5th of July Fruit Salad

I am the very definition of random, so it's not at all surprising that I recently found myself stuck in a Starbucks drive thru talking about picnics. It was a meandering sort of conversation (just like every freakin conversation I have), so it started out making sense, but before long, I was listening to a barista tell me about how she is a terrible cook, so she takes her "signature dish" to every event. Her signature dish happens to be potato salad, which somehow made me think of my mom's so-called signature dish.

Fruit salad.

My mom's thing wasn't exactly THAT, but rather a twitch-inducing simile. Any time we were invited anywhere, she made a fruit salad out of canned mixed fruit, vanilla pudding mix, and rainbow marshmallows.

I won't lie. It was goooooood. It was terrible in most every way, but still so good.

I decided I needed to make a variation of it that involved fresh fruit. I also kicked out the rainbow marshmallows because the green ones are gross and you can't convince me otherwise.

It turned out pretty darn good, if I do say so myself. As an added bonus, it was rather festive when I served it at our 5th of July party this past weekend.

5th of July Fruit Salad

2- 8.5 oz cans sliced pears (You can use the ones packed in juice or syrup. Both work.)
1 pint blueberries, cleaned
1 pound strawberries, cleaned and sliced
1- 3.4 oz. package instant vanilla pudding (or make your own)
1 cup mini marshmallows

1. Dump the pears and their syrup into a large bowl. If you want the pears cut up smaller, go for it.

2. Add the vanilla pudding. Stir until dissolved.

3. Add the blueberries and strawberries. Stir.

4. Throw some marshmallows on top.

5. Put it in the fridge for at least half an hour so that the pudding has a chance to thicken a bit.

6. Prepare to be asked what the white fruit is in that bowl. I guarantee at least one person won't recognize the pears outside of their native surroundings.

Anthrocon. Again.

Obviously, Anthrocon (aka "the furry convention") happened again. If you've never been around these parts when Pittsburgh is at its furriest, you should probably read this for a little background.

Oh, and this.

Just in case you didn't get the hint, I'm an Anthrocon fan. I'm not going to be attending any sessions any time soon, but still. SO. MUCH. FUN.

HOW CAN FUZZY THINGS NOT BE FUN? COME ON!

Now that we're a few years into this whole Anthrocon in Pittsburgh thing, it's turned into something a little different than it once was. Instead of standing on a street corner and trying to stealthily take a photo from afar, now I've got furries tweeting me to ask when I'm going to be around.

It's pretty much the greatest thing ever. (Psst ... say hi to @KyoteKlaw and @ScrapperFerret! They are both Pittsburghers who put the awwwwww in awesome.)

It was 4,000 degrees outside for Anthrocon this year, so we marched right into the Westin and camped out in the lobby. Air conditioning is my friend, yo.

AND SO IS THAT PONY/UNICORN/WHATEVER I DON'T CARE BECAUSE WOOOO! I FINALLY SAW ONE!

Ahem.

I've heard stories of My Little Ponies being at Anthrocon, but have never actually seen one before this weekend. Now I can mostly check that off on my bucket list.

(Next year I *really* need to see one of the My Little Ponies that smells like fruit. I've heard stories and I need personal evidence. Somebody make that happen, mmkay?)

Anyway, there was music. There was mayhem.

There was Mikey and Bob wearing tails.

And there was a lot of fun. In fur.

It doesn't get much better than that.

OK, wait. It does get better than that.

I'm a sucker for anything that glows. It's true.

More glowy things next year, please!

And more things that smell really good, please! (I'm not kidding. That pup smelled AMAZING, as did everyone he/she was with.)

And more cats. The world DEFINITELY needs more cats.

P.S. This year's Anthrocon stats:

Total attendees: 5,577 (Seriously, BlogHer, consider a smaller city for a venue. Pittsburgh ROCKS hosting large conferences. Obviously.)

Number of participants in the fursuit parade: 1,300 (Translation: over 4,000 of the people who attended the conference don't do the dress up in a costume thing.)

Economic impact on Pittsburgh: $6.2 million (Meaning, if you have anything negative to say about Anthrocon, your argument is invalid. Shut your face.)

Money raised for Equine Angels Rescue by Anthrocon: $31,000 (AWESOMENESS.)

That is all.

Until next year.

(More photos here.)

Anthrocon. Significantly Less Odd Than the Taylor Swift Concert.