Candy Cane Lane . . . but Make it Kooky

Once upon a time, candy canes came in only peppermint and sometimes, if you were lucky, cherry (which I loved because of their rainbow stripes).  But nowadays you can get them in almost any flavor, as evidenced during a recent outing when I picked up these:

That's right; you're looking at a soda lover's paradise of 7UP, Dr. Pepper, and A&W as well as -- wait for it -- that American classic, Twinkies!

When I saw these exotic offerings, I couldn't pass them up, even though I still had an unopened box of Hershey's mint candy canes from last year:

Believe it or not, I haven't sampled any yet.  They must remain "mint" in box, safe and secure in my underwear drawer, until December 24.  

Because that's when the Christmas treat train leaves the station . . . 

. . . and goes off the rails until New Year's.    

One Fried Cheeseburger, Please

The bf graciously took this shot of my fried cheeseburger with his cell phone. I apologize for the graininess that remains despite my most valiant photo editing efforts.

The bf and I were out to dinner with my parents last night, and when it was my turn to order, I still wasn't sure what I wanted. Feeling the pressure, I blurted out, "I'll have the fried cheeseburger, please," relying upon the sole menu offering that both intrigued and repelled me enough to stick out in my mind.

Now, to be clear, the burger itself wasn't fried, just the hunk of provolone cheese on top. (See that huge, gravy-covered thing that looks like a breaded chicken breast? That's the cheese.) The sandwich also boasted mushrooms, although I couldn't taste them, drowned out as they were by the meat and provolone.

In the end, I cut the burger down the middle and gave half to the bf -- no easy task, as gravy and cheese came cascading down onto my brand-new jeans. In return, he gave me half of his crabmeat-topped burger, which was admittedly better, partly because it was well-done, as mine should have been. (I have a distaste for even slightly pink hamburger and was guilty of whining, "Is this okay to eat?" several times during the meal. But that's another rant for another post.)

Was the fried cheeseburger all I'd hoped it would be? No, it was not. But I'm glad that I broadened my horizons by sampling it. Maybe at some point I'll muster the nerve to try a fried Twinkie.