Pumpkin Days

North America is a solid month into fall right now. So far I've celebrated the Halloween season by consuming pumpkin spice with every meal and watching Hocus Pocus; Halloweentown; It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown; The Nightmare Before Christmas; and re-runs of Rock of Love. One cannot watch spooky films without spooky snacks. Luckily Trader Joe's has pumpkin everything, and thanks to a visit from my mom, now I do too. I have the two most important meals of the day covered with Joe's Pumpkin Os and pumpkin pie mochi ice cream. For sips I went to Wildcat Drive-In Liquor and picked up some moscato to mix with the Flag Fork Herb Farm mulled cider spices I purchased at the farmers market that one time. The mulled wine was a perfect addition to an autumn night. I also used 3/4 of the enormous bottle making the cider, and I tried to drink it all before going to the bar, but then it was time to go so I put it in the fridge (save some for later.) While mulled cider/wine is wonderful, if you are in a rush/don't have the ingredients just add Fireball to whatever you're drinking and it's basically the same thing. I don't have a picture of this, but imagine a snapshot your typical actor housing kitchen with the oven clock reading 8:30 and a boy in a Hufflepuff jersey holding a near-empty wine bottle standing next to a double sink filled with ??? above a caption that reads "please help me."

One Sunday we went to the arboretum at University of Kentucky. While walking along one of the many paths we came across a plant that was 85.723% bees and the rest % flowers. These bees were huge. Farther down the path I spotted several monarchs, and I hadn't seen a monarch butterfly in at least twelve years. I walked through the butterfly garden trying to get a picture of the orange and black floaty things but they kept flapping away. I hope they're having a safe journey south. After the butterflies left me I was introduced to a number of irises (still in bloom?) Since they can't speak English I learned their names from their name tags. My two favorites were Power Point and Uncle Jim. 

A good use for that pocket 

Spooky black peppers

My show opened a few days later, and Michael and I celebrated by going to Goodfellas Pizzeria. I ordered the Dean Martin sub, which was an incredibly messy/delicious chicken sandwich that everyone should have. The website lists their four locations so please help yourself. Before eating I went to the restroom. There was one long urinal and no stalls. Where were the stalls? I never found out. 

A few performances later one of my cast members, Adam, was talking about the unique flavors at Crank and Boom. We went immediately and I tried the pumpkin ice cream because I had to and then got a very large scoop of bourbon and honey. My description for the flavor would be, "I went down a secret back road behind an abandoned factory and discovered bliss on an evening in early October."

Bike racks made of bike parts

Did somebody say "boom?"

Now that I've had bourbon truffles (multiple truffles because I've been back to Old Kentucky Chocolates several times now) and bourbon ice cream it was time that I try Kentucky bourbon. The Alltech Lexington Brewing & Distilling Co. is literally a two minute walk from my house. Kara gave us a tour through the facilities, which includes an old ice house constructed in 1900. Large pipes transporting the mash into the distillery hung over our heads as we were welcomed by barrels and the scent of bread. This was also the same day that I made bread with Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett. The first thing we learned was that bourbon is the spirit of the US. Then we learned what makes bourbon different from other whiskeys. Alltech uses their barrels first for bourbon, then for beer (which gives the beer a bourbony taste), and finally for whiskey. After being thrice used the barrels are shipped to Canada, Ireland, or Scotland to make more whiskey! After the lesson and looking at things we were able to taste the bourbon. I didn't like it. But if someone was going to force me to drink bourbon I would choose the Bluegrass Sundown. This bourbon is very similar to Irish coffee. The bourbon is mixed with boiling water, then cream is poured over spoon and into the glass which results in a foamy top layer of milkiness.

Pipes calling

Later that day my mom came to visit! The first night we went to Shakespeare & Co. My heart aches for the delicious mashed potatoes that I ate that night. We liked it so much we went back for breakfast the next day. 

The check came in this.

After going to Daily Offering (several times over the course of the weekend) my mom and I visited the Mary Todd Lincoln house. It was really Ms. Lincoln's step mother's house, but the tour was about the history of the First Lady. The Kentucky Ash floors are original to the house (and I want them in my house), on one wall hangs a program from Our American Cousin, and the historians put a crown on the canopy over Ms. Lincoln's bed because "she deserves it." I want a crown. Adjacent to the locked sugar cabinet in the kitchen is a counter made of Kentucky limestone. The slab is surprisingly cold which makes it an excellent surface for making pies and biscuits. I want the limestone, too. 

