Shopping with Mom/Dad

So yesterday during the great shopping expedition, I told you a funny how daddy got mommy.  Let me tell you my friends, the laughter *never* ends. Trust me on this okay.  The man knows NO boundaries.  You don’t believe me huh?  Okay, I’ll tell you the rest of the story of those two out unchaperoned.

There they were walking through the aisles.  Mom had her list, checking items off and trying to keep daddy in line (which might I add is a full time job these days – snorts).  So, they are in the area where the fresh vegetables and nuts were.  Mom says to dad who is hanging off to the side looking at God only knows what, “Do you have nuts?”

Without missing a single beat daddy replies, “Yep, I have two of them” and continues what he is doing.  In the meantime, there were two guys and a lady standing near them who overheard the entire conversation.  They all burst out in laughter.  And I have to admit it, when daddy told the story later I did the same.

 

Shopping Around the World

This month we are focusing on desserts/cookies or other yummy treats that you create or love to eat this time of the year.  This holiday season has been a little challenged here at the Hotel Thompson – with mom’s surgery, recuperation and other trying things that showed their ugly head.  Usually mom fixes this dessert, boxes them up in little Chinese containers that are decorated with pictures of us anipals and hands them out.  This year, she just didn’t get a chance to play around and have fun.  BUT she wanted to share this recipe because it’s fun and the treats are delicious!

So here is mom –

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What you will need:  bag of shelled pecan halves ($7.00); bag of Rolo candies ($4.00); and a bag of square pretzels ($3.00) = total cost $14.00

The most time consuming part of this recipe is unwrapping all of the Rolo’s.  Usually I will sit in front of the television with a two bowls – one for wrappers and one for the unwrapped Rolo’s.  Watch some television and start unwrapping.  It makes it go faster.  Trust me, this is the annoying part.

After you are done, get out a cookie sheet and wrap it with aluminum wrap.  Put your square pretzels on it and put one Rolo on top of all of the pretzels.  Your oven needs to be set at like 200 degrees.  Place the pan in the oven for about 2-3 minutes, until you see the Rolo’s getting soft.  Take them out and immediately push a pecan half on top of the pretzel.  We call these Reindeer noses.  Cute huh?

Now make a mental note.  Don’t put so many pretzels on the tray with Rolo’s that when you take them out of the oven they soften before you can put the pecan half on them.  I can usually do about three trays with the ingredients above.  Happy eats!

 

Ask a Stupid Question Day

  Journalist Rocky the Squirrel here –

Keeping my paws on the nuts of the world!

 .

Today, September 28th is an awesome day.  It’s Ask a Stupid Question Day.  Finally a day that we can ask all of those silly questions and not have anyone look at us a strange way.  Speak up my followers – ask all of those questions you were afraid to ask today that you have been wondering about all year long.

 I interviewed the occupants here at the Hotel Thompson.  They came up with some great questions that I’m going to share.  They’ll start so you can feel better about your questions.  Remember no one is going to laugh at your question – maybe the answer but not the question – chitter chatter

“Why is Grape Nuts cereal called Grape Nuts when it has neither grapes or nuts?”

“If the Professor on Gilligan’s Island could make a radio out of a coconut, why couldn’t he fix a small hole in the side of the boat?”

“Why does Goofy always stand up on two legs yet Pluto remains on all four legs?  Aren’t they both dogs?”

“Why do banks leave their doors wide open but chain their pens to the counter?”

“How come when the battery goes dead on the television remote, you think it will work if you press the buttons harder?”

“If a cat always lands on its feet and buttered bread always lands butter side down, what would happen if you tied buttered bread on top of the cat?”

“What color would a Smurf turn if you choked it?”

 

Travels in the South

Welcome my friends to another edition of Travels in the South.  I know we usually show restaurant food but today we have something special.  You see daddy loves M&M’s with nuts and mom loves caramel.  Well somehow M&M nuts got mixed up with caramel and made this new creation – M&Ms Caramel.  What a combination, right?!

So how are these new nuggets of wonder?  Per daddy, they taste very similar to a Rolo.  There is a great combination of chocolate to caramel and the nuts add another dimension.  So if you like chocolate, caramel and nuts – look for these in your market the next time you go.  They are definitely worth a try!  And hey, get the big pack so you can share ❤

 

Shopping Around the World

This month my dear brother Phenny is hosting Shopping Around the World.  His suggestion this month was pie, dessert or anything sweet.  Since I can’t just post a picture of me for something sweet – snorts with piggy laughter, I”m going to let mom take care of this month.  Hope you enjoy my friends ❤

Now this month was hard.  Sweets – my favorites of any kind – is something I’m trying to stay away from here at the Hotel Thompson.  But there are times that the inner sweet monster comes from within and you just *have* to have something gooey and wonderful.  A long time favorite of ours here are Whoopie Pies.  Now if you don’t know what a Whoopie Pie is here, you are a sheltered person and need a fix ASAP!  You can fix them as elaborately as you want or in my case as simple as you want.  And you know me…. I’m all about simple 🙂 

So here is a picture of what a Whoopie Pie looks like.  (I didn’t take this picture.)  This is a simple way of seeing what a Whoopie Pie looks like.  They should be gooey and wonderful.  Most of them are made with a cake batter as the top and bottom.  But remember, I have a favorite ‘quick’ recipe.  Here you go:

◊ Store bought cookies (no lying).  Get a package of the soft cookies – you don’t want a hard one.  Or you can make your own.  Now remember to buy twice as many cookies because you will need two cookies for every Whoopie Pie.  I bought a package of 24 cookies from our local market for $3.29 – I bought Macadamia cookies.  Buy and make whatever kind of cookies you like.  24 cookies will make 12 Whoopie Pies.

