Gooder

     A tranquility has been with me the last few weeks. It's peaked this past week. I think it's because it's already August. This year has flown by, and at some points it's been painfully dragging. But lately, things feel really good. 

My brunch today! While I write!

Tiramisu latte with sweet cold foam and some rice, bean and cheese burritos in a spinach and herb wrap. And a side of guacamole! It was my first time preparing guacamole, and I blasted it with lime and cilantro. I hope Mr. Chicken likes it. I packed him the same thing for lunch and made him a caramel macchiato to take with him to work.

These burritos are bomb while so easy to make;
The rice is seasoned with Spanish... seasoning? I blasted it with lime and cilantro as well. Black beans. Four cheese blend cheese sprinkle thingies. Some green chili sauce... more cilantro and lime... wrap it, toast it, boom. Mash an avocado, little bit of oil, blast it with lime and cilantro, some onion salt. Boom. I really like cilantro and lime lol. They're game changers. Vietnamese peeps get it.

 

My tiramisu latte;
Vanilla soy milk. Tiramisu, chestnut praline, and chocolate syrups as the base. Espresso, doi. Pull the shots into the mug, fill like halfway-ish with the milk. Ice. The cold foam I made with dairy-free heavy cream and toffeenut syrup. Whip that bad boy and top your drink with it. Then sprinkle finish with unsweetened cocoa powder and espresso powder. Boom. I didn't even think about this, but adding Kahlua to this drink would also be INSANE. 

This is my Animal Crossing Cafe Era, thank you very much. We prioritize coziness and self-care here.

This morning, Mr. Chicken had to go into the office. We've been hard at work here at home remodeling rooms and moving furniture around. Albeit exhausting, it feels fantastic. Coupled with Summer coming to an end soon to welcome in Autumn, I'm over the moon. I've also been motivated to cook more often. I honestly just want to feel gooder. I feel good, but one is always capable of feeling gooder. Personally, that includes some happy home making and remodeling. 

"Gooder" means Pumpkin Spice latte on August 1st. Cynth's cafe and lounge launches Fall stuff early. I said what I said. 

 We also started growing some herbs. They were fine, now they're ... drooping. I can't figure out what their deal is. They kind of exploded, turned white and leggy, and now they're sad? Am trying different things, we'll see how it goes lol.

I've never really been much of a morning person, but lately it's like, nice. It's been quiet, and I've been so inspired to clean more and make yummy things instead of hiding at my desk. Ube pancakes, French toast.

And then I prepared meat pies. And Pumpkin Spice & espresso creme brulee. The meat pies came out just okay. There was nothing wrong with them on paper, I just used a recipe with ingredients I didn't grow up with, and it tasted... sad, lol. If I had followed my gut and used my own palette inklings with the stew, it would've been so much better.

It was an "Aussie meat pie" recipe. It had red wine, worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, beef broth, and like, the least common denominator base spices. When I bit into it I was like umm what. It's supposed to taste better with ketchup? I tried that, it was slightly better, but like... ??? 

It was my first time creating little pies, so my seals weren't great, but it all came out as intended. Just not full of flavor the way I thought it would be? And I will be the first to admit when I mess something up, but those flavor combos suck to what I grew up with lmaoooo. I'm sorry. I felt like I insulted the beef chuck I got by making that stew. But enough about that. 

The creme brulee came out excellent. Used some vanilla extract, pumpkin spice syrup, and espresso powder with the custard and topped it with sugar and pumpkin pie spice powder on top. I wish I had some more festive fruit at hand to top them with, but as you can see, all I had were raspberries. Next time I'll try and have ... I don't even know. Brulee'd persimmons, maybe?

I also want to make some ube creme brulee, but am thinking a caramel apple creme brulee would be dope too. With baked apples on top.

God, what's happened with me. I'll probably take up knitting soon if I'm not careful.

Obligatory Sun Nong Dan photo

The Los Angles County Funeral Director's Association recently had an event. I dragged Mr. Chicken to it because of course I did. Some people from work were going, and these have been fun in the past, sooooo whyyy not :D

CHICKENS!
I don't get to snuggle them like I used to anymore, but graveside doves are so cute. I'm always half anxious - half excited for them when they're released. They're expecting treats when they get to their home base, but also hawks. Hawks want treats, too. So it's like, a really happy ending or a terrible ending. There weren't hawks out that evening, so it was a good time. :D

Mr. Chicken returning to this chapel was heavy for him. He explored as much as he felt comfortable to. Also Star Trek.

