Featured Stories

Durian 1

When Jeebus and Fanny came to visit us a couple weeks ago we took them to the local mega Asian grocery store (Super H Mart in Carrollton, Texas). I had forgotten my camera and so I dropped my husband and his family off at the store and drove back home to retrieve it. Apparently while I was on the road getting my camera Fanny discovered the oddly shaped, thorny fruits sitting in the freezer as you walk in the store: Durian.

Now my husband and I have passed that freezer many times wondering what the funky looking fruits inside were. Never once had we gotten the courage to actually purchase one. Fanny on the other hand couldn’t contain her excitement over finding the fruit and apparently it’s really good price. So she bought one and made us late getting home to pick the kids up from school.

Then we set it on the kitchen counter and curiously watched it for several hours until it thawed out.

The next day, Fanny took a sharp kitchen knife to the durian and carefully began slicing it along invisible seams like a surgeon. The Mother Trucker and I watched in utter disgust as she opened it and began removing the creamy yellow flesh sitting inside pockets as if she were performing surgery.

Durian 2
Durian 3

I mean seriously the fruit looks like and has the texture of raw chicken fat!

Durian 4

And the smell wasn’t much better–like a cross between Wrigley’s Juicy Fruit chewing gum and rotten onions. So I mean if you like onion flavored chewing gum, then this is the fruit for you. Apparently, the smell is so bad that in some Asian countries Durian is banned from public transportation.

Durian 5

How in the world she wanted to go back for MORE is beyond me. But she thinks it’s the best.fruit.ever.

Fried chicken will never look the same way to me again.

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Tillamook Loaf Love Baby Loaf tour bus

The first time I ever heard of Tillamook cheese was when I was in college in Idaho. One of my roommates was from Oregon and she swore Tillamook was the best cheese ever.

The second time I heard about Tillamook cheese was when I was newly married and my husband and I got into one of those “my state is better than your state” arguments and he brought up Tillamook and how he got to tour their factory and eat free cheese when he lived in Oregon (his family will do anything if it’s free). Incidentally he also brags about Green River Utah melons. Whatever.

The third time I heard about Tillamook cheese was when they invited me out to a tasting party with other local bloggers last week. You bet I wasn’t going to pass this opportunity to find out what all the Tillamook cheese love was all about. Dude, cheese is cheese, right? And then one of the other bloggers ordered me a Dr Pepper and the following conversation began forming in my head (next time I need to lay off the caffeine):

Tillamook Loaf 1

Tillamook Loaf 2

Tillamook Loaf 3

Tillamook Loaf 4

Tillamook Loaf 5

So the big question today remains: “Is Tillamook cheese better than cheese from Texas?” Personally, I have Texan pride and refuse to answer that question publicly, so go get your own and decide for yourself!

There’s some Tillamook fun coming to a city near you! That’s right, the Baby Loaf tour bus (a chopped down, miniature sized 1966 Volkswagen bus) is traveling the nation looking for Tillamook fans and to spread some “Loaf Love”! The Baby Loaf bus will be coming to Dallas, Texas on March 10, 2012 at the Dallas Zoo! See when the Baby Loaf tour bus will be near you!

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Straight Guys Can’t Get All Picky About Their Valentine’s Gifts

15 February 2012
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Unless they want to be called a princess. My husband’s and my first date together was February 2, 2001. We hit it off from the start and began spending more and more time with each other each day. So much time that I even got fired from a temp job because I kept showing up [...]

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Letters from an Anonymous Friend: Mr. Heart Throb!!!

13 February 2012
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Letters from an Anonymous Friend are written by my really good friend and former college roommate who’d rather keep her identity secret. Today she writes about one of her recent online dating encounters, you know, just in time for Valentine’s Day! (Names have been changed to protect Mr. Heart Throb. Lucky him.) In August I [...]

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