Ice Cream Eaten!

Lucky that I bought some yesterday (knowing I would need it tonight).

I must say that there are few foods that I find as comforting as a Coke float. That's right. Just like a root beer float only you make it with Coca Cola and chocolate ice cream. DELICIOUS.

I am also quite fond of regular Chocolate Cokes (That would be ice cold Coke with a nice long squirt of Hershey's chocolate syrup mixed in.) I first discovered them at a local 50's style diner that has long since gone out of business, and now I just make them for myself. My sisters all think I'm crazy but I can't be the only one to find this combination so irresistible! (After all, it WAS on the menu!)

In case you can't tell I am a Coke drinker. I am not quite so fanatical as my Pepsi loving sister, nor am I as loyal as my Dr. Pepper obsessed friend Jen, but when it comes right down to it, just gimme a Coke any night of the week and I'm happy...

Ice Cream Necessary

So the wedding is now a week past and my sister and her husband have returned from their honeymoon. And tonight they came to pick up their dog. We still have the cat for one more night, but he too is going to live at their new place. I have grown accustomed to having my furry nephews around. They have lived with us for over three years now, and the house suddenly feels very empty...

Aside...

Not that anyone really cares, but I have decided that I really like Munster Cheese. I like Gouda and Provolone too. And string cheese :)

Musings on weddings and other stuff...

I'm not married. Nor am I ever likely to be if the current (and past) state of my love life is any indicator. Nevertheless, right now my life is consumed by a wedding. My sister's, to be exact. Am I happy for her? Of course! She has waited a long time and been through hell (and dated worse) to find this guy. He is sweet, gentle, intelligent, funny, and absolutely perfect for her. Fairy tale romance.

Yuck.

I do not say this to be unkind or derogatory. I merely wish to describe my current emotional state. Yuck. That is really all there is to say. I have nothing against the marriage state. In fact, in many ways I envy her. I have even been on a Jane Austen kick lately (and anyone who has ever read Austen or seen a movie based on any of her books knows just what I mean by bringing this subject into the discussion). It is just that right now everything anybody says or does (or that I say or do, really) makes me feel all yuck inside.

Sometimes I wish I was still young enough that I could just take a nap and be happy again when I woke up. My two year old niece is at that delightful age where sleep begets forgetfulness (or at least acceptance). I think that is the true treasure of youth. Not innocence. Not joy. Not being free of care. It is the short term memory that I covet.

Must write SOMETHING

As anyone reading this blog might have figured out by now, I am a bit of a procrastinator. My last post was in August and as the months have flown by, every time I think of this blog, I think about how much I will need to say to explain my absence. And since I never want to take that much time, I just never wrote. But here I am anyway, writing. And know what? I'm not going to say anything important at all. I was gone. I am back. That's about the size of it. The rest of it is just empty calories.

Yay!

It's that time of year again...

The air is getting cool and crisp, the leaves will soon begin to change, the nights are getting longer, and it's football season once again!!!

Every year at this time my heart begins to pound and I feel the need to start shouting.  That's right, shouting.  At the top of my lungs :) It's something I inherited from my Grandfather which brings nothing but migraines to my family and friends.  When I was a kid, Saturday afternoons meant banishment to the basement with Grandpa so that the rest of the family could watch the game in peace.  And for four glorious hours the two of us would cheer and scream and shout and groan and jump up and down and, occasionally, I was known to fling a throw pillow at the TV (isn't that where the name came from?).

It is a nostalgic time of year.  An exciting time of year.  An energizing time of year.

Tonight, I miss my Grandpa...

Cupcakes (or not)

So this week I decided to try out a new bakery. Well actually, I was having a "pig out night" with my sister and we decided it was an excellent opportunity to use a gift card which I'd been hanging on to since my birthday. What better follow up for Chinese takeout than a box of baked goods right?

So we made our way to The Sweet Tooth Fairy. As I said, I'd never been there before, but they won Cupcake Wars so I set out with high hopes. Unfortunately, I have to admit, those hopes were NOT fulfilled.

As this was a local franchise of the quickly spreading company, it is entirely possible that my experience was not per usual (My friend Jen loves them so I'm inclined to believe that the location by her house is better at their craft.) But I must say that while the decor was cheerful, the service excellent, the background music perfectly chosen, and the aromas wafting on the air intoxicating, the actual product did not live up to expectations.

First, it must be stated that in the end I did NOT purchase a cupcake. This was for the simple reason that while they looked charming enough, they were extremely overpriced. I think the owners are banking a little too much on the prestige of their Cupcake Wars title. There were several options to choose from but each and every one was of the standard home-cook size and then piled high with colorful frosting. In my book, this does not warrant a $2.35 price tag. Maybe in New York or LA, but here in Salt Lake City that's just ridiculous! And while we're on the topic, I want to point out that when I lived in Astoria, NY I occasionally stopped at a lovely little Italian Pastry shop down the street called La Guli, that has been around since 1937. My point? At La Guli I could buy exquisite mini-cheesecakes for only $3.00! Cheesecakes! $3.00! And they were TWICE the size of Sweet Tooth Fairy's cupcakes. Point established.

Anyway, we opted instead for the much more reasonably priced brownies and cookies. All on the large side and costing only $1.25 each or $7.00 for a half dozen. We chose to pass up the "cake bites" which were essentially cake filled truffles for $1.00 a piece. In most bakeries something that size would be given out as a tasting sample!

So how did the brownies and cookies taste you ask? (and well you might since so far all I've done is go on about the prices) Well... disappointing...

While the chocolate chip cookies were fairly good, the Snickerdoodles were rather bland. And as those were the only types of cookies they had on offer, that's really all I can comment on. (Unless I want to deviate to the fact that an hour before closing time they were nearly sold out of everything except those ridiculous cake bites, which suggests good business, but that everything we tasted was stale, which does not.)

Anyhoo, moving on to brownies and bars! We tried two brownies: the Salted Caramel, and the Cheesecake Swirl. Of these two I preferred the salted caramel, although not by much. The brownie itself was dry and cakey, and the thick layer of caramel buttercream was overpowering. My sister actually grimaced as she took her first bite and then struggled to swallow it! And my sister has been known to eat spoonfulls of frosting out of the can!

As for the Cheesecake Swirl, it was the same lifeless brownie with a tasteless and mealy cheesecake filling drizzled over the top. Fail.

That brings me last of all the the Cheesecake Bar... What can I say? The brown sugar topping was delicious. But then it was all downhill from there. The cheesecake itself was the same tasteless, mealy stuff from the top of the brownie, but this time it was sandwiched between thick layers of some sort of pastry that couldn't decide if it was a flaky crust or a cookie (and so consequently was neither). Taken in small bites, I was almost fooled into thinking it tasted good (mostly because of that wonderful topping) but then I'd try a normal sized one and my tongue called out for flavor.

So would I recommend the Sweet Tooth Fairy? Frankly, I don't know. You could argue that I went near closing and the staleness was my own fault, but then I could argue that in a professional bakery they should schedule their baking so that the end of the day product is as fresh and delicious as that at opening time! I must also take into account the number of people who seem to love them. Did I simply go on an off day? Are other locations better? (After all, these are franchises!) So many variables to take into account!

I guess really all I can say is that while I will not be rushing off to give them another try, I wouldn't be opposed to it. Until then, however, I will stick to my old favorites. (Those looking for amazing pastries in Salt Lake would do well to try Schmidt's Pastry Cottage... their bismarks and danishes are to die for.)

And next pig out night? Who knows! But I can guarantee we'll have fun doing it!