[Food & Travel] Cafe Du Monde Beignets and Coffee

Hello, ya'll!  Do you love road trips?  My husband and I do.  

Several weeks ago, we went to South Carolina on board our rented Toyota Yaris.  The car was very economical but it felt so light and small that you could feel the wind draft of the 16 wheeler truck we were trying to overtake.  Yikes!

One of our stops was New Orleans, Louisiana (NOLA) where we had breakfast at Cafe du Monde. When in NOLA, you have got to go to Cafe du Monde. The place wasn't full as we thought it would be.  

We were able to sit and give our orders right away: Cafe au lait and hot Beignets.

Beignets are French donuts, covered with powdered sugar...yum!  Those deep fried babies tasted oh so soft and delish!

We've been drinking their Coffee and Chicory at home but the way that they made it in the cafe tasted different - it seemed to have more milk - well, it's cafe au lait, duh!  

Cafe du Monde3

On our trip back home 8 days later, we stopped by again but this time, the place was packed that we decided to buy, sit and eat somewhere else.  Well, it took us 30 minutes to reach the take away window.

Two weeks ago, we craved for beignets so... we made some!  We used vegetable oil to fry the beignets because we didn't have cottonseed oil - which has a higher temperature threshold, hence doesn't burn as easily.  Once the beignets were cooked, we dusted them with powdered sugar.

Homemade Cafe Du Monde Beignets

We took out our store bought mugs and made cafe au lait, this time with more milk.  The verdict:  Just as good!  Wonderful!

It was so good that we ate it all.  

Hmmm, I think I should change topic from henceforth, lol!

Let's talk about this beautiful and colorful plate from AR Leal of Talavera, Mexico.  I bought this during our trip to San Antonio, Texas in january.

Oh, and take a look our his and hers mugs and PS3 controls.
I think I should add blings and flowers on the black one to call it my own.  What do you think?

Hope to see you again soon!
Let's chat and sip our coffee or tea together.

Hugs,
♥  Michelle  ♥

Cafe du Monde Coffee Stand

1039 Decatur Street

New Orleands, Louisiana 70116

Toll free (800) 772-2927

www.CafeDuMonde.com

[Focus on Life Week 17 and 7th BSBP] Color and Bead Soup Blog Party

Hello friends!  Oh, it's a busy day over at The Cabby Crafter.

Today is Week 17 of Focus on Life with Ms. Sally Russick and the theme is COLOR.  Wow, I love color especially primary colors because it makes me feel happy and very festive.  This is a photo of the mini buntings that I made for the luncheon that we will be hosting tomorrow.  The width measures 1 inch and was securely hung on a yarn.  Oh, I love how colorful they are! 

Today is also the 3rd Reveal day for Ms. Lori Anderson's 7th Bead Soup Blog Party.  As I mentioned HERE and HERE, I was paired with Rebecca.  She gave me a beautiful assortment of beads along with a polymer clay pendant.and a couple of nice clasps. 

I love being challenged!  Have you stared at your beads and components, doodling on your sketchbook and wondering what to do with them?  The antique bronze clasp was adorable and I wanted to work around it.  I wanted it to be one of the focal points of the necklace.  This was the first time I've made this design and I think it works well - it draws the eyes to the heart pendant.
The clasp was for a 3-strand necklace:  I used one for the chain, 1 for the leather and last for the dangling chain.  I worked the wire wrapped beads around it.  I like the pop of green leaves - it complements the shades of blue beads.

"Lock and Key Necklace"

Next, I made a bracelet.  I did wire work on the rectangular glass bead as well as the round beads.  The upper half of the bracelet is like a bangle and the bottom part is hinged to allow ease of wearing. The earth tones of the bracelet makes it so rich!

Thanks for stopping by.

See the Colors of what other participants took notice of HERE and/or

Join the party over at BSBP HERE.

Have a great weekend!

♥  Michelle  ♥

[7th Bead Soup Blog Party] For Rebecca

Welcome back!

As I have mentioned HERE, I am part of the 7th Bead Soup Blog Party hosted by Ms. Lori Anderson.  This year, I was paired with the talented Ms. Rebecca.  These were the ingredients that I sent her:

Ms. Lori required us to give a focal pendant and a clasp - the other beads and findings are just "add-ons."  I made Ms. Rebecca a round concave pendant made from Premo polymer clay. 

I am so excited to see what she cooked.

These were what she sent me.  Aren't they gorgeous? 

Come back on Friday and party with us.

See ya!
♥  Michelle  ♥

[Focus on Life Week 16] Go for a Walk

Welcome back!  

It's Week 16 at Ms. Sally Russick's Focus on Life and the promt is:  "Go for a Walk."

I walk fast oftentimes, as if I'm in a 'walkathon.'  There are times when I feel like I'm gonna take off - that happens when I'm almost late for the bus... thanks to the train for taking a long time to pass.
Ohhh, I got a lot of stories to tell about the happy times of a commuter on public transpo.

