Now if only I can get on the ball and start publishing posts more frequently…

So another Labour Day has passed and so has another successful season of the Canadian National Exibition. I usually go every year, this time it was particulary to test my palette with this year’s artery-clogging, edible fad: deep-fried butter.

Yes, you read correctly. If you didn’t already hear all the hype surrounding these battered concoctions, you’ll probably have to wait until next year to try it again at the EX (unless you want to attempt whipping up a batch yourself).

When I first heard of the deep-fried butter concept, I tried to invision how it would look, and also how it would taste (the thought of eating straight butter is a bit of a turn-off). But basically the batches are made with a butter-mix (from the taste I’m assuming it’s a butter-creamed cheese ratio) scooped up with a melon baller and frozen. After the bite-sized balls are taken out of the freezer it’s dipped into a batter (think along the same lines as funnel cake), then deep-fried for several moments. Afterwards, they’re topped off with swirls of chocolate, rasberry, vanilla and caramel. Sounds delicous doesn’t it?

Was it worth the hour I waited in line to purchase one? Probably not, because I could’ve just spread some butter on my funnel cake from the kiosk next door and kill some time. As I bit in it was definitely rather tasty-delicious, but then that squirt of butter hits you and you’re kind of taken aback. It definitely wasn’t bad though. But I don’t think I’ll fork over $5 for 4 tiny butter-balls any time soon. My friend ate hers whole, and found it very appetizing.

Did I feel sick after eating it? Not really… but then again, I also had a bit of my sister’s funnel cake, a dozen Tiny Tom Donuts, and of course I had to pick up a deep fried Mars bar because I haven’t had one of those before either (don’t worry… I shared all those treats with my sister and friend who were there with me… I’m not that greedy!). Hmmm… I forgot to mention I also had some Mexican-ized poutine earlier on that day from the Food Building.

I thought our deep-fried binge was a good ending to a long day shopping at the EX. That’s right, we didn’t really see any of the attractions, go to the casino, see the super-pets, or play the midway games–we shopped. And that’s only because there were such great deals in the warehouse (Direct Energy Centre). French Connection UK, Stitches, Costa Blanca, Bluenotes, Sirens… I don’t think I’ll need to pick up any more clothes for the rest of the year. I only spent about $80 in total and picked up four sweaters, a nice pair of dress pants from French Connection, three dressy tops,  a couple of nice shirts, two cute skirts, three tanks.

Now to pay that Visa bill…

There are a lot of events going on in the city and across the nation. But it’s important to remember that being mindful of Earth’s environment should be done 365 days a year.

I’m happy to see so much positive change when it comes to environmental promotion, less consuming, recycling, and reusing. But there’s so many things that could still be done. I’m going to try to to my part to help conserve and keep Earth as green as possible, whether it means opting for public transit over driving, turning off unnecessary lights, or by carefully recycling all that I can.

Be sure to do your part. Get involved. Keep in mind that this planet is the only one we have, and we need to sustain it.

Find out more about Earth Day events in your city (including taking the Brita® FilterForGood pledge at Yonge-Dundas Square to reduce bottled water waste) by visiting earthday.ca. If you’re free this weekend and would like to attend a fun and educational eco-consumer show, visit the Green Living Show at Exhibition Place in Toronto. Check out the details at greenlivingonline.ca

The KFC website’s homepage ad on the new Double Down sandwich says, “Don’t just feed your hunger. Crush it!” With fast moving images of the Double Down sandwich in the background. Crush your arteries, more like it, with a heart-stopping amalgamation of cheese, mayonnaise, bacon sandwiched between two breaded chicken fillets.

Who needs bread when you have two pieces of deep-fried, battered chicken? Kentucky’s Double Down was launched Monday in the U.S. Thank goodness that there’s no sign of it coming to Canada, because I wouldn’t like to subject myself to that much sandwiched fat (as tempting as it may be).

I was surprised to hear that this was “only” 540 calories, just about par with McDonald’s Big Mac. But the kicker is a whopping 1,380 milligrams of sodium and 32 grams of fat. They have a grilled chicken option, but I doubt many patrons would go that route with all the awe surrounding the original concoction. What happened to fast food chains starting to gear to the healthy trend?

Mmmm… I could feel my arteries clogging up already.

Open:

• All family-friendly tourist attractions (incl. movie theatres, Toronto Zoo, CN Tower, Casa Loma, ROM, Ontario Science Centre, skating rinks and arenas)
• Eaton Centre
• Vaughan Mills
• Pacific Mall
• Woodbine Centre

Closed:

• Banks
• Schools
• Public libraries
• LCBO and Beer Stores
• Post offices
• Most malls and grocery stores

TTC is running on holiday schedule and GO Transit is running on Saturday schedule. Have a happy family day, everyone!