◊ Here is the tricky part – what do you want for your center?  You have several options.  You can buy a container of Cool Whip.  You can buy those little containers of pre-made frosting.  Or, you can be lazy like me.  I asked the bakery department at my market to whip me up some butter cream frosting.  A huge container cost me $4.99 – and that is more than enough.  

Now the fun begins.  I take my 12 cookies and place them on a cookie sheet.  I then put my butter cream frosting in a pastry bag and start dabbing frosting on my cookies.  After all my cookies have full attention, I then place cookies on top of the frosting.  There you go – instant Whoopie Pies.  No, they are not like the ‘real’ Whoopie Pies but are your guests or family going to know the difference?  Of course not.  Heck, throw some flour on your face and around the kitchen and let them know you slaved in the kitchen for hours.  Who is going to know?  I’m not going to tell.  ❤ 

 

Travels in the South

Hello friends – welcome back to mom/dad’s Travels in the South.  Today is a good one…. snorts – I say that every week don’t I?  Rolls with piggy laughter.  Well as you know mom/dad have been changing their way of eating.  It’s definitely a work in progress for sure.  Well, a couple of weeks ago mom took dad out for his birthday.  Dad wanted to go to a local steakhouse for dinner.

Dad went for a steak of course ❤   He ordered a prime rib and mom said since it was his birthday he could have french fries.  Nice of her huh?  Snorts!  Mom went with the strawberry fields salad.  Doesn’t that look awesome?  It has everything in it from nuts to grapes to strawberries to oranges.  Yummy huh?

 

Ask a Stupid Question Day

 

 Journalist Rocky the Squirrel here –

Keeping my paws on the nuts of the world!

 .

Today, September 28th, is an awesome day.  It’s Ask a Stupid Question Day.  Finally a day that we can ask all of those silly questions and not have anyone look at us a strange way.  Speak up my followers – ask all of those questions you were afraid to ask today that you have been wondering about all year long.

 I interviewed the occupants here at the Hotel Thompson.  They came up with some great questions that I’m going to share.  They’ll start so you can feel better about your questions.  Remember no one is going to laugh at your question – maybe the answer but not the question – chitter chatter

“Why is Grape Nuts cereal called Grape Nuts when it has neither grapes or nuts?”

“If the Professor on Gilligan’s Island could make a radio out of a coconut, why couldn’t he fix a small hole in the side of the boat?”

“Why does Goofy always stand up on two legs yet Pluto remains on all four legs?  Aren’t they both dogs?”

“Why do banks leave their doors wide open but chain their pens to the counter?”

“How come when the battery goes dead on the television remote, you think it will work if you press the buttons harder?”

“If a cat always lands on its feet and buttered bread always lands butter side down, what would happen if you tied buttered bread on top of the cat?”

“What color would a Smurf turn if you choked it?”

 

Mad Squirrel

U-oh.  Looks like Journalist Rocky the Squirrel got into some bad nuts.  Protect yourself my friends.  Squirrels are mad.  Snorts with piggy laughter.

 

Mom/Dad’s Food Porn

  Sometimes with all of the stress and worries that come with being an adult, you have to take a step back and revert back to childhood.  This has been a tough month for a lot of people – not just here at the Hotel Thompson – but all over blogville.

Last night, mom got home and just gave dad one of “those” sighs.  You know the one I’m talking about.  The one where you are done.  Empty.  Totally wiped out.  Feeling uncherished, unwanted, unloved and miserable.  Nothing particular sparked it but everything attributed to it.  You know that feeling?  Mom calls those feelings feeling magenta.  Shrugs piggy shoulders.  I’m not sure why magenta but she picked magenta.

Well daddy told her last night that was it – it was time to go back to being a kid without adult worries.  Mom/dad loaded up in the car and went down the street to the local Dairy Queen.  Once there, they ordered two of these delectable peanut butter parfaits, laughed and joked while eating their treats.  And guess what?  It did the job.  Both mom/dad came back home more lighter with worries.

So, have you had your kid treat lately?  I think tonight they are meeting the local ice cream truck at the curb.  Maybe I can get in on some of that action – snorts with piggy laughter.

 

Ask a Stupid Question Day

 

 Journalist Rocky the Squirrel here –

Keeping my paws on the nuts of the world!

 .

Today, September 28th is an awesome day.  It’s Ask a Stupid Question Day.  Finally a day that we can ask all of those silly questions and not have anyone look at us a strange way.  Speak up my followers – ask all of those questions you were afraid to ask today that you have been wondering about all year long.

 I interviewed the occupants here at the Hotel Thompson.  They came up with some great questions that I’m going to share.  They’ll start so you can feel better about your questions.  Remember no one is going to laugh at your question – maybe the answer but not the question – chitter chatter

“Why is Grape Nuts cereal called Grape Nuts when it has neither grapes or nuts?”

“If the Professor on Gilligan’s Island could make a radio out of a coconut, why couldn’t he fix a small hole in the side of the boat?”

“Why does Goofy always stand up on two legs yet Pluto remains on all four legs?  Aren’t they both dogs?”

“Why do banks leave their doors wide open but chain their pens to the counter?”

“How come when the battery goes dead on the television remote, you think it will work if you press the buttons harder?”

“If a cat always lands on its feet and buttered bread always lands butter side down, what would happen if you tied buttered bread on top of the cat?”

“What color would a Smurf turn if you choked it?”