Twinkie Theory

Twinkies are delicious!

They are soft, and sweet, moist, and tasty. You tear open that crinkly plastic wrapper and your senses are assailed by the tempting aroma of this grocery isle treasure. You divest the Twinkie of its plastic prison, and admire its beauty. The rich yellow color, the convenient shape that makes shoveling them into your mouth so effortless.

Now is the moment you have waited for in such anticipation - the first bite. Delicately you sink your teeth into the supple sponge cake and taste, for the first time, the fluffy cream filling.

Oh, the bliss! The blinding moments of utter contentment!

I like Twinkies, I don't know if you got that.

Alas, for all their tasty perfection man, or woman in this case, can not live on Twinkies alone.

Now before I go on I feel it important to note that I cannot claim full credit for the following theory. It came to me, as if in a dream...okay more like the reality of family dinner. During said event the conversation turned to movies, one of my favorite subjects, and my Uncle Chad's use of Twinkie imagery inspired me. Thank you Chad!

Anyway, back to the task at hand.

There are times when we all get sick of the cold cereal/PBJ sandwich/cold pizza/cracker and cheese - meals held standing at the counter, and long for a good home cooked meal. Something wholesome and filling that you walk away from full and enriched. These are the times when your gas tank has been filled and you are given the power to dig deep and do great things and feel the drive to think and make the world a better place that it is.

Are you lost yet? I have a point I promise!

Well just as there are times when we crave substance, sometimes we just want a Twinkie. It has no nutritional value, in fact it may be of negative nutritional value, it does not fill you up, and you don't often light upon brilliant realizations during the consumption of a Twinkie. But sometimes...sometimes a Twinkie is just what you need - the opportunity to escape and enjoy a few precious moments away from the meat and potatoes world.

This is Twinkie Theory. It can be applied to just about anything, but I found it most applicable to movies and books. My mother, sisters and I had a little girls only day this past week, and we went to see The Proposal. It was a Twinkie. It was adorable! Light, funny,romantic, made me cry - shocker I know. I knew walking into the theatre and taking my reclining seat, exactly what I was going to see play out on the screen for the next 2-ish hours. But that is exactly what I wanted, and it delivered.

Being an English major I hear so many of my class mates and teachers rant about all the "good" literature and movies there are out there to be consumed, and how they cannot bear to hear of people who would waste the precious time we have on this planet by dallying with less-than-Earth-moving-drivel! To them I say that I am sorry. Don't get me wrong, I still love my Fillet Mignon and roasted summer vegetables with a dark chocolate torte for dessert, but sometimes you just need a Twinkie.

So, my wish for each of you is that you go forth today in search of a Twinkie to brighten up your life. It need not be an actual Twinkie, but you know what I mean.

Blog Stalking: A 21st Century Pastime

Hello.

My name is Allyson Kuykendall...and I stalk food blogs, written by people I don't even know, in my spare time.

(Unison: "Hi Allyson")

When faced with a spare minute or 60, one of my favorite things to do is to skip lightly from blog to blog in search for new recipes to feed my culinary obsession. It's so much fun to see what ideas other people have, what recipes they have tried, how they liked them-or didn't like them, which cookbooks they are reading, and what new cookware is available.

But do you know what really bugs me about these blogs that I love so very, very much?

I will tell you.

It drives me totally, completely, wholly, and all consumingly (don't worry, I know that I totally just made the word up) insane when people talk about something they made and neglect to share the recipe! It's just mean, that is what it is.

So here and now I vow, to anyone who cares at all, to always share my recipes with anyone who is in the least bit interested.

Whew! You know, Kyra Sedgwick is right! Confession is good for the soul.