hey there, sugar

enjoying my green tea mochi for the day made me think about the great desserts of 2011. here's a sampling of those darling delights. don't worry, the calories won't add up if you're just taking a peek.

the cupcakes

carrot and vanilla bean from third street coffee in lexington, ky

strawberry and chocolate from baby shower in frankfort, ky

sprinkles in los angeles, ca

caramanda's in lexington, ky

peanut butter chocolate banana from candleberry tea room in frankfort, ky

vanilla from belly general in atlanta, ga

babycakes in lexington, ky

the cool crowd

tropical coconut gelato from kroger in versailles, ky

frozen yogurt from menchie's in lexington, ky

frozen yogurt from orange leaf in lexington, ky

mint chocolate chip ice cream from melanie's in frankfort, ky

eggnog ice cream the comfy cow in louisville, ky

the rest of the goodies

bread pudding from melissa's in versailles, ky

oatmeal cookie pie from melissa's in frankfort, ky

birthday cake pop from starbucks in frankfort, ky

bread pudding from cosi in lexington, ky

gingerbread man cookie from lauren & linda in lexington, ky

yeah, 2011 sure was a pretty sweet year, wasn't it? much love, much love... here's to making 2012 just as sweet, if not sweeter.

photos by sillyblahgs

the olsens go african

now before you start thinking i'm going all pop culture all over your arse, i don't got some inside story about the famous full house twins on a mission trip! when i say "the olsens," i'm referring to me and my friend who says she's my white "twin." as you know since i nickname all my peepers, i obviously started calling her mk. i let her pick which one she wanted to be, so that's why she calls me ash. and when i say we went african, i mean we went to a west african restaurant. sav's grill, downtown lexington.

i had been wanting to try it for a while, and i had physical therapy today, so when i asked if she wanted to grab a quick bite before pt since she worked nearby, she mentioned sav's. mary kate's birthday was on sunday, so it was time to celebrate with food, of course, as that is the only way me and my crew celebrate. and like most twins, we had perfect timing. we ended up walking up the corner at the same time. eerie, i know.

after we gushed and hugged over our detailed-similar coats {they both had ruffles. yes, more scary likeness}, we hustled our bustles over to the restaurant. we were greeted by the guy that i saw on the web site. sav himself! he is just as friendly as his cheery face appears on his "about" page. i already knew what i was gonna try, as i plotted my game plan before heading there.

fried plantains
{photo by silly blahgs}

when i see plantains on a menu, it's a given. they are getting in my belly one way or another, especially when their first name is fried, as fried is our friend {say it, fried is my friend. better?}. these were different than i've tried as they have a tomato-onion topping. wasn't bad, but i was hoping for something sweeter. remember, i have a massive sweet tooth.

goat on fufu
{photo by silly blahgs}

okay, for the main course--no, the plantains weren't my main course...appetizer maybe--i chose, primarily 'cuz i liked saying it, "goat on fufu." i've never tried goat before, but i am not too fearful in the trying new stuff field. growing up in a filipino household and having friends from malaysia and korea, i'm used to international food. i love taste testing!

the peanut goat bowl included local goat meat with tender chunky potatoes in a natural peanut-based seasoned veggie broth. i got the small, which was plenty enough, and i also subbed the white rice for fufu. not only is it fun to say, 'cuz it sounds like frou-frou, it is a plantain{and there it is}-based dumpling {c'mon, who's gonna pass up a dumpling?}. the menu said it is "like creamy mashed potatoes." i was pretty pleased with my dish. although a little soupy. but i just took that spoon and slurped away!

leaf and beef on couscous
{photo by silly blahgs}

mary kate, however, not so over the moon. she ordered the leaf and beef bowl. again, fun to say. this dish was sirloin tips with fresh spinach-based sauce in a tomato-seasoned broth with palm oil. she subbed the rice for couscous. she let me take a bitesy-bite, and we both thought it had a dinty-moore aura about it. and the spinach didn't taste fresh, but tasted like it came from a can. not saying it wasn't fresh, but i suppose if it was in the broth and palm oil, maybe that be wassup? it needed a little kick. perhaps that's why sav offered us some hot sauce before we sat down.

pistachio ice cream
{photo by silly blahgs}

when we were placing our order, i mentioned it was her birthday the other day. when good ol' sav came by to check on how we enjoyed our food, he asked her if she wanted some ice cream since it was her birthday. they had about eight flavors, and it was locally made. sister friend chose pistachio. bullseye. there's the sweeter i was looking for earlier.

we both agreed that we would go back again and try something else. next time, hen perhaps. i wasn't surprised that we were both thinking the same thing. us being the olsen's after all.

what's even more eerie?

i actually say a lot of these same things. often.

