New Thing #254: Sake it To Me

A fun part of this "new thing" project is trying out new restaurants in New Orleans. That is a lot of "news" in one sentence. I went to Sake Cafe uptown for my friend Katie's bachelorette party and it was delicious! Good sushi and fun drinks, I had a pama-tini with pink sugar on the rim of the glass, how much more fun can you get than that!

New Thing #253: Easy as Pie

I love pumpkin anything so I was excited to find that the pumpkin cake a friend made was not only delicious but ridiculously easy! You can also use it to make cookies or muffins!

1 box spice cake mix

1 can of pumpkin (15 oz)

it's that easy! just top with cream cheese frosting and you'll amaze your friends and neighbors.

New Thing #252: Fun Forward

I don't like email forwards, generally, but I decided to participate in a recipe exchange. Somehow I was supposed to get a lot of recipes back but no one responded. I don't blame them though, maybe they are like me, don't like forwards, and didn't have the incentive to do something new that day :)

New Thing #251: All Things Handmade

Several friends have been raving about Etsy and I could never figure out what it was. Obviously it's a really cool website where you can buy and sell handmade crafts! What a fabulous idea! I even benefited from this website with some delightful Christmas presents given to me by a friend and I plan on shopping there soon!

New Thing #250: Say it. Get it.

My friend Sam introduced me to Tellme. A number you can call and you can ask it anything you want! Well almost anything. You just say "sports" "weather" "travel" "movies" "stock quotes" and more! Just dial 1-800-555-TELL to try it out! I also like their slogan...

New Thing #249: Fa-yeh!

I heard about how wonderful greek yogurt is but I never tried it myself. Erin introduced me to Fage (pronounced Fa-yeh!) and it was so good! Especially with the honey in the little container. The perfect afternoon treat to get me through the work day. I also like that you are supposed to pronounce it with an exclamation point at the end. The Greeks are good at so many things! Ooopa!

New Thing #248: Cupcake Goodness

Before she left Kirsten and I went to New Orleans Cake Cafe for lunch and it was delicious! The only flaw of this place may be that they have too  many excellent menu items to choose from. The bonus (and my personal favorite part) a cupcake for a buck with your lunch! Can't beat that!

roasted turkey sandwich accompanied by the delightful red velvet cupcake!

New Thing #247: Retail Me Retail Me Not

My friend Erin sent me this link to RetailMeNot.com. You type in a store or website and it brings up coupons and codes. I have found many websites like this, but this one is actually organized and gives you legitimate coupons. I even used some for Christmas online shopping!

New Thing #246: The Restaurant Not The Band

My friend Joann and I went with Caitlin to Nirvana, and Indian restaurant in New Orleans. My first time to this restaurant and my first time eating Indian food in a restaurant! I highly recommend the lunch buffet, it was delicious!

New Thing #245: 5 Cents Please

Someone else who did this "new thing everyday" thing made a swear jar. I don't really have a problem with that, however I do have a big problem with being negative about myself. So I made a negative jar. Each time I say something negative about myself I have to put in a nickel. It was going to be a dollar but then I would be very poor. I'm not quite sure what I will do with the money yet, hmm...

New Thing #244: Christmas Came Early

Usually I am very strict about Christmas. I will explain. I love Thanksgiving so much, and it stresses me out how Christmas decorations in stores pop up in September. So I usually am very strict about not listening to Christmas music, which I love, until after Thanksgiving. I don't know if it was being home with family and friends or being alone in the airport on a Sunday night, but for the first time I listened to Christmas music before Thanksgiving. I'm glad I didn't wait to listen to my new Sara Groves CD, it's fantastic!

New Thing #243: Brownies and Board Games

On my surprise visit home I was able to enjoy time with my two bests. On a whim, and not wanting to go out, I purchased my first board game, Apples to Apples, we all stayed in, ate brownies and ice cream, and had the best time. Can't wait to do it again!

ern, brownie, and sprout

brownie and board game

wholesome fun

New Thing #242: Surprise!

I think that this is the biggest surprise I have ever pulled off. Last minute, I found a great deal on a flight, I purchased the ticket to come home for my mom's birthday weekend. I was going to wait to tell Joe but I needed his help picking me up. I flew in Friday, on her birthday, he picked me up and we headed to my parent's house. Knocking on the door, signs in tow, late that night I hear my dad "don't open the door"...my mom "they have signs"...my dad "don't open the door"...my mom "it's a couple"...my dad "don't open the door." It was hilarious. She was really really excited and it was a great weekend of relaxation and enjoying Fall!

four futrells reunited again

New Thing #241: Draw Two

As part of Kirsten's going away week, Mary and I accompanied her to Liuzza's, a Mid-City landmark in New Orleans which opened in 1947. Family owned and operated with some of the best Louisiana/Cajun food around!

signature 18 oz frosted mugs w/ abita amber

another new thing...fried pickles!

