Ben & Jerry's New Flavors for 2008

Here they are...

ONE Cheesecake Brownie
- Cheesecake ice cream with Cheesecake Brownie Chunks

Cake Batter
- Yellow Cake Batter ice cream with a Chocolate Frosting Swirl

Imagine Whirled Peace (John Lennon)
- Caramel and Sweet Cream ice creams swirled with Fudge Peace signs and Toffee Cookie Pieces

Strawberry Banana FroYo
- Strawberry Banana frozen yogurt with Strawberries and a Strawberry Swirl

Click on the New Flavor Lagoon to see them for yourselves! I've begun my search. If anyone finds them in the Los Angeles/Riverside/San Bernardino area, please let me know!!

Leap Year?

I wonder if people realize the work that is involved in determining whether or not a year is a leap year. One could try to explain it simply...by saying that it is every four years...but that is not necessarily true. You also have to look at the years that are evenly divisible by 100. This is where the fun starts!

If the year is evenly divisible by 400, it's a leap year (e.g. the years 2000 and 2400).
If the year is not evenly divisible by 400, it's not (e.g. 2100)...so don't plan on an extra day on those years.

Don't get it? It's okay. Someone in the news will remind you of what you need to know when you need to know it.

There's your brain booster for the month. Wow, that was a big one. Maybe we'll skip next month (and the next few)... :)

Trader Joe's - Save the World Lottery

I'm trying to be more environmentally friendly, so I've started to buy and use reusable grocery bags. Last night I brought one to use at Trader Joe's. I told the cashier that I had brought my own bag and she asked me, "Did you want to enter our drawing? Since you brought your own bag, you're eligible to enter the drawing to win $25 in free groceries."

Sweet! There were benefits to bringing your own bag! AND it's about time that I won something again. My answer, "SURE! Thanks!"

So she's bagging up my groceries and continues to talk, "Yeah, we have a drawing at the end of the ______*. Don't be disappointed if you don't win, though. A lot of people shop here."

* I don't remember if she said week or month...I'm pretty sure it's at the end of the week.

ARGH. Way to burst my bubble, TJs. So sad. I hope I win anyway. If not, I guess I'll just keep on trying.... You should too! Just not at my Trader Joe's. :)

A Happy Mistake

I was wrong when I thought the cookies would take a week or so to get to me. As I walked into my office this morning, they were sitting on my desk! Guess I'll be making that Samoa pie this weekend! Whoohoo!!!

Girl Scout Cookie Recipe

My brother brought home 6 dozen cookies this week, and my cousin convinced us to get banana splits this weekend, so my sugar levels are WAY high. Even so, I am soooo anxious for my Girl Scout cookies to be delivered...mostly because of this recipe (which, BTW, I found while I was doing homework...and it shows you how productive my homework time is...):

Thank Heaven for Little Girl(Scout)s Samoa Cheese Tart

Thank you for sharing, Sticky, Gooey, Creamy, Chewy (yes, that is a reference to a person!)!!

The cookies should be here in a week or so, and I'd be happy to share the finished product if anyone wants to try it! Or you may just want to make your own so you don't have to share with me! :)

Food Recall Galore

Hmm...there are two food recalls this week:

The USDA is recalling beef - 143 pounds of frozen beef, to be exact. Any guesses as to where this beef came from? California. Boo. Why? Apparently the cattle did not receive the proper inspection, therefore making this beef unfit for human consumption. The contaminated spinach already came from California...and now beef? Come on. Contamination, please choose another state.

Also in the recall news - See's chocolate chips. The packages failed to mention that the chocolate chips could contain traces of milk. So if you have milk allergies and have purchased these chocolate chips, please don't eat them! More info here...

How to make Chicken Adobo

Brush up on your Tagalog, and get ready to cook!

IHOP - Pancake Day and New Pancakes

Oh, so much to write about pancakes today!

If you happen to be near an IHOP (International House of Pancakes), stop on by and get your free pancakes. They're giving out free short stacks from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., and again, all they're asking is that you consider making a donation to the Children's Miracle Network.

If you're in the mood for spending money on pancakes, they are also featuring their new Shortcake pancakes (in strawberry, blueberry, and apple). More info here...

Tim Tam Crush

Okay...I had mentioned the Tim Tam Slam a long time ago. Just to refresh your memory, that's the way that the Aussies eat their Tim Tams. They bite diagonal corners off of their Tim Tam, then use it as a straw with hot chocolate, coffee, or another beverage of their choice. As soon as the drink reaches your mouth (after traveling through the cookie), you SLAM the entire cookie into your mouth and just wait for it to meeeeeeeeeeeeelt. So yummy.

The Tim Tam CRUSH is the newest cookie in the Tim Tam line. They are available in Toffee Nut, Honeycomb, and Mocha Hazelnut flavors. I'm not sure if you can SLAM the CRUSH, since Crush cookies aren't sandwich cookies. We'll see. Check it out here!

Starbucks Super Service

I went to Starbucks yesterday. I walked in and got two very cheerful greetings…then got the most wonderful service! Here’s how it went:

Me: Could I have a tall caramel apple cider, please?
Starbucks Barista: Unfortunately, you can’t…we’re all out of cider for today…BUT, I can get you any other drink – on the house.
Me: Really? Hahah…um…could I have a tall Peppermint Hot Chocolate no whip?
SB: Sure!
Me: Oh, and could you make that soy?
SB: Of course!
Me: [reaching into my bag for my wallet]
SB: No, no…put that away. I said it was on the house!
Me: Are you sure? My order was kinda complicated…
SB: Complicated? Sweetheart, this is Starbucks! That was hardly complicated! Complicated is sugar-free, half-pump, extra room…[kept going]. Here you go…enjoy!

I’ll be going back there…probably tonight!!!

Pies and Cookies

Pepperidge Farm has expanded their collection, yet again, with their newest cookie - Montieri.

I bought some last night. They're so cute! They're like little peach, raspberry, and apple pies.

Sorry if you don't like fruit pies.

Wild Animal Crunch Cereal

Who said cereal needed to be vegetarian? This one happens to be Seal flavored! :) It doesn't say it on the box, but I'm pretty sure it's the wild animal that gives it the crunch...

Hope you all enjoy that delicious crrrrrunch!

Sucks for me!

I have a midterm tonight, and I have a migraine right now. Hopefully this headache goes away soon...I have some cramming to do!!

My Superbowl Sunday

Normally, I would watch the commercials and find something else to do during the game. This year was different. This was the first time that I watched the entire Superbowl - game and commercials. I skipped out on the half-time show because I'm not such a big fan of Tom Petty and Co. (YES, I KNOW - it's Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers. I was just trying to save time, but thanks a lot, now that I had to explain it, I just used the time I saved.)

My brother and I made some AWESOME nachos - and that's basically all we ate. We started eating during the team introductions and were done about 10 minutes after kickoff. Then we all slipped into food coma that has lasted until TODAY. Maybe that's why I ended up watching the whole game - because I was too crazy tired to get up and do something else! :)

So sad for the Patriots - no perfect season.
So happy for the Giants - yay, the Manning Bros. have made history.

Now what should I eat for dinner...???