Windy Sydney

Perez Hilton just shared this video of Selah Sue singing at the Haiti Benefit Show. I stopped in my tracks and my jaw dropped to the floor.

AMAZING.

Watch this!!



Yessss!!!

Kick ass clips from the UK television show, "Man Stroke Woman."

I love these guys. Especially Ricky Gervais (didn't even come close to spelling that correctly, did I? Anyway, check these out if you want a quick laugh. :)

I can't believe I ever believed this woman. I watched her on Montel, I bought her books, and I daydreamed about being able to pay the $700 for a 20 minute psychic reading so I could hear from my Dad on the other side.

I believed because I wanted to.

It's the same with religion. I believed because I wanted to.

The world is full of people who are jumping at the chance to convince you of things in order to gain control over your actions and to get your money. There are not enough skeptics.



Notice how Montel sticks up for her and offers explanations of how Sylvia might be correct? This is what I equate to apologetics.

Parent: "She wasn't shot."
Sylvia: "Something hit the chest."
Montel: "Here... let me offer a way that makes Sylvia right... maybe... it's a possibility..."

Skeptic: "Joseph Smith was marrying women in secret!"
Church: "Joseph Smith was a wonderful prophet and restored the gospel."
Apologist: "He only married those women because God wanted him to!"

Ugh.



Telling people that their missing loved one is alive when in fact they are not is pure fucking evil. To tell them that she was in a mental hospital somewhere in Orlando when in fact the woman was murdered? These are peoples lives she is messing with here! All for the almighty dollar.



Look at this woman. She is broken hearted about her son. Who wouldn't be? But to lie to her her face for publicity or money? Lower than low.

Many of her fans say that she doesn't charge for the readings on the Montel show, but that doesn't mean she doesn't get paid. By going on national television and convincing people that she knows how to communicate with the dead she is creating an audience of people who can't wait to buy her latest book, join her "church" or pay for a $700 reading. The argument that she volunteers to do readings like this doesn't hold much water when you look at it from all angles.





Sylvia's fans will believe that she is a psychic until they open their eyes and pay attention. Members of the Mormon church will remain members until they open their eyes and pay attention. To most of the faithful, there is never enough evidence to convince them they are wrong.

Okay, you either love Lady Gaga or you hate her.

I happen to love her.

She is eccentric, yes. A little strange? Absolutely. Unique? No one like her.

One thing you can't deny is that this girl has talent.

I like her album, which I don't own sadly, but I love her LIVE ACOUSTIC stuff!! Holy shit!!

If you haven't listened to this before, give it a try. I really wish she would perform acoustic versions more often. It's the best.





Amazing.

I have a confession to make.

I love infomercials.

As Jerry Seinfield once (loosely) said, "There is a time at night when you start to believe these things. At one point I look at my television and think, 'You know... I can't cut through a shoe with any of my knives! I need to order that knife and cut my shoes up!!' There is nothing about my life more embarrassing than the fact that I picked up my phone and uttered the words, 'I would like to order the Ginzu knife.'"

I think it's true. There is a time at night, when your brain is close to shutting itself off that you start thinking about how much these infomercials make sense.

I don't know if it's the female hosts who lack acting skills (seriously, sometimes watching them is like watching a train wreck. It's so bad that you can't stop looking at it!) or their co-hosts who most of the time have an accent. I think Americans immediately think someone with a British or Australian accent is smart and trustworthy. It's brilliant marketing. Sometimes it's the little clips they throw out to show you how their wonderful product will make your life easier.

You can pretty much sell anything you want in an infomercial. Health and fitness products that look fun and "wont turn working out into a chore!" Various kitchen appliances that miraculously do a million jobs in one and clear up all that clutter on your kitchen counters. Cleaning products that use all natural ingredients and work better than the chemical cleaners you buy in the store. You name it, it's out there.

Sometimes the hosts of these infomercials become famous. A household name. Everyone knows who Billy Mays is, right? How about Vince, the ShamWow! guy? Not only is this dude famous for his quotes like, "You'll love my nuts" he also beat up a prostitute in a hotel room not too long ago.