New Thing #240: HOPE

I am proud, that my new thing is living in a country with an African-American President-Elect.

I found this on a friends facebook page, and I think it sums up the greatness of this day:

"In 1787 the three-fifths compromise was struck and written into the US Constitution. In 1865 a civil war of which slavery was the key issue ended costing over one million lives. In 1968 a man with a dream was assassinated attempting to end segregation and the nation rioted. In 2008, a man was elected president of a country that was founded on the premise that he should count as three-fifths of a whole man, that fought a war attempting to keep him enslaved, and that burned and rioted when he was allowed into the same schools and given the same vote. Today is a symbolic day; a day that demonstrates great sins can be overcome; a day that should provide us all with great hope, regardless of our interests and policy views. May Christ's church raise up to make a statement just as symbolic and even more profound! It is time for the Christ's church in America to end its hypocrisy and seek God's glory among all nations and peoples."

New Thing #239: Yes We Can

For the first time on November 4, 2009 I voted in person in a voting booth for the President of the United States. This was a big deal to me, not only was I more excited than ever before to cast my vote in this election, but I enjoyed the excitement of casting my vote in person. I did however break the law by a) wearing paraphernalia with a candidate on it into the polling place and b) taking pictures seen below. No one stopped me...explanation, this is Louisiana. I was disappointed not to have an "I voted" sticker, but my excitement was enough for me!

ready to cast

 

its official!

New Thing #238: Practicing What I Preach

It angers me when people don't exercise their right to vote. I have always gone to the polls, or mailed in my ballot in some cases during in election, but I must admit I wasn't being the citizen that I should. I would only vote for the main stream items on the ballot. I will explain, I would vote for president, senator, congressmen, etc. but I would skim over amendments or propositions and not vote because I wasn't "prepared." This time it was different...I became a prepared voter. I researched amendments, school board candidates, judges and the like, so on November 4 I wouldn't leave any spots unaccounted for on my ballot.

New Thing #237: 50% Warrior 50% Lover

I took my cousin to see Beverly Hills Chihuahua, don't laugh it was a cute movie! I love animals and it was entertaining. Ridiculous at times, but entertaining. Don't judge, it was fun to watch!

New Thing #236: All Things Pumpkin

In lieu of Fall not existing in its true form in New Orleans I decided to host a pumpkin party. I must say the spread was amazing! Pumpkin breads, cupcakes, muffins, dip, poundcake, cookies. You name it, it had pumpkin in it, it was there...except for pumpkin pie, I think people wanted to be original. It was a fun night celebrating Fall with food and friends!

roasted pumpkin with chicken and delicious vegetables. I need to get the recipe!

food and friends

pumpkin ale and gourds

New Thing #235: Specialty Halloween

My Aunt and Uncle were out of town, so Grace and I stayed in for Halloween, ordered pizza, and watched a movie. Friday night is always pizza night at our house, two cheese pizzas, extra cheese. Well, I decided to branch out in honor of Halloween and order a Papa Johns specialty pizza, I know I live on the edge. I enjoyed Oceans 13 with a BBQ Chicken and Bacon pizza, hold the bacon, add pineapple. Yummy!

New Thing #234: End Arm Jiggle

Just admit it. This title makes you laugh, or cringe, or both. So yes, the new thing for this day was another yoga pose, the dolphin pose. By posing like a dolphin you too can have toned biceps, triceps, and shoulders! Here are the instructions because I know you are dying to try it. 

picture courtesy of health magazine of course

New Thing #233: Simple Decision

I love magazines. I love the pictures and the articles. I love that you can scan through or take your time and enjoy. I have been given subscriptions, Seventeen :) in high school of course, and now Health, but I decided to purchase my first magazine subscription. I must admit, at first I thought it was going to be Glamour, because that is my stress reliever magazine, but I decided it should be something fun (besides all those academic journals I get) but purposeful (maybe Glamour doesn't fall in that category. I decided on Real Simple. It is a fabulous magazines with stories, life tips, recipes, and great decorating, organizing and project ideas. I'm excited to get my first one in the mail!

New Thing #232: Celebrity Collage by MyHeritage

I found this idea on my friend Jennifer's blog. You too can go to www.myheritage.com to find out you celebrity look-alikes. While this may boost the self-esteem for some, it made me realize that I look like male celebrities I've never even heard of...and Cindy Crawford? Seriously!

