Dessert Darling

Quite Literally THE WORST Milkshake to exist in the U.S. of A

   

UUUGHH!

Honestly. HONESTLY. This was THE. WORST Milkshake I have EVER, EVER had in all my many lifetimes put together. I kinda freaked out when I saw the lady fill up half my plastic cups with a clear syrup. Ummmm, is that for me?? I ordered a milkshake. 

Then she filled the other half of the cups with a thicker white substance (one would hope.. Milk???) and attempted to blend the two fluids together.  Not very well, as you can see from the "chocolate" shake I have here on the right. Anyway, I tried to put the whole process aside and open my mind to tastiness anyway. I literally spit the shakes out upon first sip. Both had aweful, bitter, artificial tastes that would make cough syrup look dreamy in comparison.

Is Wendy's for real??? Seriously, Jack needs to show Wendy's a thing or two.. as shown in this post here!

 

xo

Thinny Thursday: Desserts that FIGHT Fat!!!

 

My friend from Awake and Living sent me this wonderful little article by David Zinczenko about 7 Desserts That Fight Fat. Now that's my kinda guy! He basically states that sugar aside, ice-cream boasts calcium, an element that can actually block the absorption of fatty acids in the digestive track. Go Calcium! Furthermore, each half-cup has choline, which could aid in diminishing your risk of heart disease or stroke by lowering an amino acid called homocysteine.  Wow- all I know is that ice-cream always makes me feel more calm and happier.  The author goes on to list America's 7 best desserts that offer nutritional substance.  The treat that I'm most excited to try from his list is Wendy's Jr. Original Chocolate Frosty!

To read the full article, click here.  Thanks for sharing with me Awake and Living!

xoox

 

A Forbidden Affair- An Open Letter to Jack (...in the Box)

Dear Jack, 

Twice, Twice in the last month I have visited you late night. You've lived down the street from me for four years now and I've never even looked your way. What is this new affair?? I'm not this kind of girl!!! Ok, I admit it, I gave your Pumpkin milkshake 5-cherries last Halloween... but that's a seasonal treat.. an anomaly.  However, you did it again with your Mint Oreo Cookie milkshake last night! Ugh! A perfect balance of flavors, an admirable consistency, thick but not impenetrable, and most tantalizing yet--those Oreo cookie chunks! My fiance even declared it GOLDEN CHERRY worthy!!! From a fast food joint?? Out of a machine?? It's OBSCENE.  And let's not even Talk about your Sourdough Grilled Chicken Club with bacon, for that was clearly laced with all sorts of crack-like addicting tastiness.  Ugh! 

JACK- this relationship cannot be. It was great while it lasted and I know I'll never forget it, but quite simply, I'm not a fast food girl.  Really- I'm not! My mama raised me better than that.  Maybe for the holidays, I'll stop by.. you know, for an Eggnog special... but this late night shenanigans? You'll have to find someone else who'll fall for your charms. Sorry Jack, but we're Over.

Truly,

 

The incriminating evidence! 

 

The BEST Cookies to Gift for the Holidays, a TOP 5 List

According to yesterday's poll (see here), Cookies just beat out Chocolates as your favorite treat of the holiday season.  I don't blame you and neither does Santa. Clearly there's a reason we don't leave him milk and pie! Below are my TOP 5 favorite cookies to share with your loved ones this holiday season.  

 

1) COOKIES BY DESIGN: These cookie bouquets display large, colorfully frosted sugar cookies that would make anyone's day.  Additionally, you can get an assortment of traditional cookies to surround your impressive bouquet.  I can't get enough of these delightful displays!

 

2) SNOOKIES COOKIES Don't have time to bake for Santa? Shhhh, order Snookies Cookies and he'll never know the difference! These delicious goodies are clearly made with love and melt in your mouth! 

 

 

3) DELUSCIOUS COOKIES Want to include an old-fashion bottle of cold milk to your order? How about be blown. away. by the most decadent Chocolate cookie ever? Delusicious makes tasty, large and flat cookies as well as the amazing "Chocolate Decadence" that will visit you in your dreams.  

 

 

 

4)  GOODIE BAG COOKIES  Make someone feel special with a custom batch of cookies, made special order with any request that tickles your fancy!  Goodie Bag Cookies makes and delivers personal gifts that are both darling and divine! 

 

  5) FRANCIE'S MAGIC COOKIES  The holidays are all about Magic, which makes Francie's Magic Cookie's the perfect stocking stuffer or present topper this Christmas.  Each flavor has a different intention that corresponds to a different Chakra. Yea, it's totally Hippy-Dippy, but what really counts: they're the most flavorful cookies on the block! Tasty Tasty.

 

Stay tuned for my Top Favorite Chocolate gift list this Holiday Season!

 

xoox

Roasted Marshmallow Milkshake From The Best Thing I Ever Ate

A Facebook friend alerted me to the Toasted Marshmallow Shake at Stand after watching it on Best Thing I Ever Ate. I knew I had to track this shake down on my NYC adventures! I love this shake because while dauntingly thick at first (the straw nearly has the circumference of a dime!), it's made with gelato, a lighter ingredient than ice-cream.  Additionally, the narrow glass makes for a reasonable portion size, so even after downing a whole shake, you don't feel like you have a bowling ball in your stomach for hours on end (like most shakes make me feel!). 

