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!

Posted with Blogsy

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!

 

 

Posted with Blogsy

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!

Posted with Blogsy

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!

Posted with Blogsy

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!

Posted with Blogsy

Dunkin’ Donuts store opening in Santa Monica on Sept. 2nd!

OK, forget what I just said about today totally sucking, I just got word from a donut-loving friend of mine that my beloved Dunkin' Donuts is finally coming back to the Southland!

That's right, amigos, after a failed attempt a few years back, Dunkin' Donuts will be opening their first of four stand alone Los Angeles store in Santa Monica on Sept. 2nd at 5:00am. Not only will they be giving out super cool Dunkin' Donuts swag bags to the first 100 people in line, but, the first person in line will win free coffee for a year!

And as anyone who has eaten their donuts can tell you, the coffee is the real star of the show at DD! Especially that crazy good iced coffee pictured here…yum! So, if you need to find me in the next few days, I think you know where to look. I'll be that crazy sunburnt guy in the front of the line!

Posted with Blogsy

Gingerbread House 101: How to stay sane while decorating with candy, gingerbread and a very willful four-year-old!

Despite the fact that Mrs. Yeti and I created an award-winning gingerbread house in 2008, this year’s casa de gingerbread was a totally different story. To start with, we had a very opinionated four-and-a-half year old at the helm and an even more opinionated construction crew helping her.

To complicate matters further, we started the project when we were all very hungry, for, you know, real food, which is never wise. And though the candy involved in the making of our house was tasty, one can only eat so many M&M’s and sour gummy worms before true holiday madness sets in. So, as you can imagine, the hunger-fueled sniping and arguing came on pretty fast and furious like.

Mrs. Yeti, who had already been baking all weekend, dropped out first, followed quickly by our master junior architect who got bored and left the table in a huff after assembling the roof. That left my mom and I to finish up the sides of the house and the yard. And despite some major artistic differences (I still say we need a wreath or something over that back window!), overall, I think we did a pretty good job. And as the pictures prove, we all came together again at the end to share in the glory of our crooked little candy house. So, there’s always that.

Anyway, if you’re interested in making a gingerbread house with your kids this season, I highly recommend using Trader Joe’s tasty Deep Dark Gingerbread Cake and Baking Mix (a house mold our size takes two boxes) and one of Nordic Ware’s amazing Gingerbread Cake Pans. Both will save you loads of time and heartache in the early stages of making your house.

And, trust me, anything that saves you time and heartache when you’re creating Christmas memories with a four-year-old is a very good thing. Enjoy!

L.A. Donut Tour: Day One – Randy’s Donuts (Inglewood)

A good friend of ours is staying with us this week and seeing as we are both between jobs, we decided to have some good cheap fun this visit. No movies at the Arclight, no expensive theme parks or museums, no shopping…just good, old-fashioned donut worship. And what better place to explore the magic of cheap fried dough than in the car-centric Southland? So, without further ado, I give you our first ever L.A. Donut Tour! Yay!

Despite talking about it for years, neither of us had ever been to the world-famous Randy’s Donuts in Inglewood, so, naturally, we started there. We tried a cake donut, a chocolate frosted and a sprinkled and despite the giant, iconic donut on the roof of the building and the appropriately seedy, LAX-adjacent vibe in the parking lot (like all the best donut joints in Los Angeles, Randy’s does not have a dining area) I gotta tell ya, I’ve had way better donuts at several major chains. Sorry, Randy…

However, Greta (who is our tie-breaking third judge on the tour), absolutely adored the bright pink frosting on her selection, so, I’m gonna be generous and give Randy’s two out of five stars.

Here’s hoping for better luck at our next stop tomorrow…

 

Aunt Marcia’s Cave of Wonders

My wife’s family has a new house up here, built right next to the old house on the sprawling green farm where they all grew up, and it’s lovely. Big, roomy, plenty of sunlight, a yard that like, literally never ends. But Greta’s favorite feature of the new digs is my Sister-in-Law, Marcia’s, gigantic walk-in pantry. What’s so cool about a walk-in-pantry you ask?

Well, this one is filled to the gills with every type of sugary, sweet, or savory snack food you can imagine. I’m not kidding, it’s like Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory merged with Lays and Pringles or some shit. And for a somewhat-crunchy kid who’s biggest so-good-it’s-bad-for-you treat is usually a bowl of strawberry ice cream or a fruit popsicle at the park, this pantry is like, heaven on earth.

At least once, every day we’ve been here, Greta has run inside the pantry, closed the beautiful, beveled glass door behind her and just stared at all the goodies on the shelf. It’s so funny, you can see her through the glass just staring at the stuff in there with these big old, sugar-coma eyes. I know it sounds crazy, but, I’d be a total hypocrite if I said I didn’t get lost in that cave of wonders myself sometimes too. I mean, seriously, did you know they made S’mores Pop-Tarts? Insanity!

Digging around in the cave of wonders it is readily apparent that the major food manufacturers have found a way to make even the most healthy-sounding treat completely fattening. Take for instance the cereal bar Greta had for breakfast the other day. Cereal bars to me sound like something made with granola or oatmeal and honey and stuff. Maybe, if you’re really dreaming big, it might even have some raisins or chocolate chips thrown in for good measure, right?

Well, not this one! The cereal bar Greta devoured in mere minutes last week was made entirely of Lucky Charms cereal (colorful, multi-shaped marshmallows included!) and then brushed with sweet, vanilla frosting. Yep, frosting! I have never tasted anything so delicious and/or bad for you at the same time in my life. It was awesome, and so far afield from anything Greta would ever get to eat at home, that she just about flipped her lid. Actually, I take that back, I think she really did flip her lid. Seriously. She was high as a kite.

So, my advice to her is to enjoy it now. Because, as you well know, snack time at our house is never this good…or, you know, bad. Either way, next week, it’s back to rice cakes and organic fruit leathers for your cute behind…