Traditionally purchased for a dollar from a Mexican street vendor in my former neighborhood in Chicago, elotes came to be one of my favorite childhood snacks (a craving that has followed me into adulthood) . So when I found it on the menu at my new Brooklyn neighborhood Latin eatery, I was so happy I didn’t mind the $2 price tag.

Elotes, is a calorie counter’s nightmare. It is a piece of roasted corn, slathered in melted butter (or sometimes margarine), then slathered again with mayonnaise (preferably Hellman’s). Then it is rolled in grated parmesan (usually the Kraft brand), squirted with a bit of fresh lime juice, and lightly dusted with chili powder.

I’m sure after reading the description, you can see how this could quite possibly be the world’s greatest junk food. And if you are not sold on the idea, you should definitely try making this at home–especially if you have kids!

Yesterday afternoon, while going for a walk in my neighborhood, I stumbled upon a hotdog stand. Complete with a folding table, a small grill, a cooler full of soda, and a father and son running the operation. After eating two and washing them down with a cream soda, I realized this was the perfect alternative to a lemonade stand for a pint-sized amateur gourmet!

 
At dinner earlier in the week, I was brought a little bowl of coriander cotton candy with my check.   Since there is no way I could I ever stop myself from smiling while eating cotton candy, it was a great way to finish the meal!  But, not only was this treat a fun throwback to my circus spectator days, it’s savory flavoring of coriander tossed with micro cilantro was delicious.   It was an adult version of one of my favorite childhood delights and now I really want a cotton candy machine!

Last week it was scented pencils, this week, meaty pencil toppers for the perpetual kid in all of us.  We’re all ways telling the kids to put some “meat on the bone” of the sentences they write, now the inspirational reminder is there at the end of the pencil.    

Imagine if you will, this image on the front of a t-shirt, tote bag, baby onsie and more. Imagine that you not only have a cool food tee with a sense of humor, but buying one also means a 10 percent of profits donation to organizations that work to teach kids about nutrition. Oh yea babe! Wait till you see all the smart designs. Choosing your vegetables has never been this delicious.

Pencils with a scent?  You bet.  These adorable pencils smell like cherry, watermelon, cotton candy and popcorn, to name a few delicious aromas, and better still, they’re eco-conscious!  Each pencil is made from recycled newspaper wrapped around #2 lead, then soaked in environmentally-friendly fragrance liquids.  They sharpen like a regular pencil and the company guarantees the fragrance will hold for up to 2 years.  Make scents to me!

Ok, so now I know that I have died and gone to heaven! “Baby Fauxstess Cupcakes?!”  These are great and oh so clever! I think I might eat a baker’s dozen…

I went ga-ga for the Limited Edition Raspberry M&M’s - they’re phenomenal in a good ole chocolate chip cookies recipe. Last week, while perusing the dollar store I spied these “Wildly Cherry” M&Ms. Almost as good as the raspberry and I love the red candy coating. I stuck these in a batch of chocolate chocolate chip cookies and once again, a hit!

A simple pizza, made of an incredibly thin crust, topped with an even thinner layer of tomato sauce, a couple of handfuls of fresh arugula and huge shavings of Parmeggiano Reggiano, was the perfect combination of pizza and salad. While eating it, I wondered if this would be a good way to get kids, who are generally anti-salad, but very pro-pizza, to change their ways…

So, for the first time ever, I ate astronaut ice cream - a dehydrated ice cream sandwich! The vanilla ice cream and chocolate cookie crust were packaged in the same white paper ice cream sandwiches have been wrapped in since their creation, but it was nice that the paper didn’t stick!

Although I expected the experience to be absolutely disgusting, I was pleasantly surprised. Once the ice cream has a chance to rehydrate in my mouth, it really did taste just like an regular old ice cream sandwich. The only real difference I found was the sandwich had a strange crunchy, starchy-like texture (like the marshmallows from Lucky Charms).  While eating it, I thought that maybe being an astronaut wouldn’t be so bad afterall…