Church in a Bar
29 Nov 2010 1 Comment
in Church, Family Tags: Bar, Church, Element Church, Millvale, Mr. Smalls, unanswered prayer
I was home in Pittsburgh for Thanksgiving this past weekend and had an opportunity to visit a new church in the city – Element Church in Millvale, PA. My brother is a part of the worship team so my husband and I were attending to see him play. I’ve been out of the church scene for a while but I have to say that I was totally at home and at peace during the service. And I have been thinking about it ever since.
Mr. Smalls Theater
Service is held at 10:30am on Sunday mornings and is a contemporary, casual service. It’s actually held in a bar, Mr. Smalls Funhouse, which actually is in an old church building that operates as a recording studio and theater. Its completely raw and rundown on the inside but it really didn’t matter. It was so refreshing to be around something real. And its kindof funny that there is an ATM in the lobby where the bouncer usually stands during shows….
The people were very welcoming and clearly there to just share in the worship time and hear the message – this week about Unanswered Prayers and oddly enough something I really needed to hear. Coffee was offered right before the message, along with some fellowship and mingling. Then there was about a 1/2 hour of worship followed by the message. I was really engrained.
If you are ever in the area, I highly recommend attending. It was a very uplifting experience that I will be “high” off of for a while. God moves in mysterious ways. Sometimes, even through a bar.
PS – My brother rocked it. I am really proud of him and really happy he invited us to be a part of it.
Food Fury
07 Aug 2010 1 Comment
in Food, Rants Tags: cheese balls, discontinued, favorite foods, Mocha, Planter's, Starbucks
Two of my absolute favorite things in this world are Planter’s Cheez Balls and Starbucks Mochas. Not together of course – although that would be one heck of a high… Anyway, I had a love affair with both. And like some relationships, after a long-fabulous-run they disappoint, desert, and leave you with incredibly bad stomach cramps.
Cheez Balls
You see, Planter’s Cheez Balls have been discontinued for years. I haven’t actually tasted the little ball-of-orange wonderfulness since I was a kid. And there has been no substitute since. Many have tried, all have disappointed. Each time I pass the 49 gallon barrel of what are now called “cheesy poofs” in Costco I long for the days of Planter’s Cheez Balls. Oh if I could just have the real thing again – all would be right with the world. If you happen to agree, you must sign the petition to bring them back.
Starbucks Mocha
As for my trusty Starbuck’s Mocha — well — they are still around, they just ain’t as they used to be.
When I say that I had an obsession, I am really understating the significance of my relationship with Starbucks. It was more of an addiction. At one point I was convinced they put crack or cat-nip in the drinks because they were just too enticing. I had somewhat of an issue.
The Starbucks Grande Mocha was my ONE guilty pleasure. I could have been in the pits of despair and one sip from an SBUX mocha would have brought me back. My husband knew. My employees knew. My neighbors knew. If someone had to deliver bad news to me – they would just show up with an SBUX mocha and I would handle it just fine.
Starbucks Mocha Powder
I would buy 2 or 3, sometimes 4 mochas a day. I used to justify it by saying that it was the only way I got my daily dose of milk. I had it down to a science. But that also meant that if the barista happened to be having an off day, well lets just say that this usually nice, cheerful young lady turned into a raging psychopath.
It had to be perfect. For a whopping $4 a pop – it had better be right. And I could tell if you slacked even a little bit. I mean I knew if there was too much espresso, or not enough. I knew if skim milk was used instead of whole. I could even tell how many pumps of chocolate sauce had been used. I am not kidding.
Starbucks Recipe Book
A few months ago I stopped at my local SBUX to get my normal grande Mocha and went back to my office. By the time I got back it had cooled enough for me to take a sip. BLEH. It tasted like someone poured melted plastic right into my drink. It was a new low. I had never tasted the bizarre undertones that I was experiencing so i just assumed that something had gone horribly wrong. I threw the drink away.
The next time I went (about an hour later…) I got the same drink (big surprise). It too tasted like I was drinking melted Tonka Trucks. I was totally appalled. I went home and started to do some Googling. I became convinced that they had changed the recipe in some way. At the time I couldn’t find anything.
After a few more weeks of this nonsense I went back to Google. Low and behold I found a network of people speaking out against the new Frappes. Turns out SBUX changed several recipes. And one just so happened to be the mocha sauce recipe.
Now this is all a thing of the past.
I won’t even enter a Starbucks. And when I pass one on the road – I feel a lot like I feel in Costco with the “cheesy poofs”. It ain’t right. (Oddly enough Starbucks stock price took a nose dive soon after I stopped going. Coincidence? I think not.)