The shake at Stand has a uniquely campfire, marshmallow taste, and that's because they blend real roasted marshmallows in with the vanilla gelato.  My only critique is, I'm not sure I'd choose the flavor Roasted Marshmallow as my top choice of shake! Marshmallows are rather sweet, and thus add an extra surge of sugar to an already balanced treat. Next time, I'll have to just try the plain vanilla or chocolate shake.~

 

 

For more information on Stand in New York, click here. 

ps: The burger I had there was Awesome. :)

 

Late Night Eating at Pinches Tacos and McDonalds

 Hi! It's my first late night blog...Tonight I ended up at Pinches Tacos, which, I have to say, for 8 years now I've thought was "Pinks Tacos" based on the fact that the edifice is pink. Yeah, I thought it was kinda vulgar too.. but hey, it's Hollywood, you never know..!  Lo thus, it's PINCHES taco. What the heck is a PINCHES Taco??

Anyway, I got cheese fajitas with guacamole and flan.  MMmmmm, the flan was pretty fantastic-actually.  While it had a rich and slightly eggy flavor the consistency was still seamlessly smooth.  The caramel at the bottom was burnt and bitter, lending it a gourmet twist on a normally sugary sweet touch. My friend really appreciated this exotic turn, where as I just kept eating it with one eyebrow raised, wondering if I loved or not.  Over all I give Pinch Taco's Flans a solid 4 cherries!

Yay, late-night me with a Mexican Flag and Flan.. I'm good to go

 

Hmmm, I ate every last lick. Clean plate and bowl club! WIll I regret this tomorrow?

 

Then our designated driver (very important to have one of those!), insisted on doing a quick McD's drive-through for some coffee. Well, excuse me, but your Dessert Darling is NOT about to go through McDonalds and not get a milkshake!  I told my friend to surprise me with the flavor. The result was an artificially sweet strawberry milkshake that kindled fond memories of scratch and sniff stickers and strawberry cotton candy.  Made with real strawberries this was not. But then again, as much as I'm about eating "real food" (and I am), I kinda dug that I didn't have real tart berries souring up the batch.  Over all, it was a tasty, but perfectly average shake.  2.5 cherries.

 

 Perhaps I'll tidy this blog entry up in the morning... but for now, I'm having jolly time late night blogging...OOoh, naughty me. 

Milkshakes at Swingers Diner

 

 I find nothing more soothing and delightful than a fantastic vanilla milkshake.  I don't drink them often (since they sit like a 10 lb bowling ball in my stomach for eight hours later), but when I do, I want them to whisk me away to a heavenly place.

The other day my guy and I strolled up to Swingers Diner on Beverly Blvd for a lovely weekend brunch.  Before I even had a chance to see the breakfast menu though, Tyler insisted that I get a milkshake.  Since he doesn't have a sweet-tooth, I found this suggestion oddly intriguing, and really, who am I to say No to encouragement like that?!  

What Tyler knew, that I didn't, was that Swingers makes the best milkshakes!  I first ordered the Peanut Butter Banana shake and realized a few sips in that I was actually craving vanilla.  The PB-Banana shake was a bit strong on the Peanut Butter for me, but was still a solid 4 cherry sipper nonetheless.  

I then ordered the vanilla and ohmygoodess it was Delicious!  Not too thick, not too thin, and clearly made by humans mixing fresh ingredients (versus a fast-food machine).  If I could have this shake every week, I would.  

To see my thoughts on Swinger's cupcakes, click here, or for more info on Swingers Diner, click here. :-9

 

Vanilla Milkshake from In-N-Out

Today my fiance and I drove home from a gorgeous wedding in Palm Dessert and made a crucial In-N-Out stop.  Now, I know In-N-Out is essentially the Holy Grail of fast food chains.  I really do appreciate their fresh ingredients, simple menu, and commitment to quality food on the go.  That said, their milkshake did not blow me away.

Now, the difference between a milkshake from one fast food joint to another's is minimal.  They're all pretty delicious.  In-N-Out's shake gets cherries docked for it's consistency though.  It was too thick to suck up through a straw, so I ended up inhaling unnecessarily big of gulps through the side. Which left me feeling like I had a brick in my stomach. Which annoyed me, because I never really felt like it was so heavenly delicious that I needed to inhale the whole thing. So bleh.  Three cherries for In-N-Out's vanilla shake.  

 

Pumpkin Pie Milkshake at Jack in the Box

Ok, first of all, I do NOT condone fast food, that said.. Lordy Lord, Jack 'n the Box makes a Killer milkshake.  Truly, it brings all the boys to the yard.

While most of the country may be wrapped in winter coats, it is HOT in LA, and the poster for Pumpkin Pie Milkshake lured me in to the unlikely dessert stop.  

~(Heavenly Sigh)~ This tasty shake hints flavors of vanilla, egg, pumpkin spice, butter, and even scotch (a la butterscotch), blended seamlessly into a smooth creamy cup of indulgent joy.  

While I normally have a deep fear and suspicion of fast food joints, I'd venture back into the fried food frenzy just to treat myself to this delicious milkshake.