Minnesota Addictions

Today I would like to talk about … my morning coffee.

I took a road trip with my family out to the east coast in 2007. We drove all the way to D.C., up the coast to Maine, and then back home. It was phenomenal, some of the most amazing sights I’ve ever seen and a ton of fun. But one of the things I missed most about home?

Caribou Coffee.

There were Starbucks on every corner, of course. But their drinks just aren’t the same, and the stores lack the warm hominess that the Caribous have. Starbucks are sterile and cold, while Caribou Coffees are friendly and welcoming. :o)

I usually drink one thing for a long time and then switch to something else when I get bored. Right now, I’m in my Mint Condition Cooler phase, and let me tell you, that thing should be illegal. SO good.

Did you know that Caribous were actually started in Edina, MN? W00t! Home state pride!

My only beef with them is the exorbitant prices. I shouldn’t have to pay $5 for a morning coffee! It’s just ice and coffee, people. Not gold and diamonds. A little common sense, please?

Not that I have a choice in the matter. I’m as hopelessly addicted to my morning Caribou as I am to Barnes & Noble trips and Smash Burger. My consumerist tendencies disgust me.

Mmmmm. Smash Burger.

Those came to the cities fairly recently; I think the first opened about a year and a half ago. But my first experience with Smash Burger was when one opened in Eagan—right across the parking lot from my Barnes & Noble; w00t!—and I decided to pop-in and give it a try.

Holy deliciousness, Batman!

Some of their food can be a little rich—the haystack onions and the Sin City burger while both delicious are not something I would repeat. They’re both fantastic for the first half, but after that get to be a little too much.

But their buffalo chicken sandwich? C'est magnifique! An egg bun topped with a crispy chicken breast, buffalo sauce, fresh blue cheese crumbles, and lettuce, this sandwich is a party in your mouth. It even holds up the next day.

Definitely going to be getting one of those this weekend. :o)

Pumpkin Bread

Food is one of the things that we Midwesterners really enjoy, especially comfort foods like mashed potatoes, hot dishes, breads, and desserts. I love to cook, when I’m in the mood for it, and I just so happen to have made a ton of pumpkin bread last weekend. So I thought I’d share this phenomenal recipe with you.

The Maven’s Pumpkin Bread

1 can Libby's pumpkin pie mix (29 oz can)

4 eggs

1 cup vegetable oil

3 cups white sugar (I have substituted 1.5 cups of apple sauce for 1.5 cups sugar before to cut the sugar content, and it still tastes great)

3 ½ cups flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 ½ teaspoons salt

1 tbsp cinnamon
1 tbsp nutmeg

½ tbsp ground cloves

¼ tbsp ground ginger

Raisins (I usually add ½ a big box, or 3-4 small boxes depending on what’s on hand)

Walnuts, chopped (1/2 bag for me; as few or many as you like)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix everything together in a large mixing bowl, except the flour, raisins, and walnuts. After the mix is blended thoroughly, add the flour a cup at a time. Add as many raisins and walnuts as you prefer. Batter will be fairly thin—don’t worry, it will definitely solidify. Grease and fill your pans—this usually makes 1 big loaf, 1 cake, 1 batch of muffins, and 1 batch of mini loaves. (When I say a ton, I mean a ton!) I have spread the muffins and cake with a can of cream cheese frosting, but I actually prefer it plain.

And in honor of Halloween, take a look at some of these awesome jack-o-lanterns I found online:

A hamburger pumpkin, how awesome is that?

 

Man, he really should not have had that last pumpkin beer.

 

I have never seen a more evil-looking pumpkin in my life!

And finally...

My pumpkin from last year, because I forgot to snap a pick of this year's.
Wicked cool, isn't it?

This is the back of last year's pumpkin. The single eye is intimidating me.

 

Are you shitting me?

Dear Minnesotans,

Can you cut me a break here, please? How the hell am I supposed to convince the blogosphere that we aren’t all idiot hicks when you pull such a bass-ackwards stunt like you did with the elections on Tuesday? Less than a half a percentage point between Dayton and that drunk Emmer? The House and the Senate went Republican? And you re-elect Batshit Bachmann AGAIN? Give me some help here, people!

Minnesotans usually have so much common sense. I don’t understand how you end up electing republicans every time when it simply is not in your best interest to do so, unless you make upwards of 100k, which the majority of us do not.

For the love of God, break out of that Midwest conservative mold and use your brains!

This is what you’ve re-elected:

And this is the result:

Even Jesus face-palmed. Thanks. Thanks a lot.