Randoms

If I don't just put everything in a mish-mash post these days, it doesn't get done at all. So, that's what this one is today.

I don't know if I mentioned that our store(s), Shades of Soho (Glen Rock & Norwood), won Best in Bergen in 201 Magazine. Yay! So thank you to everyone who voted. We really appreciate it and hope to make it a THREEpeat next year. You can find us and the full list of winners at: http://www.bergen.com/best_of_bergen/2012/Shades_of_Soho_Bestof2012.html

I ran into the Bergen Mall the other day to get E something to wear to see the Easter Bunny. Yes, I'm fully aware we're Jewish but I like Santa photos and I like Easter Bunny photos. When there is a Jewish equivalent, I'll be more than happy to get those photos too, but I don't see that happening. Besides, who can resist all those cute Springy clothes? Anyway...

Frozen Peaks is open. I'm going to tell you what I think. It's ok. Well, let me clarify what "ok" means to me. It all depends on what you're looking for when getting "frozen yogurt" as opposed to straight up, you know how bad it is for your waistline, ice cream. Frozen Peaks is super clean, comfortable looking and they seem to have endless options for flavors & toppings.

I actually tried four flavors in one cup. And I would've tried to add a fifth but one was a little too fast coming out and took too much room. I tried: angel food cake, tart, red velvet cake, and cake batter. And they were all great. Too great. The cake batter and red velvet were too much like ice cream. You'd be totally tempted to put all kinds of fattening toppings on it. They have EVERYTHING- even little balls of cookie dough. Stuff I couldn't even identify. Then, there are what look like a ton of different syrups to put on it. All the flavors I tried were really good! And I shared with E. He told me, "You can have the chocolate one (Red Velvet) Mommy. I will have the white one please!". He likes the Tart. That's all he's used to since I used to share my Tart 16 Handles with him when I was in the mall for Stroller Strides.

But I don't know- something about putting cookie dough, brownie, and chocolate sauce on frozen yogurt seems...wrong, somehow. I still think that while customer service at 16 Handles BLEW, it gave off a very healthy vibe which I liked. As far as choices, which I'm a fan of, Frozen Peaks totally takes the cake. They must have 15 flavors at a time! Maybe 12? I don't know but it's a lot. 16 Handles has like eight. It's definitely not sixteen in Garden State Plaza. I actually didn't try any toppings on this visit to Frozen Peaks because I really wanted to taste the flavors, I shouldn't be eating it at all because I'm still on Jenny, and I didn't have that much money on me. BUT- FP does take credit cards, which is awesomely convenient, where 16 Handles is cash only.

FB is also Kosher and you can find the nutritional info on their site. http://frozenpeaks.com/Nutrition.aspx. It's much better than Tasti d'Lite which is also Kosher and I think 16 Handles might be also. But Tasti D is also less calories per 4 oz than this is. FP goes by "1 oz servings" but who the hell is going to eat one ounce?

I'd eat it again, they give out punch cards, and I'm still thinking about the little balls of cookie dough.

I want to talk about another craze going on- Cake Pops. They are the newest cupcake and/or burger. They're everywhere and everyone wants them. I had a groupon for one dozen cake pops for $15 (half off the full price) at Cakepops For You, http://cakepopsforyou.com/about/, that was going to expire on Feb 23. I had to use it even though I had no occasion to need them. I'm not a fan. The Groupon allowed for you to order one dozen and two flavors in that dozen. I will say that the ordering process online was super simple and I appreciate being able to do it that way. But after that it was downhill.

I ordered red velvet and strawberry shortcake. I'd never had a cake pop so I didn't know exactly what to expect. I had to order them 48 hours in advance. I couldn't just go into a store and pick them up. That's annoying right there. I would've liked to go in somewhere, maybe even sample some so I'd know what I was getting, and be able to pick an assortment. I had to go to this deli in Ridgewood to pick up my order. It was the smallest deli I've ever seen with the worst hours ever. I think they're open 6a-3p. Yeah, I work 40 min away so picking them up in the morning isn't good for me and I WORK. WORK. So, it's kind of rough to have to make sure you can pick up your order by closing time. Of course I forgot to pick them up the day I was off so I had to try to grab them before work. Forgetting was my own fault but it certainly wasn't very convenient on their end.

