I’m sick.  No ifs, ands or buts.  I came back from BlogHerFood 2013 in Austin yesterday and by the time we landed I was ready for bed.

Austin is fantastic! Big enough to get lost in yet small enough to not feel lost.

It started off innocently enough — flight on Southwest to Austin.  Except this flight was a PARTY PLANE filled with LA hipsters heading to ATX Television Festival in Austin.  A very social group of hipsters.  Boy did I feel old.

Southwest didn’t disappoint with its penchant for witty surprise!  Southwest sponsored the Party Plane and its music program, Live @ 35, was the star attraction.  Suddenly, the entire plane was being serenaded by the talented Teddy Geiger.  Not being a hipster, I have no idea who he was but he has a nice voice and is very easy on the eyes.

Guess what I also learned?  Drinking in Austin is dirt cheap, especially in live music bars.  Should I be embarrassed  by my 10 bar crawl on Thursday night.  I say NOT! Especially at $3 a cocktail with Tito’s Handmade Vodka.  Tito’s Vodka is easy to drink and doesn’t leave me hurting in the morning.  (I know this to be fact now.)

Sixth Street is chock full of bars, pubs, and  honky tonks.  I did my best to represent the mature crowd in Austin.

This bar sign was my mantra:  EASY TIGER.  That’s way it was 10 bars instead of 20!

My BlogHerFood 2013 conference started bright and early on Friday.

I didn’t make breakfast but I was there for the 1st session, lunch and the afternoon sessions. BlogHerFood is one of the premier food blogging conferences and this is the 2nd year I’ve attended.  As last year, it was a great opportunity to meet other food bloggers and get some intense learning.

Several sponsors captured my attention and I can’t wait to use their products

POMPEIAN OILS - they had the best chocolate chip cookies made with Pompeian oil instead of butter.  I can’t wait to try this recipe!  A huge thank you for the FULL SIZE samples of their Mediterranean blend oil and their Grapeseed oil.

Bob’s Red Mill - hands down, one of the best grain companies in the country.  I love Bob’s Red Mill products and am excited about their new line of ancient grains.  Thank you for the sample packs and coupons for my next purchases.

Canadian Lentils - The Canadian Lentils association sponsored the Recharge Lounge and boy, was the food excellent!

I love lentils and beans but I also love meat.  The lentil stuffed mushrooms will be at my next dinner party.  Heck, I may have a dinner party just to showcase the fantastic lentil recipes I had! It was only my upbringing that prevented me from stuffing my face with the lentil brownies every time I walked by.

While the food at the conference was good, the food in Austin is simply  AMAZING.   Austinites are proud of their locally grown produce and meat and that pride shows in the menus.  There’s BBQ (hello, this is Texas!), Tex-Mex (in case you missed the part about this is Texas), and lots of other cuisines, most of them showcasing local ingredients prepared simply.    The only odd thing was breakfast … where do Austinites eat breakfast in downtown Austin?   Sixth Street doesn’t start waking up until noon-ish!

I’m planning a girl’s weekend in Austin in August — I only hope the heat doesn’t kill me.  But it might worth it after a fantastic meal.

posted by Chanel Babe
Tags: Austin, blogging, BlogHerFood, food, music, Tito's Vodka, vodka
Filed under: Travelin' n the Tardis

Off to Camp Blogaway tomorrow.  It’s billed as the Original Boot Camp for Food and Recipe Bloggers and it’s at 7,000 feet.  I claim to like camping –fresh air, dark starlit nights, and campfires– except the times I’ve had the…ahem…pleasure, I longed for a soft bed, fluffy pillows and a marble bathroom.  Yup, while I like the idea of camping and roughing it, I prefer luxury and comfort.

So off I go tomorrow and I only hope the learning and camaraderie make up for the cabin camping experience.

Stay tuned!

posted by Chanel Babe
Filed under: Travelin' n the Tardis

Ready for the oven

Fresh out the oven in a #6 cast iron skillet.

Get in my belly!

2nd attempt was a classic margarita: fresh mozzarella, fresh basil, a simple marinara sauce.

Fresh basil! Fresh Mozzarella!

Melted cheese over fresh basil ready to be slice.

Close up of crust and melted cheese. Yummy!

It was the 3rd attempt that excited me:  bbq chicken pizza with smoked gouda and bacon!  It was fantastic.   I who like simple flavors love this version of the pizza! The gouda and bacon add a level of smokiness and taste that the 1st attempt didn’t have.  Moreover (oooo, I feel so lawyerly using that word!), the crust on #3 was thinner and crisped up nicely.

