Over Easy is the Only Way to Eat Eggs

After taking my son to the orthodontist yesterday, the three of us grabbed some breakfast from a local restaurant. My wife is out of town for work so I thought it would be nice to eat outside together. I also did not feel like cooking anything, so it was a win win.

We went to The Shack. Again, it's a local spot that we all enjoy. We ordered our breakfast and waited. While waiting we began to chat. My kids like to talk about their favorite things lately, so the conversation gravitated towards breakfast. We all mentioned the usual stuff. I like sausage and eggs, my son is a breakfast burrito guy and my daughter loves waffles and pancakes. That was pretty much what we all ordered too. But my kids' meals came with eggs. My son got his eggs scrambled for his burrito. I got mine in omelette form. My daughter got her eggs sunny side up.

This piqued my curiosity. I have never made them sunny side up for her. I do not believe my wife has either. I have never seen her eat sunny side up eggs in her lifetime. I did not think she would eat them. I was wrong. She devoured her eggs. I couldn't believe it. I kept asking her if she liked them and I got the thumbs up. That is her sign for greatness. She kept mentioning them throughout the day yesterday too, long after we left breakfast. She asked for more sunny side up eggs this morning, which she devoured yet again.

This morning the conversation of favorites moved to egg preparation. Obviously my daughter picked sunny side up. My son is a scrambled man. And I, if I had to choose one, like my eggs over easy. That is the main point of my piece today. I want to explain why I think over easy eggs are the best way to have eggs anytime of the day.

Sunny side up I get. It is fun to say. It looks good. The yolk is right there, and that is where all the flavor lies. A good sunny side up egg is tough to beat. But I also know some people do not like to see the yolk. Some people might think that is gross. And I get that. Scrambled eggs are good too. I do like a nice scrambled egg. I love omelettes. I like a very simple scramble with some shredded cheddar cheese in there. But it is incredibly easy to over scramble eggs. They get tough, well as tough as eggs can get. They taste rubbery when over scrambled. They don't have the right consistency. Scrambled eggs are the easiest to make, but also the easiest to mess up in my opinion. Over and hard boiled is too much. The eggs become too gummy. The yolk is like eating chalk. You can plus up hard boiled eggs by making them deviled eggs, but it becomes an appetizer then. It transforms it from a breakfast food. Over medium is too close to the edge of hard boiled. They can also get gummy.

Then you have over easy. This is the best. This is the way to make eggs. This is the most delicious form factor. There is nothing quite like the perfectly cooked over easy egg. The way the yolk explodes is magical. The egg white is cooked on both sides. You can add it to any sandwich and it adds a ton of flavor. I like them on their own or with some kind of breakfast meat. It is the best. I had two this morning and was raving about how tasty they were. My kids looked at me like I'm nuts, but I know that I am right here. I believe there is no better way to eat an egg than to have it over easy.

Eggs are great. They are a wonderful source of protein. And I love that there are tons of different ways to prepare them. But over easy is by far the best way to have them. I know it and I think you do too. That's a fact.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Ice Cream Belongs in a Damn Sugar Cone

I took my kids out for ice cream last night and my son and I got into a debate. I have also gotten into this exact same debate with my wife a few times. I ordered my cookies and cream scoop in a sugar cone. My son said that sugar cones were good, but waffle cones and cake cones are better.

I agree that waffle cones are better, but those are more of a treat. It also means I'm going to eat far too much ice cream if I'm getting a waffle cone. But a cake cone, come on man. I'm not here to say that cake cones are not good, but a sugar cone is far, far better. Cake cones are like eating styrofoam. They get all weird and cold and taste even harder when you get further down on the cone. The ice cream gets trapped in those little rectangles that are at the bottom and makes the cone frozen. The ice cream is packed all tight in there and it is like eating ice. Also, the cake cone doesn't stand up to the ice cream like a sugar cone. I'm forever worried that the ice cream is going to topple out of a cake cone whenever I order one. And it is not like I'm some doofus who doesn't know how to properly eat ice cream from a cone.

The sugar cone, it is perfect. It is nice and pointy at the bottom and easily holds the ice cream within its triangle. The taste is so much better than the cake cone. It tastes like a waffle cone, only a bit sweeter. It is also nice and crisp. It doesn't over freeze or trap the ice cream. It stands up nice and tall. The ice cream stands firm in the cone. It is the better of the two I've mentioned today, vessel for ice cream. I am also a big time fan of sugar cookies, so a sugar cone is almost the same. It is harder, but it still has the sweetness and feel of a nice sugar cookie. It is also cooler, like if ice cream cones could have a personality. Cake cones are the squares of the group. They are the soc's. Sugar cones are the greasers. They may be rough around the edges, but they are cool. They know how to fight and dance and talk to the people you like. They have cool hairdos and wear dope clothes and leather jackets. Cake cones are dorks that sit online and complain about "Star Wars" movies. Cake cones still live in their parents' basements. Cake cones live online and never have anything good to say.

That is how I truly feel if I give these inanimate objects personality. But I am curious what you all think. When it comes to cones for ice cream, which do you prefer, cake or sugar? I also don't want a ton of waffle cone or cup answers. Those are off the table. I want to know between the 2 which you prefer and why. Please let me know. But I do need you all to know in the long run that sugar is, and always will be, the best cone for ice cream.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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My First Adventure with New Food at Balkan Treat Box

Today for lunch my dad and I hit a spot that we have been talking about for almost a year now. Let’s discuss.

Every Tuesday I go have coffee with my dad. This started when COVID started. We decided we were going to try and taste all the coffee that Saint Louis has to offer. I usually pick it up, and lately we go together and bring it back to his house and drink it there. There is a place we go to quite a bit now called The Annex in Webster here in Saint Louis. It is a cool little shop that has great coffee and a cool grocery shop is attached. Right across the street is a restaurant called Balkan Treat Box. It wins awards every year here in the STL. They are constantly mentioned as a must try spot. I do not know why we have never gone, but we rectified that this afternoon. I couldn't meet up with my dad in the morning like we normally do, my son had an orthodontist appointment. So I told him that I would come by after that and that would put me at his house around 10:30am or 11. He said great. He then called me back and told me we should go to Balkan Treat Box. I was immediately on board.

When I was in the waiting room at the doctor I looked over the menu to get a feel for what I may want to try. I am not very versed in Balkan food. I did some research via google and it said that Balkan food "has traits of European and Western Asia cuisines". I was still kind of at a loss. But I am alway more than willing to try new foods. There isn't much I dislike. During my research I found some good looking dishes. They have a limited menu, one of my favorite things about a restaurant, and when they are sold out, they are out. So we decided to get there right around opening time and wait. When looking at the menu I saw names of dishes I could not pronounce. Stuff like Cevapi, Pide, Doner, Lahmacun, Pleskavica, Balik Ekmek, Patlidzan and Sopska. But, what I also appreciated about this place was they told you to order by number. Each dish has a number next to it and all you have to do is specify if you want it veggie, vegan or with meat. My dad ordered the number 5, Pleskavica, and I ordered the number 4, Lahmacun. For the other dumb Americans such as myself, my dad got a humongous burger and I got a spicy wrap with beef.