MyHeritage: Celebrity Collage - Genealogies - Free family tree

New Thing #231: You're Evited

I finally decided to join the internet world of invitations and use evite. It's a really handy website that actually has party tips, I didn't use those but I hear they are great. I must admit it was harder than I thought, meaning I didn't input people's email addresses right, user error. All in all a success! Albeit most New Orleanians or New Orleans transplants don't reply "yes" until the day before :)

New Thing #230: Picnic in the Park

Ever since I moved here I wanted to have a picnic in Audubon park. It is one of my favorite places in the city and I love spending time there. Beautiful weather and Joe being in town for his birthday brought the perfect opportunity. Several of our friends got together an had a picnic after church on Sunday. The weather was amazing, all of us in shorts at the end of October, the reason most of us live in New Orleans :) It was a fun time of fellowship and just enjoying this great city we live in. I want to have picnics here more often!

New Thing #229: Dawg Food

Joe and I made our first trip to Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge. I must admit I was scared to enter the enemy territory, but I must say, aside from a few "Tiger Bait" screams in our face, everyone was very enjoyable. We were even sitting in the LSU section and the people around us were welcoming. When we left, people even congratulated us. Thank you LSU for an enjoyable time! I was sad I didn't get to see Mike the Tiger but we are going back soon so I will make a visit!

tiger stadium, baton rouge, la

we won!

joe was very happy

New Thing #228: Ratatouille!

I have an unexplainable love for Paris and French culture so of course I love French restaurants! Joe came into town and we went to Le Crepe Nanou a lovely restaurant that a dear couple in our church gave us a gift certificate to celebrate his birthday. It was perfect with excellent wine, delicious food, and a sweet atmosphere. Along with loving Paris, I love Pixar, so of course I loved Ratatouille the movie, even though I had never tried the actual dish. So for the first time I had ratatouille and the delicious crepe nanou (signature dessert of the restaurant) with a crepe, vanilla, chocolate, and coffee ice cream, whipped cream, chocolate sauce, and almonds. Oh my!

I'm not so good with food pictures (hence no picture of ratatouille or the crepe) 

but this one turned out quite nice!

the quaint le crepe nanou

New Thing #227: Oh The Places You'll Go

My friend Caitlin (who is getting ready to leave for Ethiopia for the Peace Corps!) had this great Cracker Barrel map on her wall. No, not for the purpose of locating all of the Cracker Barrels, but for tracking her journeys across the US. Her dark lines span from east to west and north to south. Last year on a road trip she picked one up for me and it took me this long to fill it out. So I finally did! I tracked my travels on a Cracker Barrel Map. My lines are more concentrated in the southeast and up the east coast. It was a good reminder for me to take that cross-country road trip I've always dreamed of!

New Thing #226: Olive Oil Gone Wrong

Health magazine is again the culprit for this new thing. They had an article on alternative uses for food, i.e. as beauty projects. Most seem really interesting, a strawberry face-mask, pumpkin skin scrub, etc. The easiest was using olive oil as an alternative to lip gloss. Seems harmless enough...the raved of its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties and stated that "a pea-sized amount dabbed on the lips will hydrate a parched pucker." 

so I tried it and...

At first I thought it was wonderful! My lips were smooth and hydrated, I was raving about it...until I woke up the next morning with a giant crack down the center of my lip that took a week to go away...I do not recommend trying this one at home :)

New Thing #225: Bid Exhaustion

In a frantic attempt to get tickets for Joe and I to the UGA/LSU game I resorted to ebay for the first time. I admit to perusing item on ebay but never committing to bid. It all starts so innocently, reasonable bids hours before the auction ends. Then something happens about 5 minutes before the bidding is closed, people come out of no where and starting furiously bidding. It was sight to see and participate. Luckily we had a price limit, so even though I was tempted to bid higher and higher as I was outbid I didn't. I don't imagine I should be allowed to attend a real auction with my competitive nature.

Alas I was outbid over and over on ebay but don't you worry we purchased tickets from StubHub for a reasonable price. I think that was enough bidding for me. 

New Thing #224: Mostly Martha

The most wonderful Netflix provided my aunt and I with Mostly Martha. The German film that inspired the American film No Reservations. It is a sweet movie about a head-strong, very compulsive, chef who takes in her orphaned niece, and their story of learning what it means to love, enjoy life and each other. Of course there is a love interest in there too. I actually liked Mostly Martha better, it was less romantic comedy and more about the relationship between aunt and niece. I think that is usually true that the original is better. I suggest you check it out!

 

New Thing #223: Sunday at "The Fly"

It is a tradition for many here in New Orleans to spend Sunday afternoon at "The Fly." According to Fodors this area behind Audubon Park on a levee that overlooks the Mississippi River is called the fly because of a butterfly shaped building that was torn down years ago. Who knew?