I am pretty sure at one point or another one or both of these items were the root causes for massive junk-food or caffiene crashes although I cannot be positive. Yet I didn’t care. They were satisfying in a sinful kindof way. Now I have neither to enjoy – and have yet to come up with a new vice. I have tried the various drinks, the lattes, the frappes, the chai teas. None can hold a candle to my old SBUX mocha.
Which leads me to the old saying “If it ain’t broke – don’t fix it.” You only piss people off.
Chocolate Cake For Breakfast
01 Aug 2010 Leave a Comment
in Family, People Watching, Rants Tags: adulthood, bologna, business, childhood, flip flops, freeze pop, graduation, ramen noodles
When did you first realize that you were an adult? Was it when you started to get excited about gifts such as kitchen towels and sheets instead of video games and Barbie dolls? Or was it when you first decided to skip that next shot and head to bed instead?
A milestone
We’ve all had those moments. Where we take a pause after we’ve said something profound and think to ourselves “um…where did that come from?” OR when we hear ourselves saying something to a younger generation that sounds an awful lot like something your mother used to say to you not so long ago.
I don’t really remember when that switched flipped for me. I run a $4m+ business with 200 employees and over 2,000 students. I show up to work my 40 hour week in my work-clothes, drink my coffee, and make adult-sounding phone calls all day long. Yet, I still find myself integrating pieces of my younger-self with my older-more-wiser-version of today.
Breakfast of champions.
For example, I still believe with every bone in my body that it’s ok to eat cake for breakfast. There are eggs in it for goodness sake, hello?? And I find myself straining to stay awake to watch the latest episode of Burn Notice when I know that I should be going to bed because I have to be up early…and I could just DVR-it and watch tomorrow…
Summer Must-Haves
I still think it is acceptable to wear flip-flops and eat bologna sandwiches in the summertime instead of adorning grown-up sandals and consuming veggie wraps. And I no longer subscribe to the fact that ramen noodles are just for college kids. Who says grown-ups can’t enjoy cheap, yummy things too? In fact, my mom was eating a freezy push-pop on the way to work the other day now that I think about it…
Maybe we all never really grow-up entirely. Each of us holds onto at least a few pieces of our past lives – some of us more than others. And you know what? That’s probably just fine.
Freeze Pop
It perhaps reminds us of a time when things were easier and not as complicated. It allows us to dip our toes back into the waters of our childhood enjoyments. It keeps us young and our identities visible. And if nothing else, it allows us to secretly smile a little when we step outside of the seriousness of adulthood with all of its rules, responsibilities, and expectations. And who wouldn’t want to do that every once in a while?
My adventures in food.
30 Jul 2010 Leave a Comment
in Food Tags: Bobby Flay, Cooking, ethnic food, Food Network, French Toast, La Isla, Throwdown
I have recently become obsessed with the Food Network. I never considered myself a foodie until I moved out to NJ where the food is a-m-a-z-i-n-g. Between the local restaurants in town and the unbelievable array of food in NYC – I literally could eat until I died. I discover a new kind of food every month….and my waist hates me for it.
La Isla Restaurant in Hoboken, NJ
On the most recent Throwdown with Bobby Flay, Bobby took on the infamous Stuffed French Toast recipe from the Cuban restaurant La Isla in Hoboken, NJ. La Isla’s french toast is stuffed with a guava/strawberry cream cheese filling and dipped in a spiced egg mixture before being coated with crushed almonds and cornflake crumbs. It’s then quickly fried on the stove and put in the oven to bake before being brought to the table to enjoy.
Stuffed French Toast
O.M.G. …is all I can say.
It’s not the easiest thing to make, but it is well worth the trouble and it makes a LOT. I made it a few weeks ago when my family came to visit for the 4th of July and we had leftovers (which can successfully be re-heated in the oven FYI) for the entire weekend.
In addition to my ever-expanding recipe book (and waistline), I’ve made it a point to broaden my horizons and try food from every ethnicity I can think of. To be honest, there hasn’t been a type I’ve not liked yet…and I’m a picky eater according to my husband.
Ethnic Foods
I’ve sampled Vietnamese, Indian, Sushi, Thai, French cuisine, Brazilian, Cuban, Australian food – and more. Each time I try something new it’s an exciting experience.
And I am hungry for more. Got a favorite? I’d be dying to try it – so pass it my way. My palate thanks you.
What Keeps Me Up At Night
27 Jul 2010 2 Comments
in Food Tags: addiction, caffeine, coffee, coffee health, percolator
Coffee – literally and figuratively.
My favorite part of the morning.