Boy oh boy was this food amazing. I did not have any of my dad's, although he gave me half of it to eat later. My dad's burger was humongous. It was one of the biggest burgers I had ever seen. And he said he loved it. He said the patty was thin and the bread, which is like a mix between pita and naan, made the burger. It also had this gooey looking cheese and looked like it was properly spiced. My wrap was incredible. It had the same bread, there was parsley, lemon, onion, sumac, BTB sauce, which was dynamite and a side of cabbage salad. The beef was tender and delicious. The parsley was chopped and placed on top of the sandwich adding a freshness to it. The lemon came through in each bite and it was the burst of citrus I love in any sandwich. I don't know what sumac tastes like, but however much they put in this wrap worked. And that BTB sauce, I mentioned how great it was. It is like a spicy mayo that isn't overkill. They put just the right amount on the sandwich. And that side cabbage salad was refreshing and great.

I love this spot. I kept taking bites of my sandwich and exclaiming how tasty it was. I can still kind of taste the seasoning as I write this. I told my dad that this is a place I want to go back to and try the whole menu. And it is not overly expensive given current spending tends. Lunch for us was 30 bucks. I do not consider that too much. In fact most of the mains on the menu are 13-15 dollars a pop. That is a good deal in my mind. I am so glad we finally found a proper time to check out Balkan Treat Box. The hype is real. The food is great. The prices are fair. And I will most definitely be going back time and time again. This spot is very, very good. Go check it out if you live in Saint Louis. It is worth the wait.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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An Ode to the Taco Bell Chicken Soft Taco

I have been pretty critical on the site and podcast about Taco Bell. I think their food all tastes the same. It all comes out of a flavor gun. I wish I could remember what comedian said a joke along those lines, the food gun, but whoever it was had it spot on. Most of the food still does taste the same to me too.

My wife and son love to go there. I usually do not get anything, but the past two times I have gone there I have indulged. And the stuff I get, for the most part, has no real distance from the other food save for a sauce here or the addition of sour cream there. The crunchwrap supreme is a concoction of every food gun they have, and it tastes like goo. The burritos are all the same. I honestly cannot tell the difference. The Doritos tacos all are similar and they do not put enough dust on them. I haven't tried the rehashed Mexican pizza yet, but if I had to go out on a limb, I bet it tastes just like it did in 2001 when I ate them all the time. But there is one food that I have had the past two times that I keep thinking about. I keep going back and reminiscing on how good it was. I truly enjoyed the flavor. I found it different from what I have had there before.

That Taco Bell food item is the simple chicken soft taco. There is no real difference in ingredients, save for the chicken. The tortilla is flour. There is shredded cheddar, I assume that is the cheese they use. And there is shredded lettuce. It is all the same. But going for the chicken over the "beef" makes all the difference in the world. I honestly do not know what they season it with, but it has real flavor. It kind of punches you in the face after eating all the other food they have to offer. It is juicy and has fake grill lines in it. It has that rotisserie feel to it. It mixes those two worlds to near perfection. The spice mix is great. It tastes like a great protein for a taco. And it is plentiful in the tortilla. I swear they put as much chicken in the taco as they do with beef. There might be more chicken in the taco than there is in their burritos and other foodstuffs. Whatever they are doing, it works. I remember being a kid and when my folks would get Taco Bell, on the very rare occasion, getting the chicken soft tacos was a nice surprise treat. Now that I am an adult and can go there when I want, I think I will only, and always, get the chicken soft taco. I think what I like most about it is the simplicity too. It doesn't need to have a shell with chip dust on it. It doesn't need nacho cheese or sour cream. There is no need to add any sauce to it, but the fire sauce amps the taste up great. The great thing about the chicken soft taco is the ease.

I am still going to be tough on Taco Bell. I still give my wife and kids a hard time when asking for Taco Bell. I would still rather go to almost any other fast food place. But at least I now know that, on the rare occasion that I will be buying food from Taco Bell, I will be buying multiple chicken soft tacos. They are truly a taste sensation.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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An Ode to Tuna and Soy Sauce

I am a big fan of tuna fish. I enjoy having it as a sandwich, eating it on a salad and, my favorite, eating it out of the can. It has to be in water though. I'm not fully opposed to tuna in oil, but water tastes so much better to me. I prefer it that way.

I'm not the biggest fan of mayo, but I will eat it in tuna salad. I usually only put a tablespoon worth of mayo too. That is more than enough. And I usually plus it up a bit. I like to add chipotle juice if it is available. I will sometimes replace the mayo with some fancy mustard I have in the house. I am a big mustard fan so I usually have a few bottles in the fridge. I am a big fan of the dill mustard my mom recently gave me added to tuna.

I like to add crunch to my tuna. Sometimes it is celery or relish, other times I have used almonds. It is all good. Recently I had it with hard boiled eggs, and that was dynamite. I have seen some people putting avocado in there, and since I have just discovered avocado toast, I'm sure I would love it, I just haven't tried it yet.

What I have tried recently, what I really like, which I also found on a cooking website, was adding soy sauce to tuna salad. The recipe I first read called for mayo, salt, pepper and soy sauce. It is truly that simple. So I tried it. But before I did, I read a little more about why this was a "new" thing. What I found most commonly referenced in every article I read was adding soy to sushi, which I love. I do it all the time and my favorite sushi is a spicy tuna roll. A spicy tuna roll with some soy and wasabi is the best. I will, and have, eaten multiple spicy tuna rolls by myself. That is far too much sushi, but it is damn delicious. After seeing that as the most commonly referred to thing with soy in tuna salad, I was ready to give it a go. I did the simple recipe I mentioned above and my goodness did it open up a whole new world of flavors. The soy kept the tuna salad, and I am not a fan of this word, moist. Not that mayo doesn't do that, but it is more gloopy. The addition of soy sauce makes it taste fresher. It makes me feel a bit more sushi like. The recipe also mentions just a pinch of salt because soy sauce obviously has salt in it. It is like the perfect balance of salt when you add the soy sauce to tuna salad. If you like salt you can add more. But I did the pinch of salt with a few tablespoons of soy sauce and it was wonderful. It was all the salt I could want. The soy, for me, also brings out a better flavor in tuna salad. I said before, it feels akin to sushi. It makes the tuna taste better to me. It heightens the other stuff that you put in tuna salad. Soy sauce just makes it better, for me. Lately I have even tried some extra stuff with the soy sauce in tuna salad. I haven't crossed the mustard and soy river, and don't know that I ever will. But I have added the crunch and it rules. I have used chipotle tabasco, and the spice makes it so much better if I am looking for a little heat. Using relish and soy is surprisingly tasty. I have been, quite frankly, astonished at how much I have enjoyed tuna salad mixed with mayo and soy. It is so, so, so good.