Bam! Bam! Bam! Home fries. Bam! Breakfast to go! How will I live without the slap chop?



I can't get over the name. Nad's. It's so wrong it's right.



The Tiddy Bear. The first couple times I saw this commercial I thought, "WTF??" I don't know about you guys, but if someone saw me driving around with a little plush bear on my boobs I would be embarrassed as Hell. Got my attention, though. The person selling these things probably owns his own private jet by now...

Sometimes the product is for things of a personal nature... and by personal, I mean personal:



I love it when they make the set look like an authentic news program as if people are thinking, "Well, if a journalist is talking about this product on their newscast the claims MUST be true!!" Ha.



Okay, is that one even real?



This Quacker Factory lady makes me laugh every time I see her. If I could use one word to describe the clothing in that clip, classy would be at the bottom of the list. I do love her 80's headband, though. You have to give her credit for being... um... unique.

One of my favorite infomercials of all time...

The Magic Bullet.



Oh, that Berman! What a card!

I don't know about the rest of you, but the morning after a big party I invite all guests into my kitchen so I can teach them about kitchen appliances. I mean... you have to do it. You don't want to be a bad host!

Last, but certainly not least, we have Ron Popeil. His company, Ronco, was everywhere in the 90's. Product after product. Everything from the pocket fisherman to food dehydrator to hair in a can. This guy could sell anything. His co-host in the first two clips drive me nuts... but in a good way. A way that makes me giggle.

Anyone else notice how loud those damn pasta makers are? I swear to Zeus it sounds like a jumbo jet coming in for a landing.







Good times... good times.

Andee

You guys are going to think I am morbid. I'm not. Really. Well, maybe just a little.

I have been going to the forums of mydeathspace.com for about a week now. Oh, I know some of you are thinking, "My Death Space? Is Andee turning into one of those emo goth types that talks about death all the time? Is Andee cutting herself? Has she officially turned to the dark side??"

Nope. :)

When I first came across MyDeathSpace.com it was when I was looking for information about someone I knew that passed away. A simple google search prompted me to click the link of an article that included a link to my friends' myspace account. The people discussing the death of this friend were not disrespectful in any way, quite the opposite. They were commenting about the life he lived and hoping he rested in peace.

It prompted me to look at more articles. There are thousands of names, some you will recognize from television court shows (like the recent case of Brittanee Drexel missing from Myrtle Beach on spring break) to regular Joe's like you and me. A link to the deceased person's myspace page is usually included and that gives a huge glimpse into the life they led. Looking at their pictures, the pictures of their pets, their family, their friends... they become real and not just names you see in the obituaries.

The people in the forums discuss everything from missing persons cases to strange myspace profiles to fraud. Take this case for instance:

I get tons of slack for admitting that I am a reality television junkie. It's not as bad as it used to be, believe me. When American Idol started years ago, I planned my social life around it. Survivor was more than important, Big Brother on CBS was saved to my DVR, and America's Next Top Model was usually the highlight of my television week. It seems like a waste, doesn't it? It's just competitions for pretty people aiming for more money that I might never see in my lifetime...

I have really had enough of some of these shows. Survivor and American Idol are perfect examples...

Survivor is nearly exactly the same as it was in the first season. They try their hardest to change things up and make the contestants think on their feet, like the time they made the two tribes think they were merging and then tipped them off they would be returning to their own camps after giving the other tribe all of their secrets. They have tried having three tribes, they have separated tribes by gender, race... you name it.

Thing is, the reward competitions and immunity challenges are almost always relay races. First person goes through the course, the next person in line does the same... the first tribe to complete wins. If I see Jeff Probst throw his fist in the air and say, "Survivors.... GO!" one more time I might just die. Blech. It's been done over and over again. Not very entertaining anymore.

American Idol used to be huge for me. I loved Kelly Clarkson, and I was all excited when she won in the first season. She is one of the few Idols who have continued with their success. Sure, she has had her career ups and downs, but you can't deny that girl can sing. The other day I saw a clip of her singing the National Anthem and I got all teary... and anyone who took voices lessons like I did knows that the Star Spangled Banner is one of the hardest songs to sing. It's tough.

But again, it's the same thing every year.

