, with five children, one being 13. I cannot get over that. Taylor Hanson has a teenager. Let that sink in. I guess that's what happens when you get married at 19 and start spitting youngsters out right away!
Zac jumping around on stage | Isaac rocking on his guitar
Taylor at his piano
Zac's cover of The Darkness's "I Believe in a Thing Called Love"
I honestly cannot get over how pretty they are all, particularly Taylor. He was always my favorite, and in the years since I paid attention to them, he has turned into one hell of a gorgeous man. They were always known for their long blond hair as kids, but with age they've darkened into brown haired men. Zac has brought the longer look back (he was rocking a man bun at one point on the stage!), while Isaac has the most mainstream short cut. Taylor's hair, what can I say, it is the most beautiful hair I have ever seen. I'm ridiculous, I know.
The second night a group called Carrick opened for them before they jumped into playing a bunch of their own songs. Hanson have released six albums over the years along with a Christmas album (Snowed In...it is my favorite holiday album ever!). The Tulsa, Oklahoma men run their own label, 3CG (3 Car Garage), and have self-produced their last four albums. They have been together for over 20 years and toured pretty regularly nearly that entire time.
"MMMBop"...of course!! God, I wonder how many times they have sang this song in the last two decades?!
The brothers saying goodnight
And now for some professional videos instead of crappy iPhone ones...
"This Time Around" off of their Underneath album that was released in 2000.
And another off Underneath, "Penny & Me" performed in 2003. This is a fun one called "Give A Little" from their 2010 album, Shout It Out. Zac was sporting a short do here. Taylor and that tambourine...
And another diddy, "Thinking 'Bout Somethin'", off the same album that channels The Blues Brothers.
As you can see, most of their stuff is very poppy and up beat. It is safe to say that I have rejoined the Fansons (fans of Hanson), and I don't care who knows it! They make good music and they are pretty to look at!
