Check out my website to view a vast array of gifts for every budget!  The gifts come beautifully packaged in a box and arranged very nicely with a personalized card from you.  We can either ship directly to you or directly to the receiver.  You do not have to worry about the middle man or it getting there on time!  We ship fed ex ground and guarantee delivery and satisfaction or your money back!

So check out the gifts and if you would rather sample some of the products before hand, simply contact me for a taste test!  My website is www.tastefullysimple.com/web/jsacco

In my kitchen, I try to keep frozen meals and treats ready to go for mom/baby homecomings.  Babies don't always enter the world at the most convenient time, but I want to be prepared to bless the family with food when they do!  For the occasions that I don't have a meal ready, I do keep handy plenty of staples that make a meal come together quickly.  (There is no running to the store here... it's 15 miles away.) 

Here are some of the things I've either taken to families or been the grateful recipient of:

• sloppy joes
• breakfast casserole and muffins
• brown bag burritos (When I hadn't yet visited my sister-in-law after she was home with her third boy, she called and jokingly demanded "I had a baby!  Where are my burritos?!")
• meatballs and cheesy potato casserole
• chicken and rice casserole
• hamburger quiche
• baked spaghetti
• cavatini
• meat loaf
• fresh fruit (My favorite!  After I have a baby, I'm not up to eating a full meal for a few days.  Healthy, handy snacks are a treat!)

For families with older children, it's nice to take some kid-friendly "fun food."  Kids love the having their own stash (and they get excited to see something for them and not the baby!), and moms appreciate the ease of appeasing their brood's hunger.   

• juice boxes
• cookies (I make a big batch of dough and freeze dough balls to bake fresh when I need them.)
• granola bars
• pigs in a blanket (scroll down for recipe)

When organizing the food in your kitchen, make room for meals to bless new families.  It works for me!  Visit Rocks in My Dryer to delve into other bloggers' kitchen organization tips!

Actually, prices are often really good on "some" items at any time. You simply have to wait on the item you want to "go on sale" when you need it. The problem - seasonal needs are very similar for many people, and prices generally will follow the "supply vs. demand" model of fluctuation... so, when you need it is NOT the time to buy it (for many seasonal items).

This post is about encouraging you to think forward... to plan now, and buy now, for what you will need in the upcoming season. If you are going to send cards, order custom holiday cards now. If you will send food gifts, like popcorn tins or gourmet cookies or chocolate, order these corporate food gifts now... don't wait until you need them when supply is limited, time is crunched, and your options are fewer.

Go ahead... fall forward in your thinking about your business gifts and promotions. The extra time spent now will mean that the pressure will be greatly reduced later.

Oh yeah, don't forget the boss. You can find other executive gifts, besides food gifts, suited for them.

Need some help finding great birthday gift ideas for men? No need to give a tie this year - here are 5 great birthday gift recommendations for men that he's sure to love:

1. Photo Gifts: Any man would love a birthday gift made from his favorite photo. Some of the most popular photo birthday gifts for men include coffee cups, mousepads, puzzles, luggage tags, and photo books. You can also order cards, golf balls, aprons, and U.S.postage stamps personalized with his favorite photo. These fun photo birthday gifts start at under $10.

Other popular photo birthday gift ideas for men are photo gadgets. This category includes digital photo keychains, clocks, and even digital photo watches. He'll have a blast downloading his favorite photos onto these great photo gadgets!

2. Outdoor Living Gifts: Another fun category of birthday gift ideas for men is outdoor living gifts. Grilling gifts are some of the most in-demand gifts for men. Grilling gifts could include motorized grill brushes, grill accessories, and even grilling gift baskets loaded with fun grilling tools and spices.

An outdoor TV would be high on most men's gift list. If you can't quite swing the cost, perhaps he'd enjoy relaxing in a hammock, or listening to his favorite tunes on the wireless outdoor speakers you give him for his birthday gift?

3. Food and Wine Gifts: With so many choices these days, gift baskets are popular birthday gift ideas for men. You can choose from sports-themed gift baskets, wine gift baskets, beer gift baskets, cheese gift baskets...it seems like the list is endless!

Other creative gift ideas for men include in-home draft beer system (under $300!), personalized martini shakers and shot glasses, and gourmet-item-of-the-month clubs. You can't go wrong with any of these great birthday gift suggestions.

4. Experiential Gifts: Some of the most thrilling birthday gifts for men include incredible experiences that you give as presents. You can find an experiential gift that's as wild or as tame as he is. From Rock and Roll Fantasy Camp to hot air balloon rides to NASCAR race car driving experiences, he's sure to remember this unique birthday gift!