To complete these delicious tastings, I added Champagne!  Did you think I’d add anything else?   Oh no, I think not.  What a glorious … and peaceful Friday nite!

posted by Chanel Babe
Filed under: What's Cookin'?

I like veggies and, of course, love pizza!  For the past week, I’ve repeatedly made a specific pizza: Bacon, asparagus and goat cheese pizza.   My only problem has been the crust — I’m not using a wide enough cast iron skillet.  As much as I love crust, well, let’s say there’s a fine line between “yippy, thick crust!” and “whoa! That’s a lot of crust!”

It’s all about veggies for this pizza.  Leftover roasted asparagus, roasted brussel sprouts and fresh grape tomatoes.  Feel free to use any veggies in your fridge.  The best part is it’s pizza!

Print

Veggies on my Pizza? Yes please!

Lots of freshly roast veggies atop whole wheat pizza dough

Author: Chanel Babe

Cuisine: Pizza

Recipe type: Main

Serves: 4-6

Prep time:  25 mins

Cook time:  20 mins

Total time:  45 mins

Ingredients

• 1 pizza dough (store bought is fine)
• 10-12 stalks asparagus, roasted
• ½-pint grape tomatoes, cut in half
• 6 brussel sprouts, cut in half and roasted, optional
• 6 slices bacon, center cut
• red pepper flakes, to taste
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp. garlic powder
• 4 oz mozzarella cheese, part-skim shredded or fresh, thinly sliced
• 4 oz grated Italian cheese blend
• 4 oz goat cheese
• ½ red onion, chopped
• black pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Add a large cast iron skillet to the oven and let it pre-heat along with the oven.
2. If your dough is store-bought, turn it out on a lightly floured surface and let it rest 20 min.
3. While the dough is resting, fry the six pieces of bacon until crispy. Save 2 tbsp. of bacon grease. Drain the bacon on paper towels. Crumble in small pieces and set aside.
4. Use a rolling pin to roll out the dough. Aim for a thin round shape. (Trust me, this is not as easy as it sounds!). Let the dough rest again while you get the skillet from the oven.
5. Remove the skillet from the oven; add the reserved bacon grease and swirl to coat the bottom of the skillet.
6. Fit the dough into the skillet and listen to the sizzle of crust being formed. Sprinkle the dough with red pepper flakes, salt, and generous sprinkle of garlic powder. Sprinkle half of the cheeses, followed by grape tomato halves, veggies and red onion.
7. Sprinkle last bit of cheese, top with goat cheese and bacon. Top with 1-2 grinds of black pepper.
8. Put the skillet in the oven for 12-18 minutes. Check after 10 minutes to see if bottom of the crust is brown.
9. Remove from the oven and let the pizza rest 5 minutes. Slice and serve.

WordPress Recipe Plugin by EasyRecipe

3.2.1230

I decided to make a veggie pizza after roasting too much asparagus on Sunday and realizing I still had goat cheese from last week’s pizza attempt.  You can also roast the grape tomatoes to intensify the flavor.  Roasting will add 35-45 min to your prep time if need to roast them before they go on the pizza.  Or you can buy the teeny tiny asparagus.  That will roast in the time the pizza cooks.

This was delicious!  Next time I’ll roll the dough thinner and put it in a larger skillet but the flavors … YUM!—

Must admit — the ice cold glass of Gosset champagne  went very nicely with the pizza.  Can’t wait to try next week’s variation!

posted by Chanel Babe
Tags: asparagus, bacon, cast iron, Champagne, Cheese, goat cheese, pizza
Filed under: What's Cookin'?

So, retirement property #2 needed a little bit of work, construction work.   The scope of the work sounded so simple, so easy and seemed inexpensive.   Until vandals stole the HVAC during escrow.  Oh and all the copper wire and plumbing…which involved breaking walls in the kitchen.

And the interior inspection revealed the plumbing stack needed replacing.  It sounded like I’d be done for less than $10k. 

Wrong.

Getting a new stack in involved digging a trench, meaning breaking up all the concrete and adding new pipe to the street.

The pipe was overrun with tree branches.  Pesky tree!  A 2-week project quickly went over time and over budget.

The upstairs didn’t fare any better.  The plumbers had to add plumbing in the kitchen ( 2 walls) and had to run a vent line behind the closet in the bedroom.

