2012: The Year Of The Cupcake

Hello Reader,

I know 2012 is so last month, but just one more post and then I am really done with 2012 and promise to move on to 2013...

Hi. My name is Molly, and I am addicted to cupcakes.

I make them. I take pictures of them. I eat a lot of them. If there are seasonal flavors at my favorite bakery, I try one of each. 

So, I have decided that 2012 will go down in history (my history) as The Year Of The Cupcake. 

 

I have received many cards and gifts over the holiday season that are related to cupcakes.

I even made a special trip on my birthday last year to receive a free cupcake from my favorite store, Mind Over Batter.

And now that I take a moment to review all of this, I feel confident in saying that 2012 was indeed The Year Of The Cupcake for me (see previous post CUPCAKES!!!!).

 

Fun (slightly embarrassing) fact: I started writing this post while watching Cupcake Wars at my desk on my lunch break ... and I was uber pumped about the new episode.

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

Embracing Winter in AZ

Hello Reader,

With all this cold weather I am soaking up as much winterness as possible before it is over (it's supposed to be 70 at the end of the week...unfortunately). Here are my favorite four things I can do as long as the temperatures stay in the 60's and below.

 #1: Bust out the rarely used sweater section of my wardrobe. Once upon a time, I had more out here, but now most have returned to Maine or been donated.

#2: Dust off the slow cooker and put it to good use with all those soup/stew/stoup recipes that haven't been used in nearly ten months.

#3: Enjoy hot beverages like hot chocolate and hot coffee without breaking a sweat.

#4: Putting the fireplace to work every single day. Fun fact, the fireplace turns on and off with a light switch. No wood to stack, matches to light, newspaper to crumple, or kindling to toss in. Just flip the switch. I don't think Arizonians know how good they have it sometimes.

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