A talented group of people sing songs once a week, they pre-tape little sponsored messages or insanely cheesy group number for companies or the show has a tie-in for a movie coming out... you can't forget the Coke glasses that are constantly on the Judges table...

Oh, don't get me started on the Judges...

Damn, I got myself started on the judges...

Okay, Let's start with my favorite. Randy. Randy is a good human being. He is never overly harsh, at least in my opinion... he's laid back and cool, and he doesn't go out of his way to make the contestants feel uncomfortable. I like that.

Simon Cowell is the reason the show became a big hit in the first place. This is a man who is not afraid to speak his mind. He wont sugar-coat things because he refuses to lie to people. I do think he goes way too far at times, giving constructive criticism is an art form, and he is not a master. You can explain something to a contestant without killing them on the inside.

Paula. Oh, dear... sweet... Paula. She is just... um... flippy? She makes my rambling sentences seem coherent. Most of the time I am convinced she is drunk, high, or out of her mind. She says a lot without saying anything. It makes me really laugh every time she says something like, "I really like your outfit!" or "You really look like you are having fun out there!" Blech.

I think I am one of the only people out there who says they really like the new girl, Kara. This woman knows what she is talking about, but I hate how she constantly mentions that you have to be a "package artist." You have to have the look, the style, the haircut, the right management team. It's a singing competition! Who cares about that stuff? Have them sing a song and then tell them how they did. Is that so hard? Hmm...

This year Idol had a last chance for some of the contestants who didn't make it during their first singing performance to make it to the top 12. When I watched this episode, I found myself rolling my eyes that they even bothered to have them sing. The episode was an hour long (if I am not mistaken) and after everyone performed they "deliberated" during a commercial break and picked people they had loved from the beginning. Staged much?

I am not sure where this post is going. How is that for random? Hahah... the shows are just really repetitive now. Boring. Come on Programming Executives!!! Get creative! Please!!!

Andee

Mom and I wore ourselves out today...

We met at her place and decided to go on a long walk.

Note to self:  When Mom says a long walk, she means a loooong walk.  

It was nice though, I had a good time.  I had my camera with me and I took some really nice shots of the area.  We went to the Logan temple and much to the surprise of the anti-Andees we didn't burst into flames when we stepped foot on the temple grounds.  I got some shots of the beautiful flowers and the trees that were trying desperately to change color for fall.  I can't wait until they do!!

We walked over to a giant overlook of the valley, and found a trail marked with "Legalize Marijuana" on it.  Good times.  The views were spectacular, I will add some photos as soon as I am done with the editing process.

We hopped back in her truck and drove around trying to find the freaking cemetary.  You know... roomie drove me there not too long ago.  I remembered where it was (so I thought) but I was wrong.  I ended up taking Mom on a joy-ride to Smithfield via back roads.  Thats okay, we checked out an antique store there (found nothing we couldn't live without) and then hopped back in the truck for Logan.

After a quick job interview for Mom, we went to Firehouse Pizza.  I ordered a medium cheese pizza with extra cheese (go me! Still doing the vegetarian thing... it's hard!) and Mom got herself a pizza with everything except mushrooms.  It looked good.  *sigh*  Mom and I went to pay the bill and we couldn't find the money.  We both had minor heart attacks and then quickly recovered when we found the bills in the truck.  Whew.

Next, we went to the movie titled, The Errand of Angels... here is my review:

The movie starts as a young, pretty, red-haired girl starts a journal to chronicle her mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  I don't think I ever remember them using her first name, or any of the other missionaries for that matter.  Just a lot of "sister so-and-so."  I kept wanting to give her a name like Laura, Sally, Mary, something... what can ya do?

She goes right into the mission.  There is no shot of her family, any relationships outside of the mission.  There is no shot of her saying goodbye to the lovely family at home.  As a matter of fact, the only mention of her family that I recall is when she mentions her parents joined the church when she was five, and another time when she tells a sister missionary that her grandmother (a non-member) was paying for her mission.  I thought for sure there would be a little home-sickness in the movie, but it wasn't mentioned at all.