It used to be that I could drink and entire pot at any given hour of the day and fall asleep. Well not anymore. I guess I am now O-L-D. Sigh.
The funny thing is that tea used to make me bounce out of my skin but now it has the opposite effect as well. I don’t get it.
So I want to know – is coffee good or bad for you? I keep reading conflicting reports and I really must know the answer to this question. I drink about 8-10 cups a day, maybe more. I take after my grandfather who will down at least a pot if not two in one 24 hour period…and he is 80 years old.
I also want to know what women do when they are preggers. I will not survive without coffee in the AM – so I think I am going to have to switch to decaf to trick my brain into thinking I am still getting my morning joe. But is that going to be enough?
I don’t have an addiction to caffeine –surprisingly enough. I know this because we ran out of coffee about a week or so ago and I had no opportunity to go to the store. So for an entire day I had not one cup. And I am still here. So no, I can’t have an addiction….
I dream of swimming in a sea full of dark roasted beans.
It is true that my kitchen is decorated with a coffee theme, my mother made me a coffee cup quilt, I carry my own coffee thermos to work and back every day just to make sure that I never run out (although sometimes I do right around that annoying 2pm wall), used to frequent Starbucks several times a day (although I won’t anymore but that’s a different blog), know where every coffee shop is within a 150 mile radius of my location at any given time, plan my day around when I can take coffee breaks, have gone through 76 different coffee-making contraptions just to brew the perfect cup, AND take my own coffee percolator with me to vacation….but no…I don’t have an addiction.
Someone please give me the final word on whether or not this stuff will kill me. Wait, maybe I don’t want to know?
Overcome Writer’s Block With Plinky Prompts (via WordPress.com News)
26 Jul 2010 Leave a Comment
A great tool to help you overcome a total brain freeze!
Step 3 Handle
26 Jul 2010 2 Comments
I’m a quilter. At least, I attempt to be a quilter. That’s probably a more accurate statement.
A few years ago my mother gave me a quilting class for my birthday. I have to admit, at first I was a little thrown. I didn’t see the attraction. She had been quilting for some time, creating very beautiful wall hangings, throws, and more. I was unsure as to how I would fit in this world. But – it was a gift, something she was quite excited about, and I was intrigued. So I went.
A few years later, many hundreds of dollars later, several books/patterns/magazines later, I am now obsessed. This art form has become my passion.
Very first bag - the first of many!
I discovered that with quilting, it doesn’t have to be the old-school “Grandmother’s Quilts” that everyone associates with the craft. It is so much more. You can create bags, aprons, placemats, curtains, pot holders, gift baskets, briefcases, jackets, picture frames, pillows, and thats just the beginning. It’s an exciting world.
I started with a simple wall hanging, then moved to a small bag, then to a larger sized quilt. Halfway through the quilt my machine died. So I had to purchase a new, state of the art, Project-Runway-ready model. I was so excited when it arrived. Of course then began the daunting task of learning how to use it.
Upon reading the manual I discovered that there were about a gazillion different accessories and attachments for the machine. I quickly made a large purchase on Amazon.com for several different types of presser feet, embroidery attachments, threads, and needles. I was set. I could have sewn the world a jacket if I had to.
My most recent project was a beach tote, requested by the wife of one of my co-workers. The pattern had you make the front and linings separately, then the handles, then sew the pieces together. Somewhere around instruction #7, I started to see something called a “step 3 handle”. I decided to ignore that piece and finish the rest until I got to the point that I had to complete that piece. So I got the entire rest of the bag together and went back to the stumping-point #7.
I assumed that a “step 3 handle” was a part for the machine that I failed to discover when reading the manual. So I quickly hit up Google to try and deduce what piece of equipment I had to buy to finish this project. After typing “step 3 handle” into Google 49 different ways and coming up dry, my husband asked what I was doing. He could tell that I was extremely frustrated.
I explained the problem to him and being the mechanically-inclined-male that he is, he offered to look at the pattern for me. It took him all of 10 seconds of reading to gently point out that the “step 3 handle” that the pattern was referring to was the HANDLE FOR THE BAG that I had created in step number 3.
Beach Tote for a friend!
I sat in a stupified silence for close to 45 minutes just staring at the pattern.
When I came to, I slinked back to the sewing room and proceeded to finish the bag. All the while wondering exactly HOW I managed to finish college let alone get my MBA.
So that’s one for the quilting-record book. I suspect not many others out there have Googled for “quilting step-3-handles”, but I am sure that fellow quilters have done something similar at one point or another…at least that is what I am going to tell myself.
The Quilt Company, Allison Park, PA
