Food is Fun and Fun is Good

I recently discovered that I like food.

It all started when I accidentally knocked a package of Pacific's Poblano Pepper and Corn Chowder off the shelf at the grocery store. As I watched the southwestern inspired puddle grow at my feet, I thought it looked pretty good and purchased one. I'm not a big fan of spicy foods, as I prefer my meal not to hurt me, but the flavor of the soup was nice. That's one point for food. I think I'll knock something else off the shelf the next time I go to the store.

The soup turned pretty beige once microwaved.

Next, I headed to the largest Mexican Farmers Market in the city of Houston, known as Canino's. It is truly amazing. The market stretches on and on, boasting endless produce stands run by different families.

A million hot peppers. No biggie.

The produce is fresh and dirt cheap and not always identifiable. Another plus for the food industry.

At one stand, I noticed a barrel full of tiny dried out minnows. What the heck. They also sell mangoes on sticks that are dipped in cayenne pepper and then carved in the shape of flowers, which, to be honest, mesmerized me.

I made several purchases. I bought 2 tacos and a pineapple Jupina for only $4.50. I also got inspired by all the produce and ended up having this for breakfast the next day:

I didn't eat the lemon.
Why, then, did I put it on the plate?

My mouth was on fire due to all the citric acid. Minus two points for food.

The Canino adventure made me appreciate all the great Mexican influences in Texas, but it also caused me to miss the great Cuban fare I grew up eating in south Florida. I decided to try making one of my favorite dishes from home, Cuban pulled pork with lime. It turned out well, albeit not too photogenic.

Pretend there are sweet plantains on the plate.

I am still in the process of trying to perfect my Ropa Vieja.

My final food discovery occurred when I was traveling throughout New Hampshire. The Centennial Hotel claimed a delicious breakfast, so I gave it a shot. The highlight was the creme fresh with chives on the hash browns. I had never tried that before, and it was dang good.

I started eating before I took the picture.
 Rookie mistake.

 These are the things that have been happening in my life regarding food. Who cares, right?

If You're Ever in New Hampshire

My job requires that I travel quite a bit for work. Though this can seem glamorous, it can get pretty ugly when an accident prone person hits the open road. For instance, my rental car kind of exploded once in Dallas but I had to keep driving it.

Last week, I actually had a fairly smooth trip to Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Well, smooth if you don't count the fact I failed to realize I was flying out on the Monday after Easter and the security line snaked out the doors of the actual airport. I had to beg my way to the front of the line, which would have been humiliating had a panic induced surge of adrenaline not taken over my body. I was the last person to board the plane. Everyone looked at me disapprovingly as I walked shamefully down the aisle to my seat.

The first night of the trip, I stayed at the Andover Inn, which was pretty fantastic. 



The truck kinda ruins the picture.

 

Slanty ceilings always wow me.

The next day, I drove to New Hampshire and managed to fit in a hike on the Oakland Town Forest Trail. New Hampshire is very naturey.

The logs look sorta fake, as if placed there for effect.

Huge rocks!

I tried to get all artistic with my cell phone camera.

I saw an owl that appeared to be at least 2.5 feet tall. (Once, a big owl swooped down, picked up the neighbor's cat, flew up really high, and then dropped it to its death. Then it ate the cat.The neigbors watched in horror, but what could they do at that point, really?)

After the hike, I made my way to Water Street in the thriving metropolis of downtown Exeter for lunch. I picked a small cafe called The Green Bean, which overlooks the Exeter River. I chose a turkey, cranberry sauce, and stuffing sandwich and a cup of cream leek and brie soup.


I'm stressed that you won't notice the river out the window.
That's a river.

Then I visited the Water Street Book Store (indie books for indie minds). It was a winner.

That night, I stayed in the Exeter Inn. The room was weird in a good way. I had a private bathroom that was located across the hall. It's a funny thing to walk through the hall with your shower gear. They called this European.

No bathroom!

At night, I came back to find cookies on the dresser and a robe laid out on the bed. I immediately thought I was in the wrong room and dashed back out into the hall. Once I had regained composure, I got really into the robe idea.

Loving that robe

The idea of wearing a robe someone else had worn soon got to me and I set it aside.

Finally, I made my way to Concord, New Hampshire. I bought a very affordable shirt at the L.L. Bean outlet store (no sales tax in NH!). It was affordable because someone had monogrammed the cuff and then returned it. I now sport the initials TJR, which I claim stands for Thomas Jefferson Roosevelt.

Sporting some new initials to save money

I texted this picture to my sister to ask her if the shirt looked nice. She replied, "I like the shirt but don't even think of buying that hideous one hanging in the background." I returned it to the rack in shame.

I then stayed at the Centennial Hotel, which was swank-tastic.

Huge bed. Huge.

All in all, it was a great trip. Here are the take-aways:

-Do stay at the Andover Inn, Exeter Inn, and the Centennial Hotel. You can bargain the prices down in the off-season.
-Do hike the Town Forest trail. You might see a huge owl.
-Do pick a fun restaurant on Water Street in Exeter for lunch on the river. The brie leek soup is good but needs a little salt.
-Don't ask TSA for help if you're running late and the security line is long. They'll just tell you, "Yeah, I think you're going to miss that flight. Well, see ya."
-Don't get confused and think you're in the wrong room when they put cookies in it.
-Don't bring your cat, for multiple reasons.