I did something this weekend I am not proud of. I let myself be swayed by what can only be categorized as "fair food". I saw a picture on Pinterest of this cookie- this massive cookie within a cookie- and I had to give it a try. I regret it. It's taken me all weekend to recover from the sugar overload of eating just a half of one of these.

I am putting the recipe here, so I can lure others to do what I did, so I don't feel so disgusted with myself. Basically, I am imploring you all to make me feel like I am not the only one who can be mesmerized by the idea of an Oreo cookie baked inside two chocolate chip cookies.

So go ahead, try it.

Super huge, almost spaceshipish, Oreos swallowed by chocolate chip cookies recipe:

• 1 cup shortening

• 1 cup packed light brown sugar

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar

• 2 large eggs

• 2 tablespoon vanilla extract

• 3 cups flour

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

• 1 package Double Stuff Oreo cookies

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, cream shortening, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together with a mixer until well combined.

Beat in eggs and vanilla.

In medium bowl mix the flour, salt, and baking soda. Slowly add to wet ingredients along with chocolate chips until just combined.

With a cookie scoop, form balls with the dough.

Place one ball on top of an Oreo cookie, and another ball on the bottom. Seal edges together by pressing and cupping in hand until Oreo cookie is fully enclosed with dough- this will be huge (even more so after it is baked).

Place onto parchment-lined or baking sheets and bake cookies for approximately 13 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool for 5 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.

This photo from http://chef-n-training.blogspot.com/

Today is the end of Day One—No Sugar Challenge. I did better than I thought I would. I resisted the lemon cheesecake bars in the fridge and was actually very proud of myself until I remembered we were taking the girls to the county fair. I did have a quarter of an elephant ear with sugar and cinnamon on it. Doesn't sound too bad, right? Wrong! Have you ever seen an elephant ear at a county fair? But, tomorrow is another day, and I will not be going to the fair.

This is not the actual elephant ear I helped eat, but it is pretty darn close. Looks good, huh?

I think you could fry just about anything and brush it with butter and drag it through cinnamon and sugar and it would be delicious. Not delicious enough for me to ruin my challenge again. I will not be defeated.

The Douglas County Fair was very entertaining. We got the typical fair freebies — pencils, water bottles, orange peelers etc... then we ate elephant ears with honey and butter and a whole basket of fried curly fries. Yum! Before heading over to the Umpqua Dairy ice cream truck we took a stroll through the exhibit halls and looked at the farm animals. We were lucky enough to happen upon a costume contest for sheep and goats. It was the best part of the fair.

                                                Day old piglets. They are so clean and shiny.

 

They say it's an orchid, but it's pretty weird.

This made my day — the Cheshire Cat, March Hare and the Mad Hatter. When the judges asked the Cat what he was he said, "The Mad Hatter cat" like they were stupid. They Mad Hatter was asked by the judges if it was hard to get his sheep into the costume. His response: "I don't know, I wasn't there when they did it." Seriously people, why would HE put his sheep in a costume?

The Vandal Marching Band performs Thriller by Michael Jackson during half-time.

We've been pretty busy these past few weeks and finally have a quiet weekend to ourselves. Football started here at the University of Idaho and our Vandals have decided to surprise everyone by winning some games. We are now 3-1.

Maggie and Moira went to the first home game with us. It was a lot of fun with the exception of the man who walked into the women's restroom to pee in a stall with the door open while Maggie was in line. I am going to assume he was intoxicated, otherwise it really lowers my already dubious attitude toward certain students of the Greek variety.

Speaking of drunk, universities around the U.S. have decided to hold tournaments for beer pong. That's right folks, beer pong. Just recently they held one at Washington State University— just over the state line. I myself am still a little unsure of what the point and rules of the game are, but I think I would rather stay in the dark. Wal-Mart, however, must have got wind of the idea because they are now catering to drunken college students and their beer pong sport by placing the ping-pong balls strategically next to the red beer cups.

Enough about that. We also went to the fair. The fair here is free, it really only takes up about half of a city block, but it is still fun. I mean, there were elephant ears, so how could it not be fun? I went on a ride with the kids and felt the need to vomit pretty much the whole time we were there. The kids loved the rides, but my favorite part are the animals. This year, we found a bouffant-haired chicken. She looked like a prize winner to me.

I took all these photos with my new iPhone. While the picture quality isn't that great, I love that I can take pictures everywhere I go and post them there for your enjoyment. Any requests?