Then we saw this castle and horses.

This horse came up to say hi and I felt really bad leaving.

Saul Good's decorating style is kind of like someone wanted a pub but also a Sex in the City inspired restaurant and then a little kid said "why not both" kind of like that taco shell commercial. So that's nice. This s'mores martini was also nice, with chocolate and graham crackers on the rim. And the pasta and chocolate fondu that followed. 

Peggy's diamonds

My mom and I sat outside at Blue Heron and I ate a fifth of a wheel of brie. After salads I had a warm apple crumble with calvados and ice cream. 

I had a problem eating chicken with all these birds around.

Six of us went to Boyd Orchards in Versailles the following weekend. I learned that this town is not pronounced like the palace in France but like an American reading the word for the first time. There are loads of fall activities six days a week at the orchard this season. One of the best ones is eating, and we knew the day would end with the purchase of apple cider donuts (which are sold warm in their plastic cartons.)

I could see the whole orchard from the top of this pyramid, and I smiled uncontrollably.

Michael was 17 on this day.

Cider and burger

Since I'm here for most of the fall and since we are in the heart of the season I decided it was wreath time. Last September I posted about a mid winter crescent wreath I made out of sticks. I attempted to do this again but could not find the right shape/type of sticks to succeed, and the wreath exploded at least three times. This happened last week on the back porch under cover of darkness so no one saw. I decided that maybe I should do a leaf wreath. The leaves are changing much slower than the pace I am used to, and maybe that's because down here the temperature fluctuates from 36-72˚F on the reg. But autumn leaves are out there, so I grabbed two Kroger bags and began exploring the town with my eyes down. There are some beautiful houses here, and I would have taken pictures but I don't want to be arrested. 

The Courtyard Deli is located in an old church turned high end antique store in the center of town. I ordered the turkey, brie, and Amish hot pepper jelly on grilled sourdough. This jelly was incredible. And there is a decent amount of turkey stuffed between the slices as well, which made for an excellent lunch. The kitchen is open, so you can see your food being prepared!

Also, Sweet Spot.

Chocolate pumpkin

My room came together! I return to Delco in twenty nine days. 

Keeping track of Cracker Barrel. The jack-o-lantern and candy in the middle were made of index cards and highlighters to decorate my desk in 2010. The come out every year. To the right: placemats from Shakespeare & Co. On the reverse are crossword puzzles I didn't do.

My mom bought gourds for me.

I Wanted Bread

I took another trip to the farmers market this morning because the only food I had left was spinach, frozen peas, turkey patties, and banana peppers (which were the worst purchase because they ruin everything with their spicyness.) One market stand tried to sell me eggs for $7. Are their hens on thrones? Gourmet plush pillows? Why are these eggs $7? Anyway, I didn't buy those eggs. I bought these! Look at them.

I also didn't buy bread for some reason, and when I got home I thought, "Why didn't I buy that?" so my afternoon turned into baking bread alone in the house wearing my cute boots whilst listening to Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga's Cheek to Cheek for the first time. This album is wonderful and you should buy it. Back to the bread. I didn't have yeast or patience so I found this recipe and started taking liberties left and right because this is the land of liberty.

The actual recipe calls for whole wheat flour, baking powder, salt, rice milk (or any liquid), and liquid fat (oil or something.) So I used generic bleached Kroger flour, baking powder, salt from the grinder sitting on the counter, and cinnamon and sugar as my dry ingredients. I mixed all the wet ingredients in a two cup measuring cup. They were as follows. "Any Liquid": one cup of skim milk because that's all I had and half a cup of watery pumpkin spice coffee I made using grounds from this morning's breakfast. "Oil or something": 1/8 cup of melted Land O' Lakes Light Butter with Canola Oil and 1/8 cup of olive oil.

Then I mixed it all together, added more flour so it wasn't sticky, formed it into a ball, and put it in the oven.

And here's how it looked forty minutes later!

A sexy shot of the bread.

