7 posts tagged “chocolate”

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More random things about me - for SandyU  who tagged me........

1.  I love Plain Non-Fat yogurt.  I have it for lunch every day.  My lunch has never been stolen out of the work fridge.

2. I do not watch any "reality" TV shows  - I seem to be the only person I know who doesn't.  However, I did watch the first season of Survivor all those years ago.

3.  I have peroneal tendonitis in my left foot.  I have had it for 2 years now.  I don't think it is ever going to get better - it is an "overuse" injury and I just can't see how you can not use your foot.

4.  I admit to having owned some Abba cassettes - but surely I did not purchase them myself! :-)

5.  For seven years I lived in a 12-storey apartment block with hundreds of others and only learnt the name of one neighbour.  Ophelia!  A fabulous name  - I wish I was called Ophelia. My father wanted to call me Fleur - I'm glad my mother resisted - though Fleur would be a good Vox name. 

6.  I think of worst case scenarios for every situation.  I am a "what if worrier".  What if robbers suddenly appeared to rob that armoured truck as I'm walking past,  what if my waiter just sneezed all over my plate and has some incurable disease spread by "droplets"; what if the plane really does have to make a water landing; what if the life jacket is not under the seat;  what if ..... you get the idea!

7.  I have morning "tea" at 10am every morning - weekday & weekends. Though this actually consists of coffee rather than tea; if I miss out for any reason I turn into a very nasty person.

8. I have probably eaten tons of chocolate in my lifetime.  I have still not perfected the art of making a box last longer than a day.  I intend to continue practising on this!

We "gaggle of girls'  had so much fun yesterday.   There were 10 of us; much was imbibed and many good stories were told. The combined age was in excess of 500 years so there was a lot of life experience to share!

As three of us are in the "chub club" (will have to do a blog on that soon) I provided carrots, celery, peppers and wholemeal "healthier" crackers to plunge into a homus dip and guacamole.  Not so healthy were the gorgonzola & bacon bites or cheeses and definitely not that fabulously rich chocolate cake which was actually called Ecstasy Chocolate!

Miss D brought over her tea making set so that when we were sick of wine she set to making tea with all the appropriate timing and ceremony  - very entertaining. Especially the part where she asked where the kettle was....   kettle?   we don't have a kettle ..... (considered a non-essential item like the grater of a previous post).  Water had to be boiled in a saucepan and then very carefully poured into her little tea maker.
Myself and two others were considered quite anti-social as we drank our coffee!!

This is Miss D starting a tea - assisted by Rach with her glass of kahlua!

I did not get my grandmother's cups out of the cabinet as they are way too precious to me. When my grandmother was in her late 80's it was considered time that she went into a retirement village and so the grandchildren were invited to 'raid' her house for things that they might like to have.  I flew from Sydney to Dubbo and drove to Narromine and selected things I would like to have - it seemed sad and somehow wrong to be doing this though Nan wanted it.

As well as the gorgeous tea cups & plates I chose a crystal ashtray which she and Papa and got in Paris during a world trip in the late 1950's, an art deco style water jug and 6 matching glasses and a glass compote bowl. I also received a couple of etchings and a watercolour that Papa had done as well as a leather box he had crafted during WW2. 

When I was moving to America I agonised over these precious items.  I did not want to part with them but the logistics of getting them here in one piece seemed frightening!

I put tissues around those fragile little handles and filled the cups with cotton wool; the glasses were filled with cotton wool also.  I then wrapped them in many layers of bubble wrap.  In an Australia Post box I put a small blanket in first to line it and then my precious items, laying the blanket over the top as well.  I think I had three, maybe four, boxes because of the bulky packaging. 

I then entrusted them to not only Australia Post but also to Qantas airlines and the United States Postal Services!!!! 
I sent them by Economy Air (a service that no longer exists) where they were flown to Los Angeles and then trucked across America by USPS before being delivered by parcel post.

They were on display in our apartment for 7.5 years and 3 months ago when we moved into our house they were moved by the astro-dweeb as I considered them as important as his electronics/computers  -  i.e.  too precious to be trusted to the movers!!

They have travelled many miles without one crack, chip or breakage and every day I appreciate not only the beauty of them but the history that comes with them.  

