Steel Kaleidoscopes

Hot Apple Crisp

This is my all-time favorite dessert. Chocolate mousse and Key lime pie are good, but there's nothing like hot apple crisp with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Craving

I could go for some Carvel.

Twirls

My mom kept them on the top of the refrigerator, creating an effort if we were to reach for one.

Twirls.

They were marshmallow and chocolate cookies in the shape of a fancy cake mold.

Of all the sweets in the house, Twirls were the most cherished.

Unlike most cookie packages, Twirls came just 12 to a box. If you ate one, it was obvious.

Not that my mom counted (she may have), but it was difficult to eat a Twirl without asking for permission.

Twirls.

Marshmallow

There is nothing like biting into one of those jumbo marshmallows, fresh from a new bag.

It's like biting into a sugary pillow.

The magic only happens with the first one. The second isn't quite as good because the taste buds have already been activated.

And forget about putting the bag away in the cupboard and looking for that experience on another day. It just won't happen. Marshmallows begin to stale as soon as they are opened.

It has to be the first one from a fresh bag.

Top 5 Coffees

I love coffee.

I've had amazing cups of coffee, usually in fine restaurants or pleasant cafes. But I never ask which brand they are using. So I leave knowing I had a good cup of coffee, but clueless as to what I just drank.

That said, of the brands I can identify, these are my Top 5.

1. Starbucks
No surprise. Dark, robust, creamy. Hot or iced, there's nothing like it.

2. Rebecca's Cafe
Boston-based coffee is deliciously smooth with a serious kick.

3. Tim Hortons
Canadian-based, this is one of the best cups of coffee I ever had.

4. Au Bon Pain
When I can't find a Starbucks, this does just fine.

5. Peet's
There's something exotic with this brew. It's always good.

One Way to Diet

 
Yum.

Salt Craving

Is there a reason bacon tastes good the morning after drinking wine?

Is there a reason Cheez-Its taste good before lunch?

Why are black olives popular and why do some people chew on the popcorn kernels at the bottom of an empty bowl of popcorn?

Why does the salt shaker typically run out faster than the pepper shaker?

What is it about salt that inspires a craving?

Gross

So I go to Dunkin' Donuts this morning for my large coffee with skim milk and I hand the girl my Dunkin' Donuts card.

I like using the card. It's more convenient than cash.

The girl rings me up, then proceeds to scratch an itch on her exposed arm with my card. Then she hands me back my card.

Yuck.

Why did her arm itch? Does she have eczema? Dry winter skin? Something else? Or was it simply an itch?

I didn't notice any white powder on my card, but it was a little unsettling.

When I got to the office, I ran my card under hot water. Not sure if it did anything, but it made me feel a little better.

Christmas Vacation Indulgences

Back from Christmas vacation and a foodie's paradise.

Stone crabs, lobster, filet mignon, prime rib.

Dinner at The Capital Grille, Chops and Buca di Beppo.

Two stints at P.F. Chang's, one sitting in and one take out.

Five Guys. Pizza on the lanai.

Lots of red blends and a glass of white. Limoncello, Harvey's and sparkling wine with a Gulf sunset.

Chocolates. All kinds. Key lime pie. Apple pie. Strawberry ice cream.

Cinnamon rolls. Coffee.

Ten days and four extra pounds later. But it was worth it.

Yum

 
It's a good day for a piece of lemon meringue pie and a limoncello.