Triple Meat Threat.

You know when you are STARVING and you are standing in the grocery store like an idiot, wanting one of everything?

Me too. Happens all the time.

I was hanging out in the meat section of Bob's Shurfine, practically foaming at the mouth one evening on my way home from work. I LOVE their meat section. Not really sure why. But I do. I was staring at all of it, trying to think of the crunchiest, cheesiest, saltiest, meatiest combination and it came to me:

Chicken cordon bleu subs...with pepperoni and sauteed mushrooms. Yesssss.

Ingredients:

Sub rolls

butter

garlic

swiss cheese

crumbled bleu cheese

sliced ham

chicken tenders (uncooked)

sliced pepperoni

I did a basic garlic rub and splash of Italian dressing on the chicken tenders and threw those on the grill. While that was grilling, I opened 2 giant sub rolls (not cutting all the way through) and (inspired by the Biederman's balboa) made some garlic bread out of the rolls. While that toasted, I flipped the chicken and sauteed a few mushrooms in splash of olive oil on the stove. My vision started to come into reality when I heard the *ding* of the toaster oven and then I assembled. Oh yes, I assembled.

On the garlicy (lightly toasted) rolls, I sprinkled some blue cheese so it got all melty. I layered ham. I relayered blue cheese. I grabbed the chicken tenders and tossed those on next, topping the chicken off with the sauteed mushrooms...and probably more bleu cheese. Pepperoni came next and I topped it all with Swiss cheese. I threw the sandwiches under the broiler while I poured myself a frosty beverage and once that cheese was melted to perfection it was time.

Triple Meat Threat. Gross and awesome and delicious. Suck it, Martha.

Mmmm...melty cheesy goodness.

Oh, my poor arteries.

Vegas, baby!

It was so completely whirlwhind, that it was almost like it didn't happen. But now that I have finally gotten around to downloading all of my pictures, I guess it's true: I did go to Vegas last month! Jim and I flew in Friday morning. We were there by noon and home by midnight on Sunday. Perfect.

Now I had never been and neither had Jim, so we had to get in some of the Vegas staples: the MGM lion... We saw Cirque de Soleil. I couldn't sneak any good pictures inside, but I did convince the ticket guy to pose with me...

We tooled around the casinos in our bathing suits...

...and lounged in the sun at the resort at Mandalay Bay, the hotel we stayed at. The weather was absolutely perfect!

And of course we went out at night and had ourselves a hootin', hollerin' good time. And that's all I'm going to say. :o)

(What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.)

Sunny days...

As I head full force ahead into the summer months at my shop, I am *trying* (I said TRYING!) to take some time for myself so that I don't, well, go crazy. My time off is far and few between these days, but it makes it so much more magical when I can spend time appreciating everything around me.

...and spend time with Horseshoe! (Or, you may remember him as Blink, from his AT adventures last year). No, this was not the AT...this was just a little jaunt (hey, it kicked my butt!) up Rattlesnake West on a sunny Monday.

THIS is my backyard. I sometimes forget just how great this place is. I think I'll stick around for a while. :o)

Catching up on life...

Boy, have I been busy! I have been working on getting my shop opened (http://www.veggieartgirlboutique.blogspot.com/) and it seems to be the season of design- lots of clients are in search of new marketing materials for the summer season. I have been straight out, working late nights on some new accounts (that I am REALLY excited about!) and trying to get ahead a little. But oh how I have missed blogging. (My apologies to all those who have tuned in and found April's post still lingering at the top of my blog page. I've got some juicy stuff in store!)

But first, I have to back track. Seems like just last week I was leaving Asheville to come back to NH, but after looking at the calendar, I guess it has been 8 weeks or so. I have come back, painted a couple of murals, been to Vegas and back (more on that in a bit) and opened my shop. So while I have lots of fun traveling pics to post, I am going to share pics of one of my last nights in Asheville at 205 Logan. Ahhh, how I do miss that place. Look how cute that house is!

Late night game of Simon Says in the street. (Thanks, Charlie for running the show!)

Potluck Wednesdays! Always delicious food and fantastic people!

And yes, I miss the chickens, too. Without getting too ahead of myself, I am considering plotting out a square on the side of my house to have a lil' chicken abode and some little beaked buddies. If you know of anyone who is throwing away fencing (or selling it on the cheap!), I am hoping to have chickens next spring at the 191. Bok, bok, bok, be-gok!

Roots Cafe.

One of my favorite new places in Asheville to eat is the Roots Cafe, in the River Arts District of Asheville. They're a little breakfast and lunch place that supports local farmers, has a fabulous veggie menu and gorgeous outdoor seating on giant rocks. Makes for some fun eats in the sunshine. :o)

I ended up doing a couple of creative jobs for Roots during my winter stay, including a redesign of their bathroom. I went with a simple and clean, retro-inspired design and created the custom curtains to coordinate with the spring green tone and funky black and white tiles. The hallway was painted a funky red, with simple vinte climbing floor to season. Tying it all together was the teal doors, that look beautiful against the red and subtly match the curtains in the bathroom. It's such a simple, happy design.And here is a sample of their delicious food. This is their house salad- an Asian inspired dish with quinoa hushpuppies and Thai chicken skewers. Deeeelish.

Trudi

It was love at first sight. I went back to visit her for 3 days in a row and called twice to make sure this fabulous green bike hadn't been sold. And then I remembered the wise old saying, "if you love something, set it free," which I did...for an entire day. But then I got nervous, called the antique shoppe back, and had them put a hold sign on it. I scrounged together every penny I had, decided I could live off the box of pasta I have in the back of the cupboard and tap water for the next week and bought my groovy dream bike. Fantastic.

I asked the cashier what she thought I should name it (as I was shaking in excitement) and she kind of stared at me blankly. The fun lady behind me in line showed a little more enthusiasm about my purchase, told me she had a similar bike and offered to take a picture of me. And just like that my new bike had a name: Trudy. Named after the fun lady with the purple pants.

Trudy and Janis become friends:Oh, I heart this bike so. We are going to be soooooo happy together. :o)

Don't worry about a thing...

Being in Asheville this season has been a beautiful experience in such a different way for me than in previous visits. It has come with a fair share of trials and tribulations, scattered with bursts of creativity, inspiration and concentration on who I want to be. It's been a bit of a roller coaster, but I have made it work. I have had to make a housing shift, lost 2 part time jobs to business downsizing (which I thought *might* be a sign that I am not supposed to work for anyone else?), and have been happily living out of a teeny orange room on the west side, finding clarity in what once was cloudy to me. I know where I want to be and am excited to get back to NH to keep burying my creative roots in New England soil. Money has been tight, but I have received official confirmation from my (fantastic!) accountant that I am in fact doing everything right, following my first full year of self employment. Woot. *Insert sigh of relief here*

So I have had to make simpler choices and work with what I have. This has forced me to really get down to the nitty gritty of who I am, and have come to realize more clearly what I want in life. And y'know...call me crazy (go ahead!), but when you are walking down the sidewalk on a sunny day reflecting upon these things and you stumble upon THIS adhered to the pavement, you just have to smile and think for *one second* that it was put there for you.

Homemade ceramic tile says 'It'll be fine.' I think so.