Meet Mini Oreo

Hello Reader,

Meet Mini Oreo! She is a feral cat that was howling outside our patio one night so we put out food and water and she now returns twice a day for meals. 

 Isn't she sweet?

We think she is a she. Not entirely sure, but she is very ladylike and drives the boys wild when she stops by.

I named her Mini Oreo because there is another feral cat on campus who hangs out around our office that we call Oreo. Mini Oreo was so skinny when we first saw her that I thought mini was appropriate for this black and white beauty. She is still tiny, but has certainly gained some healthy weight since

There is a high population of feral cats out here. On campus, there is a student group who takes care of them. There are food and water bowls hidden all over campus to help the cats survive in the desert. There are also a lot of good people who take the cats to veterinarians to keep them healthy and and ensure they are not increasing the population.

 

We will take Mini Oreo in for a check-up one of these days, once she is comfortable enough around us to pick her up. Until then, we will keep her belly full.

Thanks for reading!

- M

Food Truck Friday!!!

Hello Reader,

As promise, a post about food trucks!! I have decided I really love food truck and street food. The food selection at most trucks is somewhat limited but everything is so delicious and I have never been disappointed!

Every Friday the Phoenix Public Market hosts Food Truck Friday! Local food trucks circle up in the open market at lunchtime to bring the best of Southwest cuisine to the streets. I happened to have some time off today for a doctors appointment and I may have taken the extreme scenic route to work by going into Phoenix and then backtracking to Tempe just so I could get in on the Food Truck Friday action.

I discovered today I could not capture the cozy, festive atmosphere this venue instantly becomes, but you get the idea of it, we're surrounded by food trucks!

People were flocking from all directions on their Friday lunch break since it certainly was a beautiful day for a food truck lunch! (A beautiful, 70 degree, winter day.)

I'm not very good at making decisions when it comes to food, so this food truck environment is hard for me. Everything looks so good and smells so good and the people standing out front are really nice plus each food truck has some sort of gimmick to suck you in - like the mini hamburger cookie you get when you order a regular hamburger that mum and I split when she was visiting.

 Today, I fell for the mason jar. And I will return with my mason jar for a discount on more of that passion fruit lemonade. The quesadilla and Mexican shrimp cocktail is also worth returning for.

Since it was a beautiful, sunny, 70 degree, winter day out here, I thought eating lunch in the park would be absolutely perfect. And it was.

Mid-lunch, a photo journalism class was out with their telephoto lenses which was weird because I am pretty sure they were taking pictures of me since I was the only subject in the direction they were pointing their lenses. Future paparazzi perhaps? Well, I thought it was only fair to take a picture of them.

I also made a new friend during lunch in the park. I named him Benny the Bird. 

I could not have asked for a better Friday!

Thanks for reading!

- Molly

Maine Up!

Hello Reader!

FYI, it is going to be a bit of a journey for this punch line...

I realized I have not told you about my new found love out here in the valley, FOOD TRUCKS. There is something about seeing them all lined up in a row that makes me smile. I'll share more about that later this week!

Today's post was inspired by the status update of one very special food truck, The Maine Lobster Lady. She brings lobster to the lobster deprived out here in the desert.

When I first discovered her truck, I tried the shrimp puffs because I like shrimp much more than lobster (I know, I know, unacceptable for a Mainer) and they were delicious! I also had the Maine blueberry lemonade which was equally delicious - I can't believe I did not take a photo to remember the lemonade by. 

Anyways, The Maine Lobster Lady updated her status the other day while in the valley and told folks out here to "Maine Up!" in this chilly weather. I love it! I may make it my new catch phrase around here. I think this should be preached all across the valley. Throw on an extra layer, wear a hat or boots, discover the magic of long underwear and Maine Up! 

Thanks for reading!

- M

AZ "Deep Freeze"

Hello Reader,

As you may have heard, AZ is experiencing some very unusual temperatures. In my last post, I was complaining a little about the warm weather ... well, ask and you shall receive! The highs have been in the 40's and at night it gets below freezing! This "Deep Freeze" has been the leading story every night on the news for a week.

I've never seen ice on the sidewalks in AZ!

There are two things I find amusing about this "deep freeze" ...