I do not know if 'I will go back to just straight up mayo as the dressing for my tuna salad. I will use just mustard and no soy, but if mayo is in the picture, soy will for sure be added. I know it may sound weird, but try it. I think you will fall in love with it just like I did. Soy sauce in tuna salad is a game changer. Trust me.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Better Late than Never on Avocado Toast

I am very sure that I am very late to a trend that may already be done, but today I had my first ever piece of avocado toast. And it was glorious. I am not totally sure why it took so long. I have seen it on menus, it has been at places we order online from, we have bread and avocados in my house for the most part, but I have just never had the urge. Then, going to coffee with my dad today, it was on the menu and it struck my fancy. I looked around to see if I wanted anything else, but I had made up my mind the moment I first saw it there. We were sitting outside, so maybe that had something to do with it. My son also just got braces, so we have been eating smooth food and the avocado in the picture was smooth. Or maybe I was simply just ready. For whatever reason, I ordered it and loved it.

My dad and I regularly go to a local shop and get our coffee and breakfast there. Obviously I got the toast, but it also had some bacon, salad greens, hot sauce and black sesame seeds on the side, along with the avocado. I tried to eat it with a fork, and that was just fine. I was getting the bites I wanted. But when I decided to eat it like toast, that was when it became a homerun. It was great. Holding it like toast also revealed the feta cheese they added. Every bite was better than the one that preceded it. The bread was a nice soft wheat bread. Maybe it was honey wheat because it had a slight sweetness to it. The avocado was smooth and plentiful. It was scraped on the bread from end to end. My hat is off to the chef that did that. I never seem to get it all the way when I add a spread to toast or bagels. This person crushed it. The feta had a nice bite to it and added a whole other level of deliciousness. The hot sauce was dolloped on the side and it was the perfect dipping partner. It gave me that heat I like with breakfast. I am always quick to add sriracha or hot sauce to my eggs that I make at home. So having this hot sauce on the side was right up my alley. The black sesame seeds added a nice crunch that I did not know I needed. I could say the same for the spring mix. It was crunchy but also refreshing. It was a nice little salad on top of the toast. And that bacon, my goodness did it hit the spot. It was nice and crisp. It brought on the saltiness that I crave. It was all over the toast. There was enough bacon that it was spilling over the side. And they candied it with just a little brown sugar. It was not overpowering either. It was the smallest amount of brown sugar, but it added just the right amount of sweetness. I am trying to eat my food slower, to savor the flavor, but it was tough this morning. I really wanted to dive into this breakfast. I kept looking down at the bread that was left after each bite. I was able to take more time than normal, but I still kind of ripped right through the toast.

I will definitely be adding more avocado to my breakfast. I do not eat a ton of bread, but when I indulge I will definitely be making avocado toast. I also think the boost of protein that avocados bring is great to get myself motivated to go on and get the stuff I need to do in a day. I am a convert. I wish I hadn't pushed it off for so long. This is a very good breakfast, and it feels like something that will help me with my running in the long run. Avocado toast is great. For real.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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I'm Here For Some Lime Cucumber Gatorade Zero

I gave up Gatorade about ten years ago. It lost all nutritional value I used to think it had, it tasted like straight sugar and water is always a better option for hydration. As I got more involved in the world of running I picked up better hydrating drinks. I use Nuun, Tailwind, Mio and various powders I get from local running stores or in my swag bags from races. But I do like adding this stuff for the flavor. Nothing beats ice cold water when I have been on a long run. Coming inside, grabbing one of my cold water bottles and slamming straight water that is as cold as ice, I get wonderful chills thinking about it. But, when I go on long races, or long runs, I need that flavor. I need that sugar. I crave carbs. I need something that will help me push past the pain. That is why those powders and tablets work so well. But sometimes, mostly lately, I have been craving something that tastes extra sweet, but is made with fake sugar. I understand how bad it is for me, but sometimes it is okay to indulge. I tried regular Gatorade, but that was still much, much too sweet for me. It was like drinking Jolly Ranchers. It killed all the good work I had done.

Gatorade now makes a low carb, fake sugar varietal, Gatorade Zero. I am coming around on this lately. They have some good flavors. The berry is dynamite. The classics, orange and lemon lime are better versions of the original. But a few weeks back I found my new favorite flavor. It is my go to when I want Gatorade Zero for a few reasons. That flavor is lime cucumber.

Sounds gross, no? Well it is far from it. First off, I love a good cucumber water. It is refreshing, the cucumber adds more liquid and it gives it a little flavor. It is like the best flat seltzer you can have. Water with a squeeze of fresh lime is just as good. It has all the same qualities, but it is a bit more sour, which is nice. Marrying the two within the Gatorade lab, amongst all the tastemakers that work there, was genius. It is a beautiful blend of why I like water with lime or cucumber in it. It is the best of both worlds. Then you take the fake sugar and carbs that are in the Zero varietal, it is a match made in heaven. I have found it to be one of my favorite post run drinks. If I am at a gas station, and they have lime cucumber Gatorade Zero, I do not hesitate to purchase one. It is so good. But I think what makes this the best Gatorade product is my kids' aversion to it. My son loves the OG Gatorade. He is a fan. He always asks for one after a game or practice. He usually gets a no, but when I buy him one he is stoked. My daughter is a newcomer to Gatorade, but that girl loves an original fruit punch. She has told me it is like drinking candy. But when they get in my car and see that I have the lime cucumber one, they tell me how gross it sounds. They ask how I can drink it. They want to know why I drink it. They ask me to get other flavors. And I get to tell them that I get it because I like it so much, but also because they dislike it. I know I will not catch them trying to sneak a drink. My son won't ask for one, nor will my daughter. I know this is a drink that I will be able to enjoy all by myself. No 10 or 6 year old will be begging me for a drink or to buy them a whole one. It is totally worth buying it simply for that reason. But add on that it tastes so good, this is a real homerun.

Go try lime cucumber Gatorade Zero. It is delicious, and most kids will not ask to have any. It is great.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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The Joys, and Dangers, of Eating a Whole Bag of Cadbury Eggs

During Easter, which I vaguely celebrate for the candy, I usually get a bag of Cadbury Candy Coated Chocolate Robin's Eggs. These are, hands down, my favorite candy. They have surpassed Snickers and Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and Peanut M&M's. I do not know what Cadbury does with this treat, but my goodness is it tasty. I look forward to Easter because I know that my wife will be buying me a bag. But since I started doing low carb almost ten years ago, and have cut back on a good amount of sugar, I have come to realize that these Cadbury Robin's Eggs are a trigger food for me.

For those that do not know what a trigger food is, it is some type of food that you cannot be trusted with alone. I know some people who have Cheetos as their trigger food. My wife has said that Cheeze Its and Ruffles are trigger foods for her. I know it used to be licorice for my mom. Lately my dad has mentioned that black jelly beans are a trigger food. Everyone has one and it can get bad. This happened to me last night. I am home alone for the week with the kids. My wife is on a girls trip all week, and since the school year is still going, I am home with the kids. It is no problem at all. My kids are good. They listen enough. They are ten and six, so they can entertain themselves for a bit so I can get a break. And they go to bed relatively early. They are a delight.