On a positive, I love the St Louis area.  Which is good given I traveled there every weekend in April.  Every weekend.

posted by Chanel Babe
Filed under: Retirement

WTF!  This is aging?  Do you think older folks discussed aging and decided not to tell the next generation what would really happen?  Because there’s a lot going on that no one told me in advance.

I turned 50 last year and all I seem to say is WTF?  This is aging?  Why didn’t someone tell me about this?  Grey hair in places that should never be grey.   Hair appearing in places it never grew or hair no longer growing in places it’s always grown.  Bulges and bumps squeezing my clothes in bold new ways.   Loss of libido due to sahara conditions in the formerly fertile plains, if you will.  WTF? Yup, aging.

To add insult to injury, it is true:  sphincter muscles are directly connected to the mouth.  I know this because too many of my  friends are now complaining that they involuntarily fart when they sneeze or worse, dribble when they laugh or sneeze.   An unfortunate few have “backyard leakage” when they sneeze or laugh. WTF?  Oh yeah, aging.

Really?  Is this old age?  The wrinkled skin and age spots wasn’t enough?  The middle-age spread?  The irregular periods of menopause?  The hot flashes or night sweats? When I was young, I looked forward to the day I’d never buy another tampon maxipad.  Each month I’d say, “I can’t wait until this is over!”  What’s the expression? Be careful what you wish for.

Because you see, there may be months where there’s no bleeding.  At first you think “oh, am I pregnant?” (knowing THAT’s not a possibility) and then it’s a joyous “maybe this is it!” And there’s no bleeding for 2, 3, maybe 4 months.  But you realize you still have PMS! The irritability (how kind!), the bloating, the moodiness and tears, the headaches, the insomnia.   It’s the kind  of PMS where you want someone to put you in a padded cell because you are a danger to yourself and society.  Slowly, ever so slowly, you realize the limbo you’re in.  There is no set date of Aunt Flo’s arrival.  There’s an endless cycle in which you want chocolate, sex with a 25 year old, a hot water bottle, a gun, your favorite teddy bear and a box of tissue.  Sometimes 1 at a time and sometimes all at once.  WTF?

Finally when your friends have almost tossed your friendship in the garbage( because really how long can PMS/menopausal women hang out without killing each other?) – the red tide arrives!  Tide being the appropriate word.  No one tells you that in middle age you should buy stock in Kotex or Tampax.   The red tide is may come in with hurricane force cramps, leaving you exhausted in the fetal position , thinking “God kill me now” or it may arrive stealth bomber style – a mere drop of crimson on toilet paper—convincing you that this pseudo-period is a hiccup.  That is until the flood gates open (usually around 2a and just when you’ve changed your sheets) and you are up every 45-60 minutes, changing said tampon (of which you hopefully own stock!).   How many of us have had to 1) shower in the middle of the night, 2) change sheets or 3) do laundry? WTF?

It is one thing to look in the mirror and no longer see the face of a 35 year old.  It is quite another to realize how unprepared I was (am) for my body’s betrayal.  Nothing is constant, every day/cycle is a new normal.  When a period arrives, I stare at the toilet paper (or panties) in disbelief before wondering how long and how bad.

This post wasn’t supposed to be about periods but I suppose periods are closely related to peeing.  Rather, the loss of bladder control that aging brings.  The type of loss of control where, at times, I no longer know I’ve lost control!   For example, I meet a new contractor to discuss work in a rental property.  As we’re talking, I sense I’ll need to pee soon.  Suddenly, I’m crossing my legs, grabbing my crotch and squealing “omg!  I have to pee!”  as I suddenly feel wet rolling down my leg.  WTF!

Instead of being horrified, mortified at my body’s public betrayal, I’m sanguine as I shrug and say, “sorry.  Aging sucks.”   He should be grateful he didn’t have to change my diaper!   One comfort: in old age comes more of an acceptance of what is and a letting go of “what could be or should be.”

What do you wish you had been told about aging?  Is there something that makes you think “WTF? Are you kidding me! “?

posted by Chanel Babe
Tags: aging, hot flash, menopause, period
Filed under: Musings - Everything yet All about Nothing

Wine Wednesday was supposed to be on hiatus until 2013 (don’t ask).  Except the Wine Wednesday participants missed the camaraderie, the tasting and, let’s be honest, we all needed a glass of wine!  Fortunately for us, I had this bottle of wine hiding in my office.