5. Gadgets: Most men adore gadgets, so it's easy to see why they are such popular men's birthday gifts. How about a CarMD, the engine code reader that will diagnose car problems for him? The grill master might like a talking remote grill thermometer that tells him when the meat is done.

If he's a sports fan, why not a wireless sportscaster so he can follow all the baseball or football news? For the golfer, range finders or putting trainers would be great birthday gift gadgets.

Hopefully you've found the perfect birthday gift you're looking for, and won't be reduced to giving him a tie this year. Unless, of course, it's personalized with his favorite photo...yet another unique birthday gift suggestion!

If you really can't bring yourself to give chocolate or cookies, maybe a nice food gift basket would hit the spot!  If nothing in the food gift line works on your taste buds, there is so much more to choose from... In addition to many high quality food gifts, (like chocolate gifts, gift baskets, candy jars, coffee sets, etc.) you could choose from hundreds of thousands of custom promotional products for your business or organization.

You may seriously want to give the food gifts a taste... I mean, give them a test ;)

I have known my husband for over 25 years. He has never cooked a meal - oh, he has fed the children in my rare absence, he warms things up and occasionally makes a sandwich for himself . He has said he would be a great cook - he just hasn't actually cooked.

Until last week. He bought a book about sports and nutrition and out of all the information there, he focused on the beans. Pinto beans. Oh, and how you can make them in a crock pot. He was surprised to find that I do not have a crock pot - so he set out to determine which one he should purchase so he could make his beans. He came home with the world's largest crock pot. A recipe for cooking a whole turkey came with it. It is programmable. It is manly.

After asking me where to find and how to identify a few items at the store, he went to buy his ingredients. He found everything he needed including the fresh cilantro and dried beans. He was very excited to find

dried lima beans, too. He pulled out a bowl I judged a bit small to soak the beans, but i decided that I would answer questions he asked, but otherwise not inject myself into his cooking process.

He completed the beans a couple of days later. They were spicy and a bit al dente. He said next time he would pay more attention to the soaking part of the process. I served some with our dinner and he has put the rest in the freezer. Now he is asking questions about cake ingredients. Apparently there is a recipe for crock pot blueberry cake.

Now were cookin'.

Make a gift of our chef and kitchen themed gifts to the cook in your house. Or add some decorative

switchplates to match your kitchen decor.

Technorati: cooking, chef, kitchen, switch plates, designer switch plate, kitchen switchplates, cooking, cooking gifts, chef magnet clip, pineapple switch plate, chili pepper gifts, chili pepper pill box, custom gifts, hostess gifts, kitchen themes, food gifts, kitchen decor, crock pot, beans, pinto beans, recipe clip

Fudge-Iced Brownies

This Fudge-Iced Brownie recipe is courtesy of Heather Albrecht who works for the Kitchener Rangers hockey club. The recipe originated with Mary Moore, former food columnist for the Kitchener Record (now known as the Waterloo Region Record).

Heather says (and I'd concur) that this recipe is a winner - delicious and very easy to make. The brownies mix up in one bowl with no melting of chocolate required, and they taste very rich and fudgey. One bite and you'll know why they're called Fudge-Iced Brownies. Consider them a special treat!

Heather starts checking the brownies for doneness after about 20 minutes of baking because she doesn’t want them to dry out. She finds that the baking time varies with the outdoor temperature and humidity.

I baked these brownies in a Pyrex baking pan so I found the brownies took 40 minutes to bake to my liking. (Brownies will cook faster in a metal baking pan than in a glass pan.) They turned out very fudgey and moist.

Determining when brownies are done can be a challenge. Of course if they are overbaked, you run the risk of drying them out. But if really underbaked, they will be soft, sticky (almost gooey), and they won't hold their shape well.

Often you can tell visually how close to done brownies are because the centre section of brownies in the pan may look wet and glossy. Start testing for doneness early as oven temperatures vary, and brownies can go from perfectly baked to overbaked in mere minutes. It's best to underbake brownies rather than the opposite.

The easiest ways to test if brownies are done are the touch and toothpick tests. Gently touching the surface of the brownies with your fingertip will give you an indication of how set the brownies are. If the brownies feel set, insert a toothpick or cake tester into the centre. If the toothpick comes out wet, with batter clinging to it, the brownies are not ready. If the toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs sticking to it, the brownies are done. For optimal flavour and texture, let them cool completely before icing and indulging!

