Serenity & Spice

In the last few months, I have found that I have needed to rebuild my self-confidence from the ground up. It would help with some attention from the opposite sex. That has proven to be difficult as I need better self-confidence to attract the attention of the opposite sex. It’s a vicious cycle.  Welcome to the world of app dating! By now, most people have tried dating apps like Tinder and Bumble . It is a treacherous minefield trying to find someone to connect with. When you find someone that seems perfectly decent, you agree to meet. Sometimes it works out. Terry's Chocolate at Rock Town Distillery Available February 15th “A couple got married here,” said Stephanie at Rock Town Distillery . “They had their first date at the distillery.” The couple in question had met here as a midway point between where they lived. One was from Texas, and the other was from Alabama.  “We recommend taking the tour of the distillery or attending one of our cocktail classes,” she says.  What if the

The last few years have been tough. It doesn’t seem like this pandemic is ever going to really end and personal setbacks have me questioning my purpose. As with all traumatic breakups, I’ve been experiencing triumphant highs and extreme lows this year. Even my cat is tired of my shit.  This is the first time in seven years I will be single during the holidays. I’ve been searching for a movie to fit my current situation, but all I can find are cheesy Hallmark rom-coms. Can’t there be a movie about a cynical but quirky food blogger that likes beer and says “fuck” at least five times a day having a magical Christmas on her own?  I need to do things that are nourishing for my soul. Go out on the town. Support local businesses. Spend time with the friends that have stuck around. Maybe make some new ones. The holidays are not about presents or having someone to snuggle up with. Maybe next year, there will be a workaholic businessman with whom I can get into yuletide shenanigans. This year, I

When I got to Camp Taco , I didn’t know what to expect. It was my first night away from home, but luckily I had my friend Christie with me. We were both totally stoked for the start of summer camp, and it's finally here in October.  It was 5:30 on a Sunday, but the camp was full of campers. The counselors were all super cool. We managed to get a bunk at the bar. And that’s when the head counselor Biff told us about the Ghoul of East Village.  Last Summer, he went on a rampage, killing everyone in his path. No one knew who he was, but the camp was left abandoned ever since. Recently, it had been leased by a local businessman, but the plans to reopen kept being rescheduled until now. Rumor has it, the first group of counselors mysteriously vanished.  That was so long ago we weren’t going to let it spoil our fun. Christie and I were ready to start our rad summer adventure. With what else, the white poblano cheese dip with housemade tortilla chips. The cheese dip was tasty but mostly u

Lately, I feel this pressure to do something. Create a work of art or destroy something beautiful. In the end, my stress with the ever-changing world around me and the constant stream of life-altering events have me lying in bed staring at the ceiling, waiting for the next crisis to occur.  During this pandemic, I did accomplish something. I wrote half a book about zombies. Last November, I participated in National Novel Writing Month or NaNoWriMo . I wrote the beginning of an atompunk story about a family that lives in a dome society created in 1955. It’s filled with 50s references, conspiracy theories, and zombies, but I only managed to finish half of it. Life gets in the way. I also made a coffee stout in honor of the month.  The blog post I wrote about it was probably one of my most popular.  As during most times of significant change, one is expected to keep themselves busy. I made my first mead earlier this month, and it's currently going through its second fermentation as

I remember years ago, one cloudy afternoon when my dad decided to take me to Vino’s Pizza and Brewery not too long after my 21st birthday. He ordered two beer samplers and then proceeded to go through each one with me. My dad had been a BJCP (Beer Judge Certification Program) Judge for years and he took this as the perfect opportunity to teach me about beer styles.  It was probably January or February of 2006, and I had recently returned from my first tour in Iraq. Growing up, he had given me tidbits but never gave me an actual class before. To him, a beer tasting was a rite of passage for me. Ken Haycook was determined that his daughter would go out into the world knowing how to drink beer. In honor of Father’s Day, I made I Love You, Dad Pizza . I made pizza crust with 6 Bridges Cream Ale from Vino’s. A few months back, I did a beer and cookie pairing but wasn’t able to include Vino’s in the mix. Given this memory, I felt it deserved something a little more special.  My dad’s favo

I wasn’t looking for it, but it found me. After I arrived in Las Vegas, my cousin took a long way home to show me some of the city. It was a beautiful day, and I saw the Hofbrauhaus and part of the Strip. We had an incredible lunch at Oceans One. As we headed south towards her home, I saw it: Lotus of Siam.  During quarantine, I watched Taste the Nation with Padma Lakshmi on Hulu. She visits cities across the United States and details the immigrant tradition and how it has influenced American foodways. In Episode 9: "The Pad Thai Gamble", she travels to Las Vegas and explores its large Thai community. The last place she went to was the James Beard Award-winning Lotus of Siam. It is praised as the best Thai restaurant in the country specializing in Northern Thai cuisine. After some begging, my cousin agreed to take me there for lunch as one of our last adventures. As the location nearest to the place I was staying was closed due to COVID restrictions, we went to the original

As a beer lover and former Girl Scout, I feel I must guide those not from Little Rock about what beer should be tried with which Girl Scout cookie. I got the idea about a month and a half ago when I started planning my Girl Scout Cookie series of blog posts. I wanted to end with a fun tour around the city’s breweries and highlight some tasty beer. A sugar coma is not too far behind. As I was doing this mainly on my own, I knew I had to space the tastings out, or else I knew I wouldn’t be able to make it to the end. Please keep in mind that some of these recollections are a bit hazy, which should be understandable.  To keep things fair, I have selected only two beers from each place. The only Little Rock brewery not included is Vino’s, which is a shame as they have probably been around longer than most of the breweries on this list. Keep a lookout, though. I do plan on doing something special featuring them in the future.  This journey begins as all journeys must, someplace a little clo