One,  it looks the same outside if the temperature is 46 or 106. It is always sunny, the sky is always blue, and it is as lush with greenery as AZ can get. It is incredibly deceiving.

Two, Arizonians focus on one thing in this cold, their plants. It's not about warming up their cars or making sure their pipes don't freeze, all they talk about are the fact that their plants might die. I have come to realize that plant death due to frigid temperatures is a novelty around here. To prevent this tragic event, people cover their gardens and citrus trees in sheets that do not seem to be the standard, clearly right off the mattress sheets. The sheets are all a crisp white and look as if they were custom made for that particular plant. Below, you can see the entrance to the apartment complex that has two large perfectly tailored, clean, white sheets covering up the flower beds.

I'm going to pretend that all these white patches on green grass all over the valley are snow piles. And I will embrace this "really" cold weather as if it was a true New England winter.

Thanks for reading!

- M

I want a snow day ....

Hello Reader,

I want a snow day. I want to wake up in the morning with the hope of no work because the campus is closed due to inclement weather. And I want to hear the Storm Center music that means that hope could become reality.

But that doesn't happen here...it is always a perfect day.

The sun is shining, the sky is blue, and there is not a cloud for miles.

Now, let me clarify, I am not complaining about the weather - every day is seriously gorgeous - I'm complaining about the lack of variety in the weather. Specifically, the kind that makes it impossible to get out of your front door so you go back to bed and curl up with a good book and a cup of hot chocolate.

I guess what I am really saying is I miss snow/Maine, and I should probably take a day off to read a good book for fun and drink a chocolate beverage that is iced ... it's too warm for hot drinks. Maybe that is what I really want.

As for today, it was 70 degrees - in JANUARY.  Maybe, one day, that will seem normal. But for now, it's too warm and I want a snow day. 

Thanks for reading!

- M

From ME to AZ Photo Project pt. II

Hello Reader,

Here is the second installment of From ME to AZ Photo Project!

I realized as I was finishing this up that I did not include a single picture of food, which I think, for me, is quite impressive. (I'm pretty sure 90% of my posts are about food). So, maybe, over the next year I will strive to do a From ME to AZ Food Photo Project...lobster roll and tacos, blueberries and prickly pear, crab cakes and fry bread, chowda' and chili...clearly this will not be hard for me.

Well, there's no food, but I hope you enjoy the second half of my photo project.

Succulent in AZ & Lily in ME

Pedestrian walkway to the Desert Botanical Gardens & road way to home in ME

Bell Rock in Sedona, AZ & The Bubbles at Jordan Pond in ME

Tree branch over Phoenix & tree branch over Bar Harbor

This one is a bit of a stretch...

What tourists think of when they think of ME or AZ ... OR ... Cliche ME and AZ

Palm in AZ & Pine in ME

View from Cadillac Mountain & Sedona Airport Mesa

Flight to ME and flight to AZ

And, in case you missed it, here is pt. I.

Thanks for reading!

- M

From ME to AZ Photo Project, pt. I

Hello Reader,

As promised, two blog posts in one weekend!

While I was in Maine over winter break, I was asked on several occasions something to the effect of, "Is Arizona different than Maine?"  And my answer is always "Yes" with a slight undertone of "Duh." Typically the conversation will evolve from there to do I think it is better, how is it different, which do I like more, etc. My stock answer is always about how, "..you can't compare the two, they're so different, apples and oranges, really..." But as I continued to think about these proposed questions, it inspired me to complete a mini photo project. I am a very visual person, and I think we live in a visually stimulating world, so this is how I have chosen to best express the stark, aesthetic contrast between Maine and Arizona (hence my hint yesterday with my ASU and UMaine bears, get it?). I took all of these images over the past year while bouncing between the two places I call home. Enjoy part one!

Cobbossee Lake at home in Maine & the no name lake at my apartment complex in Arizona

Cacti at the Desert Botanical Gardens in Phoenix & snow covered rocks at the lake in Maine

Sun flare through the snow covered trees in Maine & over the town of Tempe

I cheated a little on this next one...but visually speaking, I think this pair makes sense. 

Tempe Town Lake in Arizona & Stillwater River in Orono, Maine.

Spiky plant life in Arizona and Maine

And one of my favorite...