Fudge-Iced Brownies
(Makes a 9 x 13-inch/3 L baking pan)

Brownies:
2 cups (500 mL) brown sugar
1 cup (250 mL) butter, softened
1 cup (250 mL) all-purpose flour
1 cup (250 mL) chopped walnuts (optional)
1/2 cup (125 mL) cocoa
4 eggs
2 teaspoons (10 mL) vanilla

Icing:
½ cup (125 mL) butter
5 tablespoons (75 mL) cocoa
1/8 teaspoon (.5 mL) salt
2 teaspoons (10 mL) vanilla
2 cups (500 mL) icing sugar
Hot water

To make Brownies: Combine brown sugar, butter, flour, walnuts (if using), cocoa, eggs and vanilla in a bowl. With electric mixer, beat at medium speed until smooth and creamy. Spread evenly into a buttered 9 x 13 (3 L) baking pan. Bake at 300F (150C) until a toothpick inserted in the centre of the brownies comes out with a few crumbs clinging to it, about 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.

To make Icing: Melt butter in a saucepan; stir in cocoa, salt and vanilla. Heat mixture, stirring frequently, until boiling. Remove from heat and stir in icing sugar. (Mixture will be thick.) Add small amounts (1 to 2 teaspoons/5 to 10 mL) of hot water at a time and beat with a whisk until mixture is just thin enough to spread over brownies.

(For another great Brownie recipe, check out my February 26/08 post.)

 Most of the chocolate became gifts for the lovely ladies who work behind the bar where my BF and I met.  A couple of years ago, I bought a set of four clear glass tumblers that came with removable vinyl stick-on words.  I'd been considering getting rid of them because I never used them, and this became the perfect opportunity.  I layered the three flavors of M&Ms in the tumblers and decorated them with the stick-on words.  The bright colors coordinated well.  Pretty!  I think they made a festive gift.  I brought them down to the bar when we popped in earlier this week. 

 The remaining candies that wouldn't fit into the tumblers went into a Decadent M&M Cake I invented, using stuff I had on hand.

Decadent M&M Cake 

Ingredients

Cake

• 1 box Butter Cake Mix
• 1 can Coke Zero Cherry Vanilla
• 2 packages Dark Chocolate M&Ms

Chocolately Peanut Butter Frosting

• 3 packages Peanut Butter M&Ms
• 3/4 tub Cool Whip Light
• 1 container Marshallmallow Creme

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees and mist 13x9 baking pan with nonstick spray.
• Empty cake mix into bowl, pour in diet soda and stir to combine.
• Stir in Dark Chocolate M&Ms.
• Bake according to package instructions.  Allow to cool.
• While cake is baking, microwave Peanut Butter M&Ms in 30-second intervals, stirring each time, until melted.
• Allow to cool to room temperature.
• Stir Cool Whip and marshmallow creme into chocolate until well blended and chill.
• When both cake and frosting are fully, cooled, spread frosting on cake.
• Chill thoroughly before cutting.

There is not a single occasion where chocolate is considered a misfit. Chocolate always brings me sweet (or bitter sweet) memories.... Chocolates on the bed, Truffles with Champagne, Mystery Praline flavors on my birthdays, and definitely Cocoa in my milk at bed time!

The person who does knows how to do chocolate well is Max Brenner, The BALD man. He associated his chocolates with emotions, culture and a sense of mystery to pique the inquisitive nature of us earthlings. Base on this idae, all Max Brenner's product ranging from the pralines, packaging and the mugs shouts out to people's curiosity

So who is this Bald Man? After some googling, I found this photo on a dated Reuter blog post:

BUT NO!!!! There is no living Max Brenner! According to a Food Review from NYMag:

The answer is bittersweet. Just as there is no Johnny Rocket and, sadly, no Chuck E. Cheese, there is no living, breathing Max Brenner—well, not really. The name is actually a composite of two Israeli marketing geniuses, Max Fichtman and Oded Brenner, who launched the business ten years ago in Ra’anana and sold it to Strauss-Elite (Israel’s version of Kraft), which now operates outposts and franchises from Melbourne to Makati City. Somewhere over the course of spreading the chocolate gospel, the ­European-trained (and sufficiently bald) chocolatier Oded Brenner has adopted the ­Wonka-like persona of “Max Brenner.”

Either way, cocoa + sugar + milk + butter = Happiness.

My first date with Max Brenner was in Sydney along Oxford Street, and its unforgettable. He welcomed with rich aroma of cocoa and the tall stacks of sweet belgium waffles on display upon opening his glass door. Despite being on a strict diet, resistance was futile. Ha~

This time round, my trip to Singapore's Max Brenner's Chocolate Bar, sad to say, not that impressed. Aroma... so so... No waffles, but the decor and merchandise layout remains enticing. =)

Left to right: Ankit, Eugene and Me!