Last night I was doing a good amount of catching up chores. And I did a good amount of yard work during the day to get that out of the way. So I got a solid workout in doing all that good stuff. I also ate pretty well all day. I had some carrot cake and a cup of coffee for breakfast. I had leftover pea salad and leftover turkey from Easter for lunch. And I had a minimal snack of jelly beans and some Cadbury Eggs. I laid off enough by putting them in a small bowl so I wouldn't over eat. I felt fine. I also went really low carb for dinner, having a whole wheat low carb chicken quesadilla. I also had a small amount of corn salad. So I felt like I did good. Then the kids went to bed and I turned on the TV to let myself relax. I did well at first. I had a small bowl of salt and vinegar chips and a Cadbury Caramel Eggs. Side note, Cadbury makes the best chocolate. Full stop. But I still felt hungry. What I should have done was drink some water or some seltzer water. What I did instead, well, I am still feeling the after effects today. I had about half, maybe 2/3 of a bag left of my Cadbury Eggs. I grabbed the bag and put it on the armrest of the couch. And while I watched TV I would grab a few eggs here and there. I figured I would stop after a few, but I did not. A few eggs became a handful. Then a handful turned to two handfuls. Before I knew it, the bag was empty.

I still felt okay after eating the rest of the bag, until I got up. I stood up off the couch and my stomach immediately hurt. I had gas all night. I kept sitting up in my bed to burp. I tossed and turned all night. I woke up with the same stomach ache. It was rough. It was around 9:30 when I finally started to feel better this morning. I went to my folks house, had some coffee with my dad and ate a very light breakfast. I also just had a late, light lunch. But I still feel a little off.

I guess the point today is, be careful with trigger foods. They can be very tasty and very enticing, but the after effects are not worth it. I felt really bad, and my mind tricked me while I was eating them that I was okay. Food is great. It is the best. It can be comforting. But when it gets to the level it got for me last night, that is the bad part. That is when food can become your enemy. I have not felt like this for almost 20 years, and now I remember why. Try to limit your intake of trigger food. Try to avoid it if you can. I think that would be best. I go back to a time when my wife and I first started dating and she dumped out a bag of peanut butter M&M's directly from the bag to the trash. I was appalled, but now I get it. She did the right thing. I should have done exactly that last evening.

Be careful when it comes to the foods you love. They can turn on you. I feel like I have learned my lesson, but time will tell.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Waffles Are The Best

This morning I had brunch with my wife, daughter and mother in law. My son was hanging out at a friend's house, and we did not want to do much, so we decided on brunch. We usually make eggs, bacon, sausage and hashbrowns. Today my daughter and I decided we wanted one extra carb. She opted for pancakes and I had a waffle. Let’s discuss.

I do not indulge in waffles or pancakes much anymore, but when I do, I really go for it. So I had my eggs, a few small sausage patties and a little helping of hashbrowns. I saved my waffle for last. I also tried a few bites of my daughter's pancake. It was good. We both went pretty classic too. She did add fresh blueberries on top, but otherwise we both did butter and syrup. As I said, the pancake was good. But my waffle, it was wonderful. It was big and fluffy. It came out piping hot. The butter instantly melted and the syrup hit all the open squares that a waffle comes equipped with. When I went to cut into it with my fork, it easily split into the four triangles that a waffle iron offers when making them. It was simply exquisite. Each bite had the right amount of butter and syrup. The steam from the heat made it all the more delicious. It was tremendous.

After finishing it off, I sat there and contemplated whether this was the best waffle I had ever had. It was definitely up there. But I think the fact of the matter is that I just prefer waffles to pancakes. Pancakes are good and all. Don't get me wrong. But I feel like a waffle is made for anyone that is craving something a little sweet. The syrup and butter kind of slips off a pancake. You have to fork it and then dip it into the butter and syrup, and whatever else you like on your waffle, that is on your plate. With a waffle, it is all compacted in the little squares. You can also break it into four separate pieces and eat it like that, which makes it easier. I also feel like you can put better, more inventive ingredients within waffle batter to truly gussy them up if that is what you like. It is easier to turn a waffle into a homemade breakfast sandwich but breaking it in half.

Truth is that waffles are the better breakfast food. There I said it. I feel like I so rarely have them because of how hard it is to clean a damn waffle iron. But that is on me. Waffle irons are a total pain to clean. You have to really scour the whole thing, and even then you will probably miss a few flakes of batter here and there. Pancakes are easier to clean because you can make them in a simple pan. But maybe that is also what makes a waffle so enticing and makes it feel like a real treat. The work that goes into making waffles, and then cleaning up afterward, makes the food worthwhile. You really want to savor a waffle because of the trouble you go through to make them. Waffles are legit. They may be my new go to sweet breakfast treat. I just need to prepare myself going in for the cleanup job that awaits. But I also need to let myself enjoy how truly, truly exquisite a simple waffle can be.

One more time. Waffles rule.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Tagalongs are the GOAT of Girl Scout Cookies

Girl Scouts of America

The majority of my life I have enjoyed Thin Mint Girl Scout cookies. Whenever we bought them when I was growing up, I would request Thin Mints. As I got older and married, when my wife's coworkers kids would sell cookies, I always wanted Thin Mints. Hell, even with my daughter now being in Girl Scouts, when cookies were brought up, I said I would like Thin Mints. They are great. I love them even more when they are put in the freezer and given time to firm up. I can eat them by the sleeve. I know that is not good, but damn if Thin Mints are not wonderful.

Lately I have had a change of heart. I have tried all the flavors of Girl Scout cookies. I don't even like coconut, but I will eat Samoas if that is what's available. Be it Do Si Do's, Trefoils or Thin Mints, Girl Scout cookies are fantastic. But I believe, after eating far too many this past weekend, that Tagalongs are the best flavor.

For those that may not know, Tagalongs are a chocolate covered hard cookie with peanut butter in the middle. It is kind of like a thumbprint cookie, except the peanut butter is covered up. It is like eating a peanut butter cup with a delicious cookie being added. I was popping them in my mouth after basketball this weekend, and with each cookie I just kept thinking about how great they tasted. I could not get enough. I had to ask my wife to take them away from me. Had I had my way, I would have eaten the whole box. I'm not joking.

