Reptile Thursday Rundown

Good evening everyone! This is my first Thursday Rundown as a 37-year-old so let’s hope I can prove that I still have it. Here are your topics…

Candy Bar Cake – If you read my recent blog post about my birthday tradition, you know that the below delicacy is baked frequently on October 8. This is Sid’s famous candy bar cake, a delicacy that consists of chocolate cake and a cream cheese frosting infused with Hershey bar pieces. It is quite possibly the best thing ever as my parents and siblings have grown to love it just as much as me.

An up close look at the latest candy bar cake I had the good fortune of enjoying.

Inspiration At Crush – I once wrote about the prolific coffee culture here in the Inland Northwest and the countless drive-thru espresso stands that line the city. I mentioned that all of these places have their unique “shticks” to try and stand out. Since we moved into our new house, we have been frequenting the stand just a half mile from our house, Crush Espresso. The staff at Crush differentiate themselves from other baristas by writing short inspirational phrases on the lids of the drinks they make. This morning, I ordered Sid and I Lotus drinks and our lids came with the phrases below…

Out lotus drinks from Crush Coffee. The first one says “Make your own sunshine” and the second one says “You are so loved.”

Reptile – I watched a pretty decent movie over the weekend. “Reptile” is a new release on Netflix and it is a crime/cop film that will keep you guessing throughout its duration. Some people might think it is a little slow but I appreciate a good “whodunit” every now and then. The movie includes a solid role from Justin Timberlake who uses the “F” word a lot so just be prepared for that.

I enjoyed watching “Reptile.”

Skeleton – I always appreciate the lighthearted holiday shirts that Walmart releases at the beginning of the month. It is also fun when the Walmart X account responds to my appreciation. Would you proudly wear this shirt?

I took a photo of this shirt I saw at Walmart and posted it on X (formerly known as Twitter). Walmart responded.

Abandoned Mall – I am fascinated by abandoned schools, movie theaters, and department stores. However, I am especially intrigued by abandoned malls. This was Rolling Acres Mall in Akron, Ohio. It was built in the 1970s and at one time boasted more than 140 stores. It eventually hit tough times and was abandoned. When reading up on this mall, my favorite fact was that numerous dystopian-themed movies used it in its decaying state for various scenes.

What a scene!

————————–

Thanks for joining me tonight. Please pray for all those in harm’s way in the Holy Land. May peace prevail. Don’t Blink.

My Five Favorite Desserts

Last week, we had our friends and Pre-Cana marriage counselors, Tim and Kathy McCormick, over for dinner. When we arrived at the dessert portion of the meal, Tim asked whether I had ever written a blog post on my favorite desserts. While I had written about my favorite fast food desserts, I have never addressed my favorite homemade desserts. That all changes tonight.

5. Homemade Ice Cream Sandwiches – When I was younger, my mom would make homemade ice cream sandwiches on two occasions: for my birthday so I could bring them to school for my classmates and also during the middle of summer for those hot July nights. My mom would take two of her homemade chocolate chip cookies, cram a generous portion of ice cream between them, put each sandwich in an individual ziplock bag, and freeze them. At the time, I thought I was getting two desserts in one. They were so fresh, so cool, so refreshing.

4. Candy Bar Cake – The first time Sid ever baked me a cake was for my first birthday spent in Myrtle Beach. She surprised me with a candy bar cake. It was chocolate cake on the inside coated in frosting that was mixed with crushed Hershey candy bars on the outside. I am not kidding, Sid probably ground up five or six candy bars for that dessert. Every bit of real estate on that cake was covered with candy pieces. It tasted perfect as each bite contained the perfect amount of cake, frosting, and chocolate bar.

Sidney made me this delicious candy bar cake for my birthday.

3. Darn Good Chocolate Cake – This is the Mary Reser (my mom) classic. Baked as a pound cake, my mom has made this for years, usually for New Year’s Day. She uses chocolate cake mix, chocolate pudding, and a bag of chocolate chips for the base of the cake itself. She then frosts the entire thing in a thick chocolate frosting. We then eat it hot with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. I love rich desserts, and this delivers.

2. Ice Cream Pie – After you eat my mom’s ice cream pie, you will never want a traditional cake for your birthday again. While my mom made us ice cream sandwiches for our school birthday celebrations, she made us ice cream pies for our family celebrations. How much do I love this dessert? I once wrote a whole blog post on ice cream pie. My mom would start with a brownie crust. She would then let the birthday boy or girl select his/her favorite ice cream to fill it with. She would then top it with fudge, candy, cookies, and sprinkles. Probably weighing in at 1,000 calories per slice, I loved this Reser family tradition.

Me holding one of my mom’s delicious ice cream pies.

1. Peanut Butter Pie – The best thing about me moving to the South is that I met Sidney. The second best thing is that I discovered peanut butter pie! The day Sid made me peanut butter pie for the first time I knew I was in love……………

……………..with the dessert AND Sidney!

It was everything I crave in a dessert: rich, heavy, chilled, easy to eat. It also used a main ingredient that I am slightly obsessed with.

 

The dessert is a mixture of peanut butter, cream cheese, and whipped cream (plus other things such as heavy whipping cream and sugar). Sid then spreads it over an Oreo cookie crust and serves it with more whipped cream. Although the serving size is just a small sliver of a piece, I can easily gobble down two large pieces. It is so addicting and so good. As you can imagine, this is the dessert we had when the McCormicks were over.

On the left is a peanut butter pie made by Sidney. On the right is what it looks like after I am through with it.

———————

Sorry to my health nuts out there, no healthy or fruit desserts on this list! Not that I don’t like those too, but my favorite dishes are the ones that pack the calories and the flavor. Do you have a favorite dessert you would like to make me? Just let me know. Don’t Blink.