The house smells like cinnamon bread. Verity and I tried the cinnamon bread. It tastes like bread with cinnamon. I tried toasting a piece but it fell apart in the toaster, so I think it should be marketed as a pull apart, share with friends, cover in pumpkin spice butter/cream cheese bread. I'm probably going to eat it all in one sitting.

Lexington Early Autumn

After meeting my Lexington housemates and unpacking I secretly left to explore the city. The first thing I noticed were the abundance of beautiful homes built in the 1940s. Then I noticed that everyone here is obsessed with University of Kentucky the same way the rest of America is obsessed with Penn State. Blue and white everywhere. Blue and white everything. There is a store called Cat Couture devoted to designer clothing to rep the UK colors.

My first stop was Old Kentucky Chocolates. I was alone with shelves of gourmet chocolate and the cash my mom forced into my hand as she left me at the airport. The candy woman asked if I needed any help/if this was my first time here. I learned that the candywoman’s name was Susan, and Susan learned that I was Steve from Philly who just moved to Lexington 90 minutes ago. As a new comer I was obligated to try something delicious. This morsel was the Black Forest Bourbon Truffle. I’ve never had bourbon before, but this creamy dark chocolate was wonderful so maybe I’ll like it. After discussing my upcoming job at Lexington Children's Theatre I was offered a chocolate covered potato chip sprinkled with pink sea salt. You can try this but then you’ll die because you won’t want to eat anything that isn’t chips engulfed in chocolate and pink sea salt. Susan told me that people gift giant flat slabs of pink sea salt ($100 minimum) as a cooking base. You lay it down then cook your meat on top of it. This salt is good and good for you. Then we talked about sea salt lamps.

The stinkbugs are green.

As a first day of fall treat I went to Vinaigrette Salad Kitchen and purchased a harvest kale salad (sweet potatoes, sunflower seeds, craisins, chicken, quinoa) and pumpkin lemonade. This was consumed in the sunshine in Triangle Park. I had twenty minutes left on my lunch break so I went to the Starbucks (across the street from the back door to the theatre God bless us everyone) with the intent of purchasing a pumpkin spice latte, but came out with a toasted graham latte. It was like a spicier white chocolate mocha. I returned to Starbucks several hours later and got a coffee with several pumps of pumpkin spice in it because it was the first day of fall and I have needs.

Daily Offerings Coffee Roastery makes a variety of unique vegan and lactate/gluten-free protein shakes with a banana base. The namaste is an excellent blend of chai and coconut milk, and luckily they made a little too much so I got an extra tiny cup of it to take with me. My second fall day continued as I returned to Vinaigrette Salad Kitchen for more pumpkin. This time it was a bowl of their pumpkin bisque. I will be back for more.

My first kitchen experiment of this contract was banana whip. Bananas used to make wild things happen in my stomach and people's bathrooms, but after experimenting with them last year I found that the problem was no more. I first chopped up two medium sized bananas, put them in a tupperware container  in the freezer, then went to bed. After a full day I came home, pried the banana pieces apart, and threw them into the blender with chocolate chips and brown sugar. I had to manually mix up the bananas ??? times, and I thought the oatmeal like goop would never turn into an ice cream texture, but then it did! And then I lit a candle and ate it all.

Whip

I flew here with two suitcases and a backpack, and the only décor I packed was a nature’s wick pumpkin nutmeg candle, tiny fake foliage from A.C. Moore (both of these were Secret Santa gifts from different shows,) a set of jack-o-lantern LED lights, and a print of Bold And Brash by Squidward Tentacles. I’m hoping to make a stick wreath for my side of the bedroom soon. When the leaves start changing I’ll make a leaf wreath for the front door. I feel like my trick to this vagabond-esq lifestyle is making inexpensive decorations that I won’t mind getting rid of later. I’ll only be here a few months, but I want to come home to something festive every day.  

The third day of fall was pumpkin spice latte day.

