Buddy the Elf is SO EXCITED to see Destiny take on Taylor! Each competitor is armed with the exact same gingerbread kit.
Today’s secret ingredient is…Peppermint Moonshine! This is the ingredient that must be included in each gingerbread house.
Step 1 for Taylor was to set up the box as a fence so Destiny wasn’t stealing from her.
Eric stood by just in case there was any leftover moonshine.
The frosting that came with the kit was very runny, so the gingerbread builders did their best!
Taylor’s gingerbread house included a palm tree and koi pond in the front yard. The “koi’ were Swedish Fish and the “water” was the peppermint moonshine. Mele Kalikimaka!
Destiny used jelly beans to create a beautiful masonry work chimney. And it’s a sturdy chimney because it took on some peppermint moonshine rain. Quality craftsmanship.
‘Candy Corn Cocoa’ mysteriously appeared on Clare’s desk.
The cocoa had some white chunks that refused to dissolve. The smell and taste are very sweet. And it really coats the tongue. If you really like candy corn, maybe this is for you, but the Scramblers say pass.
The Jonas Brothers swear by Rob’s Popcorn. It’s made by the father of their former bandmate. They used to snack on this popcorn backstage when they were an up and coming act.
It’s a unique blend of flavors…there’s an initial sweetness, salty, and savory. The ingredients lists onion and garlic powder, sweet red pepper and carrot. It’s ok. Not ‘buy another case of Rob’s Popcorn good,” but just okay.
Destiny and her boyfriend grabbed some hot chocolate and drove around the neighborhood looking at Christmas lights.
Eric enjoyed a rare Sunday night out to see Post Modern Jukebox at the Paramount Theatre!
Clare’s family created gingerbread houses. This year the theme was “movies and books.” And as you can see, Clare is having no problem executing the theme “Anne of Green Gables.”
Last year we sampled fruitcake that Clare made with real dried fruits. This store-bought fruitcake has some very bright colors. The green is candied orange rind?! Flavor wasn’t bad. Tastes like a Fig Newton.
Eric treated us to Ambrosia, which is a whipped topping and vanilla yogurt base, with cherries, mandarin oranges, pineapple tidbits, coconut, pecans, and tri-color marshmallows. There’s a lot going on in that salad. Pretty good stuff!
Clare whipped up ‘Aunt Bertha’s Nana Pudding with the Cheery on Top.” This featured homemade vanilla pudding from scratch. Delish!
And since there’s a cherry on top of that nana pudding, it’s a great opportunity to practice tying cherry stems in your mouth. Eric can do it!
Clare and the fam were feeling the holiday magic when they saw ‘Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella’ at Theatre Cedar Rapids.
Eric enjoyed Christmastime traditions in Chicago with friends.
Destiny spent her weekend in Des Moines! On her way to a park she stumbled across these GIANT inflatables! So, of course she had to stop for a picture and check out inside the bar they were connected to! It was the best surprise of the trip.
And for fun, Eric brought in a Key Lime Tea he found in his dad’s pantry on Thanksgiving break. It’s not expired but is well past its “best by” date.
Eric suggested we start with tea and bacon because that’s kind of like breakfast!
Bacon is the candy of meat, so the bacon candy cane wasn’t bad. It’s no one’s first choice of candy cane, but not as bad as we were expecting. If we had to rank them, this one was Clare’s favorite.
The tea tasted like pickles? Lightly of pickles, but even a hint of pickle is plenty of pickle.
That leaves Ketchup and Mac & Cheese candy canes together, which some people do combine…ew.
Mac & Cheese candy canes smelled like FEET. Holy teenage boy feet, Batman! The flavor is more like buttered popcorn, but the smell… yuck. Destiny really liked the flavor if she held her nose. These were her fav.
Ketchup candy canes were very tomato-y and spot on. Eric liked them because they reminded him of warm tomato soup.
After a full year away from her parents Destiny spent her long holiday weekend with them! They were excited to check out some local restaurants and shops.
Eric’s view Sunday morning before returning to reality.
Clare got to work this weekend. After turkey, it was time to start cranking out the Christmas cookies.
Clare was like that relative that you specifically asked not to bring a dish, but she still did. She brought some “Green Bean Casserole Pizza.” Thanks Clare.
It tastes just like green bean casserole–the sauce is cream of mushroom soup, there’s a few green beans, and it’s topped with cheese and crispy onions. Eric didn’t like it because he doesn’t like green bean casserole. Destiny liked the flavor, but eating it in pizza form weirded her out. Clare says it’s good! Really good!
The main event: The Bud Light Seltzer Ugly Sweater pack featuring Cranberry, Cherry Cordial, Sugar Plum, and Seltzer Nog.
Cranberry was a weak flavor. Like you took a sip of seltzer and someone in the next room shouted out a flavor. It was good, but weak.
Cherry Cordial tastes exactly like a cherry cordials! It’s sweet with a chocolate finish and none of the weird texture of a cherry in your chocolate. Win.
Sugar Plum made us nervous after having tried real sugar plums last year. They were gross. But this was fruity and good!
No one was excited to try Seltzer Nog. It smells and tastes like vanilla, but doesn’t coat your tongue like a regular nog. Pretty good!
A trip to Dubuque and back was necessary Saturday morning to confirm Eric had sinus congestion and NOT COIVD.
Destiny is FINISHED with Christmas shopping! Well… only for her nieces and nephews. She spent her Saturday night wrapping some of the presents. Also, check out her new gnome pajamas and socks!!
Clare’s hubby was hungry to chocolate cake, so he whipped one up from scratch! So good 🤤
Left Scoop: ‘Caramelized Turkey with Cranberry Swirl’ contained bits of candied turkey bacon. We suspect they threw in some sage as well. It tasted like ice cream with suffing. Yeck. Right Scoop: ‘Parker House Rolls with Salted Butter’ was a mild flavor…sort of like eating cake and ice cream, but there were some big chunks of salted butter, which was a bit much.
Destiny HATES the flavor of sage, so Caramelized Turkey ice cream was a big no for her.
Top Scoop: ‘Sweet Potato Pie with Double-Baked Almond Streusel’ was the winner of the day. It had a pumpkin-pie smell with a light cinnamon finish. Bottom Scoop: ‘Candied Walnut Cheesecake’ was very nutty, but light on the cheesecake. Fine if you’re a walnut lover, but underwhelming if you were hoping for the cheesecake to cut through. Brown Scoop: Finally, we had such high hopes for ‘Pumpkin and Gingersnap Pie,’ but alas…they went HEAVY on the ginger. Wow. That was terrible.
