Lola's in Las Vegas

We found a fun New Orleans restaurant in Las Vegas and got to meet the owner of Lola's in the old Holsum bread factory in Las Vegas.
We plan on going back.

I don't think Jason Pitt liked it too much, he's picky eater, but that's okay, he can have sweet tea, sweetie until he busts! *wink*

Check out the website and menu at http://lolaslasvegas.com/.

Shakers - Iced Tea and Ice Cream

One of my favorite things to drink is iced tea and vanilla ice cream.
I usually can only get it at Sonic, they are one of the few places that does not freak out when I order it. (Parks and I used to talk about their beverage program. It's one the best I think.) Most places are like, "Ummmm, we can't do that." and rather than argue, I usually just say, "Whatever." They are like Bon Qui-Qui and want to say, "You can have a coke."

Lisa found this neat product at the grocery store that is pictured to the right and give me just what I like. (I like it when that happens.) *wink*
It suggests that you pour milk into and with the "Cookies and Cream" flavor, I generally do, but with the vanilla, I just put in other things like iced tea. It's like a creamy iced tea that's a frozen treat. (...and I don't have to worry about a confused server looking at me weird.)

Basically, it's a extra frozen ice cream (...or heck it could be an ice cream flavored chemical for all I know.) that you pour in your selected beverage and it makes a yummy shake. COOL!

Check out Shakers and see what I mean and shake up your own concoction.

Millions of Milkshakes

There is this new and fun place in Los Angeles where the Mrs. Fields used to be in West Hollywood. (Sorry, girl, you have been replaced. The boys are after different cookies now.) It would be fierce and awful, not awfully fierce, if the place offered Mrs. Fields cookies in the shakes. *hehe*

It's called "Millions of Milkshakes" and while you can find it's literal home on San Vicente and Santa Monica at the gay Mecca, the online home can be found at www.millionsofmilkshakes.com.

If you are are familiar with Pinkberry, it's like Pinkberry on a colorful, sugar rush. (If you are not familiar with Pinkberry, pull yourself together. Where have you been?)

M.O.M (Millions of Milkshakes) has an outrageous combination of items you can have made and blended into your shakes. Prepare yourself and check out the menu HERE.

The owners personal website can be found at www.sheeraz.com and is just as interesting. He calls it the "Muslim-American's Dream."

I have been to visit M.O.M. a few times and enjoyed it each time.
One time I went with Howard and we came out with more than just a milkshake. He had a hot new model that somehow ended up with a porn name that reminded me alot of my legal name. *wink*
Another time, I took the boys who were helping me set up at [CockBlock] a shake made to personal order. YUM!

I feel particularly indulgent when I leave the pink palace of frosty goodness and enjoy the thick, big and colorful straws and inordinate choices I have in making my milkshake concoction. (My dad likes milkshakes, he would get a kick out of this place.)

Miley Cyrus and Billy Ray probably didn't have to achy-breaky anything but the crowd when they tried her own namesake drink. (They have several celebrity named shake flavors to choose from if you can't make up your own damn mind.) Paris has done it, so I mean, really, you should too. Right? *wink*
So, drink up and enjoy it if you are out an about in West Hollywood.

Archer Farms

I like shopping at Target. (Call me white-trash, call me what you will, I like it.) I also like Abercrombie & Fitch, so it's on both ends.

Archer Farms is the store brand of many of the groceries at said Target.
I am not totally shocked to find out it's not a real place. *sigh* First, Betty Crocker, now this. *wink*

They hit the bulls-eye with many of the things I can get there with the special flavors and uniqueness of the Archer Farms products.
Plus, being a store brand, it's usually cheaper than the brand name products that rival it.

I had some LEMON PEPPER POTATO CHIPS that were so good the other day. I certainly recommend them if you are at your local Target store and looking for something fun and new for your snack cupboard. I haven't seen those anywhere else.

Mixed Berry Chewy Sprees

Derrick had these candies the other night that were so YUMMY! They were so good. Sometimes I am a candy FREAK!

Carmel Cone Ice Cream

I gotta tell you, I had the most amazing flavor of ice cream the other night. (....thanks to Fabrice.)
I called Fabrice and asked him to bring over some milk and some ice cream on the way back to my apartment so that I could make a milkshake. I couldn't get a milkshake out of my head and my milkshake brings all the boys to the yard so...

He brought me the most yummy flavor. I like it even more then the Fried Ice Cream flavor I has awhile back.

This ridiculously flavor is so yummy I think I have to get on a campaign to have it removed or I am going to be in some serious trouble. It has little sugar cone pieces covered in chocolate mixed in with the vanilla ice cream and caramel swirled in....
(...I think the devil may have had a hand in this one, folks.)