There were a couple really funny moments during the film.  The first was when she ate authentic Austrian food for the first time.  The look on her face was precious when they told her what it was they were eating.  Another funny moment is when she and a companion go door to door and her companion is bored out of her living skull.  Cute moments... I wish there was more of those.

To be honest, the movie didn't really deal with Mormonism the way I thought it would.  I only heard the name Joseph Smith twice (that I recall).  The movie was based on the relationships she formed while on her mission and the lives she changed.  There are touching moments when she leaves one area for another, and another emotional farewell at the end when she wanders into a church of a different faith and listens to two men sing Silent Night in German.  It was a nice touch, leaving people with a note of acceptance of other religions with (somewhat) similar beliefs.  I don't think it's that easy or real in the "real world," at least... that has been my experience.  Maybe that is just because I live in Utah.  Utah is a different world altogether.

Overall, the movie was kind of boring.  

Believing Mormons, I am not saying the movie is boring because I am leaving the church.  The movie was really boring.  The music got to me a little.  A lot of piano and flute that grew stale quickly.  There were also tons of shots of the star on trains traveling to and from her areas as she was transferred.  20 minutes of the movie could have been saved if they didn't focus so much on her facial expressions on the trains.  Yes, we get she is pretty and that she is trying to learn and be a good missionary.  Thank you.  Move on, Mr. Director sir.

I give the flick two out of five stars.  Don't worry though, if you live outside Utah you won't be able to find it until it's available on DVD... don't spend money on it.

On the walk home from the movie I was carrying the leftover tub of popcorn.  I love popcorn, especially stuff that has "official" movie theater butter on it.  We had half of our tub left.  I say had, because it's now gone.  I walked right into a "for sale" sign, and our yummy buttered popcorn is now decorating a street next to my Mom's house.  

Damnit.

Till next time!

Andee

Yeah, so I am supposedly now a skeptic. I need proof to believe in things and trust in stories told to me by strangers. Why then, am I now getting goose-bumps and the "heebie-jeebies" by watching Paranormal State on A&E? I am spooked.

The show is basically following a group of students at Penn State University. The leader of the group, Ryan, claims to have had dealt with the paranormal as a child, and it scared him. This led to his investigations of paranormal claims as an adult.

The stories they follow vary from outright demons who possess people and kill animals, to hauntings from land owners of the past. It never fails that Ryan and his investigative team call upon a psychic or two (one of them actually helped with the real Amity horror house) to give them clues as to what is going on. The information usually matches what the family said in prior interviews, which leads me to wonder if the show isn't feeding these "psychics" the information they need to make the show a little more chilling...

Tonights episode shows a woman and her family who have been haunted in their own home since they moved in. She actually moved in the home when she was about 10, if I remember correctly, and she immediately noticed a lot of activity that scared her. She saw a man in "an Abraham Lincoln suit," and he looked to be solid. Not a see-through ghostie like most describe. She also had a dream about the man, and soon came to call him Edward. During the dream he was crying and telling her not to let her father on the roof... this will come to play later on in the story.

Ryan and the crew call in a psychic, this week the guy has an accent and has his own psychic partner. I think that is a sure sign that something is up, because people are more likely to believe their story if they back each other off and feed off each other. There I go being a skeptic again...

These psychics walk directly into the woman's childhood bedroom where she witnessed her closet door shake violently and slam open and shut as a child. They felt "drawn" to the room. Again, call me crazy, but it would be so easy to give this info to the psychics... just to make the show better. I dunno about that.

He also sends Elfie, the wiccan, to do research on the past owners of the home/land. Surprise surprise... she finds out the land was once owned by a man named Edward. Guess what else? He fell off the roof...

So, after my rant last night about women and body image issues, I decided I would promote some of the best online chocolate and candy companies out there... something just for fun. Ladies, forget about fitting into the bikini and have a bar of dark chocolate with marshmallows. You look fine. Just saying.

Harry and David
Gourmet Brownies. We make them here in our kitchen, using the same ingredients you'd use at home. Three of each: White Chocolate Peach, Black Forest, White Chocolate Raspberry, Peanut Butter, and German Chocolate. Incredibly good with a glass of cold milk.

