I think it's fun to share with you the weird crap that finds its way out of my brain and into my laptop. I find it to be somewhat stimulating and therapeutic at the same time; and I'd like to imagine that you get the tiniest bit of amusement out of it, so that has the added benefit of making me happy as well. However, coming up with topics to write about can be challenging at times. So as a way of finding new and exciting things to share with you, I started following the National Day Calendar. I had no idea there were so many different types of days for such a wide range of things - from food to people to places and poetry. Just by choosing a National Day of something, we've eaten at restaurants we never would have tried otherwise, visited places that I didn't even know existed (I'm lookin' at you Chicken Boy), and I've learned about things I had heard of but never actually bothered to research (rarebit...for example). Each adventure give me a chance to plan and prepare (and you know that I love to plan and prepare). One of the best parts, though, is that it's kept Nick and I from looking at each other and playing rounds of the "I dunno, what do you want to do" game. Plus then I get to share all of this with you and hopefully send a little inspiration your way. Overall, it has been quite a fun little experiment.
However, like all experiments, sometimes things don't always go according to plan.
For example.
Today is National Fluffernutter Day. As with many of these days, I had never heard of it - but with a name like Fluffernutter, how can one possibly not investigate? Turns out fluffernutter is nothing more than a sandwich made with marshmallow cream (fluff) and peanut butter (nut). My good friends at Wikipedia tell me that fluffernutter sandwiches are more popular in New England area, which would help explain why I had never heard of it before. As with any recipe, there are a gauntlet of variations for fluffernutter including wheat bread instead of white, the use of Nutella, bananas, and deep frying the sandwich. There are fluffernutter cookies, cakes, pies and shakes.
That's a lot of fluff.
Instead of just making a fluffernutter sandwich, I thought this would be a great chance to see where in the greater Los Angeles area we could find someplace that serves fluffernutter. So I started my planning. I went for a search to find fluffernutter in Los Angeles (seriously, what did we ever do without Google) and sure enough, there is a restaurant that had it on their menu. So I planned an evening out. I determined hours of operation, I picked which night of the week we could go, and I started psyching myself up for this mysterious but incredibly fun-to-say sandwich. When the time came, we made our way into the city to a place called The Must.
They even have a Zoltar machine downstairs (never mind that there's even a downstairs to begin with!), so you can make your Big wish. You know I had to give it a try!
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| Close enough to the movie to totally count |
All was going well. The food was incredible, the service impeccable; I was so busy enjoying myself that I almost forgot why we were there. Until it was time for dessert.
No fluffernutter.
Whaaaaaaa??
But. But. But it's fluffernutter day! We battled LA traffic to get to the only place in town that (allegedly) has fluffernutter...and there's no fluffernutter? I'm a planner. I planned. I planned to share with you a story about fluffernutter. I did research. I Yelped. I found myself at a loss. I stared across the table blankly at Nick. So what do we do now? Should we try and find a grocery store that sells marshmallow fluff and make our own? I mean, it seems like a simple enough thing, but I was really looking forward to trying it out and about. What do we do? Completely nonplussed, he looked at me and simply said "Order something else."
My husband really is the voice of reason in our relationship.
But it's fluffernutter day...? How does one simply "order something else" when my mind was focused on a craving for something I knew nothing about? Still momentarily confused, I told him to pick from the menu, because clearly I was in no position to make a decision. So he ordered the frozen cinnamon sugar custard with shortbread cookies.
It turned out to be one of the best new desserts I've tried in quite some time.
The cinnamon custard was like eating a frozen churro - it melts in your mouth with the perfect blend of sugar and spice. And the cookies? Those shortbread cookies were the best homemade shortbread cookies I've ever had: buttery, soft and melty, with just the slightest hint of crumble. Over cups of coffee, we spooned out bite after bite of frozen deliciousness, enjoying the music and the atmosphere. It was the best dessert I never planned for. I was so enamored with the cookies that Nick even asked for a couple extra in a go-box for me for the next day.
Seriously, he is the voice of reason and knower of how to placate wife during her morning commute.
Life is funny in the way that everything happens for a reason. What started out as an adventure for a sandwich turned into the discovery of a different kind. We never would have found such an awesome place without National Fluffernutter Day, even though it turned out there was no fluffernutter to be found. I guess even when you think you've planned out your adventures to the best detail possible, things are still bound to go awry. So you can either sit there and question why things go wrong, pout and lament (which changes nothing), or you can try go out on a limb, try something new and different than you originally hoped for and maybe end up with a pleasant surprise anyway. Things don't always work out the way you planned - but maybe the unplanned is the way it was supposed to work out in the first place. Maybe one day I'll get around to trying a fluffernutter sandwich, just not today.
And in case you're wondering what Zoltar had to say....
HA! No peeking! Guess you'll just have to go ask him yourself.
