New Orleans Road Trip!

I've finally found my way back home after a fabulous time in New Orleans. I had an absolute blast. Music was everywhere, the food was amazing (more on that later), and it was impossible to walk 2 blocks without finding a place to get a drink. What a fabulous town.

By happy accident, French Quarter Festival was going on while I was down there. That upped the music factor by tenfold and it drew a lot of people. We actually met a ton of great people while we were there. I got a little too much sun, but that just tells you I was having a good time!

Jackson Square was hopping with music and festival goers. It also happens to be across the street from the fabulous Cafe du Monde which serves the infamous beignets. Those little doughnuts covered in powdered sugar are a fantastic treat.

French Quarter Festival had a parade down Bourbon Street. It was a great experience, and it definitely assuaged the part of me that wanted to come back for Mardi Gras. I had a great time, but the huge crowd draw and sheer insanity is probably too much for me. French Quarter Fest, though, was just the right amount of fun and letting loose without being over the top. 

I had to do one super touristy thing while in New Orleans, so we went down to the bayou to visit the alligators. I don't have to worry about gators all the way up in Virginia, so it was a big draw. The gators weren't terribly cooperative on the tour, but we got to see one pretty large gator and we all got to hold a small, young one. Totally worth it. Did you know they're very soft? I didn't.

Overall the trip was a wonderful time. The 18 hour drive was a little bit too much, though. Driving in wasn't bad, because of the excitement, but the trip home dragged. Once we left, we were really ready to be home, but it was a long way to go. If you ever get a chance to go down there, do it. Do it, and eat everything you can, because the food was the best part.

NOLA, Here I Come!

When this post goes up, I will (hopefully) be somewhere in North Carolina, on my way to New Orleans! I am heading down with a very good friend from college for a little vacation. We're going to visit cemeteries, drink ourselves silly, and probably get cursed by an angry fortune teller. Should be a great time!

It'll be a 22 hour drive on the way down, because we're taking the Blue Ridge Parkway. It adds a little time, but the views will be worth every minute of it. We're stopping in lovely Asheville, NC halfway down to spend the night (and eat breakfast at an awesome cafe there).

Not to worry, though, I have a few posts already written that will go up while I am gone. After I come back, aside from being extra tan, I have a few new things coming up, including the first Book Nook suggestion!

See you all after some sun and fun... and cocktails.

Happy Holidays!

With Christmas over and Chanukah winding down, I hope you all had lovely holidays with your families. Hubby and I spent the weekend with his family, which unfortunately involved an 8 hour drive each way. I think I need a vacation from the drive home, but we had such a wonderful time while we were visiting.

Yup, I spent Christmas at a waterpark.

I have many projects to jump back into, so tomorrow I will be right back into it. There are several quilts that are mid-way and there's no time like the present to get them finished up. Hopefully I can get them finished in time to start the new year off with a clean quilting slate. I will also be posting a monogramming update soon!

Winter wonderland!

Thanksgiving Toffee Apple Dip

Hubby, Piper, and I are visiting my parents in NJ for Thanksgiving. My parents are very excited to meet their first "grandpuppy". They are probably going to spoil her rotten.

She's not a big fan of her cone (what a surprise) but she's stuck with it for a little while. She had a cherry eye that was taken care of before we picked her up, and she's got to keep the cone on so she doesn't scratch at her eye.

I was in charge of the snacks this year. I made the usual veggie and cheese platters, which are a huge hit with my family. But I saw a recipe not long ago that I knew I had to make as well. It's a caramel toffee fruit dip I found on Noble Pig. I may have been a bit hasty before when I suggested I knew the only fruit dip you'll ever need because this is pretty amazing. This one is definitely more geared towards apples, whereas the other dip is better suited for an assortment of fruits.

Caramel Toffee Fruit Dip

What You'll Need:
1 8 ounce package of cream cheese, room temp
3/4 cup brown sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 a bag of Heath Bars, broken up into pieces

The Process:
Beat cream cheese, brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg until smooth. Make sure the cream cheese is room temp, or it'll be harder to blend. Stir in Heath Bar bits and serve with some fruit of your choice. Granny Smith apples are what I'm taking to Thanksgiving because the slight tartness goes well with the sweetness of the dip.

Noble Pig's recipe has you use the Heath Toffee Bits which you find in the baking aisle, but somehow my grocery store didn't have any. So instead I picked up the small Heath Bars in the candy aisle. I smooshed the Heath Bars with my rubber mallet, which worked out well (and turned out to be a pretty good stress reliever, too).

I made this dip in less than ten minutes and it almost didn't make it to the party. I cut up one apple to try the dip- and the next thing I knew, the apple was gone and so was a bunch of the dip. Thankfully, I made a little extra. I bought the plastic container of cream cheese instead of the block in foil so I could put it right back into the container after it was made. It fit perfectly back into the container... but only because I had eaten an apple's worth.

I hope you all have a lovely and safe Thanksgiving! Happy travels, if you're traveling, as Hubby, Piper, and I will be. Don't kill yourselves falling into the trap of Black Friday sales tomorrow.