Bella's Confections

Semi sweet chocolate fudge layered with a rich buttery coconut and pecan frosting filling.

Amy's Candy Kitchen



These candy apples are to DIE for. There are 36 different flavors and combinations of apples to choose from, and the online store is amazing. Here are a few of my favorites...

Dunked Caramel Apple W/Belgian Chocolate & Sea Salt

Oreo® Caramel Apple W/Belgian Chocolate

I have always been a huge fan of the show "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" on ABC.

The network takes a design crew (how much of their personal design that goes into the project is definitely questioned in my opinion) and send them to a deserving family that needs a new or re-modeled home. The construction crew and management are always people who volunteer, they just want to make a difference. It's TONS of work, and I can only imagine how difficult it must be to keep a project like that organized and on schedule.

Most of the time they even do more than one house. They will build a home, plus horse stables or huge barns, or even churches. On tonights show they gave a young man who is blind (not to mention an AMAZING musician that belonged to his college's marching band... even though he is also in a wheelchair... ugh, that could totally be taken the wrong way. I know everyone is extremely capable!) and his school a brand new football field, complete with new stadium lights and bleachers.

The people they choose are extremely worthy for this amazing experience. Some are cancer survivors, some run non-profit shelters and animal rescues. There was even a family that adopted special needs children... many of them... and found their house falling apart. These people deserve every good thing that happens to them.

The host of the show, Ty Pennington of Trading Spaces fame, usually picks a room in the new house and designs it as a special secret to both the design crew as well as the public watching the show on television. It's a nice thought, but I have to wave my hands and roll my eyes because it would be nearly impossible to keep a room under construction, with that many people involved in such a short period of time, a secret.

The homes are stuffed with the best furnishings and top of the line appliances, usually from SEARS... they always have product placement in it's spot! They also get gifts like new cars or vacations for the years to come. On one of the first episodes I saw, a young man was given a scholarship to college.

The first couple times I watched the show, they actually showed the design team drawing up the blueprints for the new house on the spot. Sorry, but I have to wave my hands and roll my eyes there as well. If you designed the home from scratch and built it in less than a week the home would never in a million years be done in time. It's stuff like this that is purely for show...

Many of the shots of the design crew running around during the house-build are totally staged. They are all extra-pretty people, with amazing talent and wonderful values. It's just over the top and obvious that they are playing to the camera and not being sincere. Tonight there was a clip of a design team member who "found" that a wall would get in the way of a photo booth she wanted to install in the home. It was almost painful for me to watch, because it was so staged! Almost as if they wanted to "cause" problems to keep the television audience in suspense and thinking, "Oh no! Whatever will they do?!?!" That sounds harsh, I do know they love working on the homes and helping people who deserve it, I just find the delivery of those short clips too sugary-sweet to be real. You can tell they are staged, and written before hand.

Tonight, for example, one of the designers turned to the camera and told the viewing public that she was taking photos for the bedroom that would be for one of the kids. She mentioned that the kid could develop the photos themselves for practice and see how the building process took place. They then cut to several scenes of her taking the photos... crouching by bushes, standing on top of the house, and taking snapshots of the people standing behind the barricades trying to get on television. That, too, sounds harsh... I know they are there to support the family... but you know they also want to be on TV!!!

It just hard to believe their acting... if you could even call it acting. It doesn't seem as if they have taken a class in their lives!

They always show clips of the sugary-sweet design team managing emotionally charged fundraisers to pay of the families mortgage, or the cause that is important to that specific family. It's great, but again... just over the top. I think the show would be a lot better if it wasn't so staged. It's a great thing, but harder to believe every time I see it.

Clips of the design team talking confessional style to the camera are cut into the footage of the build, explaining how deserving the family is. Most of them cry a million times per show, and I am not saying it's not heart-felt... it's just overdone.

At the end of the show, you see a family come home from a vacation (usually a Disney vacation to promote the parks... not sure if ABC owns Disney or Disney owns ABC, but there is a definite relationship there) to see a massive, brand new home they can call their own. I always cry when it comes to this part, I like to see good people being rewarded.