The event was held just outside this chapel, so I took advantage of the mirror in the priest room because LOOK AT MY NEW TOTE BAG BY MOURNING PUG.

This chapel is gorgeous but it carries much with it, to put it... lightly. He described one of those weights to me, one that pierces anyone within earshot, that I'm also familiar with. It doesn't leave you. So what do we do with those heavy moments?

I also have colleagues who have gotten married there (of course I do, and of course they did). But, like I said, it's a lot. Beneath this chapel is also the mausoleum. Our own sensitivities carry that heaviness differently, but the reminder that rest and peace is the primary objective hopefully helped Mr. Chicken, if even an ounce, to lighten some of that weight.

He needed a drink.

MOURNING PUG! Melinda is an artist, a fur mom, pet death doula and mortician whose art journey is inspired by death care and her so beloved fur baby Eli, who has departed our world for another 2 years ago. She is an incredible and passionate advocate for love after death, and demonstrates it actively in all that she does. I was so excited to learn that she'd be boothing at this event, finally! Mostly because while these events are great, the booths are moreso for networking, not-so-much buying merch. So the moment we got there we b-lined over to her booth. 

I got a tote bag, a t-shirt, some stickers, and a pin. And it looked like others were happy to support her as well. She was the only one selling stuff! THIS IS WHAT WE NEED AND WANT. MORE MERCH. lol.

Man, if her and Amek_GRAPHICS both had booths, I would've gone feraaall. Ya'll don't understand lol. DEATH CARE ARTIST ALLEY WHERE?!?! I think about making little clay charms of stuff sometimes, but if it actually takes off, I'll stop because managing myself doesn't sound like a good time LOL. Excel sheets stress me out and I have the attention span of a brick. So. BUT. I mean. Support artists. :D

My colleagues also bought stuff from her. Of course they did. OF COURSE WE DID! We love you and were so happy to see you there. 

I would've gotten the teddy bear, but I already have 9 trillion plushies T_T

Was fun overall. Am excited for the next one!

O hai, m'am!

So, the meat pies were inspired by Mrs. Lovett & Sweeney Todd. And these eggies in a basket were inspired by V for Vendetta. They're so simple and yummy. Tons of butter. Mmm.

Earlier this week, I was determined to find Halloween stuff. I did, but much of it wasn't to my liking. I think out of the like, 5 places I went to, one butter dish caught my eye. And it was chipped. When Illidan says "my patience has ended", I felt that.

I even walked over to Bath & Body Works. Their marketing is great with these scents. Except this "Vampire Blood" scent is the most basic scent on the planet. There's nothing complex about it. It's like something you'd find at Claire's for 10 year olds. There's no "aesthetic" in the world that'll have me abandoning values like that.

One would think like, wow... vampire's blood. Oh man. That's, decadent. Regal. Sensual. Commanding. Sultry. Inviting. Maybe some clove, vanilla, sandalwood. Maybe amber, with a cherry or even a citrus for tanginess in the afternotes. No. It's BERRIES. 

Mixology can be anything you want it to be. In scents, beverages, color palettes. The possibilities are endless. But when something named "Vampire's Blood" is berries from Claire's, it's kinda like... how did we get here? 

Or... I'm not the audience. Vampire Diaries vs. Interview with the Vampire. 

To wash away the pain that was the awful result of my Halloween hunt quest, I made myself a Pumpkin Spice latte with ube cold foam.
Today is my Sunday, and I've a full afternoon of cleaning and reorganizing still. But it'll be great once everything is done. At least almost everything was moved to where it should be. Now it's just tidying and putting things in their place. I kinda wanna learn how to knit, lol. 

If you've noticed I'm using soy and dairy alternative stuff, it's not for any reason other than people in my life whose physiological functions demand a discriminating dietary intake. They don't have much of a choice. I will say though, I like vanilla soy milk with drinks. It just tastes better.

PS: These are really good if your stomach doesn't fk with meat.

Anyway, I hope this Thursday flows smoothly for you. I'm going to go snort ice and cry into the a/c unit because I don't want to turn on the central air until I absolutely have to. Maybe fill the tub with ice and take a nap in it. Happy almost weekend! Go drink something yummy ^_^