FEEEEEEEEEEEED UUUUUUUUS!

Say these kittens. Endlessly.

Seagull Thief

This seagull really loves Doritos. Understandably!



I love how he looks when he walks out of the store with the bag in his mouth. Making a getaway!

"I'd like it toasted with cream cheese, please."

This is Mr. Winston and his bagel. He is 13 years old but still cute as heck.

The Great Cowscape

"The news came over the radio in the clipped jargon of police officers: "Queens. Loose cow. 103 Precinct. 109 Avenue. E.S.U. reporting a loose cow at the location."

Awesome.

The cow escaped from a slaughterhouse in Jamaica, Queens and the cops caught her and handed her over to Animal Care and Control. They're trying to find a spot for her at an animal sanctuary.

From the New York Times (really!):

Since — by early afternoon — no one had called about the cow or come to the sanctuary to claim her, Mr. Gentles said that the cow would not be forced to return to the slaughterhouse.

“Well, somebody can come and claim her, but in our experience, nobody has come forward in the past and asked to claim their cow,” he said. “We haven’t gotten any calls that someone is missing their cow.”

The police spokesman — apparently as uplifted as anyone about the cow’s new lease on life — said he suspected the cow, by escaping, had acted to save its own life. “I think it’s because it made it out,” he said.

Such a sweet story. I was planning on having burgers for dinner tonight, but now I feel guilty. Drat!

(And sorry for the random images. There are no pics of this cow as of yet.)

Tasty Thing: Cadbury Mini-Eggs

So everyone knows Reese's Eggs are the star of the Easter candies. Peeps are cute and all, but Reese's Eggs are actually delicious (whereas 2+ Peeps will make you vom).

But MY favorite Easter candy, hands down, are Cadbury Mini-Eggs. God damn. The shell is super crunchy and the chocolate is so milky and melty. Plus I like that they go the extra mile and dust the cocoa powder on the eggs to make them look real.



WARNING: Sometimes the shells are SO crispy that after you bite them, a little shard will break off and stab your hard palate. This review words it nicely:

Advantages: Chocolate
Disadvantages: Spiky bits hurt yer gums

Seriously, it hurts a LOT, so be careful!

I just submitted two photos to thisiswhyyourefat.com. Of things I've eaten.

What does that say about me? Probably nothing good.



1)
The Luther Burger (a bacon cheeseburger w/ a grilled glazed donut for a bun). Cooked by my buddy Sam Henderson and eaten by me and my buddies in the now-defunct burger club.

I thought it might make me barf but it was actually pretty tasty. I'd eat it again! Most of the donut's glaze fell off when we grilled it, so it functioned more like a potato roll- a nice sweet counterpart to the savory beef, bacon, and cheese.



2)
Bacon and Velveeta-stuffed cheeseburger. Also made by Sam for burger club consumption. Delish. We did another one stuffed with tomato, basil and mozzarella which was also good.

Check out thisiswhyyourefat.com and tell me some of that stuff doesn't look good! I am positively salivating over the McNuggetini (A McDonald’s chocolate milkshake with vanilla vodka, rimmed with BBQ sauce and garnished with a chicken McNugget.)

Tasty Thing: Carr's Cheese Melt Crackers

These are the most delicious crackers I have tasted in a long time. I haven't been this excited about a cracker since Carr's Rosemary Crackers (which are my #1 jam!).

I had them over the holidays with cream cheese and lox and capers and onions (I just used the cream cheese. All that other stuff... not so much.). They were delightful! Light and crispy. Nice and big and sturdy enough to hold lots of toppings.

The key to their tastiness is the onion flavoring. Not only is there a burnt cheese/parmesan-y taste, but there's a distinct onion taste. Almost chive-y.

I think these would be good with more cheese on top (perhaps a brie, something spreadable) or cream cheese with dill and cucumber. OR ham and a sheep's milk cheese.

Yums.

Almond-Stuffed Dates wrapped in Bacon

I had these snacky delights at a friend's house on Saturday night. I will admit, I was a little hesitant because of the dates. I have texture issues with dried fruit. But oh man. I'm an idiot. Anything wrapped in bacon is delicious, obvs. And the texture was amazing- crispy bacon, chewy dates, crunchy almonds. Sweet and savory dancing a forbidden waltz.

I am def making these for Thanksgiving. Here's a recipe from Apartment Therapy's food blog, The Kitchn. I almost wish they weren't so easy to make, because now I'm going to want to eat them ALL. THE. TIME.

Tip: Apparently the toothpicks aren't necessary. So if you don't have them on hand or forget to pick them up at the store, proceed anyway!

upDATE: I tried making these on Thanksgiving and it was a total disaster. I should have fried them in a pan instead of baking them in the oven. There was a bacon grease spillover/neverending smoke situation which was somewhat embarrassing.

Welcome to the Snuggle Factory!

Hi all!

I'm not sure what this blog will be just yet. Right now it's a half-baked idea that will definitely evolve (into who-knows-what!), but I hope you'll join me on this little adventure!

As I started shopping for holiday gifts, I started to get so excited about some of the items I was seeing that I felt like I had to share them. So, come back for news on my favorite shops and sales in the NYC area and online, and gift ideas.

I'll probably also talk about foodstuffs I want to snuggle. Lord knows I want to curl up with some bacon right now.

Also, speaking of snuggles, I love it when animals are friends. Especially different species that shouldn't be friends! So I will probably post some of those kinds of things as well.

Cheers (and snuggs),
Gretchen