Sweet Tooth: The Vintage Reese's Cup

While meandering around a Cracker Barrel gift shop, I stumbled upon this... Colts Bolts. Okay, so I will admit, the only reason i even picked this up was because the woman in the picture looked like Sandra Lee (with better hair...I kid, I kid ). Anyway, chocolate, peanut butter AND almonds??  I was ready for some lovin on my tastebuds!

Colts Bolts.... I wonder what drugs the guy was on when they decided on the name....

and why she chose a turtleneck...

I ripped open the wrapper so fast with anticipation that my hands were shaking ( much like a drug addict trying to get their fix).  This was about the size of a hockey puck. Instead of the chocolate sitting in a fluted cup, this was a layered confection. A layer of chocolate base, a peanut butter middle with about 4 whole almonds (yes I counted) and then a chocolate layer to top it off. The adult version of a reese's cup perhaps.
Taste? Decadent milk chocolate. The peanut butter was more like a mix of nougat and blended peanuts. Sweet, nutty, chewy, perfection. I wish I had gotten a couple more...but good thing I didn't because I have absolutely no self control and would have eaten them all in one day.


Price: $1.69
Verdict: Go to Cracker Barrel. Buy this chocolate. Eat the damn thing. Politely decline when the hostess offers a table and leave. I have not seen this anywhere else but there, maybe at some crazy candy trade show but never at the usual grocery store.

Cracker Barrel

Look for your own location

www.crackerbarrel.com


** F.Y.I This will be my last post until Monday... I am moooving! So please, try not to kill yourself as you go threw withdraw for the next 4 days...**

Product Review: Battle Between the Roof of my Mouth and Bread. Bread Won

A couple of weeks ago I went to Chelsea Market craving 2 things... a good hardy bread and bleu cheese.  I've never been to Amy's Bread before so I figured to try it out ( even though the lazy girl inside of me just wanted to go to Whole Foods... but I do it for you people).

Entrance. I have nothing smart or funny to say about this ( not that anything I do say is funny anyways). Sorry.

Nice array of rolls and baguettes. The scary thing is I could probably eat a whole basket in one sitting if society didn't pressure Victoria's Secret body images on us. Damn those sexy angels and their push up bras.

More bread porn. The little fat asian inside of me really wanted to run behind the counter and take a bite of everyone. The smell of the breads were utterly irresistible.

Whole Wheat & Whole Wheat with Five Grains

I went with this one because I love poppy seeds, and also this is what the guy behind the counter said would go best with a strong cheese. I took a bite by itself first... holy hell it was like trying to bite barbed wire! The crust was ridiculously hard, the kind that punishes you by cutting the roof of your mouth. The inside was very soft and airy, but bitter. Time to test it out with my condiments! (If my mouth isn't filled with blood yet...)

I added bleu cheese and overly ripe sliced apples. 

The bitterness of the cheese + the bitterness of the bread= me adding a crap load of apple jam and agave nectar after to balance it out. Overall an unsuccessful snack.

Price: $2.50 for half a loaf

Verdict: I didn't know what that guy at was smoking; but this bread paired horribly with bleu cheese. At 2.50 for only half a loaf?? I could have gotten a whole loaf of delicious crunchy sourdough from Whole Foods that wouldn't put battle wounds in my mouth like this bread did. Might give them another shot with a different bread, or possibly try one of their desserts, but I very much disliked the whole wheat with five grains!

Amy's Bread

75 Ninth Avenue
New York, NY 10011

www.amysbread.com

Breakfast: Not So Fresh From the Farm

A group of us headed down to Rehobeth beach Delaware this past weekend, and we ended up with only 4 hours of sleep in sweltering 100 degree weather at the beach house that night. Delirious, tired, hot and hungry, we settled for  Bob Evans for fuel before braving the hot beach sun the next morning. Mind you... I have never been to a Bob Evans ever before, I had know idea what to except, but I was in the company of good friends, so it can't be that bad... right?