Glass of Maggio Petite Syrah from Lodi

Maggio Petite Syrah Back Label

California

From the winery:

posted by Chanel Babe
Filed under: Wine Wednesday

Wow, I feel I abandoned my blog as real life took over.  I don’t understand how ”working outside the home” mommy bloggers manage to work, care for their families AND stay active on their blogs.  I’ve been so distracted that I didn’t realize my last blog was 12/31/2012!

• January: house hunting trip to St Louis Missouri.  Offer in for 1 single family house.  I refuse to talk about work since, as an accountant, January is the worse month of the year.
• February: house hunting trip(s) to St Louis Missouri.  2 offers in.
• February: early birthday trip to Paris France and Champagne, flying first class on British Airways.  Fun trip but came home with the flu.
• March: Escrow closing trips to St Louis Missouri!  I am a certified investment property owner.   This completes step 1 of my retirement plan.  These rental houses should cover their expenses and give me monthly cashflow.
• March: 1 rental house rented in a week.  2nd rental house requires plumbing and electrical work before I can rent it.

Already I feel the joy of rental property ownership and the agony of living so far away.  Fortunately everyone, from my realtor to the contractors, has been a pleasure to work with. Folks who take pride in their work and folks who live in town.  They are my neighbors and it’s good to know that I’m supporting my community.

Yet my blog is meant to record my real life — good, bad and ugly.  Oh yes, the ugly.  That’s for another post.

For those of you who are able to give quality time to real life activities and your blog, please tell me how you do it!

posted by Chanel Babe
Tags: investment property, retirement, Travel
Filed under: Retirement

Happy New Year 2013!

May 2013 bring your heart’s desire.

Champagne in my glass & chillled bottle in my kitchen

It’s a few hours before midnight, Dec 31, 2012, and I’m home in Los Angeles.  For the first time in 18 years, I’m not in Paris.   Do I wish I was there?  Absolutely!  My soul sighs contentedly the moment I reach the top of the RER B – Saint Michel exit.  I inhale the scents, my ears welcome the sound of French and I. AM. HOME.

Oddly enough, I am calm.  I chose to cancel my annual trip for several reasons and they feel right.  Paris waits for me and I can re-start my tradition in Dec 2013.

No crazy new year resolutions for me.  Why?  I don’t keep them and come February/March I feel like a failure.   If I make none, no guilt.  Instead I’m focusing on 2 “houses” — financial and health.   Without health and some level of wealth, midlife (and beyond) will have little pleasure and joy.

My wish for you in 2013

May you have love that never ends, lots of money, and lots of friends.  Health be yours, whatever you do, and may God send many blessings to you! – Irish Blessing

Do you have resolutions for 2013? 

posted by Chanel Babe
Tags: blogging, finances, France, life, Midlife, New Year, Paris, real estate
Filed under: Travelin' n the Tardis

My Midlife Musing has been so quiet lately that I can hear crickets!   Lots of little reasons as to why — trying to get my many ‘Midlife houses’ in order — financial, relationship, work, health, fun/travel.   Phew!  I’ve been traveling quite a bit the past 2 months.  Thankfully, December is quiet except my annual New Year’s trip to Paris.

Financial house is getting in order.  Living in Los Angeles when I retire is not an option.  As young as I feel, retirement will upon me sooner than I think.   Matter-of-fact, most of my traveling has been to check out different cities in the Midwest and West.

But it will be hard to retire anywhere if I haven’t fully prepared, meaning if my retirement savings are insufficient.  No bueno.  My plan (this week) is 1) to have rental property in the city where I’ll retire, 2) to move into one of the properties at retirement and 3) to live in a small apartment in south of France during the winter.

With that in mind, I’m implementing the plan.

Relationship house is in order.  Pretend relationship went belly up.

Work house is a work in progress.  Not sure what to do about it and I’m not spending time thinking about it.   Still figuring out my blog and how to “get myself out” to the masses.

Health house (would that be a gym?).  meh.  Need to get my focus back.

Oh the fun house — travel!   I have quite a few upcoming trips but most of them are either blog conferences or rental property hunting trips.

Lots to blog about on the varying ‘houses’, especially as progress happens.  Don’t expect much progress in the relationship house — that will probably remain a 1-room outhouse!

posted by Chanel Babe
Tags: blogging, bucket list, life, menopause, Midlife
Filed under: Musings - Everything yet All about Nothing