The family has their time in front of the confessional cameras at the end of the show where they all turn to the producer (no doubt) and thank ABC and Sears for their generosity. Again, I am sure they mean it... it's just obvious it's something they have to say.

I guess I am just a little jaded, huh?

No matter what, I am always incredibly humbled by the end of the show. It reminds me that I always have many things to be thankful for, and no matter what happens in my life there will be people out there willing to help me. They might not be willing to build me a brand new home, if I were to ever need one, but it says a lot about the human spirit and shows that deep down we all care about each other.

Everyone is always sobbing by the end of the one-hour or "special" two-hour episodes... me included. I never regret watching the show. We can all hope that we make that kind of difference to a deserving person's life.

Edited to add: I just read this article and I sound like a real bitch! I am not... really...

Roomie and I ordered pizza for his birthday dinner, and I noticed something new on their menu. I had to try it. Could it be possible? A perfect blend of two of my favorite things? Chocolate and Pizza Hut?

These dippers are a completely different thing than their previous dessert, baked cinnamon sticks. I liked the cinnamon things, but they were just breadsticks with cinnamon and icing... I also hated the fact that when you ordered breadsticks and cinnamon sticks in the same order, you ended up with one lone breadstick halfway covered with cinnamon and halfway covered in breadstick topping. Ick.

These desserts are worth it in my opinion... It looks like the breadstick base you would see on the cinnamon desserts, but these have a different texture and taste to them. They are covered with milk chocolate and white chocolate mini-chips, and they arrive with a little cup of Hershey's rich dipping sauce.

They are more expensive than the cinnamon sticks, but worth it. You might want to spring for an extra cup of chocolate sauce if you love the chocolate taste as much as I do!!

****

Forget Hot Dogs, the next new summer fad is the Cool Dog... Vanilla Ice cream in the shape of a hot dog sits inside a vanilla sponge cake bun. The toppings are endless, and here are some of my favorite creations...4th of July Dog... Cool Dog topped with blueberries, strawberries and whipped cream...

Palomino Dog... Cool Dog covered with caramel and butterscotch chips... good stuff!

Rainbow Dog... Cool Dog covered with all of your favorite fruits. I would definitely add whipped cream to this creation.

Chocolate Lovers Dog... Cool Dog topped with fudge, chocolate whipped cream, and chocolate sprinkles. Add some chocolate chips to this and you have a winner.

Banana Boat... Cool Dog covered with banana slices, chocolate sauce, and optional whipped cream.

I ran across this MySpace Profile of Musician Joseph Linello via Fark.com.

My first thought was that it was just another musician trying to make it in the record industry, but I stopped to listen to a couple of his songs. I haven't laughed this hard in a long time. It's so bad it's good.

Check it out.

When I was in Orlando I had the chance to have a deep fried Snickers bar. It was the happiest day of my life... okay, just kidding.. but it was damn good. Interested in learning how to make a deep fried Snickers bar? Here are some videos and recipes on the subject. Please try it, and please don't burn down your kitchen.



Deep frying a Snickers bar is almost common now, but the possibilities are endless when choosing a different kind of candy bar to deep fry. 3 Musketeers, Reeses Peanut Butter Cups, York Peppermint Patties, even deep fried Twix bars. The trick is to make sure the candy bar is frozen (with a stick inserted for easy dunking if you like) before dumping into the batter and then deep frying. You don't want to let any chocolate sneak out of the batter, because then you will have a huge chocolate mess. Just be sure the candy bar is entirely coated... here is how the pro's do it at the fair.



How about a deep fried twinkie? I like mine dusted with powdered sugar and drizzled with chocolate sauce.





There is a new trend to fry your favorite cola. Deep fried Coke and Pepsi stands are popping up all over in state fairs. I have not tried this personally, but I plan on it.



Deep Fried Oreos are to die for. It's as easy as buying some bisquick (just add water) mix or yellow cake batter, freezing your oreos for at least 4 hours (so they don't break up when you dunk them in the batter) and then deep frying them until they are a golden brown. The result is something like an ice cream sandwich... only much, much better.



Some people do take the deep frying craze a little too far and come up with recipes like these:





Check out these fried hamburgers... don't miss the funny comments by one of the restaurant patrons... what was he thinking?



