I am in the process of polishing off the last of the Birthday chocolate, which is pretty amazing because my birthday was the end of August and I've made it last clear into October! (Nobody needs to know that I made a haul on chocolate this year, though.) 1 chocolate covered biscotti and 3 dark chocolate truffles to go....

I Can't Believe....

that I didn't eat one bite of Belgian chocolate while I was in Belgium*....but it's OK because I brought lots of it home to savor and (maybe) share. I was too busy eating all the other yummy food, like chocolate croissants and rice pie and tomato crème brûlée and Kate's famous spaghetti and Paul's famous barbeque and fish soup and fresh macarons and shrimp brochette and....well, check out pictures here:
http://laurie-hitandmiss.blogspot.com/

*The sample we were given in one of the chocolate shops doesn't count because it was white chocolate, and that's not the real deal!

I Digress...

Saturday indulgence, 9:30am

 
Sadly, this blog has become nothing more than a confessional for my errant ways. But I know that just around the corner there are some great adventures with chocolate which I’m just going to enjoy. Patience, please!

Chocolate Happens

I haven't had much to write about on this blog for a while because chocolate is what inspires me, and I haven't eaten much of it lately. However, yesterday I went into the lunchroom at work and, lo and behold, there were three boxes of donuts. And milk. So I ate half of a chocolate donut with frosting and drank a glass of milk.

When I went back to my desk Juliana had left me a whole donut with chocolate frosting and cream filling, and a glass of milk. It wasn't very long before it was all gone....

.... nope, I'm not even embarrassed to admit it, and I really don't like donuts all that much!

Oh, Crumb

For the past 3 months I have been diligent about exercising and eating well, to the point that I have hardly eaten any sweets, including, believe it or not, chocolate. I haven't binged once! This weekend I was feeling pretty proud of myself because we have had two events where really, really good food was served and I managed to be quite reasonable about it. Friday night the chocolate cake looked divine. Keven gave me one bite of his and I was completely satisfied. (When he offered me a second bite I only ate it because I didn't want to be rude.) Tonight at an open house there was another marvelous array of food and desserts, including LOTS of chocolate goodies. I was pretty proud of myself because all I had there was a glass of ICE WATER!!!! I was literally giving myself pats on the back and congratulating myself on being so dang good.

While we were gone a friend returned a casserole dish, which she had thoughtfully filled with heart-shaped brownies. I ate two (Keven only knows about the first one). They sure were good. I had to go brush my teeth to keep from eating more, but I'm already thinking I'll have one in the morning before I go running...

Oh, Fudge

Can you believe that I'm not really a big fan of fudge? Too often it is just too sugary and the chocolate flavor is overwhelmed by the competition. However, some of the best fudge ever was made by my oh-so-sweet mother-in-law, and I would guard a gift of her fudge like a mother bear. Spending years perfecting the art, she told me she learned that the best thing to do with a batch of fudge that didn't measure up was to spread it on graham crackers and let the boys have at it. I think they will always be thankful for her generosity! One of my favorite gifts from her was a sauté pan with a batch of her homemade fudge in it. YUM! Is it weird that I still think I can smell the chocolate all these years later when I make an omelet in that pan?

Chocolate Genes

My mother, obviously, has been a great influence in my life. But I think my passion for chocolate is more than influence; I'm quite sure it's genetic. However, I do know that I was greatly impressed about the importance of chocolate when I came home from 1st grade one day to find my mother relaxing on the living room sofa with a magazine and a WHOLE BOX OF CHOCOLATES!!! She was savoring one - I can actually remember seeing the ooey-gooey insides - and she even offered the box to me to choose whichever one I wanted! I was giddy. I was exhilerated. I was conflicted. Do I pick the one that obviously had a nut filling? Or the one with a pink rose on top? Or the dark chocolate with the white chocolate squiggly design? Maybe I could be absolutely careless and pick something randomly. I don't remember what my actual choice was but I do remember biting into it.....and being even more surprised. It was a rubber chocolate, as were all the rest in the box. April Fool's!

This sweet little plate will be sitting on my counter on April Fool's Day just inviting trouble - can you tell which two are edible and which two are not? I also have yummy looking hard candies that are supposed to taste like fish - can't say for sure because I'm not going to try one myself. Oh, and some fake dog mess that will be strategically placed for Keven & Kris' benefit. (Thanks for the inspirations, mom!)