To test my new theory, I am doing some real scientific work here folks, I ate some frozen Thin Mints yesterday. My son and I shared a few in the afternoon. And they were awesome. They were super tasty and as great as I have always remembered and we each had five or six of them before I cut us off. But later in the day, again I ate way, way, way too many Girl Scout cookies this weekend, I had some more Tagalongs, and they are better. Full stop. I cannot believe my allegiance has changed so drastically like this, but here we are. I think they are easier to eat, and by easier I mean that I can pop them in my mouth and eat an entire box and not feel bad about it. At all. I love the chocolate and peanut butter combo so much, like most everyone else. My daughter is allergic to peanuts, so I guess that I am being heroic by eating them so she is not tempted. I am a saint I suppose. But in all seriousness, if I were some kind of food critic, I would rank Tagalongs at the very top of the list. I mentioned some other flavors in this piece, but Tagalongs take the cake. Thin Mints are a very, very close second. And even the new flavor, a brownie type cookie with caramel and a chocolate drizzle, is fine, but nowhere close to Tagalongs or Thin Mints. Those are the two best, with Tagalongs taking over the top spot.

I never thought this day would come. I was so loyal to Thin Mints. But this weekend has changed me, as far as cookies go. Not only do I think Tagalongs are the best Girl Scout cookies, I think they are the best mass produced cookies in the land. There are better cookies at restaurants and stores that focus on making cookies. But in a world of Oreos and Hydrox and Keebler, Tagalongs take the cake. They're the absolute best.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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An Ode to Salt and Vinegar Potato Chips

I consider myself pretty well versed when it comes to snacking. I love food. Always have and I always will. It is the best. It is good for comfort, for life, for the good and bad moments, for sporting events, for everything really. I do eat too much food, but that is neither here nor there. But one food I have been reintroducing to my diet is potato chips.

Let’s discuss.

I have read, and talked to a ton of runners, and they sing the praises of chips. They give you carbs, salt and help you continue to move for longer distances. And I love all chips, with dill pickle and ketchup flavor as the lone exceptions. A nice classic original, fantastic and salty. Cheddar and sour cream, a great combination. BBQ chips are sweet and spicy and great. Jalapeno adds a wonderful kick that I adore. Sweet Hawaiian Onion is so, so, so good. And all Doritos, especially cool ranch, they are the bomb. I even love a good Frito, Cheetos and definitely Takis. They are great. But it has come to my attention recently that Salt and Vinegar is the best chip flavor.

I don't have any science to back this up, except my tastebuds, but that helps me confirm that Salt and Vinegar rules. And it is across all brands of chips. I love Lay's version. Pringles make an excellent salt and vinegar. Cape Cod is crunchy and delicious and very flavorful. Hell, even Benton's Brand from Aldi are a total slam dunk. In fact the Benton's may be the best because they have the most dust, or flavoring, on the chip and the salt and vinegar taste really comes out. It is a make you pucker type taste. It is so awesome. I have eaten a small bowl with my lunch for the past couple of days, and it has been a delight. The mixture of salt and vinegar is just so tasty. It adds so much to my hot dogs or brats or whatever meat and cheese addition I have every day for lunch. It is the perfect compliment to the rest of my relatively low carb lunch.

Using these chips as fuel for a run, that takes it to a whole other level. As a runner, a distance runner at that, we are told to eat and drink, especially during anything over a half marathon. You need fuel to keep going. If you don't eat or drink anything your body will just stop doing what it has been trained to do. So I use Tailwind as my race drink and Nuun as a post race drink. Tailwind is filled with carbs and salt and electrolytes. It is like a healthy Gatorade. Nuun is a great post race drink, with its effervescence and sweet taste. And when it comes to food, I usually go for sweets too. I need the sugar. I love a good pack of gummy bears, Oreos, peanut butter filled pretzels, granola, and any kind of sweet food. But when it comes to salty, I find it hard to choke down most anything except for salt and vinegar chips. Straight up pretzels become too chalky. Burritos are too filling. Any sandwich that is not a PB&J, forget it. But salt and vinegar chips totally knock it out of the park. They make me salivate, which makes me drink more. I love the taste, so it is easier for me to choke them down. I like the grease. And I am a big, big fan of the extra salt they provide along with my Tailwind and salt in the sweet food. I have found myself gravitating more to the chips when doing a race at the aid stations. I also pack myself some to put in my pack or in my pocket. They are just too perfect.

For these reasons, and many, many others, Salt and Vinegar is hands down the best flavor potato chip. It is perfect. I dare you to eat one and not become addicted. They are that good.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Snow Ice Cream Does Not Suck

In Saint Louis we have gotten a good amount of snow the past two days. It was supposed to hit on Wednesday, but we seem to have gotten the brunt of it today. If I had to guess I'd say we are between six and eight inches, which is a good amount in the county. Hell, people went out on Tuesday and bought up the bread, milk and eggs. I have never understood that phenomenon here, but that is what people in Saint Louis have done with the mere threat of snow all 39 of my years living here. And I have mentioned before on this site that my love of snow stopped when my son started school. Snow is a nuisance, it makes travel tough, they cancel school with just the threat of snow and it makes for a horrible mess about two days after it falls. In no time it will be in the mid 40's here and there will be discolored snow mounds and slush everywhere. It will be gross.

There is one thing I forgot about, until this afternoon. We got a good amount of snow, like I mentioned, and there were fresh powdery mounds on our table out back. It looked pristine. It was white and fluffy and looked like snow off of a postcard from the mountains. After taking my kids sledding, both of them noticed the snow and asked if we could make ice cream. I have not eaten or made snow ice cream in years. I have a very vague recollection that my wife and kids did it last year, but who knows anymore. So when they mentioned it today I figured, why not. Let's do it. We are truly running out of things to do since my son hurt his wrist sledding and playing snow football with me and a buddy yesterday. My daughter is also very small, so she doesn't like to be out too long. So, as I said, I am truly looking for any little thing to do to pass the time until they open schools back up. That activity was making snow ice cream.

The task is simple enough too, as I am sure most of you know. I asked them what kind they wanted to make and they both said, "just do whatever is easiest". I adore my kids. So we got a bowl and filled it with snow, added some milk, sugar and vanilla extract and I let them stir until everything was combined. I took a taste and it immediately took me back to childhood. It was like eating the past. It was good, but so, so, so sugary. I spooned it out for my kids and they were in heaven. They kept saying how tasty it was. They mentioned that they disagreed with my salt take. They were eating it up. At one point my son told me he loved it and said, "I forgot how good plain vanilla ice cream tastes". My daughter was quiet and simply eating. That is a telltale sign that she is truly enjoying what she is tasting at the moment. She actually just finished her small bowl a minute ago, walked up to me and said, "THAT WAS SOOOOOO GOOD!". I love when she does that. But I had forgotten how something so simple and easy can be so good for my kids. I also really enjoyed that it was an activity they brought up that we could all do together. Even my wife ducked out of a meeting to ask the kids if they liked it, and to take a small taste herself.

So there are some good things about the snow I guess. It can look pretty at times. And I do prefer colder weather. But snow ice cream may be the best thing that comes from all of this. I am sure we will make some more, as it is supposed to snow for a few more hours before tapering off. And I cannot wait to try it with chocolate sauce or honey or some other wild concoction we all come up with. Snow ice cream is the goods.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Chili Has No Need for Beans

Today I am coming at you with a semi hot take on food. I have done this from time to time on the site and have gotten a little bit of a reaction from some people online and in my home. My hot take for the day today is, chili is better with no beans in it.