I am a little comforted to know that they even had this flavor in "Extra Rich, Light" CLICK HERE however, I wont be trying it as long as this other one is available, so I won't know how good it is.
I might be able to handle my ice cream "Extra Rich" and "Light", but I want the boys to be extra rich and heavy. *wink* (Eating like this, Fabrice and I will both be like that soon!) *wink*
You can see all the other flavors of Haagen-Dazs ice cream HERE.

AFTERTHOUGHT:
Is EVERYTHING available in friggin' Pomegranate these days?
Jeeeshhh... Haggan-Daaz have a new special "Reserve." flavor called "Pomegranate Chip." CLICK HERE and it sounds like I better try it now while the Pom is still Dom and before it's overrated. I think it's quickly on it's way.
Wait, I know the answer to that original Pomegranate-flavored question, the most recent ad when I was home last on the entire side of Rio Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas is for Jack Daniels. The ad reads, "NOT available in Pomegranate." and I still chuckle every time I see it.

Joe-Joe's

What a fabulous twist on the traditional "Oreo" cookie. Peppermint "Candy Cane" flavor. YUM!
Milk will never be the same. *wink*

Oreos bring up s strange memory for me. My mom is diabetic, she has been since she was 4.
Diabetics have
"reactions" when the insulin levels are not what are supposed to and either high or low.
Sometimes my mom would have really bad ones and they scared me, sometimes she she would have them and they would be mild looking but really bad.
I remember one night I woke up in the middle of the night and she was dipping her Oreo's in orange juice because she needed to get some sugar in her body to get her back to regular levels in her body. I thought, "Gross mom, what are you doing?" and she looked down and had no idea.

The Muffin Man

Last night I texted Fabrice and said, "I am cooking and cleaning." to which he replied, "Right."

I joke about it and like the best of holidays, the day I cook only comes around once a year.
I think the fire department is still talking about last year. *wink* ...and that was only tater tots. *wink*

Last night, I made some hambuger with some Cajun spice I had. Nothing big. It came out okay, until I got creative and added lime juice. (It was in the fridge, hey... I have had lime shrimp before. I thought it could work.) ...yuck would be what I have to say about that.

Today, tomorrow and Sunday they are doing some work on my sink, so I wanted "The Pimp Plaza" to smell good and I wanted to cook for some odd reason, so I made some blueberry muffins.
You can see from this photo of the bowl, it was easy and fun. (...or chances I would have not attempted it.) On the photo to the right, the top right cup didn't have enough batter to fill it 'cause I ate it all when I was making it. *hehe*

They came out FABULOUS! You can call me the Muffin Man. (...but I am not from Drury Lane. I didn't know that verse existed until I listened to the song on a "Barney, the purple dinosaur" CD I downloaded for the Palm Springs Pride road trip.) Anyway, he lives on Drury Lane, I live right off Hollywood Blvd. - big difference.

Don't worry, I am not going Mrs. Fields on you and making this a new thing, but man, can I just tell you how yummy the apartment smells. I should do this more often, or at least buy the smell to have often. *wink* Oh jeesh, you can buy it. CLICK HERE for the Demeter Fragrance.

...from the kitchen to the bedroom and everywhere in between, it's always a party! *wink*

Pinkberry, Pomegranate and a Song

Today I had a tasty treat that quite possibly, might have been the best tasting thing I have had in awhile.

I stopped by Pinkberry in Silverlake on my way home from the office and had a 10 oz. swirl of original and Green Tea flavored Pinkberry frozen yogurt with pomegranate seeds. It's not something you really want to stare at.
It was so juicy and flavorful, my mouth felt so good and satisfied with every bite.

I didn't know about pomegranate seeds on ice cream, it just does not sound right, but can I just tell you, the taste was something FIERCE! (Generally, the word "seed" scares me. I feel like I should spit it out.)

...and for God's sake, there is a Pinkberry song. It's kinda hot which is even more awful. ARGH! I am such a dufus that I even found the DOWNLOAD so I can put it on my iPod. (Right click the word DOWNLOAD here and choose "Save Target As" and it's yours too.)

Iced Tea Addict

Speaking of food, I have to hand it to Rusty for being original.

He was in Canada this weekend but before he left, he made me a treat and left it in the fridge. The only thing was he didn't tell me.

All weekend, I saw this glass tray full of this brown Jello. I didn't know if it was gravy that he left out, if it was indeed Jello, or if he had a science project at school and that was it. In any case, I didn't touch it.

