Coiffure couture
One of the hardest services to replace when moving, in my experience, is the hair stylist. It took four different stylists in three different salons before I found someone I really liked, who was in my price range. (It's still about twice what I paid in Ohio, but it's the going price for this area.) And the gal I ended up with, I ended up with by default.
I was with her for a while, really liked her, then . . .
She left. Went to work out of town, I think. No forwarding address.
So I went with another default person, who was not the default person I thought it was (whom I really liked, too).
So Wednesday, I tried a different salon. And I'm highly amused by the difference.
The previous salon had more of an "up-scale" "salon" atmosphere to it. The place I went Wednesday was a much homier "beauty shop." Owner-operated (the owner returned the message I left and was working the front area of the shop when I arrived), and rather, as George suggested, "Steel Magnolias."
The gal gave me a fairly awesome cut, and was even able to--by serendipity--bring out my natural red highlights.
And the kicker? I got a free cookbook for being a new client. It's one of those homemade cookbooks, like churches or schools or community groups do for fundraisers. It's a collection of recipes gathered from the (I assume) employees and clientele of the shop.
It's really interesting to see the differences and similarities between this book and the ones I have from back home. Lots of crab recipes, something definitely won't see in a mid-western cookbook.
So those who've been reading this journal for a while know that from time to time I go through recipe phases where I get it in my head to find a favorite recipe for a given dish. Well, Sunday at church there's going to be an all-church potluck after services to introduce the new pastor candidate to the congregation. I've decided to do strawberry pretzel salad. If you're not familiar, pretzel salad is a dessert salad made of three layers: a pretzel crust layer, a cream cheese later, and a fruit/Jell-O layer. Obviously, the fruit/Jell-O combo is strawberry. :-) It's a delicious combination of salty and sweet, it's very popular at church potlucks back home, and I haven't had any in ages.
I found the recipe I want to use in the 75th Anniversary cookbook from my home church. But I also found a different variation in the Master Gardener cookbook that mom and MiL worked on. Instead of strawberries and strawberry Jell-O for the top layer, it uses pineapple. Now, you must understand the relationship I have with pineapple. The best description of fresh pineapple I've come up with is "orgasmic." It's the first word that popped into my head the first time I had true, fresh, in-season pineapple for the first time. People have watched me eat fresh pineapple and have actually asked me what's wrong, assuming my yummy noises are an allergic reaction or something, I guess. Canned pineapple doesn't come close to the ecstasy of fresh pineapple, but still. I can't wait to try this recipe.
And if I ever got to Hawaii and had the opportunity to have fresh pineapple right then and there? I'd probably think I'd died and gone to Heaven.
Anyway, if anyone's interested, I'll post the recipes here and let you know how they turn out.
Time for lunch.
I was with her for a while, really liked her, then . . .
She left. Went to work out of town, I think. No forwarding address.
So I went with another default person, who was not the default person I thought it was (whom I really liked, too).
So Wednesday, I tried a different salon. And I'm highly amused by the difference.
The previous salon had more of an "up-scale" "salon" atmosphere to it. The place I went Wednesday was a much homier "beauty shop." Owner-operated (the owner returned the message I left and was working the front area of the shop when I arrived), and rather, as George suggested, "Steel Magnolias."
The gal gave me a fairly awesome cut, and was even able to--by serendipity--bring out my natural red highlights.
And the kicker? I got a free cookbook for being a new client. It's one of those homemade cookbooks, like churches or schools or community groups do for fundraisers. It's a collection of recipes gathered from the (I assume) employees and clientele of the shop.
It's really interesting to see the differences and similarities between this book and the ones I have from back home. Lots of crab recipes, something definitely won't see in a mid-western cookbook.
So those who've been reading this journal for a while know that from time to time I go through recipe phases where I get it in my head to find a favorite recipe for a given dish. Well, Sunday at church there's going to be an all-church potluck after services to introduce the new pastor candidate to the congregation. I've decided to do strawberry pretzel salad. If you're not familiar, pretzel salad is a dessert salad made of three layers: a pretzel crust layer, a cream cheese later, and a fruit/Jell-O layer. Obviously, the fruit/Jell-O combo is strawberry. :-) It's a delicious combination of salty and sweet, it's very popular at church potlucks back home, and I haven't had any in ages.
I found the recipe I want to use in the 75th Anniversary cookbook from my home church. But I also found a different variation in the Master Gardener cookbook that mom and MiL worked on. Instead of strawberries and strawberry Jell-O for the top layer, it uses pineapple. Now, you must understand the relationship I have with pineapple. The best description of fresh pineapple I've come up with is "orgasmic." It's the first word that popped into my head the first time I had true, fresh, in-season pineapple for the first time. People have watched me eat fresh pineapple and have actually asked me what's wrong, assuming my yummy noises are an allergic reaction or something, I guess. Canned pineapple doesn't come close to the ecstasy of fresh pineapple, but still. I can't wait to try this recipe.
And if I ever got to Hawaii and had the opportunity to have fresh pineapple right then and there? I'd probably think I'd died and gone to Heaven.
Anyway, if anyone's interested, I'll post the recipes here and let you know how they turn out.
Time for lunch.