Strategy: Get ALL and convince them that it fits into the 9 piece box

Magnet Choco: Signature LOVE choco >>>

Yes, I am that happy just to be in Max Brenner.

After good 30 min of fiddling around with the various merchandises and ogling at the pralines, we got down to order .

Ankit's Happiness: Java Chocolate with Orange Peel

Taste Test: Orange peel was interestingly refreshing, but suitable only for those who like the smell of orange peel.

Eugene's Happiness: Signature Suckao

*The Suckao spoon cum straw*

Taste Test: Milk chocolate with milk is a no fail combination, but too sweet for Eugene. Got a bit too overwhelming towards the end. Suitable for those milk chocolate lovers.

Celeste's Happiness: Maragnan (Choco+Irish Cream+Espresso+Some Liqueur)

- It came in a teapot with a shooter glass (?!?!)

*I believe you can tell that i am clumsy and anxious to try it*

Taste Test: rich choco, strong flavors and smooth down the throat. I like it!

Overall review... Not too bad as a location to hang out with friends and have fun and "happiness", with very decent quality chocolate and coffee.

How about the pralines?

Look:

The most impressive component in my opinion. Simple and cute square pralines that have interesting motifs printed on. These little pralines are then tuck away in lovely and elegant push out box.

Taste:

The pralines did not stand out as the best tasting pralines around but definitely among the better ones.

Day after tasting:

Seem to lose its freshness after 1 day even when I kept it in air-conditioned room. But, on the hind side, pralines are not meant to be eaten day after anyway.... hee~

]]> http://superiorhabitat.wordpress.com/2008/04/02/tote-ally-fabulous/ Wed, 02 Apr 2008 15:19:28 +0000 superiorhabitat http://superiorhabitat.wordpress.com/2008/04/02/tote-ally-fabulous/

Here it is folks. The Xhilaration® Spoons Graphic Tote from Target. There is obsessed, and then there is how I feel about the Spoon Tote. This bag is only $9.99 - that's superior savings people. Now – we all know that Ms. Superior needs a bag like a leprechaun needs gold. But this bag is special and versatile. A simple white tote with silver spoons all over it. Adorable? Check. Washable? Check. Saving the environment by not using a plastic bag? Check.

Things YOU should do with this bag pretty at least once a week:

ü  Carry your lunch to work in it – so much better than “un sac brun”.ü  Pick up a few fresh grocery items in it on the way home from work. Groceries in a bag with spoons – SUPERIOR!ü  Library book bag.ü  Beach bag.

Superior things you should do for OTHERS with this bag: Make it your signature seasonal gift wrapping this spring (Wedding showers, Mother’s Day). $9.99 is a lot for gift wrap, but this is gift wrap that you can use over and over again. Plus you aren’t just creating more garbage to pollute the earth – because who saves gift wrap?

A few superior suggestions (feel free to mix and match as your budget allows):

ü  The Silver Spoon cookbook by Phaidon Press – the cookbook to have. Plus it’s called the SILVER SPOON. I feel faint from the sheer perfection of this combination.

ü  Any other cooking, gastronomy book or DVD that you think the recipient might enjoy. America’s Test Kitchen is a superbly superior present.

ü  Whole Foods Gift Cards (anywhere from $5-$500 dollars) – but any local grocery store will do just fine.

ü  Zagat Restaurant Guides – This is always a wonderful present – especially for people who have just moved somewhere new.

ü  All the ingredients for a fresh dinner: Fresh pasta, tomatoes, a chunk of parmigian, fancy olive oil.

ü  All the ingredients for a decadent dessert (even if decadent means Betty Crocker cake mix and a tub of frosting. Through in some baking tins and you’re good to go).

ü  Gourmet popcorn, a popcorn bowl, gift card to Netflix.

ü  Bottles of wine (make sure they are protected with something in the bag and aren’t clinking together – have some class for the glass). Wine opener is a nice addition as well.

ü  William-Sonoma gift card (any cooking tool or fancy kitchen device from this fancy store would work)

ü  Beautiful hand-towels, kitchen soap (eco friendly Mrs. Meyer’s would be lovely!)

Let me know any other superior ideas you come up with - maybe some winter holiday suggestions?

A few days ago, a cool birthday card came in the mail for him from my sister-in-law, brother and niece.