Justin and Garrett were ahead of everyone... they must have been very hungry...

Strawberry Banana Smoothie

My friend Lauren ordered this, it was made with yogurt, banana's, and strawberries. A tad too sweet for my liking, but the balance of strawberry and banana was perfect. The consistency was thick enough to get a good workout from sucking through the straw.

Price: $2.75

Blue Ribbon Apple Pie Fries

They sounded so interesting, I just had to try them! The batter was ridiculously thick and flavorless. The inside revealed chopped apple pie filling that was intensely sweet. Add the caramel dipping sauce, and I'm surprised my dentist didn't jump out and give me a good back hand. Overall...expect tooth cavities. And WTF was up with the lettuce leaf? Please don't try to make deep fried pie bits healthy. Just dont. Plus it made the batter taste like a wet towel.

Price: $3.99

Blueberry Crepes

Buddy ordered this one. 2 crepes filled with cream cheese and topped with blueberry pie filling and a healthy dollop of whipped cream. The crepes were too greasy, and the left over blueberry jizz on the plate looked unappetizing. But that didn't stop me from trying a bite! The filling helped balance out the sweetness of the blueberry topping. The crepe had a nice elasticity to it that made it fun to eat. I could have done without the topping all together and been content.

Price: $6.75

Bacon and Cheese Omelette

My friend Lauren ordered this as well, and holy shit there was about half a pigs worth of bacon in this. I couldn't resist a bite. Full fledged cheese and bacon flavor. If this omelette even touched a kosher restaurant, I'm sure it would go up in flames. The home fries were very greasy and tasteless, all the flavor seemed to go to the eggs as they were over salted.

Price: $7.75

Biscuits

Didn't have any for fear of eating the whole basket

Farm Fresh Egg Combo Plates

About half the table ordered these, choice of meat, eggs cooked to your liking and hash browns.

Price: $6.99

Veggie Omelette

Since we were going on the beach, I didn't want to get anything too heavy so Sam and I went with a "healthy" option. I was puzzled to see that the tomatoes and onions were raw on top of my omelette since the spinach and peppers were cooked inside. Did they forget and think "screw it, she can eat raw onions'? Oh well, good thing I like onions. The fruit was perfectly ripe which I enjoyed very much.

Price: $7.75

(From left) Buddy, Me, Garrett, Jenn, Lauren, Anthony, Sam, and Justin ready to get some fun in the sun!

Verdict: Chains are usually popular for a reason. Bob Evans is around because they serve it to you diner style with healthy options. Would I pee my pants of excitement if I knew I was going to go there again? Probably not. But for someone on a budget looking for a solid breakfast, I say it's pretty okay but a bit too greasy and sugary for my liking. But being with great friends made up for it :)

Bob Evans

Look it up Yourself Lazy People

www.bobevans.com

Off Beat: Super Fun Weekend = a Lazy Tinger

Too tired to post any reviews today...this might be it for this week since I will be moving ( I know, I know, I will have SO much fun!) but we will see how much extra time I have.

If you don't think this is funny..... then you are a fart head.

Sweet Tooth: The Poor Mans Pinkberry

New York, New York...speciality fro-yo stands, cupcake shoppes, and Neapolitan pizzas restaurants seem to be all the rage. I can't say that I have not given into these fads (I'm SUCH a sucker for all 3). But sometimes when I have a hankering for frozen yogurt; I don't feel like paying the price of what lunch costs for a fro-yo at Pinkberry. Since I was down in St.Marks (essentially the South Street of New York) I decided to see if self serve frozen yogurt could match Pinkberrys standards.

um... $.39 per ounce?? The cheap Asian girl inside of me jumped for joy

Way more variety of flavors then  Pinkberry or Red Mango! Everything flavor from red velvet cake (?!?!) to key lime pie and peanut butter cup plus 10 more were featured! Though, you are not allowed to taste test any of them before hand....

                                                                                                                               why??