1 ♥ 2 ♥ 3 ♥ 4 style by sillystyle • outfit 14

1 ♥ 2 ♥ 3 ♥ 4 style by sillystyle • outfit 14 by sillystyle featuring a fitted blazer

Sheer top
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Alberta Ferretti fitted blazer
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Jason Wu floral print shorts
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ASOS platform shoes
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Fossil handbag
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Retrosun vintage sunglasses
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Wet Seal fedora hat
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Paperself Paper Eyelashes - Butterfly
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ol' blue eye

been thinking a lot lately about my sunshine, lex. it's been over a year since his passing, but recently my heart's been flooded with a large feeling of depravity. lex was my baby. we had him for so long i can't remember what it was like before him. he was my constant dose of sweetness. he'd give you a kiss, or would just sit right by you and let you pet his soft, fabulous hair. 

when things were great, he made it even better by shoving his happy grin face in yours. he was the eternal optimist, rarely in a pissy mood, although got a little shorter fused as he grew older. other than his neuroses, he was perfect. he loved to play. we have this purple ball that he used to pounce, jumping up more fast and furious than vin diesel, and slicker than jackie chan. he was this big fluffy thing with the skinniest q-tip legs. i used to say he was wearing white tube socks. he looked like cotton candy.

i miss the quiet, dead silent times with lex too. he was always focused on you with those most innocent eyes (one was blue). i think the only time he wouldn't really look at me was at the very end. i think about that day too. then kleenex pallet heartbreak sets in. and when you were sad, lex was the one who came up and just sat beside to comfort and soothe you.

since lex has been on my mind, i've felt a need to be closer to my bauey. guess the comfort is that i feel a connection to lex when bauer and i are enjoying a peaceful moment. i know he misses lex more than any of us. lex was the one who welcomed him into our home and was an excellent helper in raising baby bauer. they were perfect playmates since toto was more of a loner, and mattie is a sleeper. i loved watching them run around and chase one another. it was a real circus.

older bauer doesn't like to play much, and pretty much sits in "his room" (the sunroom) on his papasan. nowadays, i let him up as my cuddle bear when i'm on the chaise in the sunroom. i remember when he was just 8 pounds, and now he's close to 80. still has that puppy face though, and he still can't help falling asleep when he hears that certain cello cd that i played when i would leave for work when he was a puppy.

yes, lex is in a better place with toto, and their other dog friends. but selfishly, i just wish he were here with me instead. 

i love you lexy, and miss you so much.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

reunited

after the holiday season fiercely attacked my waistline, i decided to return to my old breakfast fave of greek yogurt. as i held the container in my hand and enjoyed each tasty bite of the delectable flavor flav, i stared at the packaging. chobani. then i realized that i love chobani. oh, what a happy day, i thought. it's been too, too long, chobani. reunited with something that was once dear to my heart made me suddenly remember other lost loves.  

yes, i may love chobani, but my first thought was of a short-lived romance which unfortunately lasted only two seasons. joanie loves chachi. and yes, she did. that cougar. the series, a spin-off of happy days, followed as the couple moved to chicago trying to make it on their own with a music career. the series mixed your traditional sitcom elements with musical performances. they coulda been one helluva force to be reckoned with on the karaoke circuit. sadly, the series ended before karaoke hit mainstream in the late 80's/early 90's. 

take an ex-model and a detective, mix in some mystery and drama, sharp comedic dialogue, and some hanky-panky tension, and you get another show i loved to record on the betamax. moonlighting. this show was back in the day before bruce willis was bruce willis and when shoulder pads were as essential as the little black dress. like several shows, once the couple got rid of the tension and got right down to the actual hanky-panky, the spark died like a firecracker touching ground.

one last "couple" that gave me the warm and fuzzies was balki bartokomous and cousin larry appleton. perfect strangers. they were the 80's version of the odd couple's felix and oscar. balki had several endearing expressions, like "you ain't just whistling dixie cups" and "get out of the city!" larry appleton, well, he had about the smallest lips on a man i'd ever seen. but their chemistry was great.

all three pairs had awesome catchy theme songs that just made you feel good. i'll have to get back with you on mine and my reunited love. gotta break out the ol' casio keyboard first. but i did come up with a logo.

oh. my. goss.

on my 'to do' list this year: matt goss. okay, so i don't literally mean i'm gonna do matt goss {giggle}, but i may just quite gossibly check him out {wink-wink} in vegas. let the savings begin.

another 'to do' on my list? well, that's obvious, isn't it? luke goss {more giggles and wink-winks. and, just maybe, a lil' schwing!}. d'uh!

i know, i know. i'm simply imgossible, aren't i?!

hello goodbye

celebrate
endings for they precede
new beginnings.
- jonathan lockwood huie

here's to those new beginnings. goodbye, 2011. hello, 2012. it's so nice to meet you.

coming together is a beginning, staying

together

is progress, and working together is

success.

- henry ford