Nom Noms

Mmmm…I just wanted to share a few recent culinary finds from Cleveland and Pittsburgh.

 

These lovely cupcakes were from a fancy Beachwood Mall stand. There is another cupcakery but this one had more flavors (and a higher price tag). Cindy got the pumpkin cheesecake one with a thin graham cracker crust and I wolfed down the cookies ‘n cream peanut butter storm. We skipped lunch for these.

 

It’s always such a treat to shop at the Strip District but rarely is the process of getting there enjoyable. This time we left at 10am on a Sunday to secure free metered parking and less traffic on 376. The result? Ample shopping time at Lotus Foods, the surrounding farmer’s markets and a stop to get my pho fill. I’m the noodle bowl queen so of course I had to get the huge bowl of pho. I just love that it comes with Thai basil, crisp bean spouts, a lime wedge and jalapenos. The meat you see are thin strips of flank steak and the rich color is the excessive amount of Sriracha sauce I used ;). Somehow, I always get bolder with hot sauce at restaurants. This is my type of weekend lunch. The hubby opted for a tall glass of Vietnamese coffee and for someone who doesn’t even like coffee, I found it delicious. There was a taste of rich chicory, plenty of cream and lots of sugar! However, I won’t be going there often because they are a cash-only place.

A simple Shop N Save visit turned into a smorgasbord purchase. Literally the first item I grabbed was this big English toffee caramel marble cake. It’s definitely yielded some generous servings but it won’t be long before every but of caramel and toffee are licked up!

 

 

N’awlins Adventure!

It’s somewhat of our family’s tradition now to spend Christmas in a much hotter vacation spot than where we live! This Christmas, we opted for New Orleans! Our roadtrip took 2 days across 5 states and absolutely NO TOLLS! Take that, PA roads! With gas rolling in at $1.99 in the southern states, our transportation cost for 4 people was quite reasonable!

I enjoyed the trip and the food, but mainly, I was underwhelmed by N’awlins. The parts right outside the French Quarter were completely run-down and abandoned-looking. True, I saw plenty of other tourists but where they were going when every single shop, museum and attraction was closed, I have no idea! A better time to come here would definitely be Mardi Gras, haha!

Jackson Square at sunset on first day there. Beautiful view of where the action was!

 

Now, this is the most memorable part of New Orleans to me. The first thing I bought after arriving at the French Quarter was to purchase a generous helping of beignets at Cafe Beignet. That night after a classic and hearty cajun dinner, I made sure to order bananas foster caramel beignet fries smothered in a light chocolate sauce. Oh my jibbers, that was heavenly. 

 

St. Louis cemetery at Marie Laveau’s tomb. It’s unmarked but otherwise marked by all sorts of X’s. 

 

Everything was closed on Christmas day so we traipsed to City Park, which was amazing. Spanish moss trees, swamps, cranes, swans–it was filled with all the good Bayou-type flora and fauna! Later that night, we went there again to attend the biggest holiday lights festival in the country! Celebration in the Oaks spanned across the botanical gardens, Storyland and more park grounds!

 

Getting to my favorite destination of the trip…gator catching time! This spot was an hour outside New Orleans, but the trip was well worth it because we got to learn a lot about these swamp chickens! This picture features the gator catchin’ pool. Exciting and exotic; I wasn’t scared at all!Willie Mae’s Scotch House–never have I waited this long with fried chicken. Travel Channel, Food Network and celebrity testimonials made me do it! The chicken was crispy, hot and very well seasoned. I loved it. The corn muffins were buttery, sweet and slightly crispy on the outside. 10/10 would try again :).

 

Adult gators in their shallow pools. We fed them marshmallows!I fell in love with these strange palm trees!