There are also butt load of different toppings you can add on in the front before you pay. But I wanted to taste the quality of the yogurt and see if they can really get the flavors down so I decided to skip the toppings and pick a staple ( green tea) and a featured flavor (red velvet or course!)

Green Tea

Texture was smooth and creamy. Lots of good match green tea flavor with the tartiness of the yogurt to balance it out. In fact the flavor was even stronger then Pinkberrys.

Red Velvet Cake

Okay by now, you know how much I LOVE red velvet cake... I took a spoonful in my mouth....yum! Surprisingly just like the cake. Tart, tangy and with a hit of cake batter at the end to polish it off. The taste was so intense that I was glad I only got a little bit of it. A whole bowl full of this would be way to much. It was the smoother texture of the 2 yogurts. 

Price: $1.60 for two small poo swirls worth

Verdict: Though they don't offer cones (which is my favorite way of eating ice cream or yogurt) but they do redeem themselves with the by the ounce option. If you are looking for a quick, cheap, and small icy treat definitely go here. Though, I wouldn't suggest making a trip to St.Marks for this sole purpose!

Yogurt Station

18 Saint Marks Place

 New York, NY 10003-8059 

Quick Bite: Turks Head Festival

Yet again, Buddy's band (The National Rifle) led me to another interesting venue, West Chester PAs annual Turks Head Festival. They were headlining the show, but we still had to get there pretty early which means plenty of time to explore.  I had no idea what to expect, but when we got there I got an intense whiff of incense, saw a moon bounce and a crap load of hippies. Well... this should be.... different?

Being a fat pig, I headed straight to the food section to see what they had to offer. It was essentially what you would find in one of New Yorks street fairs. Except...less awesome ( not like the street fairs are that awesome to begin with). They didn't have crepes, or bubble tea; but I was in PA after all.

Cupcakes Gourmet Stand

I had gotten cupcakes from them before, and was not impressed. They freeze their cupcakes and when you bite into them, they crumble into little pieces. I didn't feel like spending $3.50 on crumbs, so I passed on these sweets.  

Price: $3.50 per cupcake

Nearing the end of my food grazing, I stumbled upon this. Giant turkey leg anyone? I was tempted to steal it, but the thought of burning my hands on a hot piece of meat stopped me. (Thats what she said)

D'Ascenzo Gelato Stand

It was so hot and muggy out that this stand, and the smoothie stand had the most people in line. Being a lover of gelato, and since I was dripping in sweat,  I hopped in the line. Joining the other people who were desperately trying to relieve themselves of the heat.

Kiwi Sorbet and Chocolate Gelato

Both were inconsistent in texture, ranging from icy to lumpy. The flavors were also artificial tasting. The kiwi was too sweet, and the chocolate was bland. The only good part that came out of eating this was that it lowered my body temperature.

Price: $4.00 for a small

 I really wanted to ask him how much he would pay me not to trip him....

The only stand not in the food section, but right smack dab in the middle of the stage field where the bands play. And of course its a funnel cake stand. After having to be there for 6 hours, myself control left me for air conditioning as I found myself walking towards it.

Funnel Cake with Bavarian Creme

This hit the spot, I mean how much can you really mess up fried dough buried in powered sugar anyway? The bavarian creme however, was like a big unwanted pile of diarrhea invading the plate. This was 3rd time ever eating a funnel cake, (I was hesitant ever since purchasing my first one and being attacked by a flock of sea gulls that pecked my face in get to get my funnel cake... I have been scarred emotionally ever since) This time however, I was in the safe confines of a tent.

Price: $4.00

On another non food related note... this place was hippy central!!! Tye-dye, hemp, psychics, holistic oils... I felt like I should have dreaded my hair and put on a pair of birkenstocks. I'm not hating, it just surprised me since so much of the food was meat based.. you would think they would have "alternative" food stands as well.

Verdict: This is the 28th annual event, though it was fun, I'm not sure if its worth driving down for. Maybe if you have nothing else to do on a Sunday.

