Minnesota State Fair!

When all other states are dreading the end of summer, Minnesotans celebrate as the end of August only means one thing - THE STATE FAIR!!!!!

Almost everyone recognizes the state fair as one of the best times of the year. Some people are lame and can't overcome their hatred of large crowds to recognize the amazingness that the fair holds. I don't associate with them. The fair is awesome.

This year, I went on opening day with Abby, Megan and Adam, who went to school with Abby and now goes to school with Megan. We also caught Cece just before she left!

In preparation for the fair, I starved myself for 6 hours and it worked.
We started out with some malts from the dairy building. Then let those digest while we scarfed down the best french fries in the whole world.

Lookin good. 

Seriously amazing. 

After finishing off the fries, we went to the Horse Barns. 

This little nugget snuck out of one of the horse stalls covered in hay. 

Abby as the horse whisperer. 

After we left the horse barn, we did some people watching while walking around. The state fair honestly has the best people watching ever. Hands down. 

Nothing like pulling your kids around in a mesh cage with a massive flag hanging off the back. 'Merica. 

Just a guy casually walking around with a pair of antlers. 

Feeling like we needed some more food, we lined up for the Corn Roast which is on many people's Must Eat lists for the fair. 

Freshly roasted corn, slathered in butter and salt. Amazing. 

About to break the braces rules and eat corn-on-the-cobb. 

Next up was mini donuts, another Must Eat. 

Sunset over Machinery Hill. How romantic. . . 

This year they had a synthetic ice arena you could pay to skate on. It was made of some sort of plastic that looked just like ice!

More people watching:

Bad quality, but check out that hair!

The Giant Slide is one of those things that just never gets old. Best three bucks you can spend. 

Bacon taken to the next level.

To finish out the night, we hit up a few rides! 

Adam tries his hand at the rigged ring toss. 

Another fabulous find. That hair is fab. 

Please Dad, please win me the giant evil corn!!!!

Fireworks signal that it's probably time to go home. 

But you can't leave without eating just a little more! I grabbed a calzone which was delicious, and Megan and I slurped up an Icee while walking out. 

If you aren't from Minnesota and haven't been to the fair, I recommend a visit. The food alone is worth it. 

P.S. Yesterday I got my braces off! Third time was the charm!

Slutty Brownies

Yesterday, I went to Erin's house and we whipped up one of my absolute favorite desserts. Gooey, chewy bars of deliciousness, these are not for the faint of heart.

Behold the Slutty Brownie. 

Cookie dough covered in a layer of Oreos (Double Stuf, of course) with brownie mix poured on top, baked until they are not quite done. Perfectly melty and gooey and irresistible. 

The best part? They are extremely easy to make. 

The ingredients: 

1 bag of chocolate chip cookie mix

1 box of brownie mix

1 package of Double Stuf Oreos (or buy 2 and eat the second one)

Whatever amount of eggs, water, and oil your brownie and cookie mixes require

If you wanted, you could make these with homemade cookie dough and brownie batter, but let's be real: Ain't nobody got time for that. 

Before you get started with the fun, preheat your oven to 350 F. 

Step 1: Mix up your cookie dough according to the bag's directions. 

Step 2: Line a 9x9 inch square pan with wax paper. 

Step 3: Squish the cookie dough into the bottom of the pan to form the bottom layer. 

Step 4: Mix up your brownie batter

Step 5: Cover the layer of cookie dough with a layer of Oreos. 

Step 6: Pour the brownie batter over the Oreos. 

Step 7: Spread the brownie batter out so the Oreos and cookie dough are all covered up. 

Step 8: Stick the pan in the oven for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, take a toothpick or knife and stick it into the brownies to see if they are done. They should still be a little gooey in the middle of the pan, but if the edges of the pan are still gooey, they aren't done yet. 

Step 9: When you suspect they are done, pull them out of the oven and let them cool (but not all the way, because you want to eat them warm.)

Step 10: Use the wax paper to carefully lift the brownies out of the pan and set them on a cutting board. 

Step 11: Cut them into decent size chunks and prepare your stomach. 

Hello, beautiful. 

Yum. 

Enjoy. And try not to hoard them all for yourself. (Easier said than done!)

Vis Reunion!

Last night Michaela invited the whole Vis class of 2012 to her house to catch up before everyone heads back to college. It was so good talking with a bunch of people I hadn't had the chance to see yet this summer! 

Some of my girls in front of the massive food supply

Michaela's mom bought a delicious cookie cake which was a huge hit (we did go to Vis after all.)

Adorable decor. 

We shared college stories and ate and laughed and ate some more. I loved being able to hear how everyone's year went and what their plans are for the coming year. 

Shout out to our favorite unofficial Vis grad, Abby! Love you!

Some of my ND girls who I will be visiting in a few weeks (and Mary who will be there too)!! Can't wait! 

A toast to Vis: Not for School, but for Life. Obviously. 

Swimming love. 

Thanks again to Michaela who planned this great night! Good luck to all my girls during their sophomore year. I love all of you more than life itself. Have fun moving into your new apartments and dorms and live it up! Also, if you are studying abroad, if you don't visit me I will be very upset. So start planning your trips to Scotland now girls. My futon is ready.