I spent the afternoon watching friends play soccer, yes I have a fear of team sports, and hanging out with Mary Chaney and her awesome standard poodle Arthur. It was such a beautiful afternoon with great weather, I hope to spend many more Sunday afternoons here!

Picture to come later (blogging at work limits picture posting :)

New Thing #222: A Palace Princess

Commander's Palace, a New Orleans landmark since 1880, is tucked away in the Garden District. I had the privilege of going with Joe's brother Michael who was in town for a visit. Let me just say, it was amazing! As you walk in the entire staff greets you. Your waiter pulls out your chair, places the napkin on your lap, and welcomes you to this dining experience! I really did feel like a princess. The food, the atmosphere, and the staff are probably the best in New Orleans in my opinion! Now I know where I want to go for my birthday :)
I had Chef Tory McPhail's Creole Favorites: turtle soup au cherry, griddle seared gulf fish (a light dish of bruleed Louisiana citrus, crab boiled vegetables, and lemon-brown butter vinaigrette) and bread pudding souffle the "queen of creole desserts"

New Thing #221: Flowery Chocolate

While in Europe I bought a large assortment of chocolates. Actually, it was practically the only thing I purchased. Everyone once in a while I will pull one out as a treat. One Friday night I decided to try lavender chocolate. I don't know if it was the particular brand, or the fact that it was purchased in June and eaten in October, or if I just don't have a very cultured chocolate palate, but I didn't like it. To me it didn't taste like tranquility as the package proclaims, it tasted like soap. On the other hand, my 17 year old cousin who rarely tries new things, liked it. I think I need to expand my palate :)

soapy chocolate

New Thing #220: Yoga=Sweeter Sleep

For most of October I wasn't sleeping well. I must admit I didn't try that many remedies, but with  sleep being probably the most important necessity in my life, I was an unhappy person. I came across this yoga pose for better sleep in Health magazine, one of my favorites, and decided to give it a try.

Apparently standing upside down with your head on a stack of books does help you sleep better!

Picture to come soon :)

New Thing #219: Blog Action Day

On October 15th over 12 thousand bloggers joined together to discuss a single issue--poverty. This Blog Action Day was an effort to raise awareness using the blog medium. Over 13 million readers read blogs discussing the same issue. It's neat to see how something that may seem trendy or commonplace can really catch people's attention.

Obviously I am late participating in this but I encourage you to read other blogs and take a second to think about what poverty means to you.

I have been blessed to have been raised in a family with a world view that includes praying for, providing for, attending to, those less fortunate than myself.

This base was expanded further after Hurricane Katrina and moving to New Orleans to attend graduate school in Public Health and to be part of the recovery. Poverty recognition to me has been the increasing realization of inequality in health care. Inequalities in preventive measures. Inequalities in safe places to play and healthy foods to eat. 

Currently my job is targeting one of those things, trying to provide healthier foods in low-income communities in New Orleans. It may seem insignificant in the global fight against poverty but I like to think of all the efforts combined and how they can change our communities, states, nation, and world for the better. I hope to always have a job that involves an issue I am passionate about. 

Think about what poverty means to you and take action!

New Thing #218: Berry Heaven

My church had a surprise birthday party for our pastor. The cake of the evening was a Berry Chantilly cake from Whole Foods. This was, I kid you not, probably one of the best cakes I have ever had. The cake is so moist (yes I used that word) and the berries were so fresh and delicious! In the words of a fellow party goer "if I get married I want this to be my wedding cake." I most definitely agree.

some online photo just so you can get an idea

in the picture: our amazing pastor and family with berry chantilly cake bottom right

New Thing #217: Seeds of Hope

First I would like to give the Times Picayune credit for that title. They wrote a newspaper article on this topic and I just loved that phrasing.

I had the opportunity to tour the Hollygrove Market and Farm. This vision in the making will be a "self-sustaining nonprofit store selling local produce and an education center for urban farming." The initiative will offer not only fresh food to an under served community but also economic development. It is a great plan for selling locally grown fresh produce and encouraging urban farming. It is coming along beautifully thanks to grants and volunteers. I am excited to see the project grow. 

Check it out here:

Times Picayune article

Hollygrove Market & Farm

what the finished product will look like

New Thing #216: You put the lime...

Again, my aunt found these Edy's Fruit Bars, made with real fruit mind you, and they are great! They come in lime, lemonade, grape, and strawberry. I think strawberry is my favorite with real strawberry chunks in them. Perfect for a low-calorie after dinner treat!