Getting My Groove Back

Pilar came over and we did some crafts and watched The Little Rascals.

Watching that movie made me realize how much we grow up as people and how perspectives change. When I was taking the Taoism class, the “ideal” state of mind was the one of a child – simple.

I think as a child I would've eaten this still!

I probably wouldn’t have sat there admiring all the colors, textures, but I definitely would’ve appreciated the taste. Reminded me a bit of a childhood favorite, peaches-n-cream.

For dinner we wanted to go out on my last night. I found this amazing sounding restaurant called Emunah. Let me tell you a little bit about it. It’s a kabbalistic cafe and teabar, “the intention of café emunah is to offer an experience for the senses, & an oasis for the mind, body and soul? a physical journey into your spiritual self.” With things on the menu like Artichoke Expansion, rolls with candied ginger and crisped plantains, Vegetarian Encounter, and Chai Tea Creme Brulee… I got excited to go! We headed out but when we got there we found out that they do respect the Sabbath day so they didn’t open their doors till an hour after sunset. Well not to worry because on the way there we spotted a cozy Italian bakery, so we checked it out.

The Italian bakery

The place was very authentic and they even had live television from Italy. I saw so many almond delights – hello marzipan! They also had colorful pressed paninis with cheeses, sun-dried tomatoes–the works! I even spotted lots of fresh panettones. Not to mention, we were the only ones there who weren’t Italian.

Can't forget the desserts!

A cup of coffee to go along with...

We got some cookies that sparked our curiosity.

My favorite was the one on the top left! That one was so soft with marzipan and dusted with confectioner’s sugar. Delicious.

A real cheesecake!

This was so good and so easy to savour. Rich in texture and subtly sweet.

I had to take a picture of this beautiful torte.

I love the use of crabapples as garnish!

Last night in Florida... until next time!

We came home and since my mom would be alone this coming week I wanted to make things a little easier for her.

So I made an Asian stir-fry

I think Mom was proud of me and I was not use to being photographed while cooking haha! I better get use to it, right?

I also made a ratatouille for her.

I also left some things diced and sliced so she won’t have to worry about food prep. Food prep is such a relaxing and quieting experience for me, but for some it can be a hassle. I think I may start buying pomegranates because I love deseeding them. Well that’s not the only reason hehe!

A Reese's ice cream bar... it barely had any peanut butter!!!

From the ice cream bar selection at gas stations the Strawberry Shortcakes ones are my favorite. What are yours?

Holy moly snack!

I am so glad this idea crossed my mind! I used Sunland’s caramel peanut butter as a dip for the apricot pumpkin Pranabar.

Now that I’m back in Richmond here’s what I’ve been up to…

Trader Joe's with my roommate!

She found some inspiration for a color palette for some jewelry all thanks to these beautiful pearl onions!

Yesterday was a crazy errand running day. I should just call it Crazy Errand Running Day! I was literally running errands from after lunch till around 9 pm. But it was fun though! I love busy days that have you feeling accomplished. After I was done with my errands it was time to meet up with some of my favorite ladies!

Camera shy Pantene Pro-V model?

Taking pictures of each other taking pictures!

My stomach is sore from laughing thanks to them haha.

It was half off sushi night!

Apparently everyone in town and their mother knows about this because we sucked it up for two hours to finally get a table. Atleast we had each other, a bar, and a super cute bartender to keep us company!

Then my opera singing lady showed up. She's going to be the feature of an upcoming recital! Oh and there's our cute bartender!

What's this? A miracle! We finally had a table!

We were finally seated around 12:30 so we had sushi as a midnight snack!

Since it was half off we ordered a bunch of things and shared. I ordered the Garden Balls – shiitake mushrooms, red peppers, green peppers, jalapeños, cilantro and spicy rice in an inari pocket then tempura fried. So good!!!

So now I’m just sorting things out, getting use to the weather (which hasn’t been too bad), and hanging out with friends before my semester starts back up again! I hope you all had a great start to your week yesterday. My dad’s birthday is coming up in two days and I haven’t got a clue as to what I should do! Hmm…

p.s. check out one of the most exciting giveaways I’ve encountered so far!!! Iowa Girl Eats + Amy’s = Amy’s Kitchen Giveaway!