Signs that Halloween is just around the corner: the local seasonal costume shop’s sign goes up, Starbucks brings back it’s extremely addicting Pumpkin Spice Latte and Frappuccino, and the caramel and candy apples start appearing at the grocery stores. Not to mention the rows upon rows of candy bags with their fall packaging. But back to the important thing: the candy apples.

The important thing about candy apples (to me anyway) is that the crunchy coating your parents wouldn’t let you eat because of the cavity potential has to have some flavor. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I love sugar. I am addicted. And rarely am I picky about how it’s done. But to me, apples coated in a plain crunchy sugar coating just doesn’t have that wow factor that I expect from Halloween and carnival themed goodies. My favorite candy apples are those with sweet cinnamon coating that’s so crunchy when you cut a piece off or bite into it, you inevitably end up with crispy little candy bits on your lap. The kind that would stick your teeth together and give your mum nightmares when you were a kid. Yeah…that kind.

Anyway, in an effort to be able to give myself and my friends this crazy addictive food all year round, I hunted down a recipe. A lot of them called for cinnamon oil, which is just silly to me. I can’t munch on cinnamon oil the same way I can little candies. I like the following because the apples get their nice red color from the cinnamon red hot candies, and also a wicked great flavor. To me, this is the perfect candy apple. Read More »

Ever since our family dentist looked at my brother’s teeth and asked him if he routinely fell asleep with candy in his mouth and my mother saw the amount of money it would take to clear his teeth of cavities, I haven’t had anything but diet soda.

Sugary sodas and juices went out the window as soon as my parents realized the havoc they were playing with our health (not like the aspartame in diet soda is any better…but…I mean…let’s not think about that), and since that fateful dentist appointment 13 years ago, I have been very conscious of the hidden bad stuff inside innocent-seeming liquids.

Sometimes, even the good, “healthy” stuff can stab you in the back. Need some examples?

Glaceau VitaminWater (20 oz)
This shiz has 130 calories and 33 grams of sugar. I love VitaminWater because it makes me feel like I’m ingesting actual vitamins, but when I force myself to think about it…how healthy can something that tastes THAT sweet really be?

Pina Colada
This summer drink has 625 freaking calories and 75 grams of sugar. Do you KNOW how many miles on the treadmill that is? Give me some rum and a splash of lime — still tropical, but waaayyy less mean to the waist line. Read More »

Years of coffee drinking and way too many hours at my local Starbucks has instilled in me few quarks: a sever caffeine addiction, height maxing out at a towering 5 foot 2 inches, and a fine-tuned sixth sense on identifying loser guys based on their coffee drink of choice.

Allow me to fill you in on my revelation:

Frappuccino: Absolutely not datable. Fraps are merely a milkshake with a thimble of coffee in it (obviously to make it more grown-up) and put in a fashionable cup to show off how trendy/cool/grown-up one is by carrying it around. Guys who go to Starbucks and order frappuccinos do not actually like coffee, but don’t want to feel lame for carrying around a McDonalds cup with what they really want - a milk shake. It has been my experience that the frappuccino guy is full of as much crap as his frap, steer clear. Read More »