Turks Head Festival

Everhart Park

West Chester , PA 19382

http://www.turksheadfestival.com/

Dinner: And a Show at the Blockley House

This past weekend I headed down to Philly to see Buddy and his band (The National Rifle) play. The Blockley House is a bar/ music venue located in University City. Soo.... off we went!

Outside entrance. Hugh: farting Lynna: Getting a good whiff

Inside is pretty spacious, plenty of dancing and standing space and a large horseshoe bar

Jerk Chicken with Rice

Since we got there early, I had an opportunity to talk to the cooks. They were making food for themselves at the time. I was drooling over what they were eating, and they were kind enough to offer cooking it for me even though it was off- menu.  

It looked innocent enough, but wow, was the chicken spicy! Though it was very juicy and tender, so I kept eating it. The scallions were a nice touch. However, I could tell they were scraping the end of the rice pot because with eat bite I got hard crunchy pieces of over cooked grains.

Price: $ 13.00

Chesapeake Bay Fries

This was sprinkled with cheddar, crab meat, and chopped scallions. The fries themselves were perfectly crisp and salted, the crab meat however smelled and tasted very fishy. Funny, the only food that shouldn't smell like what it is.

Price: $8.00

Buddy and I before he had to go play

Verdict: They do have some decent beers on tap, I had ordered a Dogfish Head, and it came out to 6 dollars...that is New York priced beer. When I'm in Philly, I don't expect to pay more than 4-5 dollars. I wouldn't come here for the food, but if a band you like is playing here, at least you now know what not to get! 

The Blockley Pourhouse

3801 Chestnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104

www.theblockley.com

Tingers Tips: When All Else Fails, Raid the Cabinets

Over the past weekend, my foot really started hurting from a past injury. Being crippled with nothing to do on such a gorgeous weekend really takes a toll on a girl. Also, I was pretty cash poor ( after buying a pair of shoes I couldn't live without). So what did I decide to do? Make muffins with whatever the hell my boyfriend had left in his kitchen. (Which essentially whatever I left over from when I felt like baking over there).

I opened every cabinet, looked in the fridge and pulled out everything and anything that was edible and not molding or rotten.

After weeding out ridiculous things (such as garlic cloves and left over chinese food although...chinese food muffins sounds so freaking insane that I just might have try it) I narrowed down my ingredients to these:

1 cup Cake flour

2 cups Multigrain Pancake Mix

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup brown sugar

2/3 cup cocoa powder

1 tsp almond extract

1 tsp vanilla extract

3/4 cup Coke

1/3 cup canola oil

2/3 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup raspberry jam ( picked the one with the giant chunks of berries)

pinch of salt

Mix Ins

1/2 cup white chocolate (cut into chunks from a bar)

1/2 cup milk chocolate (cut into chunks from a bar)

1/2 cup of cranberries

Handful of left over honey roasted almonds

....yeah I went a little crazy, but hey.. that was all I had in the kitchen!

* Don't forget to pre heat the oven!! 375 is good

Mix all the dry ingredients together. In separate (larger) bowl, mix in all the wet ingredients. Slowly start to add the dry mix into the wet, making sure all of the flour is dissolved before adding more. After they are combined add the mix ins. 

I threw them into a muffin pan and in the the oven they went for about 18-20 minutes.

My Kitchen Cabinet Muffins

Ooohh yeah, looking good so far, time to slice and taste...

It was extremely moist, and the carbonation in the Coke made them airy, fluffy and light. I guess this was like eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, trail mix, and having a sip of Coke all in one bite. So I would say... success!

Verdict: It really doesn't matter what mix ins you put in there, as long as you like all the flavors, who gives a shit?  I wish I had yogurt or milk to throw into the batter just to make it a little more healthy, but oh well, next time I will have to try. Also, it needed more nuts...

 And I am still thinking about the Chinese Left Over Muffins... Do you think I should make them??