Greta’s My Little Pony-themed Birthday Party (2015)

With an Oscar party a birthday party and a cloud of sickness hanging over our home pretty much all month long, as you can imagine, March was a total blur. And with April having been pretty much more of the same, all I can do is apologize ahead of time for the lag time between posts. Sorry!

As you can see from the pics, Greta's sixth birthday party — and her first party with actual school friends from kindergarten — was the coolest My Little Pony party in Equestria and even Canterlot for that matter!

There was Apple Jack cider, Rainbow Dash cupcakes, pony-tastic pepperoni pizza, candy, arts, crafts, pin the cutie mark on the pony games and a killer Pinkie Pie piñata for the ages! And best of all, thanks to the handiwork of the very talented Mrs. Yeti, each of the kids went home with their very own handmade My Little Pony on a stick. It was awesome!

 

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National Pancake Day (2015)

Yesterday was National Pancake Day at IHOP and like all good pancake-loving Americans, Greta and I celebrated the event in high style. For those of you who missed the freebie memo, National Pancake Day was launched in 2006 to support the Chilcren’s Miracle Network Hospitals and a host of local charities. Now in it’s tenth year, IHOP gives out free short stacks very March 3rd in the hopes that patrons will donate to the cause.

So, just like we did last year, Greta and I grabbed some friends, braved the lines of crazy teenagers just getting out of school and got our free pancake on. And as you can see from the pics, it was awesome! Thanks, IHOP!

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Oscar Party Food (2015)

This year we had our smallest Oscar party ever with just three partygoers in attendance. Actually, if you count the Barbie and Monster High dolls Greta plopped down in chairs near the TV there were actually seven. Either way, it was probably my favorite Oscar party ever.

We had Oscar nominee crafts for Greta, loads of fun Oscar nominee-themed candy (my favorite were the Nerds Rope for The Theory of Everything and The Imitation Game and the Whoppers for all the historical innaccuracies in the Best Picture nominees!) and a big bowl of taco salad to support all of the Mexican and Latino nominees this year.

That said, I must admit that we both loathed Best Picture winner Birdman with a passion. Oy, talk qbout art with a capital “A”…so annoying. And that score, my God, it was such a struggle sitting through that crap. And we watched it at home too! I can't even fathom seeing Birdman in an actual theatre. Yikes…

The worst thing is that if what Birdman director Alejandro G. Iñárritu said about good luck charms actually working is true, I fear that our taco salad may have had a hand in bringing that lunatic three Oscars last night. Guess we should have followed our first instinct and gone with all kid-themed food for Boyhood. Oh well…there's always next year.

Oh, and by the way, Nerds Rope are ahmazing! So yummy! And they seemed to work a little magic last night for the nerd movies too, so, hooray for Nerds!

 

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Happy Meal Sweethearts Plush

As if Red Velvet Oreos weren't already enough, with just a few days left to Valentine's Day, Greta and I stumbled upon these super cute plush Sweethearts at McDonald's! Cool, huh?

Available for a limited time in all “girls” Happy Meals, because you know, what boy would want something that celebrates love. So lame. In fact, one of the boys from Greta's class actually asked for the “girl Happy Meal” so he could get a plushy Sweetheart for his mom. Adorable!

Anyway, Greta and I liked them so much that we actually went back and just bought a heart outright, without the meal, so we could each have one come Valentine's Day. I wanted one that said Rock Star, but hey, I can live with Hug Me too. 🙂

 

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Limited Edition: Red Velvet Oreos

Usually when I hear about some too-good-to-true new flavored cookies, candies or ice creams one of two things happens. Either the story turns out to not be true or, as is usually the case, the finished product is absolutely disgusting. Luckily this time, the rumors that have been swirling online for a while now are true and Nabisco's Limited Edition Red Velvet Oreos are on store shelves as I type.

But the better news is that they are freaking awesome! Stuffed with some sort of delicious cream cheese filling (I would not advise you to even look at the nutritional information on these little pieces of heaven!) the cookie itself is amazing. Crisp, flavorful and the perfect compliment to the filling. Yum!

And best of all, these little cuties are not too sweet. I'm pretty picky about my red velvet flavored goodness and these guys totally take the cake, or um, cookie. Seriously, it's red velvet perfection! And what better way to celebrate Valentine's Day?

The only problem is actually finding Red Velvet Oreos in stores. Apparently they weren't kidding about that “limited edition” tag line on the package. These things are impossible to find, so, if you see them, buy them. And if you hate them, send them to me. 🙂

Happy hunting!

 

 

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Pumpkin Cream Donuts at The Donut Man

Having been a Donut Man loyalist since I first sampled their now-legendary Fresh Strawberry Filled Donuts a few years back, I was really looking forward to trying their Pumpkin Cream Donuts last weekend. I mean, hello, pumpkin filling and fresh, creamy goodness piled high on a big, fluffy donut, what's not to love?

The answer, it turns out, is plenty. I'm not saying it's the worst pumpkin-flavored concoction I've ever tried, but, sadly, this seasonal favorite doesn't hold a candle to The Donut Man's rocking Strawberry and Peach bretheren. It's not terrible, but, it's just weird tasting. And though a warm donut underlayer always sounds appealing, in theory, in actual practice, it left me seriously jonesing for some proper pie crust instead.

