I Love Lists, Friday

I Love Lists, Friday

1. Do It Anyway
2. Cook a Burger with your Car's Tailpipe? Yuck! No thanks!
3. Shut the front door! Nutella Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies? YUM!
4. The Science of Procrastination
5. Evidence that Cats are Smarter than Dogs
6. Click and Drag. An awesome, interactive cartoon.
7. Up to 75% of Traffic Will be Self-Driving Cars by 2040. I will put this on my blog today, just so I can look back 28 years from now and laugh. I really don't think this will happen. We'll see...

I Love Lists, Friday

1. 40 Must-see Places to Take Your Kids Before They're Grown. I think we have some time to plan a few of these trips. Heck, I have only been to 5 of them!
2. I'm a fan of this somewhat creepy art.
3. This new concept for a street light makes a lot of sense to me. If people were to ever pay that much attention to detail, that is. 
4. Alcoholic Cocktails Under the Microscope.
5. Candy Corneos. Need.
6. Cupcake Nuggets? Was this really necessary? 
7. The Sergeant Pepper Mill. Want.
8. I can't wait for Disney for this and many other reasons!

Review: Kashi Chocolate Squares

Last Friday, I received a sample of Kashi's new Chocolate Soft-Baked Squares in the mail. I was excited because I like most everything that Kashi makes and all of it is pretty healthy, which is always a plus. So, how did these taste? They were pretty darn good if you ask me! They are tangy and taste like real chocolate. Unfortunately they are a bit dry. Also, if you are wanting something super sweet, these aren't for you. They are great if you are trying to eliminate white sugar, as they are sweetened with sweet potatoes, organic agave syrup, and cane juice.

It does confuse me as to why they can't call them brownies. I am sure it has to do with the ingredients somehow, but I didn't know the term brownie had some strict definition. They are actually a lot like the Little Debbie brownies you had as a kid, minus the frosting and much drier.

These certainly fit into my current diet, as they contain 4g of fiber, 10g of whole grains, and are only 160 calories per square. I only wish they sold these at my grocery store, Market Street, so I didn't have to make a separate trip to the Super Target to get them. Anyway, I obviously think they are worth the trip!

Fried Food Finalists

So, here's a list of the Fried Food Finalists for the 2012 Big Tex Choice Awards:

Chicken Fried Cactus Bites – Fairgoers will stick with these hand-picked prickly pear cactus pads, thinly sliced, chicken battered and deep fried to perfection. Served with a combination of sweet & spicy secret jalapeno ranch, and agave nectar dipping sauce.

Deep-Fried Divine Chocolate Tres Leches Cake – A slice of chocolate tres leches cake soaked in buttermilk batter, and fried to perfection. A light sprinkle of cinnamon, topped with whipped cream, fresh strawberry slices and peaches are drizzled with a yummy syrup.

Deep Fried Jambalaya – A State Fair spin is given to this Cajun classic. This “from scratch” jambalaya is created using shrimp, cajun sausage and seasonings, then coated in lightly seasoned flour and fried to a golden perfection. This deep-fried Southern delectable will be served with a side of “made in house” spicy ranch sauce. *WINNER: BEST TASTE*

Deep Fried Mac-N-Cheese Slider – This three-cheese mac is baked until golden brown, battered in bread crumbs, deep-fried until crisp on the outside, warm and gooey on the inside. Placed on a slider bun with a griddled beef patty, this southern-style invention almost calls for a rocking chair and a front porch.

Fried Bacon Cinnamon Roll – Deliciously fresh cinnamon roll dipped in a special sweet pancake batter, rolled in crispy fried bacon crumbles, deep fried and sprinkled with powdered sugar. It’s a main course and a dessert all in one. *WINNER: MOST CREATIVE*

Fried Mexican Fire Crackers – A yummy, spicy chicken, cheese and jalapeno mix wrapped in fresh-made masa dough and deep fried to a crispy, crunchy, explosion of flavor. OLE, JOSE!Served with fiery TNT sauce.