I have felt this way for quite some time, but the chili that I made for dinner last night, and finished for lunch today, made me fully realize this. I know there are other people in my family who feel the same way, namely my dad. He has actually said this for a while now. He will change his order if the place we are ordering from has beans in the chili. And there are a very few chilis out there with beans that are good, most notably the veggie chili at the excellent local diner Morning Glory. But I feel like it is a fact that all meat chili is the way to go.

The chili I made yesterday has no beans because it is low carb, and I try to eat as low carb as possible for my three meals a day. And it is a pretty simple chili to make. It has 2 1/2 lbs of ground beef, a red onion, celery, jalapenos and all the other seasonings that go into your regular chili. But instead of straight up chili powder I used chipotle chili powder. I also put the chili in the crockpot after browning the beef and let all the veggies and seasonings and meat marinade for eight hours. It made for an excellent tasting chili goop. It almost had more of a sloppy joe feel than a chili. But damn if it wasn't tasty as hell.

No beans isn't just the chili that I make at home. There are a few restaurants in town, mostly steak houses, that have no bean chili and it is always a great surprise. My eyes light up. When we would go to restaurants, even if I was not craving chili, I would order it just to taste it. The chili at Skyline in Ohio, while using cinnamon, has no beans and it is really awesome, especially on hot dogs and pasta. There is a hot dog spot in Saint Louis called Steve's Hot Dogs, and when they make a chili dog they use no bean chili. It makes the chili dog that much better. It is like the Skyline chili dog but with a way better tasting frank and chili. In fact, if any hot dog place uses beans in their chili I will not order chili dogs.

It is not that I dislike beans. I think they are great. They are an excellent source of protein. I know people who choose to not eat meat love beans, as they should. But for a meat eater such as myself, the beans add too much starch to a chili. It almost takes away from the flavor of the chili. I feel like the beans soak up all the good seasoning and juice. That is what I want the meat to do in a chili. I want the meat to bathe in the juice and add even more flavor. It makes for an excellent meal.

All meat chili is the way to go if you are a meat eater and you want a hot side dish, or even if you want it as a main dish. It makes for a filling and delicious tasting meal. At least that is how I feel.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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The Annex in Webster Groves Rules

Today my kids and I were finally able to see my folks again. I have cleared all my protocols, my folks had COVID as well, they got it before I did, and since they are older they did the full ten days and cleared their protocols yesterday. My dad and I hadn't been out for coffee in two weeks, my kids are off school for the day and both my parents have not seen them for two weeks, so we decided we were all comfortable to see each other again.

It was great. I really missed both of them, and when we got over there it was like nothing had changed. My mom took the kids to play in the basement of their home and my dad and I were left to chat about sports and other stuff we like to talk about.

After being there for about an hour, my dad and I decided we wanted to go pick up some coffee, do our usual thing. We were both pleasantly surprised when my mom and kids said they wanted to come with us. It was great. So all five of us piled in my car and drove to a newish coffee shop in Webster Groves here in Missouri called The Annex. My dad and I have gotten coffee here before, but my kids and my mom have not checked it out yet. And instead of just grabbing coffee and leaving, we decided to do a little shopping. That is what makes this newer coffee shop so damn cool. There is a typical coffee shop area, but they also have a sandwich shop inside that has fresh local ingredients. They also have shelves, a la a grocery store, that has some really cool products to buy. They also have neat little candies and homemade pastries and other sweets. There is also a cold juice bar that has some of the best juice I've ever had. This place may look small from the outside, but when you get into the building, it seems vast. It was also very easy to spread out, and we all had some form of a N95 or KN94 mask on. Needless to say, we felt pretty safe. Doing this shopping felt really good too. My kids were literally kids in a candy store when they went to the candy section of the "grocery area". They had all kinds of neat, organic and original candy. They had stuff ranging from Rose suckers to honey foam. They also had homemade jellies and gummies. My kids were both enamored with the old school rainbow sucker. That is what they got. And when I grabbed it to buy it for them, the ingredients made me feel like a not so bad dad for buying them one each. They then went to the juice bar spot and found a little section with multiple milk selections. It was crazy to see all the different kinds of milk they had, all of which are organic and locally made. My daughter got chocolate milk, which was incredible and my son got Orange Cream milk which tasted like a creamsicle. It was amazing. I decided I wanted to grab some black licorice from England and a cold brew. The licorice was nice, but that cold brew was outstanding. It was woody yet smooth. The addition of cream only made it taste better and go down smoother. I did not even need to add any sweetener because it tasted so good without it. I'd have to say, second only to Sump, this is the best cold brew I have had. I drank it pretty fast, and to me that is a sign of a great coffee. My dad got himself an Americano and my mom got a homemade croissant and a chai latte. My dad is a coffee aficionado and he had glowing words for the Americano. He seemed pretty stoked to drink it. My mom, who never finishes a drink, had most of that chai latte down when we left their house, and we took all this back to their house after ordering. To me that means she really enjoyed her drink. When we left her house she hadn't tried the croissant yet, but she told me she was saving it because she knew it was going to be great. It looked excellent. It looked buttery and flaky and absolutely delicious.

My dad and I are always on the hunt for new and interesting coffee shops. And luckily we just happened upon The Annex about a month or two ago, and now my kids and my mom have also given it the thumbs up. I cannot recommend this place enough. It is a hidden gem, but will not be for long, so get in there while you can before it has a line out of the door. It is totally worth the price for the excellent coffee, the kick ass store, the cool lunch counter and the juice bar. The Annex rules.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Booches Burgers are the Best

Today my family is in Columbia visiting my extended family. We come up every year, except last year for obvious reasons, for Thanksgiving dinner. I get to see two of my brothers, my nieces, my sister in law and my mom and dad, they travel up for lunch. But after eating three straight turkey meals we are all ready to have something different for lunch. Today we chose burgers. Let me tell the tale.

We decided to go to a local joint called Booches. People may have heard of this place. It has won awards and it was mentioned by Sports Illustrated as the best college town restaurant recently. The place is a dive, but damn is the food, mainly the burgers, really tasty. They do have fries or salads or anything like that. But they do have chili, chips, hot dogs and burgers. I got the burgers today, as I always do. But today they hit different. They were extra juicy. They were nice and greasy. The onions and pickles were crunchy. The bun was fantastic. I have to assume it was because my brother was manning the flat top today. He knows his way around a kitchen. And the burgers were something special. I mentioned all the fixings and the juiciness, but the taste was incredible. It was nice and meaty. It was cooked to a great medium temperature. The cheese was gooey and melted. The fixings adding the perfect taste that you want from fixings. It was the perfect burger. I really like Krazy Jim’s Blimpy Burger in Ann Arbor. Bailey’s Range in STL is great. I love Steak N Shake as far as chain restaurants go. But Booches has the best burgers I’ve ever had. I realized that this afternoon. The burgers were that incredible.