The walks that I love the most are the ones that I take with my DH (dear husband).  A few weeks ago, I shared photos that I took during our afternoon stroll at the Japanese garden and Herman park.  Here are some more.

 

This pathway is one of my favorites!  I enjoyed taking in the view, the variety of textures, and the play of colors.  Beautiful!

In the next photo, I wanted to show you the canopy of trees along Herman Park.
These trees look old, with a lot of character and numerous stories to tell, if only they could speak.  

Have I mentioned that our afternoon date was free?  Oh, it was!

I bought my boxed lunch from work that came with a sandwich, soda, chips and a cookie.  We sat on one of the benches and enjoyed our time chatting and people watching.

Don't you love relaxed days like these?  

We are planning to make another trip to the park soon.  It was a very nice respite from the busy hustle and bustle of the city.

Have a wonderful weekend, my friend!  See you soon!

♥  Michelle  ♥

[Sweets] Crave Cupcakes Houston Tx

Happy Birthday to me!  Happy Birthday to me!

Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday,

Happy Birthday to me!

Psalm 28:7
"The LORD is my strength and my shield; My heart trusts in Him and I am helped;
Therefore my heart exults, and with my song I shall thank Him."

Today is my birthday and I feel so blessed!

A friend and sister-in-faith of mine gave me these beautiful tulips and a couple of premium movie tickets. Lovely!  I love tulips when they're not in full bloom yet.  Our coffee table is oh so happy!

Beautiful tulips to celebrate my birthday and also to  remember the people hurt in Boston today.

Lunch was with hubby and our mentors.... Thai Spice buffet.  Yum!

Dinner was at Azuma Sushi and Robata bar... more on that next time.

And the highlight of my day was the dessert!  

I am fascinated by how cute "modern" cupcakes look with their thick frosting and toppings.  I usually scrape off the icing and try the cake to see how moist and delicious it is.

Today, I tried CRAVE cupcakes of Houston.  I've heard good raves about it so I had to try it out.

The store is pretty, bright and clean.  You can watch the staff decorate the cupcakes and be mesmerized by the rows of beautifully decorated sweeties.

Crave Cupcakes
5600 Kirby Drive
Houston, TX 77005
USA

We got 4 flavors:  Coconut, German Chocolate, Crave Chocolate & Cream, and Red Velvet.

All I can say is:  THEY. WERE. YUMMY!

(Take not of the past tense - "were")

It was a wonderful and blessed day for me.  

However, I also mourn for the family of the people who died and were hurt in the Boston bombing that happened this afternoon, during the Boston Marathon.

May the good Lord bless and keep you, my friend.

Sincerely,

♥  Michelle  ♥

[Focus on Life Week 15]: Aged Beauty

It's Week 15 of Ms. Sally Russick's Focus on Life:  "Aged Beauty."

Finding a piece to photograph was challenging because I left most of my old stuff back home until I saw the 2 violins that my sister-in-law and her husband gave me last Christmas.  

I thought, "Oh yeah... those definitely fit the category of aged beauty."  These were his when he was a little boy - I think he was really into it because he had 2 of different sizes.  

They need a little makeover and fine tuning but they look gorgeous to me as it is.

I made this collage to show you the detail and craftsmanship that it took to make these beauties.  Take a look at the beautiful inlaid mother of pearl on the bow.  One of them was a "handmade copy of Antonius Stradivarius" made in April 1978.  Wow... 35 years ago.

Check out the leather case behind...  lovely!

I don't play the violin but I'm surrounded with children who play really well.  I'm a big fan of our Pastor's daughter who is part of the orchestra and chamber in her school... oh my, those kids are dedicated!  Maybe one day, I will be able to hold the bow and make a crisp note.  Good luck to me.

Oh, I wanted to share with you what I made for our Philippine Polymer Clay Guild Challenge that was about surface treatments.  I covered a glass container:  the cover with millefiori canes and the body with textured clay and mica powder.  I also added LP's foil, alcohol inks, acrylic paint and TLS.

Head over to Ms. Sally's blog to see the other gorgeous photos.  Click HERE.

Happy weekend, ya'll.

See you soon!

♥  Michelle  ♥

[Focus on Life Week 14] Up Close

It's Week 14 at Ms. Sally Russick's Focus on Life at The Studio Sublime:  "Up Close."  Our task this week was to use our macro shot to see how close we could really get.

This afternoon, we went to the Japanese Garden and enjoyed every minute of it!

Take a look at these pine needles... I love the fresh green color!

This lovely azalea was just screaming "shoot me!"  The stamens look so delicate and very dainty.

This last photo is the post of the bridge taken by the pond.  It's so rustic, weathered and very nice!  I like how you can see the stream of water in the background.

I had a nice time taking macro shots of objects of nature.  I usually take macro photos of my craft projects, polymer clay, jewelry and handmade cards so this was a great challenge.

Get ready to be Up Close with the other participants HERE.

Have a great weekend!

♥  Michelle  ♥