Oren Lavie

This video is great...

Texas State Fair 2010

This year Fried Frito Pie was the winning food at the Texas State Fair.

Unfortunately, it was not a winner for Matt's taste buds.

A very disappointed face followed this bite.

After trying out the fried food, we headed straight over to the midway to find more fried foods and to ride a few rides.

It was here that I realized that my body is not as young as it once was.

Perhaps I was just weak from the lack of food I was able to find to eat at the fair, but as far as I can tell...I am just plain old.

The ride below was the first ride we agreed to go on with a co-worker's daughter and sister.

It looks harmless while it's not moving...but once it starts it's very harmful.

When I got off, I had lost the nail polish on one foot, had a bruise the size of a silver dollar on my thigh, a bruised shoulder, and the bruise below on my elbow which became very swollen as the night went on.

After that, I decided that my place was with my friend, the stroller, and her other baby Trinity. Isn't she just so beautiful?!

Alas in the middle of everyone feasting on fried snickers, fried honey buns, turkey legs, and fried cheese on a stick, I found a chocolate covered banana.

While Chocolate is definitely not vegan and definitely a food allergy for me...I was ready to take what I could get and eat that sucker. However, it wasn't as good as the bananas always looked on 'Arrested Development' in the Bluth family banana stand and I had to throw it away after a few bites.

Fruit + Chocolate = GROSS!

Tired, bruised, and in the midst of a full on food allergy attack; we headed out... but not before stopping by the animals so that I could feed the ostriches and Matt could feed everything else.

It was great getting out to the fair again. We missed going last year for the first time in many years and I feel we definitely made up for it this time.

Charity Auction

This year I am not participating in my work's charity campaign for several reasons, but the biggest one is that my company spends more money on luxuries than it does on the benefits for their employees. Thanks for nothing Encana! (I had to get the word out there somewhere)

However, Matt's company is not like that, so when I was asked to bake something to be auctioned off in an auction there, I happily obliged.

After work yesterday I ran to the store to pick up some non-vegan food to begin creating my masterpieces.

I was shocked to find that the eggs I purchased had little breast cancer logos on each of them! How gross, yet perfect is that? I didn't know they could do that.

When I got home, I began baking cupcakes in my giant cupcake pan, making little pink ribbon chocolates, and simmering cream on the stove to begin the long, tedious process of making my ganache.

And to my amazement, it all went completely well and I was even able to watch 'Modern Family' and 'The Middle' while I did it all. I felt like a super chef!

Below are my creations! I hope they sell!

Random Summer Happenings...

At the beginning of the summer I got a craving for french macaroons. Had I had one before? No. Had I ever seen one? Not that I knew of. Did I even know what I was craving was called? No again. Thank heavens for Google- with it's aid I eventually figured out what taste I was wanting and located these little healthy gems at Central Market.

Yes that price tag does say $7.74 and they were worth every penny. I ate the entire container before we had pulled out of the parking lot.

Later on in the Summer, I got a craving for pot pie.

What sucks about pot pie is that it's so fattening and full of unfriendly animal products....SO I created my own vegan pot pie and it was delicious and low fat! I had to take a picture it was so pretty.

I also broke out the Crème brûlée torch finally and with Matt (and Martha Stewart's) assistance made the world's best chocolate Crème brûlée....or so Matt says.

On a very rainy day, Matt and I went over to Central Market again to buy some exotic fruit (that's my new thing) and were lucky enough to see a double rainbow! Matt took this video, but it's doesn't do it any justice.

And finally, one night we stayed in a hotel with this written on the toilet which made me laugh and gag a little.

That's all for now....