That said, the Tiger Tails were incredible (as always), the colorful Cream Puffs pictured below were amazing (even two days later!) and Greta loved the Halloweenish sprinkles on her chocolate donut, so, any way you look at it, we came out ahead. Thanks, Donut Man!

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Cadbury Screme Eggs!

OK, I know I just gushed poetic about the current crop of pumpkintastic seasonal food offerings at Trader Joe's, but, Greta and I stumbled upon another fun Halloween-ish treat over the weekend that I simply had to share with you. So, please bear with me as I give you Cadbury Screme Eggs!

That's right, amigos, Cadbury eggs aren't just for Easter anymore! And though Greta swears the oozing green filling tastes like melted mint chocolate chip ice cream. I think they taste pretty much the same as the sugary yellow and white Cadbury goodness we've all come to love (or loathe!) over the years. Except for the fact that they're, you know, a sickly green color!

Anyway, Greta was so excited about these tasty treats that she had me film her eating one for the first time on her Planet Greta blog. We even added a little Halloween movie magic to this shoot too, so, enjoy the clip below and happy October!

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Pumpkin-palooza at Trader Joe’s

When pressed to pick their favorite flavor additives, most people pick something fruity, a nice strawberry lemon or cherry lime perhaps, but, if you ask me, it's all about banana and pumpkin. And while we don't have a national holiday or season that celebrates banana flavored stuff (yet!) pumpkiny goodness reigns supreme in the fall. And nowhere will you find the sweet, spicy flavors of pumpkin on display more than at your local Trader Joe's.

And while we're all used to finding the usual seasonal offerings like pumpkin ice cream, pumpkin bread and even pumpkin granola on display this time of year, the sheer volume of pumpkin-flavored goodies on TJ's shelves right now is positively staggering!

There are pumpkin cookies, pumpkin ravioli, pumpkin croutons (which are freaking awesome, BTW), Joe's Pumpkin O's and of course, pumpkin spiced coffee to wash it all down. But the real standout this year is Trader Joe's new Harvest Salad mix! Yes, they even have pumpkin salad!

Featuring a fall-tastic blend of baby kale, pumpkin seeds, pumpkin cornbread croutons and pumpkin vinaigrette, this salad tastes as good as it sounds and smells. The only thing I'd caution against is using too much of the dressing. As I said above, I loves me some pumpkin-flavored food, but the vinaigrette is very flavorful and a little goes a long way, so, use it sparingly.

And speaking of using things sparingly, stay away from the Pumpkin Joe-Joe's! I know they sound good, but the pumpkin-flavored stuffing is flat out disgusting. Seriously, I defy you to find a more processed, sickly-sweet and artificial-tasting flavor in the Trader Joe's pantheon. Blech!

That said, I am kind of dying to try the pumpkin Joe's O's and the pumpkin soup they were sampling last week is absolutely delicious! So, if you're looking for some seasonal yumminess, you'd better get a move on!

Oh, and if you're looking for actual pumpkins for the low, low price of $2.99, you might already be too late. I think we bought the last four at our TJ's over the weekend. Seriously, those things are going like well, Trader Joe's pumpkin-flavored hotcakes, which are also quiet yummy. Especially smeared with pumpkin butter and syrup! Yum!

Happy pumpkin palooza, amigos!

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Greta’s Bookshelf: “Dragons Love Tacos” by Adam Rubin

For those of you who were worried that all I’d ever blog about again is climate change, women’s rights and gun control, I give you a charming, very funny children’s book about dragons eating tacos. Actually, the title of the book says it all, because “Dragons Love Tacos” is about exactly that.

Written by the very witty Adam Rubin and beautifully illustrated by Daniel Salmieri, “Dragons Love Tacos” isn’t just fun to read, but it’s also highly re-readable (is that a word? If not, it should be!) and best off all, it’s short!

Seriously, “Dragons” is the perfect bedtime length book for kids: meaty enough to feel substantial and yet not so long that you’ll need a bookmark. I know that sounds like a weird thing to be happy about, but, considering the fact that Greta usually crawls into bed with at least three books, I’ll take short, cool books over epic poems anytime!

And books about crazy, Mexican food loving dragons? What’s not to love? Rubin and Salmieri had me at “tacos!” Best new kids book ever!

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Moms Demand Action’s cool new “Groceries not Guns” ad campaign

Like most people I know I tend to save my overtly political musings for Facebook (suck it Hobby Lobby!), but, the latest ad campaign from the Michael Bloomberg-backed gun control group Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America was just too good not to share with you.

Highlighting the fact that the Krogers grocery store chain bans shirtless people, outside food and drink and skateboards from their stores but allows their patrons to carry loaded firearms while shopping, the bold, striking images in these ads say it all. This is one completely ass-backward policy, amigos! Crazy town! I only wish there was a Krogers near me that I could boycott or ride my skateboard in. And I don't even own a skateboard! Grrrr!

And while some might argue that the ads (which began running in newspapers today) are preaching to the choir, the fact that similar campaigns by the group have been effective in reversing the gun policy at national retail and restaurant chains like Chipotle, Sonic, Target and Starbucks gives me hope. So, rock on, Moms Demand Action. Dads demand it too!

To learn more about the group's “groceries not guns” campaign check out this super cool piece on today's Huffington Post.

 

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