Fried Pork Wing - This juicy morsel is slow cooked for six hours then lightly deep fried, rolled and tossed in a smoked bacon chipotle glaze. Accompanied by old-school homemade potato chips lightly dusted in barbecue seasoning, it’s a sure crowd pleaser.

Picnic on a Stick – Pieces of delicious spicy fried chicken alternate tater tots and slices of dill pickle. Repeated three times on a stick then dipped in batter, rolled in bread crumbs, and fried until golden brown, this picnic wouldn’t be complete without its choice of BBQ sauce, ranch, or honey mustard. BYO ants.

Here's my quick take.

Cactus: I love cactus, so I would actually be excited to try this one.

Tres Leches: For as much as love cake and cupcakes, tres leches is not one I'm a fan of. Eww.

Jambalaya: This could go either way, and it all depends on the houmemade jambalaya.

Mac-N-Cheese: No need for the beef. The rule my husband and I have for this challenge is that the items have to be eaten as is, otherwise, I would ditch the beef.

Cinnamon Roll: Bacon? Good. Cinnamon Roll? Good. Fried Bacon Cinnamon Roll? Good!

Firecrackers: Depends on the masa. This, just like the jambalaya, could go either way.

Pork Wing: Yes. This sounds normal, and good. Although I am never a fan of meat with a bone still in it.

Picnic: I don't know when tator tots made their official picnic debut, but overall I bet this would be tasty.

Which one am I most excited to try? The Fried Bacon Cinnamon Roll. Least? Tres Leches. That's just not my thing.

Assuming Ryan and I find time to get out to the State Fair of Texas this year, I'll let you know how the Fair Food Challenge 2012 goes.

I Love Lists, Friday

1. Early Movie Concept Art. It's amazing how the creative process changes things.
2. Nor sure if I could stomach this. Half of eating is about presentation. Walking Dead Food Truck.
3. I will have to put this headboard in the budget. Super cool!
4. Nintendo was a big part of my childhood. If these weren't selling for $2,000+ I would own one.
5. When I have an extra hour with nothing else to do, I'm gonna watch these bloopers.
6. I've tried four of these Deep Fried Foods from the State Fair of Texas. Bubblegum = awful, Butter = eh, Salsa = not good, Pineapple Upsidedown Cake = amazing.
7. Speaking of weird food. How about S'mores Spaghetti?
8. Star Wars Disney Character Mashups.
9. I love Aubrey Plaza, so I think I might just have to see The To-Do List.
10. Sherbert.

Recipe: Snickerdoodle Muffins

So I got up early this morning, while Ryan was still out on his morning run, and decided to make him some homemade muffins for breakfast. Yeah, I probably should have been out on that run with him, but I prefer to run in the afternoon and not wake up early. That is neither here nor there, I guess, back to these awesome little muffins!

They are called Snickerdoodle Muffins, because they obviously taste just like snickerdoodle cookies. Really, they do. They are moist and fluffy and rolled in cinnamon sugar to form a crunchy, yummy shell, around the muffin. Nothing could be a better wake me up than these. Try them out yourself! You won't regret it!

INGREDIENTS:

Muffins:

8 tablespoons butter, (1 stick)

1/2 cup white sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/8 cups white flour

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sour cream
1/8 cup milk

Topping:
1/3 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Prepare a muffin tin with liners.
3. In a small bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon for the topping. Set aside.
4. With a mixer, combine the butter and sugar and cream until fluffy.
5. Add the eggs and vanilla to the wet mixture and combine.
6. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
7. Add half of the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and stir to combine.
8. Add the sour cream and milk to the wet mix and combine.
9. Add the rest of the dry ingredients to the wet mix and stir until you have a smooth batter.
10. Using a cookie dough scoop, plop a scoop of batter into the bowl with the sugar/cinnamon.
11. Gently roll the batter in the mixture.
12. Place the ball into the muffin liner.
13. When you have completed all of the muffins, sprinkle the leftover cinnamon/sugar onto the tops of all of the muffins.
14. Bake the muffins for about 18 minutes or until they are golden on top and just baked through.