Sandstorm in Arizona & snowstorm in Maine, also known as a Haboob and Nor'easter

Thanks for reading!

- M

Gathering Information; It's An Adventure!

Hello Reader,

Relocating from one corner of the country to another is one of the more difficult situations I have ever put myself in. I have had my fair share of freak outs over the past eight months - which is to be expected I think. More recently, I have these little moments (typically on my walk to public transportation to get to work) where I think, "...I live here...huh..." Overall, the transition has not been as rough as I anticipated *knock on wood* ...

I believe I owe this positive perspective to some advice I received as I was embracing the idea of living in Arizona. Simply put, this whole thing is an adventure. I am just gathering information - daily, I have discovered - on my personal preferences about my living environment, my job, my life. I keep these reminder on post-it notes on the bathroom mirror (now counter, since they lost their stickiness) as a daily reminder.

On the more difficult days, I think of them more as my purpose than a reminder. I am here to figure out what I want next, and I need as much information about that as I can possibly soak up! It is a good way to refocus my thinking away from the 3,000 miles that separate me from everything in Maine. I do not regret this move at all. I feel so lucky to be where I am and to have so many incredible opportunities on the horizon. I am beginning to think I received only one job offer for a reason. This is only the start of a wonderful adventure.

Thanks for reading!

- M

CUPCAKES!!!!

Hello Reader,

I thought I would round out this week of blogs with just one more post about food; another dessert to be exact. 

CUPCAKES!!! (I am very proud to say I made these beauties you see below)

One thing I love about this area is the food selection. There's Greek, Italian, lots of Mexican, Chinese, Japanese, Mediterranean, Indian, you name it there is a restaurant here to meet your request. But there are also food places that specialize in one particular food: popcorn, chocolate dipped fruit, ice cream sandwiches, etc. One of my favorites is Mind Over Batter which specializes in cupcakes, cakes, and cake pops. The cupcakes are my favorite!

Below are the first cupcakes we tried there and they were both unbelievably rich! The one on the left was mine, a caramel macchiato - it was like eating the espresso drink. I love sweets, but I could only consume half of this cupcake at once since it was so rich. I see that as a good thing, it was satisfying twice - satisfaction is the whole point of eating, right? The one on the right was a cookies 'n' cream cupcake that was basically a giant Oreo in cupcake form. Again, so good!

 

Below are two specialty cupcakes we picked up for St. Patrick's Day. The one of the left was mint chocolate with a Nabisco wafer for a gold coin and the one on the right was something with pistachios, almonds, and coconut (I think). Very festive and I always love anything combining chocolate and mint.

So all this cupcake eating inspired me to make my own and take on some intense recipes. I had never made cupcakes from scratch but I thought it would be fun to try. While watching Cupcake Wars one day I saw a baker make chocolate stout cupcakes with an Irish cream butter cream frosting. My first thought was how perfect it would be to make those for my boyfriend's birthday ... followed by the thought of how perfect his birthday was as an excuse to make them! In addition to the first pic on this post, you can see them below. I really think this picture deserves to be featured in a food magazine somewhere. Just sayin' ...

Per usual, I packaged some up to send back east by reusing the box from the other cupcakes. I packed them into boxes and wrote "THIS SIDE UP" all over them. According to mum, some illiterate individuals may have handled the box because the cupcakes were not pretty looking when they arrived in Maine - but the taste was there!

Next, I took on dark chocolate cupcakes with a salted caramel filling and a dark chocolate ganache frosting. They were unbelievably rich and wonderful! They are purposefully left at room temperature so the caramel stays ooey-gooey. I made a mini version for an office celebration and they went over very well.  Aren't they cute?

I also made a few regular sized ones for myself. On the one below I drizzled the caramel over the plate and topped it with a sprinkle of sea salt to be fancy. I am very proud to say this was the first time I made caramel and it was a success! (I didn't even have a candy thermometer.) These cupcakes were like eating a chocolate, caramel covered pretzel - delicious!

So that is my journey of cupcakes thus far in the southwest. I plan to continue the journey because it is quite delightful! I still haven't tried the original cupcake store around here, but I plan to eventually. Until then, the one down the road and my kitchen will continue to satisfy my sweet tooth!

Thanks for reading!

- Molly