Sugar High

When your breakfast [slash] lunch* looks like this…
*Yes, I guess that makes it what you people call “brunch.” But I am going to be difficult, thank you.
…well you know you are in for a doozy^ of a day.
[10:06 PM, March 13, 2011. Ms. Smart uses the word "doozy" in a blog post for the first time ever.]

Granted, I started my day off with a quick snack of some pineapple and cantaloupe pre-workout, but after that ‘healthy’ sugar, well…things just got a little crazy.It wasn’t supposed to happen. I was supposed to go enjoy some BBQ (while my friends enjoyed beer) at a free event for South by Southwest, but through a series of unfortunate circumstances involving a sprained ankle and a going away party, I ended up in my car on the way to nowhere. Until I remembered I had a Living Social voucher for Hero’s Frozen Treats.Frozen yogurt sounded good. [When doesn't it sound good?] So I headed over to the East Side Drive-In, where, amid trailers with some of the best names I’ve ever heard…[And yes, the Ugly Banjos trailer does, in fact, sell not only fried Oreos...but fried Nutter Butters as well.][That would be a trailer called Love Balls. They sell traditional Japanese "pancake balls" called Takoyaki. They just opened...can't wait to go back for that!]…and the British double-decker that sells the (very American) Philly cheesesteak……I uncovered the “hero” of dessert. [At least in my mind. You know I can't resist frozen treats.] My deal voucher was amazing. Rather than the normal “must spend all your money at once resulting in you having to take a whole lot of extra food home with you which is great if that food is something easy to save but much more difficult when it is frozen yogurt” deal, I received a pre-paid card of sorts, giving me four trips to the truck with $5 to spend each time.Now, Hero’s is called a frozen treat truck because not only do they sell frozen yogurt…they sell shaved ice* as well…in every conceivable flavor really. Cookie dough? Cotton candy? Dill pickle?
*what those of us raised on the East Coast call water iceWhile I love frozen yogurt, shaved/water ice is something I can usually go without. It’s not something I crave, but I enjoy it if it’s offered. However, when you combine that same ice with frozen yogurt…well, that’s a different story. What those of us who grew up with Rita’s Water Ice know as gelati, Hero’s has brought to Austin.And it goes by the name of Frozen Zombie.And it is a villain. And evil, evil villain….of awesomeness.A hero-sized gelati—I mean “frozen zombie”—works out to about $5…so I used one of my punches on my card to get one immediately into my possession.OK, so not immediately…as it took awhile for me to decide what to order. They were out of the regular tart yogurt he* commonly uses, but I figured White Chocolate would do just fine. Being faced with endless choices, I avoided dill pickle (although I still kind of want to try it) and went for two other crazy sounding ices: Cake Batter and Tiger’s Blood.
*”he” being the owner of Hero’s and The Smart Kitchen Award-winner for cutest food truck owner in Austin The Tiger’s Blood kind of overtook any Cake Batter flavor…but regardless, I was in sweet, frozen treat heaven. Even the mysteriously and incongruously placed puppy with bunny ears in the window approved. Oh, and they give you those sweet straw-spoons normally reserved for Slurpee runs at 7-11.Walking around quirky-fabulous East Austin……my camera, my Frozen Zombie, and I stumbled first upon a metal bison in a backyard… …and then the H.O.P.E. Farmer’s Market.I figured, “Why not mill around a bit?” After all, I ‘tomato’ local, too.Although I didn’t end up buying anything, I was reminded yet again of my desire to join a CSA this summer…
…specifically that of Johnson’s Backyard Garden, which I had first discovered at the Michael Pollan event a few months ago, when one of the farmer’s gave me free carrots at the Farm Direct Showcase. [They also have sweet transportation.]
I did manage to score a few savory bites from Royal Indian Prepared Food.
Pumpkin Parantha (above), along with some incredibly delicious naan topped with an array of yummy curries and chutneys.
After listening to some music and having one of those “I love my Austin life” moments that occur more often then not….
…I was ready for for some more sugar!
What’s that? A Cupcake Social, you say? Yes. Yes, I do. Thanks to Cupcakes Take The Cake, there were free cupcakes to be had at the Whole Foods Culinary Center as a closing event of the #techMUNCH food blogger conference (that I couldn’t afford to go to). Luckily for me, I didn’t need to have a conference badge to get some cupcakes.
Yes, those are cupcakes made by Whole Foods in the shape of little lambs (the “Mary had a” variety, to be exact), and some goblin-type creature I couldn’t identify. I did recognize the other animals, though.The elephants were my favorite.

There were five or so different cupcake bakeries in attendance at the event, and I was ready to try every single cupcake I could get my hands on. [And I tried every one that was there. Thankfully, someone had thought to put out knives, so we were able to cut pieces off of the full-sized ones.]Hill Country Cupcake had a beautiful display. It was almost so lovely I didn’t want to take any of the cupcakes. Al-most.

The best two were the Lava Fudge, featuring a chocolate fudgy center and vanilla buttercream (below, bottom left) and the The Longhorn–vanilla with a caramel center, vanilla buttercream, caramel drizzle, and a praline pecan on top (below, top left). If you look at their menu though, you can only imagine the damage I could do at a cupcake tasting in their shop. [They make a Honey & Chai cupcake, y'all.]

Then I moved on to Lick It, Bite It, or Both, where I told everyone around me about the discovery I had made previously that mushing together the peanut butter chocolate chip cupcake and the carrot cake cupcake was the most delicious thing ever. Everyone who allowed me to assemble that creation into something resembling a cakeball agreed. [One man even said he was having a cupcake "moment."]
Other favorites included the Turtle cupcake (above), and the Italian Cream–coconutty delicious–pictured below. I also had to try the Double Chocolate, Chocolate Chip, and Vanilla w/ Strawberry Buttercream. Oh, and the Red Velvet. Obviously.

Just when you think the fun is over, you are given a glass of Rose, and you move right along in search of the next cupcake.After a cream cheese-stuffed Black & White Cupcake… …I stopped by Cupprimo‘s offerings.

Banana……Spiced Apple…

…and the star of my show: a “breakfast” cupcake–maple flavored with pieces of bacon inside…and chocolate-covered bacon on top!
Cupprimo wasn’t the only bakery thinking about breakfast…The Cupcake Bar put Fruity Pebbles on their Vanilla Buttercreams!
I was MUCH more enticed by the Tres Leches Cupcake, however. Not only was it huge, it was covered in whipped cream. [And, I mean, tres leches is one of my favorite desserts in the world.]My stomach was still going strong, so I sampled some of the deep chocolate with peanut butter frosting [Peanut Butter Cup(Cake)] proffered by Sugar Mama’s…
…as well as a nibble (or two) of their “Champion Carrot Cake.”
Time to temper the sugar a bit……with some of this Chameleon Cold-Brew. Seriously, this was amazing. No sugar or cream required. Pure coffee perfection. (And a cute chameleon mascot, too!)And of course, y’all know I came prepared to take some home.

“Where’d you get the plastic bags?”
“These? Oh, I brought them with me.”
“You are so smart!”
“I know.”

Which cupcake was the best? Well, every cupcake is the best when it’s free.

———————

After all of that sugar, dinner looked a little something like this.

And let’s just say I decided to wait a day or two before beginning the next library book selection waiting on my shelf.