As I was driving back from my yoga sculpt class with my Wellness Drink from Greens and Proteins, I was thinking about how comfortable I have become here. I have found my routine. Routines are things that I like – I don’t like suspense, the suspense of not knowing where something is or how something will work out or how to get somewhere – I don’t like suspense anywhere, just last week I looked up the ending to the movie S3VEN that I was watching with friends because I was so uncomfortable. Once I knew how it ended I felt clear to continue watching. In fact, I do that with a lot of books too….
Well anyways, I was surprised to find myself thinking about how Vegas kind of feels like home…
Vegas has done in 4 months was Texas could not do in a whole year. I never really felt at home in Texas, it never felt like a place to stay or that I was doing anything more than passing by. Maybe it is because I have my house surrounded by all of my things as opposed to an apartment or maybe just because Vegas is more my personality than Texas ever could be [specifically San Angelo] but I feel pretty good here. I will feel even better once I get my guns in the next couple weeks as well. Hehe.
The other way I know I am “home” in Vegas? I have spent my last two weekends knitting, cleaning, and making pillows. Yup. When you are knitting in Vegas, you are no longer a visitor. You also aren’t likely to be 22 years old but I like to break the mold.
Also, twice this week I have had people ask me for Vegas advice like where to go and where to eat and I really felt that I was able to give them solid answers with a variety of options. There is still soo much that I have to learn but I know so much more now than I did 4 months ago. As I plan for my friend to visit in 2 weeks, I find that there are just so many things that I know and want to do that it is hard to decide!
I have been craving baking for a while now and so I caved into that a bit to make some cupcakes to take into work. I made a chocolate fudge cupcake with a hit of cayenne and cinnamon [just a shake really] with a cinnamon cayenne cherry filling and vanilla frosting with cinnamon chips beneath and on top.
I would call these “semi-homemade” – the cupcake mix was….gasp…from a box. I know, sad and awful but I don’t actually have any normal flour in my house yet. I need to get some so I can start making fun fruit cakes for the holidays though. So yah, chocolate fudge cake mix made from the box with about a ½tsp cinnamon and ¼ tsp cayenne or so. Maybe twice that.
The filling I took a light cherry pie filling can and heated it over the stove with about a tsp of cayenne and cinnamon, tasting as I added until I could just start to feel the warmth from the cayenne and the cinnamon added to the cherry without overpowering it.
I used and apple corer to take the centers out of the cupcakes and then filled them up – about 3 cherries and syrup per cupcake. Then I sprinkled them with cinnamon chips—I wanted to make a cinnamon ganache but I didn’t have heavy cream…or even any type of milk – other than condensed and evaporated and I didn’t want to waste a can of that for just a couple tablespoons…
Then just vanilla frosting – again – betty crocker – and then sprinkled some cinnamon chips on top.
Not my most original or my best effort but I think they look good and they should taste pretty awesome, semi homemade or not. I think that I will break out the donut maker and the donut cookbook here pretty soon, I just need more ingredients for them first.
I would also like to say that I still do not have internet and so in my desperation to blog I am sitting in my friends driveway while he is at work in order to use his WiFi.
love