Lets end with this how-to video on fried ice cream. I have had this dish, and it's amazing. Try it, you know you want to!!!

I love food. Shouldn't be too much of a surprise for you to hear that because I talk about it all the time, but I was just updating my favorites list and thought I would share some of my favorite places to find inspiration in the kitchen.


I have to start with my favorite. Breakfast Blogger. As I have mentioned before, breakfast is my favorite meal as well as the best tasting meal in my opinion. The Breakfast Blogger not only shows you how to cook these amazing recipes for yourself, but also takes you along on tasteful journeys to the restaurants for examples of what they are serving for breakfast. The blog is fantastic, funny, and well written. It's a must-see.


Everybody Like Sandwiches is one of my favorite places to visit. Check out this killer recipe for french toast. It's delicious.

Culinary in the Desert is a fantastic place to find any kind of recipe possible. Anything from pasta bakes to the richest of desserts. The above photo is from a recipe for Chocolate Espresso Snowcaps. Delicious.


The Canadian Baker has some of the best recipes on the net in my opinion. Take this cookie for example: Chocolate Malted Whopper Drops. How could you not try that?

These Whopper (or Malteser) Drops are hearty, chocolatey cookies filled with bittersweet chocolate, malt balls, malt powder and cocoa. They are intense and slightly cakey but wholly satisfying.

I love McDonald's breakfast. It's my favorite food of all time. I always order a bacon, egg and cheese biscuit with hash browns and coffee. It's delicious. I try to make my own breakfast sandwiches at home, but they don't even come close to the yummy goodness of Ronald McDonald. I was interested to see what other fast food joints offer for breakfast and I came up with this list. I am starving now. Absolutely starving.

Hardee's offers this Country Breakfast Burrito. I can't find a specific list of ingredients, but it looks like egg, bacon, ham, sausage, hash browns, cheese and country gravy. Sounds good, but not all wrapped up together in my opinion. Fast Food News says this little treat gives you more than half of the daily recommended calories, and more fat than a person would need in three days. Awesome.
Sonic offers a whole line of grilled breakfast sandwiches. Egg, cheese and your choice of ham, bacon, or sausage are offered. They look delicious, and the one pictured reminds me of "Moons over My Hammy" at Denny's.

Carl's Jr. offers this Breakfast Burger. It is "a charbroiled all-beef patty, fried egg, crisp bacon, American cheese, hash brown nuggets and ketchup on a sesame seed bun." A heart attack waiting to happen... but oh, so good.


Here we have Burger King's Enormous Omelet Sandwich. How enormous? For those counting: one sausage patty, two eggs, two American cheese slices and three strips of bacon. On a bun. I am not a super-huge fan of sausage unless it's on pizza, but it still looks pretty damn good.


I suppose this burger qualifies for breakfast food because it's made of Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, bacon, and cheese. The ballpark sandwich will include a hamburger topped with sharp cheddar cheese and two slices of bacon -- all between a "bun" made of a sliced Krispy Kreme Original Glazed doughnut.

I have been a fan of Candy Blog for a long time, and I thought I would share some of the yummy goodness coming soon to a store shelf in your neighborhood. Don't forget to check out Candy Blog, it's awesome. Candy reviews, secrets, and above all sneak previews into what is being offered at the supermarket. I don't want to take credit for the reviews, Candy Blog Staffers get all the kudos for them. Also, Candy Blog offers random drawings for free candy when they have more than they need. You can't lose.
This is what I remember about the original Tootsie Pop Drops: they were about the size of a quarter, they came in all the Tootsie Pop flavors and they were individually wrapped.

The new version differs in two ways from that: they are not individually wrapped and they are smaller (about the same diameter as a penny).

The do still come in the same flavors as the regular lollies. The package says: Almonds, Caramel and Marshmallow-Flavored Nougat wrapped in Dark Chocolate.

They’re really easy to keep crunching away at ... a little chocolate, a little mint, a little crisped rice. Kind of like a Girl Scout Thin Mint.

I’d be happy to see these as a seasonal item, though I doubt I’d eat them as often as the Almond M&Ms. I suspect they’ll be a huge hit.