 

For those of you wondering about my Christmas Godiva .......

This is what my $60 box of Godiva looks like:

 

 

 

 

This is what it looks like inside....

 

 

 

 

A close up of the tops which are hand painted:

 

 

They are:

Apple crumb pie; Chocolate cream pie; Pumpkin pie; Pecan pie; Strawberry Rhubarb pie; Chocolate Peanut Butter pie; Key Lime pie and Coconut Cream pie.

It is now 3 days since I opened these and not one has been eaten!!!!   They just look too beautiful to eat.   I will have to check the use-by date to see how long I have to simply admire them.

 

 

I've been doing for the past couple of days!   Eating my way through a lot of chocolate!

 

I  also re-discovered the well known fact that although we think we will, we never do remember what that  unlabelled package in the freezer is!    I seem to have a lot of “what the hell is this”  stuff!  Of course I did not throw it away because I might remember what it is!

 

And I discovered that we have a house guest – a really blatant mouse!   I had left a packet of corn chips on the bench and when I went out to investigate the rustling noise I spied a mouse running away.   So … traps were purchased and placed strategically around the oven, the back of which seems to be home to the pest.

 

Our mouse does not like cheese apparently  - the traps are undisturbed – but last night I heard rustling again and when I turned the light on, the mouse was sitting there eating dried bananas!!  It looked at me nonchalantly, picked up another piece of dried banana and just trotted off steadily across the bench to the corner of the oven, where it turned its little rodent head to look at me again before disappearing!    I’m starting to have images of the Willard movie!!

The astro-dweeb is on his way home and this is cause for a major pig-out on the remaining Tim Tams and Australian Cadbury's.!!  Great comfort food!

I get down to the last packet of biscuits or block of chocolate and I hoard them and refuse to open them until he is on his way back from a trip down under.  I couldn't just eat them all - you never know when there might be a crisis and they are just THE thing in a crisis!

This is the Original recipe - not that great in my opinion:

These are better:
Then there are Love Potions:

A great Cabinet Sauvignon ...   Climbing 2004   from Orange Australia.  Sells for around $10-11.

www.climbingwines.com.au

I love walking in the door pouring a glass and accompanying it with some crackers and homus!   Last night it went great with some chocolate cheesecake!!!

 

Don't you love the idea of Godiva at Halloween?   Actually, its good at anytime!

I sent the following recipe to a couple of friends asking them to think of me when they make these.....  of course they laughed!!

Godiva Mini Pumpkin Cakes:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup canned pumpkin or pumpkin purée
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup milk
1 bar (1.5 ounces) Godiva Dark Chocolate, chopped
1 bar (1.5 ounces) Godiva Solid Ivory, chopped
1/2 cup dried mixed fruit bits
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

Cream Cheese Frosting:
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Orange food coloring

Garnish:
2 ounces marzipan
Green food coloring
Confectioners' sugar

Make the mini pumpkin cakes:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat six mini-Bundt cake pans with nonstick cooking spray or vegetable shortening.
2. Beat butter and sugar in bowl until light and fluffy, using electric mixer at medium speed. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
3. Mix flour and baking soda. Add flour mixture, pumpkin, lemon zest, lemon juice and milk. Using a wooden spoon, stir until ingredients are blended. Do not overmix. Gently fold in chocolate, solid ivory, fruit bits and walnuts. Divide batter among prepared pans.
4. Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into each cake comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool 5 minutes. Turn onto a wire rack and cool completely.

Make the frosting:

1. Place cream cheese and butter in large bowl. Beat on high speed until smooth. Gradually add half of the confectioners’ sugar, beating on low speed. Add the lemon juice, orange food coloring and remaining confectioners' sugar and beat until smooth.
2. Cut tops off cakes so that they are flat. Using a small spatula, frost the flat sides of each cake and "glue" together to form a pumpkin. Repeat with the remaining cakes. Frost the outsides of the pumpkins with the frosting. Refrigerate the cakes.
3. Knead marzipan and a bit of green food coloring until color is blended. Sprinkle a bit of confectioners' sugar on work surface. Roll out marzipan to 1/4-inch-thick. Using a sharp knife, cut out leaf shapes. Let them air dry on a baking sheet for 3 or 4 hours before decorating pumpkin cakes.