- My first trip to Carmel was delightful. Becca, Christian, and I drove down in the morning and had lunch in Monterey (featuring one of the most cheesy, buttery, delicious french grilled cheese sandwiches I've ever eaten), wandered around on the beach, and then headed down the rest of the way to Carmel, and wandered around on the beach some more. It wasn't the prettiest of days, as you can see (picture below), but it was the perfect day trip.
- I started my new job in Old Navy Production and really enjoy it! My new team is amazing - very organized, really fun, and they've been keeping me extremely busy. I get in around 9 and leave at 6, which would be ideal if it didn't take an hour for me to get to and from work. It's frustrating because it wouldn't be nearly so bad - it would only take 35 minutes - if the buses came on time. There's nothing more annoying than waiting for the transfer bus that was supposed to arrive 10 minutes ago, or getting stuck in the tunnel on the lightrail for half an hour (true story).
Old Navy certainly has its perks though. Today, for example, we got a free lunch catered from Bi-Rite Market (delicious local deli market) because we achieved positive comps last month. And it looks like the positive comp train will be chugging along well into February, so I look forward to more free lunches :)
- I've been triple-booked for holiday parties for the past two weeks, and will continue to be triple-booked until I head home. Everyone wants to show of their first apartment and decided to throw parties on the same nights. It's fun, but it leads to eating and drinking too much, and that doesn't feel so good. I'm looking forward to going home (one week!!!) and chilling out with the family for a while. Plus, I still have room in my dessert stomach for fudge and pretzel cookies...
One of the notable holiday parties was the Bain Holiday Party, which Tim and I attended for our third year in a row. One of his coworkers hosted a catered preparty at their apartment, then we headed over to the Intercontinental Hotel for dancing and mingling. I had a great time - and it was the perfect occasion to wear my Rag and Bone dress! Photos to come.
- Baking. Loads of baking. I baked double-fudge brownies (tweaked Martha's Super Fudgy Brownie recipe to my liking) and Coconut Oatmeal Lace Cookies for a holiday party bake-off with the production team. I didn't win (I thought it was a *cookie* contest, when in fact it was a bake-off. Of course, my delicious but wimpy-looking cookies lost to a marbled cheesecake and kahlua cream pie and gorgeous fruit tart.
Coconut Oatmeal Lace Cookies (perhaps mine weren't quite so pretty)
What else has been happening in the kitchen lately? Trader Joe's and tempeh, mostly. I look at 101 Cookbooks all the time but haven't made anything. Her sugar-coated cranberries look pretty good though - maybe over Christmas at home :)
To explain my title - the girls and i ate out at a restaurant lately called the Tipsy Pig, which was surprisingly pork-light and healthy food. But I've been feeling like more of a true tipsy pig lately, so why not call it like it is...
My brownie recipe (perfectly fudgy, moist, and chocolatey! I used an 8x8 pan and baked for 40 minutes, but I would have preferred a bigger pan - maybe 7x10 or something like that - for less gigantic brownies):
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup Hersheys syrup
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 tablespoon instant coffee
Preheat oven to 350F.
Place butter and chocolate in large bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water. Heat until smooth, stirring occasionally, 2-3 minutes. Remove bowl from pan. In steps, add sugar, eggs, coffee, and flour, mixing to combine after each ingredient. Transfer batter to 8x8 pan lined with greased aluminum foil or parchment paper. Cook 30-45 minutes, until toothpick comes out almost clean. Let cool before frosting.
That's all for now... the eyelids are drooping.
Reading: The Poisonwood Bible, just started today. I finished Middlesex and loved it!
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