I highly recommend people take a trip to have a Booches burger. Get it with everything on it to get the full grasp of how good it really tastes. They really are worth it. Booches is great.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Even Kids Love the Spork

Every Friday I let my kids buy their lunch at school. It is a special treat for them. They bring their lunch every other day, but I like to let them have a little fun closing out the week.

They love it.

They always get in my car and excitedly tell me what they had that day when I pick them up. It is usually pizza, pretty standard, but they like to tell me about the sides they get as well. And when they do not have pizza, they are almost more excited to tell me what they had on those days. It varies between chicken nuggets and some kind of pasta. But they love it no matter what it is, probably because it isn't some lame sandwich that their dad made for them. My son is a little less stoked about it lately because he is a fourth grader now, and acts like a teenager. He is too cool for school. He likes to act like he is above being excited. It is adorable. But my daughter, who is in kindergarten now, LOVES to fill me in on all the details, no matter how big or small. She will go to great lengths to tell me each and every thing about lunch on the days she buys.

Recently she has really gotten into a certain utensil that the lunch people have given her. She has been extra interested in the spork. She is quite obsessed with them in fact. The first day they gave her one you would have thought it was the greatest invention in the history of inventing. She got in the car with extra giddy up in her step. She started to talk before I even buckled her into her seat. She was so amped that I had to tell her to take a breath and slowly explain to me what she was talking about. When she calmed down that was when she went into the greatest of details about the spork. She told me that it is this great thing to eat food because it is a spoon, but on top of the spoon they had prongs like a fork. She also told me about the handle and why that makes it even better. She let me know that she could easily go from spooning fruit to eating corn one niblet at a time. She also liked how it made it easier for her to eat pudding. I don't know how it made it easier, but she sure as hell thought it did. She also liked the fact that she could mix foods together using the spork. She was completely and utterly blown away by this utensil. When I told her that, not only did I know what a spork was, but that I have used them many times, her head exploded. She was talking super fast and asking millions of questions again. She was almost angry at me for not telling her about the spork sooner. She was flabbergasted and amazed. I loved it.

I wish there was something in my life that could surprise me the way the spork surprised my daughter. Now that I am older and more cynical, that happens less and less. But my daughter is only six. I love it when she discovers something new. I love it even more when she really likes the new thing she has found out about. I was so happy to hear her excitement when she first used the spork. I love it, in fact. It is pretty cool that kids can still find something as simple as the spork to be one of the greatest things ever invented. It is also nice that it isn't an internet thing or a video or some kind of thing that is on a screen. I love my kids, and I love how excited they are by the littlest things in life. It is truly a sight to behold.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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An Ode to the Greatness of Peanut Butter

I was listening to "Doughboys" today and they were talking about marshmallow fluff. I used to love that stuff, but now it sounds and looks vile. The hosts and the guests seem to agree with me too. They talked about how horribly sweet it still is. They mentioned a fluffernutter sandwich, which I used to love, but other than that, they said it was gross.

I am not here to talk about marshmallow fluff. One of the guests mentioned that they had their own personal food pantheon. He talked about the three foods he had on his list. They were the chicken egg, rice and peanut butter. This got me thinking about what my food pantheon would be. I went through a ton of stuff that I really like, but nothing was making my own personal pantheon. I love steak, but that can be gross if not cooked properly. I love licorice, especially the Australian kind, but eating too much hurts my jaw. Coffee has become a big part of my life, but I have had some terrible cups of coffee. Hot dogs are great, but you have to add so much stuff to them to take them to the next level. And they are grossly made. I also love lunch meat, especially salami, but lunch meat has the same problem as the hot dog. It needs accompaniment to really go above and beyond. I was struggling with my pantheon. But then it became pretty clear to me. And I do not need to have more than one food in my pantheon. Everyone has their own personal pantheon, and they can make it as vast as they want. But I only have one food in my pantheon. I only need one food. And I actually agree with one of the items the guest provided. To me, the only food that even belongs in my pantheon is peanut butter.

This may seem harsh to my daughter, she is violently allergic to peanuts, but I am not. I adore peanuts and peanut butter. Peanut butter has literally everything you could want in one food, as long as you are not allergic to it. Peanuts are filled with nutritional value. So peanut butter, in small portions, is actually a good thing. It has carbohydrates, salt, sugar, potassium, and a bunch of other stuff that just makes you feel better, and full, after you have eaten some of it. I love, especially when I am going really low carb, to have a scoop or two of peanut butter straight from the jar for dessert. It gives me the sugar I miss, it has minimal carbs and it is tasty as hell. It also helps me to feel full, even if I may not be full yet. It tricks me. I like that. I love peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, especially after a good work out. The mix of peanut butter and jelly on white or wheat bread, I prefer wheat, is a perfect bite. It has all the good flavors. And it is filling. Adding peanut butter to candy makes it instantly better. Reese's Peanut butter cups are dope. Snickers is one of the best candy bars ever. Reese's Fast Break is the best candy bar. I like to take a little scoop of peanut butter and add it to a Hershey's chocolate bar. It just makes candy so much better. I also love it smeared on a graham cracker or a bagel. It adds a ton of flavor. Adding peanut butter to toast is amazing. You can even add peanut butter to a sauce, it is done a lot in Chinese food, and it works. It also works so well in Thai food. There is no instance that I can think of where peanut butter is not perfect. I bet it would taste good on stuff like mashed potatoes or brussel sprouts. Peanut butter is it. It is the GOAT food. It is my one and only member of my personal food pantheon.

Peanut butter rules.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Hi-Chew is the New Great Halloween Candy

I know some college basketball teams are playing exhibition games right now, and I said I was going to do a preview, but that will have to wait until Monday. I want to wait until Michigan officially starts, and while they have an exhibition tonight, they officially tip off on Wednesday. So my men's NCAA basketball preview is coming, you'll just have to wait until Monday. Today I want to talk about a particular Halloween candy.

My kids went trick or treating on Sunday. We did it safely, and everyone seemed to have a very good time. The people we allowed in our house have been in our bubble, are vaccinated and are family. And pretty much every house we went to had the candy in a bowl outside on a table and most even had sanitizer. It felt safe. And after my kids were done, my son especially, they like to sort out all of the candy they received. I like doing this too. I did it as a kid. So I helped out my son and my daughter did not really care about doing it. She was happy with candy. So my son and I retired to the kitchen table and went through his stuff. He got a ton of candy. He even got full size candy bars, a first for him, and it blew his mind. He was literally acting like a kid in a candy store. So we put full size bars in one spot, peanut butter candy in another, fun size candy bars in a pile and gummy and chewy candy in another pile. It was great. And, like almost any parent, I decided that I wanted to taste test some of the candy he received. I had a few Snickers. He gave me a piece of one of his full size Kit Kats. I love Haribo Gummy Bears, and my son gave me a pack of those. It was great. But there is one candy he gave me that I do not really recall ever getting as a kid.

