Blue Lollipop Road

friday night dinner parties…

…are so fun. Especially when it was your roommies birthday this week so you’re celebrating and your other roommie has made Beef Bourguignon. Hello Julie Child! I’m making 2 ridiculous chocolate desserts (recipes stolen from 2 gal pals of mine.) I was also gifted a yummy bottle of Pinot Noir after an interview with a winery today (I know score!- right?) I’m fairly confident the night is going to be a blast and it hasn’t even started yet.

Did I mention I’m on a diet and that I’m a vegetarian?

Yeah, yeah, insert laughs here.

I’ve never had many recipes to share, but this one is a must-pass from my friend Holly if you are a chocolate lover like me. Double chocolate Oreo dessert balls:

Buy:
*Chocolate or vanilla baking bark (baking chocolate bars of some kind, 4 large bars.)
*1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened.
*1 pkg. Oreo cookies

Then:
Melt chocolate in double boiler and add solid vegetable shortening, ½ tsp. at a time as needed to make the mixture smooth. (Do not add liquid oil or water as the chocolate will clump). Chop the entire package of Oreo cookies with a food chopper or put in large Ziploc bag and crush them. Mix with cream cheese. Scoop out balls of mixture using a small scoop. Place in freezer until firm (30 min. to 1 hr.) Dip in melted chocolate, one a time, and place on parchment paper or wax paper until set. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. (Freeze the balls until they are solid, dip them and get them out of the chocolate right away.)

Other tips:
If you do some them in white chocolate, you can drizzle some dark chocolate over them to make creative designs.

Sweet! (In every kind of way.)

Let the dinner party begin.

sigh

I’m staying in Napa for now and I still dream about NYC every single day.

Try to figure that one out.

someone please clue me in

I might be an alien, but I was taught to say please and thank you and do what I promise to do.

Am I crazy?

I don’t often get to the point I feel like I could punch a wall and today feels like one of those days. Instead of punching a wall, I go for long runs (which I am about to head out door to do now. I figure that’s more constructive than punching things.)

I am currently going through a time where people who say they will call won’t, promise things they don’t do, and generally are disappointing me. People are busy, shit happens, I get it. It’s not that. It’s the point blank empty promises and complete lack of respect or consideration that gets me.

I just don’t understand. Why bother with the bullshit? Who has time for that?

…off to pound the pavement instead of the wall. Perhaps while I am away from my computer and phone breaking a sweat, one of those promised messages will finally come in. If not I’ll just have a really nice ass, which hey- I am not opposed to.

jill won the makeover!

YIPPEE!!! Jill Campbell wins! (Well, one of the top 3 anyway. The Grand Prize winner will be announced the night of the makeover.)

I posted this last week asking you all to vote for my friend and she won! I’m convinced that the BLR followers helped tip her over the the line to victory! Thanks all! I am super excited for Jill. I’ll be posting the before and after photos here in a couple weeks after the big makeover day.

Stay tuned to see results!

knotty yarn

So I have told you all I bartended at this retreat called the Might Summit a couple weeks ago. It was near the Russian River at an amazing little resort called Boon. It was a quick gig, and I didn’t get to talk to many of the kick-ass women who were there. There were a couple of those women however, that even in our 5 second interaction I could tell were just NICE. The word nice, or kind to me is by far the biggest compliment. When someone can get a “nice” out of me, from a simple please and thank you, because it just hits you that they are a genuinely decent person- that’s a big deal.

Danielle was one of those people. Her blog is called Knotty Yarn. It has just gone straight and fast into my bookmarks. On her about page (almost scary the amount of similarities between she and I) there is a line that I so, so so (can I say SO one more time?) agree with and live by:

“I strongly believe that every day is a chance to change your mind and change your life.”

I will stop this post there. I can’t imagine putting together a better line that i will toast a thousand times to.

Thanks Danielle. You are nice, you write great stuff, and you have freaking awesome hair too.

secrets revealed!

Guess who gets to go to Tahoe this weekend for the first time ever?

For FREE no less.

Guess who got to eat filet, 3 chocolate lava cakes and about 9 glasses of good wine at a castle last week?

For FREE no less.

Yep- ME!

Guess what else? I’m not even that smart, cool, and this stuff doesn’t require me to get naked.

It baffles me when people ask things like “Wow, how in the WORLD did you ever get to X,Y,Z??!!”

You want to know the big fat secret? Ok. Drumroll please…

I ask, or volunteer. Period.

This means when someone I am around talks about something that sounds interesting, fun, or cool- I say “Ooh! I’d love to do that!” or “Wow, let me know if you ever need any help there.”

If I calculated the cost of wine, apps, a meal, more wine, dessert and entertainment at a castle for a night, that’d be a decent amount of bucks.

If I calculated transportation to Tahoe, a wine festival admission, and a night in a hotel. that’d be a decent amount of bucks.

What do I contribute to get this? A few hours of my time. As in like 2 or 3 hours, not even 8.

What do I get? All of the above and meeting, networking (we all know that any little interaction with the kind of figurative company you want to be in matters) and fun.

Simple formula. Totally not rocket science. If you want to go to/hang with/see something but you’re not sure how you can “get in” or afford to, try this system. It works every time.

I hope I haven’t disappointed you revealing that I’m not really secret-spy tricky. I’d love to hear about cool things you get to do like this and how you got “in” so send me some stories!

Happy weekend all. I’m off to pack for Tahoe. Yesssssssss…

wanted: reader feedback

While I’ve been enjoying the occasional meal, happy hour, and castle-crashing here in Napa since my arrival almost 3 weeks ago, I have been hiding out on top of my new house on the peak feverishly reading, and researching on a work and blog plan with the thrill and promise of a 16 year old prepping for the hottest prom date of her life.

If you have ever met me for more than lets say- 15 seconds, you know I’m not the girl to ever sit home ALL day, for days on end in complete silence with no human interaction. For this time though, I am that girl. When I fully come back into the light it’s going to be with a excellent and healthy vengeance. I WILL be crushing it, and in the happiest and most balanced of ways.

I need your help for some of my research. If you’re willing; Could please share the following with me, leaving a comment here or emailing me at: diane(at sign)bluelollipoproad.com

*What are the 3 things you wish you had more of in your life?
1.)
2.)
3.)

*What are 3 things you’d do/do more if time, money and fear were NOT factors to consider?
1.)
2.)
3.)

This is a huge help, so I thank you much. When I strike it rich and happier than ever (which I will) every round of chocolate dessert will be on me.

Do you think I’m kidding?