Last night, he came home and asked me, "Why didn't you eat your treat? I made you something."I asked him if it was that thing in the fridge and he said yes. I explained that I didn't know what it was and if it was legal, so I stayed away from it.

He said, "Try it."I cringed and tried it and figured out it was Iced Tea Jello. It was quite possibly the worst thing I have every put in my mouth. (...and trust me, that's alot of stuff.)

Now don't get me wrong, (...PLEASE, don't get me wrong.) I LOVE iced tea. I even like most of the variations. White, black, sweet, unsweet, flavored, regular - it's all so good.

I can't believe I haven't tried it before. Icea tea Jello.

When I asked Rusty, "Have you ever heard of anyone making that before?" I THOUGHT, "There is a reason why." but said, "Good for you for being original then. Nice try."Really now, it was gross tasting and icea tea should be liquid when it goes down my throat, not congealed. BLACH!

I have a special drink that I get at Sonic Drive-In when I am home in New Orleans (See it's trade off, no 7-11 but we have a Sonic.) that is Iced tea and ice cream mixed. Sonic is the only place I know of that does not flip out when I ask for it and blends it instead of just dumping a scoop of ice cream in my iced tea. It's just too much work to explain all this when I order it.

(I capitalize Jello because it's a trademark, it's not the kind of product it is. It's gelatin if we want to get technical.)

I mean, I am hyper enough. You would be hearing me say this all in one breath, "My name is Brandon Baker and I am addicted to iced tea." I really do think I am. I hear, caffeine is pretty addictive. There is high amounts of it in icea tea, so that explains why I think of that drink before most others when I order. I am already a caffeine junkie so I am just glad you can't snort it. Can you imagine that? "Hey nice to meet you, I am a caffeine dealer." Yike. However, I can't be THAT much of an addict if I didn't want it in Jello. I mean, in that case, I am not an addict, I don't NEED it in any way, shape or form. Hooray, I am cured. *wink*

Excuse me while I do a line of caffeine. Shhhhh...

Slurpee Stop

I stopped by to get a Slurpee from the 7-11 on the way home last that and disaster struck. Can you believe this? 5 out of the 6 flavors they had were caffeine free. What were they thinking? Aren't there laws against that. ARGH! I mixed the Coca-Cola flavor with the flavor the month called 'Whoopee Berry' and headed out slower than normal. Ummmm... what the fuck is that? Where do they come from? It it indigenous to Los Angeles? *wink* You can find out more about the flavor of the month at https://slurpee.icmodus.com.

I like Slurpee's from 7-11. Growing up in New Orleans, we were deprived of them. They don't have any 7-11's there. (Does that make it a 0-0?) *wink* We used to have 'Time Savers' which were the equivalent. One day they boarded up all the locations and EZ-Serve (...and no I didn't call any of my friends that.) but that gave way to

http://www.slurpee.com/

Fruit and Yogurt Parfait

It was pistachios, now it's fruit and yogurt parfaits. I am on a kick where I can't get enough. ...at the airports, this morning at Starbucks, grocery refrigerators - they all call out to me.
I am totally enjoying the refreshing, yumminess of the granola mixed in with the creamy yogurt. I like reguar yogurt instead of the flavored like strawberry-bananna. It seems like Starbucks is on a blueberry promotion, so I can't get anything without having blueberries thrown at me. Figuratively, that is. When I see blueberries I can't help but think of that girl, Violet from "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" and I don't want to have them. YIKE!

Brandon's Nuts

Hello, my name is Brandon Baker.
I am on a pistachio kick and I can't get off of it.

I am eating pistachio's like a maniac.
I have a beautiful ceramic planter full of them at work. (Get it? Planter's nuts. *wink*)
I have a sealable platic tub in the car.
I have a bag in the snack cupboard at the 'Porno Palace'.

Does that make them "Brandon's nuts?"
I mean, I have heard that before, but YIKE!

Fried Ice Cream

I don't know about you, but I like fried ice cream.

Now 'Breyers' makes a flavor that is amazingly like the treat that I traditionally had to wait until I was at a Mexican restaurants to enjoy.
I could not believe how much it tasted like the real thing.

I never knew how the heck you could "fry" ice cream and would laugh at my dad for telling me they could do that. I was like, "Right on, Dad. Let's have some cooked ice cream."
Now I know there's more to it than that. CLICK HERE to find out more about FRIED ICE CREAM and how they really do "cook" it.

What a great idea! I am so glad someone in the Breyer's lab kitchens, thought of this. Now I can enjoy the FiestaConBrandon anytime in my freezer.

You can find out more about the yummy product HERE and where to get it near you.