Farmers markets are a regular (and at certain times of the year daily) event in Lexington. On the fourth day of fall Jess and I went to the market at the Fifth Third Bank Pavilion in the center of town and were welcomed by enormous tomatoes. And rocks? Next to the tomatoes? Agate is the official state rock, and each slice is priced based on its pattern/polish. There were an abundance of peppers on sale. I purchased banana peppers because I didn't want full blown spicy in all of my meals. While searching for something sweet I overheard that this was the last week peaches would be on sale at the market, so I decided right then I would purchase and do something crafty with them (Martha, help me.) I kept my eyes open for other things I could buy to help with my decorating crafts, and while the fifteen stems for $5 sale on gourds was tempting, I decided I would purchase these next week or the following week to ensure that the gourds would last through the end of my contract. Another decoration Jess and I found were hedge apples. When I was in elementary school we called these knobby, green, softball-sized-fruit-nut things "monkey brains" and we threw them at each other. I got hit in the face once during Christmas Carol rehearsal and it hurt a lot and I could have either laughed or cried so I laughed so it wouldn't be awkward but oh my face. While they are edible, I learned that people usually buy them as a decoration/spider repellent. You just sit them out and the spiders are like "nah."

Normal tomatoes (right) big ass tomatoes (left)

Tastes of home.

I tasted a lot of cheese at this farmers market. I walked out with two blocks from Boone Creek Creamery. It's lactose free! I bought the Kentucky Derby (cheddar infused with Kentucky Bourbon) and Mama Mia (mild herb encrusted Italian flavor.) Jess and I spent a lot of time at the Green Acres of Paris stand tasting beer cheese. I chose the Windy Whey Winery Wine Cheese to use at the inevitable cast/intern wine and cheese night.

I spent $20 on cheese and $20 on everything else.

Hotel Living

I was blessed to have had the opportunity to tour a few times in 2014.

Hotel things I learned/did:

• The hotel laundry room might be a bit of a walk. Your pillow case can double as laundry bag when transporting clothes to and from the washing machine!
• Don't ever buy: coffee, tea, cookies, apples, oranges, or bananas because hotels will have them.
• Hotels that provide breakfast will have cereal and oatmeal, as well as peanut butter, yogurt, and cream cheese.
• Organization will help you feel more at home on the road, even if your home isn't organized. Keep your toiletries condensed to one or two areas. If you are traveling often, put items in the same place in every hotel room so you know where to find them. I always put business items and car keys on the TV stand. I had a portable blender, and I always put it on the microwave (if there was one) or next to the coffee maker (there almost always is a coffee maker) so I could pretend that was the kitchen. I set up an "office" either at the desk or on a bed side table. My office was mainly a charging station.
• I promise you will feel so good if you make your bed in the morning. If you're leaving and never coming back then never mind don't do that.

St. Patrick's Day

Once I went to middle school St. Patrick's Day wasn't really a thing that happened in my house because I stopped bringing home leprechaun cut outs from class. This year my mom's family celebrated by marching in the Philadelphia St. Patrick's Day Parade in memory of my pop pop.
I put some chocolate coins and green tic tacs labeled "Leprechaun Poos" into my mom's lunchbox.
And I made scones! I love this recipe. It makes two large scones, or four "normal" sized scones. They have a feel and taste of cookie and cake baby and that is ok. My ad ins for this recipe were craisins and maraschino cherry juice. Then I made a quick milk-and-powdered-sugar glaze to put on top of the scones so I could cover them in shamrock sprinkles I bought last year. Next time I think I will form each scone individually instead of cutting triangles out of a circle. The edges will look cleaner this way.

There were four and then I ate one

Earlier this week, the question "Why do you, personally, celebrate St. Patrick's Day?" appeared on my newsfeed. I'm not sure if this status update was genuine or snarky, but after seeing this and a train car filled with green clad students I began to ask myself this same question. This year my family celebrated because of my pop pop's passing. The 17th was a time of togetherness for my Irish family for the first time ever, and we celebrated the spud from which we all grew. My pop pop was incredibly proud of his heritage, and a large part of our background, and many Irish families' background, is routed in Christianity. St. Patrick spread Christianity throughout Ireland (using the clover to teach the holy trinity,) so the holiday, to me, is a celebration of the spread of faith that is created my family's values. 

I am not perturbed by the sea of drunken green people the third week of March. I love it! St. Patrick's Day has become a time of togetherness and partying. Irish people love this. St. Patrick was a major contributor to Irish values. So, by transitive property, the modern American celebration of St. Patrick is appropriate.