Changing Seasons, Cilantro, Macarons, and Songs that Fill Moods

Autumn never seems to last long enough.  Summer and Winter are the forever seasons while Spring and Autumn tug back and forth between the first two, never getting a true fair shake.  Last Tuesday was north Utah's last day in the 70's, and now we are in a temperature freefall, bouncing about here and there with a chance of snow on Sunday.  Yippee!! :P 

Anywho, in other news, I told my Mom that cilantro is really good for detoxing.  Read that somewhere, so it must be true.  And it must be why green smoothies always list it as an ingredient.  And then I told her that some people have a gene that makes cilantro taste like soap.  Sadness.  She's never had a problem with cilantro before, but bought a tiny bunch to try.  While having lunch yesterday she ate it and declared, "It tastes like soap!"  I told her it must be in her head, because she's never had this issue before.  After a few chews she decided that it was 50/50.  The cilantro tasted normal to me. *shrug*

Now lavender sometimes taste like soap in things.  But tasty soap!!  Oh my goodness, there's a little shop in the Paseo Nuevo outdoor mall in Santa Barbara called Le Macaron French Pastries, and I just checked and they seem to still be in business.  That's fantastic.  They have a pastry chef from France, and they make Lavender macarons that are so good.  But want to know the best flavor??!!  Rose!!!!  It's so good.  And no other macaron place I've been to has them.  I haven't been to Santa Barbara in well over a year.  It's probably going to be awhile before I get the chance to visit California again.

Please tell me other people are like this... have you ever loved a song so much that it goes on loop, sometimes for days?  A couple weeks ago I was digging "Fallin' (Adrenaline)" by Why Don't We.  Slow beginning, but goes into a great beat.  Then it was Rascal Flatts album "How They Remember You."  That lead me to discover the song "Ocean" by Lady A (formally known as Lady Antebellum), and that song went on loop a full two days.  It fed a mood.  And it crazy slowed down my productivity. -_-;;  Oh, and then I went on a Radio Disney kick and discovered the song "Lie Like This" (clean edit) by Julia Michaels.  It has such a nice chorus.  And now I'm digging the Christian song "Haven't Seen It Yet" by Danny Gokey, which has three versions, and they're all nice.  

Hope you're having a great day! :D

 “Listen! The wind is rising, and the air is wild with leaves, we have had our summer evenings, now for October eves.” ~ Humbert Wolfe

 

Eating Disney Magic At Home: Mickey Bars

I don't think I'm alone when it comes to missing the Disney parks.

There's a lot of unknowns to when the U.S. parks will open and what they will look like in terms of operation, until then there's a little Disney magic that can be eaten at home.  Chocolate covered Mickey Mouse bars with vanilla ice-cream.  They are so tasty.  Honestly, the ice-cream is really creamy.

I just realized something... bear with me.  When the lock-downs began last March my Mom managed to buy a box.  It said that it was a 90th Anniversary, limited edition.  I didn't even know Mickey Bars were available for home purchase (so, honestly, I haven't a clue how long they've been in grocery stores).  The above pictured box is from WinCo, the bottom from Walmart, both of which don't mention 90th anniversary or limited edition. [Edit: I was wrong, looking at this blog post again.  The WinCo box clearly has the 90th anniversary on it, whereas Walmart does not, so maybe they will stick around?  Limited Edition isn't printed on the Walmart box.]  Are these going to be a regularly available item?  I sure hope so.  Honestly don't know.

Individually the bars are $2.50 for a single and $6.48 for a box of 6.

If you're missing the Disney parks and love Mickey Bars it's worth checking out the freezer section of your grocery store to see if they have them.  Everything's been a little crazy due to so many things, so hopefully they're available, and hopefully they stick around.  These are my new favorite ice-cream snack.

(Apparently these have been out for over a year!!  I'm so late to the party!  Better late than never, right? :P )

Crepes with Cake in Harajuku, Tokyo Japan

When I went to Tokyo last April there were things I wanted to do this trip that didn't work out back in 2015.  There are so many great videos on YouTube and NHK World, and somewhere in the mix I learned about Harajuku crepes.  Delicious, overabundant morsels of goodness filled to the brim with cake, fruit, ice-cream, or whatever your heart desires.  There are so many crepe options while walking down Takeshita Street in Harajuku.  

On this trip I was with my Mom and brothers, and after walking through Takeshita Street both ways we settled on Sweet Box, though I'm sure the other stands would have been just as good.  I got a chocolate crepe with strawberries and it was so good.

My brother Steven loved it so much he got two crepes!!

Really, my bro was having a grand time.

And my Mom was having a blast, too. :0)

A few years ago I had crepes in France after visiting the Sacré-Coeur up on that hill where the artist paint.  Having crepes in France was a dream, but ultimately I was disappointed.  It was a little place, and maybe if I tried getting a crepe a second time it would have been good.  I was worried I would be disappointed with Harajuku crepes as well, as I've wanted to try them for years.  I was not disappointed!!  They're great and worth the venture and experience.

 Takeshita Street is a very short walk from Meiji shrine, another place worth visiting.  Really, between Harajuka and Shibuya, which are really close to each other, you can spend a day exploring these two areas.

 The entry to Takeshita Street.

 There are cat cafes everywhere, if you're into that sort of thing.  Two dollars for 10 minutes!  It's amusing, and I don't think I'd ever do it, but here it is.

 Just having a good time with my brothers.

 I wanted to try Wendy's once on the trip, just to see how it compares to the American version, but it didn't work out.

 We got Japanese food instead, which was pretty good.

Harajuku is definitely worth a visit if you find yourself in Tokyo Japan.

Enjoying Wonderful Pastries in France

May, 2016: You can't go to France and not try pastries!  Seriously a sin of some sort.  There were so many pastries to try in Issoudun, a few good shops.

Really, it's all so dangerous, but so yummy.

(You just need to be careful when you take them home.)

Photos by Sarah and Robin Stufflebeam

Eating Wonderful Food in Central France

May, 2016: Finishing up our trip in France my Mom, Patou, and I had some really nice meals.  The first pictured meal was in Boussac, the second meal in Issoudun, a little hot chocolate, and finally burgers at La Boucherie.  So good!!!

Seriously one of the best burgers I've ever had.

Photos by Sarah and Robin Stufflebeam