Half Birthday and Summery Things

– Half-birthday times! This past Tuesday (the 22nd, obviously) was my half-birthday, and it was probably one of the best ones I’ve ever had. Chris gave me flowers, and we went to Valley Fair for the day. It got me wondering why I didn’t have half-birthday celebrations when I was growing up; my birthday itself was usually sort of a bust, friends-wise, because it’s so close to Christmas, and everybody was busy or out of town. Never mind that it’s so cold as to rule out most fun birthday-type activities. But Tuesday’s roller-coaster-riding and soft-serve-eating made up for it.
– In case you were wondering, the best chocolate chip cookie recipe is the one from Vegan with a Vengeance. It calls for an entire cup of butter (two sticks), but I ALWAYS substitute one half-cup of butter for the same in applesauce. They’re soft and chewy without being greasy. Sometimes I think I want a Tollhouse-recipe cookie, so I make them, and they’re just gross in comparison. I made a batch of the VwaV cookies for father’s day.
– Alex and I went to the newly-opened Cafe Kem yesterday for frozen yogurt. Both the east and west coasts seem to understand the awesomeness of self-serve froyo joints, but people here in the middle of the country are being slow to catch on. Cafe Kem is no 16 Handles, but it’s definitely a step in the right direction. The froyo itself was great — the original tart flavor actually tasted like yogurt, which I liked. See my creation here. I went with Fruity Pebbles for the crunch factor, except they weren’t actually crunchy. Still, though. Self-serve froyo in Minneapolis!
– My Road ID arrived on Monday. See here. I ran with it yesterday and totally forgot I was wearing it, so it’s comfortable enough. And I definitely feel safer having some emergency info with me. I’ve got several dollar-off coupon codes, if anybody is thinking of buying one for themselves. (And, yes, it says ‘Run! Zombies!’ at the bottom.)
– My raspberries are going bonkers. I’ve currently got about two cups in the fridge, and I really need to get out there today to pick again. They’re good as-is, but I think I’ll combine them with the (wild) mulberries Chris and I picked earlier this week and make jam. Mmmmmullberries.