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...???

Rosegreen - New Flavor!

Rosegreen has a new flavor of frozen yogurt - PEACH!
Try it! It's so good.

Plus, they have their 1st anniversary deal:
Buy one medium with three toppings, get one small plain free.

Enjoy!

Loma Linda University - The Clinic

Third year students from Loma Linda University's School of Dentistry present their version of "The Office." Good job guys! :)

Nose News

My nephew headbutted me yesterday - in the nose. It hurt pretty bad (he has a hard head!) but the pain went away shortly after that.

BUT...later that evening, I realized that it still hurt when I touched my nose. It feels like it's bruised, but doesn't look like it...yet! So if you see me and my nose is black and blue...that's the story behind it.

Craving Churros...

Since I had the stomach flu, my appetite hasn't been normal. I crave french fries a couple times a week, but when I actually see them or smell them cooking, my stomach starts to turn and I start feeling nauseated. I went to a birthday party today and only ate half a brownie. I'm so sad...this fat kid likes to eat!!! How am I going to eat if food isn't appetizing anymore?!

Well, the answer to that is that I need to eat what I'm craving when I'm actually craving something. This weekend, I decided that churros sounded good. So my brother found a recipe for me. We had to go to Michael's to find the right piping attachment to make the churros look like churros. Lemme tell ya...they were pretty good! Plus, my brother made this chocolate sauce (it was supposed to be Mexican chocolate - like hot chocolate - for dipping...but he added more chocolate and thickened it up a little more) and the churros went from being pretty good to being pretty awesome!

Wish I would've taken a picture...but they got eaten pretty fast. Sorry. Maybe next time...
And according to my grandfather...there WILL BE a next time. (Guess he's a fan of the homemade churro!) :)

Pinkberry News

Pinkberry has added a new flavor of frozen yogurt AND a new topping!

The new flavor is...COFFEE!!
The new topping is...CHESTNUTS!!

When the cashier first told us that they have chestnuts available as a topping, I heard "Water Chestnuts." I probably need to work on my listening skills...

My brother tried the combination and he said it's pretty darn good.

We both send our compliments to whoever has to peel those chestnuts... :)

Smurf News

To celebrate their 50th anniversary, the Smurfs will be starring in a new movie!

Info here...

Can't wait!! My friends in high school used to call me Smurfette because I was short compared to them. Haha...

NBA Replay

Since Stephen Colbert can't deliver his Sport Report due to lack of a writing staff, I'm stepping in to report some sports news...

The Atlanta Hawks and Miami Heat are going to replay the last 51.9 seconds of a game originally played on December 19, 2007, in which the Hawks won (117-111) in OT. This hasn't happened since 1982, so if you don't believe me, well...I don't blame you. BUT, you can read it for yourself here!

Josh Smith, one of the Atlanta Hawks, can't play because he had fouled out by that point in the original game. So sorry if you're a Josh Smith fan. But don't worry, you'll see him play right after that...with the slate wiped clean.

Interestingly, Pat Riley has been involved in this kind of shenanigan before - back in 82-83...and again in the 07-08 season! How does he do it....???

It's Cold...and Time for Ice Cream

Baskin Robbins is enticing me again...with their Ice Cream + More Sugar concoctions!


Yummm....they now have a Chocolate Truffle Shake, a Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Sundae, and Fudge Crunch Cakes (copying Carvel ice cream cakes).

Yeah, like it's not enough that my family devoured an entire cow last week...(Oh, yeah, we had 3 racks of ribs, brisket, and tri-tip at Lucille's - the $300 family meal)...we have to finish off all the cow's milk in the form of macaroni and cheese, and now...ice cream.


Poor Cow...

Lucille's BBQ

I don't eat red meat, and some people think it's sad, and some people think it's dumb. Actually, I do get sad when I smell Korean BBQ or when I pass by Arby's. Anyway, ever since Lucille's BBQ opened in Victoria Gardens, I've wanted to go there.

No, not to eat ribs, although they did smell really good. They have chicken and other things, people! I've been there twice in the past week!! I'm completely content sitting there with their biscuits (with their spiced butter) and mashed potatoes while everyone else enjoys the meat. Plus, it's fun to be the not-so-messy eater at the table while everyone is getting sauce all over their faces. Hehe...

So if you ever want to go to Lucille's, I'm so there!! :)

The Brother

To continue the story about my Norovirus encounter...my brother has enjoyed this quite a bit more than I have. Just for clarification, the effects of the Norovirus includes more than just vomiting. Look it up for more detail.

Here are a couple clips from his comedy based on my experience...

CLIP #1
Bro: Hey, want to know what I can do that you can't do?
Me: [just stares at him]
Bro: [lets out a big fart] Hahahahahahahahahahaha.....

CLIP #2
Bro pours a glass of Gatorade for himself and for me.
Me: [picking up the bottle of Gatorade] I know that I didn't finish all of this by myself...
Bro: Yeah, I know. I drank it too. It would've been wasted on you...either way.
Me: [tries to hit him]
Bro: Don't make me juice you!

Happy New Year!

First post of the new year...four days into the new year. Sounds like I've been pretty busy, huh? Well, I have been! Holidays and family have kept me busy, but most importantly, I was one of the lucky participants in the Norovirus outbreak 2008! I got sick on January 2, then spent all of yesterday in bed. I'm up today and feeling human again.

If you happen to be looking for Gatorade and can't find any, it's probably because that's all I've had for the past few days, and I probably caused the shortage. :)

Anyhow, happy new year!