The candy he gave me was a piece of his Hi-Chew, and I was blown away. This was one of the best pieces of candy that I have ever eaten. It is like a softer, less sweet Starburst. When I got off candy to lose weight, Starbursts were one of the first to go. They’re pure sugar. But I did, and still do from time to time, miss that chewy aspect of Starbursts. Hi-Chew’s bring that tenfold. They’re very chewy. They last long. The flavor sticks around. It’s wonderful. What puts the Hi-Chew over the top though is the taste. While sweet, they’re not overly sweet. Starbursts, Skittles, Gummy Lifesavers, they’re far too sweet. I eat a few of those and I feel like I’m in sugar shock. Hi-Chew doesn’t do that to me. They’re a bit sweet, but they also taste like the actual flavor listed on the wrapper. Lime tastes like lime. Mango has that mango flavor. Pineapple is real close to an actual pineapple. But the strawberry ones, those are the best. They taste like actual strawberries, but it’s candy.

I’m really impressed with Hi- Chew’s. They are a great alternative to actual Starbursts. They’re better than Mamba’s. They’re much better than Skittles. I like them even more than Haribo Gummies, which I didn’t think was possible. I’m stoked that Hi-Chew is making a comeback, and the flavor is on point. My hat goes off to them. I can’t wait to eat some more when my son and I get some candy later tonight. Hi-Chew’s rule.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Aldi's Maple Leaf Cookies are the Winner of Fall Sweet Treats

With it being officially fall, and due to my dislike of the pumpkin spice latte, I do try to find fall like snacks to have around the house. I’m not big on ginger, so that’s not an option. I despise candy corn so there’s no way I’d buy any of that. I try to keep the candy to a minimum prior to Halloween because I’d just end up eating it all. As for drinks, hot chocolate is about as sweet as I’ll go, and some might say that is a winter drink. Hell, I’d agree. But I did find, well was told about, a very tasty fall treat.

I do the grocery shopping as I’ve mentioned before, and I do the majority if it at Aldi. Aldi is a lower priced store than say a Schnucks or Kroeger or whatever your local big chain grocery store may be called. They also have great produce, solid protein and, what I will be talking about today, great cookies. Aldi does a thing where they put out random items, usually seasonal, and all us shoppers buy them quick. I was at Aldi two weeks ago and my wife texted about some cookies a co worker mentioned to her. She didn’t know the name, but she said they were shaped like a leaf and she was pretty sure they had maple in the title. I found them pretty easily. They are Benton’s Brand Maple Leaf Cookies. The maple cookies are simple enough. They do look like a leaf, a maple leaf, and they have a maple cream in the middle. It’s like a leaf shaped Oreo, only bigger and not chocolate. It’s a sandwich cookie. I bought them for my wife not expecting to eat any. She came home, tried them and told me I had to try one immediately. I did, and oh boy are these cookies fantastic. Now you have to have a very sweet tooth like me to enjoy these. They are extremely sweet. But they are so tasty too. The leaf cookie is crunchy and adds a perfect texture. They aren’t crunchy like a hard cookie, say a ginger snap or a Vanilla Wafer. They’re more so like a short bread. I love a good short bread cookie. So to have the “bread” of this sandwich cookie taste like short bread, that’s a big time win. But the maple cream, that is what takes this cookie over the top. It looks like the Oreo filling, but there’s more and it’s sweeter. It has maple syrup in the cream. There’s also granulated sugar. And whatever else they need to add to make this cream so goddamn good. I love it so very much. I will take the cookies apart, get the cream all on one side and make multiple double stuff cookies to eat. I’ll also eat the cream and cookie separately. That cream is so tasty. It is also what gives this cookie the “fall” flavor for me. Fall flavors are sweet and make you feel good inside.

This cookie delivers tenfold on that. It’s so sweet. I love eating them. And I’m pretty sure they’re my new favorite cookie. Probably my new favorite fall treat. I know of some other stores that sell something similar, which I think is great. I’d rather have a box of these cookies than one sip of a pumpkin spice latte. These cookies are the best. Go find them anywhere you can. They’re so good.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Reese's Fast Break is the Greatest Candy Bar Ever Made

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On Tuesday's my son goes to a different school. He is in our school district's gifted program and the kids in it go to a whole different building. He loves it, but his day is much longer. He doesn't get out of class until 4:30. My daughter is still in kindergarten so she is not eligible to be tested yet for the gifted program. So I pick her up at 3:55 every day.

That means on Tuesday she and I have a half an hour to kill before we get my son. This means we usually go on mini adventures. These adventures always end with us getting treats. She gets one, she picks out one for her brother and I get myself something. We never go nuts because we eat dinner around 6 or 6:30 and we do not want to spoil our appetite. Lately I have been getting myself a small candy bar. It is a nice little sugar rush, and not getting the king size stuff makes me feel like it is worth the carbs. And the past two weeks I have gotten myself the Reese's Fast Break candy bar.

I am here today to say that this is the greatest piece of candy that has ever existed. I know that there are people out there that have a peanut allergy, my daughter is allergic to them. So I am sorry if this is mean. I'm sorry that you cannot taste the greatness that is a Fast Break bar. But this candy bar is the perfect candy bar. For years and years I have said that Snickers is my favorite candy bar. Snickers are great. They are even better frozen. I devour the mini ones during Halloween. The Fast Break has surpassed it. I cannot believe I just wrote it, but it is true. What Snickers does so great is mixing in the salt and the sweet, but the Fast Break does it better. The fast break has that great chocolate wrapped around it. Whatever Reese's wraps their peanut butter cups in, that chocolate is what surrounds the Fast Break. It is the perfect level of chocolate. Then they have Reese's peanut butter in the middle. It is a log of peanut butter sandwiched in there. Reese's makes the best tasting peanut butter. I love that they sell it in jars in the grocery store now. I buy it when I want a little treat and feel like spending a little extra.I will eat spoonfuls of it plain. It is that good. Then what puts this candy bar above the rest, what I love most about any candy bar that adds this ingredient, the nougat. The nougat is the perfect amount of chewy. It takes this candy bar from good to the GOAT. It is such a little addition but it makes a world of difference. The nougat makes this more candy bar-like. It gives it the chewiness. It makes it complete. It adds so much with so little. It is great. So with the sweet chocolate and nougat you get the perfect amount of sweet. It is exactly what I expect when I eat candy. Then you add on that Reese's peanut butter and it gives you a bit of salt and the protein that peanut butter provides. Snickers does this with the peanuts, but the Fast Break does it better with the peanut butter. The peanuts at times can be too crunchy and take away from the sweetness. With smooth peanut butter you do not have to worry about that. It is so perfect. Every bite is an excellent bite.

There is not a wasted moment when eating a Fast Break candy bar. It is candy bar perfection. It is a candy bar done exactly as they should be. There is not a bad thing to be said about the Fast Break bar. It is the GOAT.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

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SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.