I chose to try the red velvet first. It tasted like straight up chocolate. I associate red velvet with cream cheese. So, I was really surprised there wasn't any vanilla or cream cheese flavor in them. I'm not really sure how these can be called red velvet. They were definitely just red chocolate. Then I tried the strawberry shortcake. I don't know what the consistency of cake pops is supposed to be, but this kind of grossed me out. It was the color of baby mice when they're first born and almost translucent looking like baby mice look too. At first I didn't like it. I just didn't. Then it sort of grew on me but I know I wouldn't pay $30 for these things, ever. I wouldn't buy another Groupon for them either.

I did give two of the red velvet ones to Sam who works with us. HE thought they were fabulous and probably would've eaten the dozen. So, to be fair, it could just be me. I'm not a chocolate fan, even though I do like red velvet a lot. For me, they just weren't what I expected.

My friend's Christine & Tadd had a birthday party for their son last weekend where they put an Elmo cake pop in the goodie bag. I'm the one who ate it and it was REALLY good. So, now I DO know what a cake pop is supposed to taste like. Christine said her cousin did them and is now doing them for sale. The consistancy was closer to the ones I'd bought myself than to actual, regular cake. I guess that's how they have to make them so they don't fall apart. I'd say they're "heavier" than regular cake. More like a cookie dough-ish kind of feel. But for sure, the one Christine gave me was much tastier than the others.

So, I'm kind of over cake pops unless someone has one that's supposedly super fabulous and they want to give it to me to taste. I couldn't trust they'd be really tasty to anyone when I know people who make fabulous cupcakes. Like A la Cupcakes, just FYI. I'd trust Pam to make a good cake pop. And if it sucked, I'd know that cake pops are just more for looking at than eating.

Speaking of Pam at A la Cupcakes, I asked her to figure out a calorie count or some kind of info for me to make a swap of a Jenny dessert for one of her fab cupcakes. She told me she'd work on it. Bet your ass if she figures THAT out, I'll be shouting it from rooftops all the way from Glen Rock to Norwood.

As for Jenny Craig...I'm at a plateau. I'm at 150 on the nose. I was 149 for a day but I don't know how that happened. I know ten pounds is nothing to sneeze at, and I'm happy to have lost it, but it's annoying as hell that I was eating two pounds of jellybeans a week and a cupcake a day, now I'm not, and I'm not losing weight. Granted, I ate a chocolate covered Peep on the way to work today when I just went in Walgreens to get a bag of natural almonds to snack healthily on. But I'm going on the treadmill for a half hour every day and while I'm not running like my life depends on it, I'm still on that thing. It's just SO hard! I didn't buy one package of Entemann's Valentine's cupcakes and I LOVE them. And now Easter candy?! Easter is my favorite holiday for the candy alone. Mini Eggs, Peeps (slightly hardened and stale), Reese's Peanut Butter Egg, etc. I love them all. And they love my ass. But I keep trucking along with Jenny. If nothing else, I'm not gaining. It keeps me in check. I WANT to lose that last ten. So, we'll see. I signed my life away with them so I might as well use it to my advantage. I just find the whole over-peppy "consult" about my "challenges" so annoying and sort of condescending, I find myself thinking "shut up, shut up, shut up" every time I walk in.

That's about it. On a less important note to some, I've jumped ship from ABC to CBS during the day. ABC is a very foolish operation. Soaps may not have the best ratings but the fans they have are rabid. I will not watch their insipid, The Chew and The Revolution. Personally, I don't know why cooking shows exist, but that's why they have their OWN channels. The other one is just boring. So, I watch The View & the news, then I switch over to CBS until 3p for General Hospital. And now I'm not even switching over because I'm so behind on GH that I dvr at home and watch Dr Phil on CBS at 3p. Nice looking out ABC. I can't imagine how many people are like me. I'd never watched The Talk but I'm liking it.

I think I covered enough things in one entry. Maybe I'll be as motivated tomorrow. I'm going for Botox on Sunday, to a "Botox Party" at Salon Azano in Norwood, http://www.azano.net/ and I'm getting my 37 year old hair dyed blue like Katy Perry by the end of next week so I'll have plenty more to discuss.

Oh, last but not least...I had an old friend call me out of the blue with a question about a Groupon deal I recommended. Old friend as in kindergarten. We had reconnected on Facebook at least four years ago. We never talk on the phone and even email on FB is spotty. But I spoke to her for an hour and a half (those who know me these days know I rarely speak on the phone), and it was just really good to catch up. I love no pressure friendships like that. Where you can go months or years without talking but then you catch up and have tons to talk about for hours. We had a lot of laughs reminscing about funny, old stuff and catching up on the new stuff going on. So, thanks Karen. :-) And anyone reading, if you're thinking about calling one of your old friends like that, out of the blue, but are nervous about it, it's usually worth it.