Inside the card: So on your birthday, Eat, Drink and BE MURRAY
(Created by DCI Studios)

The card elicited an extra smile from both of us since Murray is not a cat lover, although he does seem to have a special bond with Sam, the black Burmese-ish cat who lives next door and occasionally stays with us when his family is away.

Murray's birthday was a low-key celebration, as our birthdays tend to be. Just him and me, out for supper as is our usual birthday tradition. He picked Charbries restaurant in Waterloo as his destination of choice. I reserved the table by the fish tank. Again, his choice.

"If our conversation becomes dull or we run out of things to talk about, we can always look at the fish," he reasoned.

As it turned out, we were able to find something to talk about all the way from pre-dinner drinks through dessert! We also watched the marine life swimming in the wall tank beside us. It included tiny fish with flourescent blue stripes on their sides and a little shark that stayed motionless on the bottom of the tank nearly all through dinner. Our server told us she once saw the shark lying on his back with his mouth open and presumed the worst, but the next day he was swimming around again!

Dinner started with a four cheese soup for Murray and curried cauliflower soup for me. A Jonagold apple and cardamom sorbet cleansed our palates before the entrees were served - chicken in a wine sauce and roasted vegetables for him, and portabello-wrapped pork with chunky applesauce and roasted vegetables for me. We shared dessert - apple bread pudding with caramel sauce and whipped cream.

Yes, we managed to eat, drink and be "merry".....in Murray's honour!

Speaking of honour, I was also able to find an appropriate card for Murray.

Inside the card: Actually, I honored you more than once.
(Created by Carlton Cards)

I used to silently wonder about people who meticulously cut their apples into wedges or slices with a knife before eating them.

What was wrong with just biting your way around the fruit until you'd found the inedible core? I suppose by slicing to the core, then cutting it away before eating each slice, you never risked not knowing you'd hit the centre of the apple! Duh!

Was cutting an apple into even sections a neat freak's way to eat this favourite fruit? It did eliminate messy juices dripping down your chin when you chomped into an especially juicy apple. And, it did allow one to pay equal attention to each evenly cut apple wedge, if that was important to you. And I suppose it might be to someone anal about how they eat apples.

Maybe the apple somehow tasted better cut into pieces?

Then my sister tucked an apple wedger and corer into my Christmas gift bag (okay, so my family uses gift bags, not stockings!) and the light bulb went off.

Pre-cutting the apple is a neat, civilized way to eat an apple. You get rid of the core in one deft maneuvre and are left with evenly sized apple wedges that can be easily held by big or little fingers. What's so wrong with that?

An apple may not taste better this way (although some may argue this point), but it is a simple, fast and fun way to make apple wedges to enjoy however you like (especially dipped in chocolate or caramel sauce ,which I seldom do but it's fun to think about enjoying them this way!).

You may have to look a little to find an apple wedger/corer. Try a kitchen store, or wherever kitchen tools are sold. My sister picked up apple wedgers at a dollar store.

Last year, Carol Wiebe, an artist and dear friend, created two pieces of chocolate-themed art for me. The first, Chocolate Confessions, was a commissioned piece I asked her to create when she began making personalized mixed media collages.

Chocolate Confessions by Carol Wiebe, 2007

To create the piece, Carol asked me to give her a picture of myself, and to write out some thoughts about chocolate. One thing I wrote about was that I eat chocolate everyday. Using that idea, Carol designed a chocolate mandala sun with painted rays and my own words about chocolate radiating from it. (Although you can not see the fine details, my handwriting is sprinkled liberally throughout the art quilt.)

Carol also painted a cacao tree to reflect my interest not only in eating chocolate but studying the history of it.

What about that chocolate egg? Those of you who know I work for the Egg Farmers of Ontario probably figured out the significance of the egg pretty quickly.

On the back of Chocolate Confessions, Carol appropriately penned the following: "Both chocolate and confessions can assuage the soul."

Ancient Appetites came as a wonderful Christmas surprise from Carol. This piece included other aspects of my love of all things chocolate (like Cocoa, my poodle), historical references to chocolate and cocoa, as well as a favourite recipe for Molten Chocolate Cakes (the underbaked baby cakes that spill chocolate lava when unmolded onto a dessert plate and broken into with a fork or spoon).

Ancient Appetites by Carol Wiebe, 2007

Showing these pieces here does not begin to do proper justice to their beautiful colours, textures and sparkle, or Carol's fine workmanship, however believe me when I say both are beautifully crafted keepsakes I will treasure always.

Carol has written about both creations on her Silverspring Studio blog. Her reflections on these pieces can be found on her posts, Chocolate Confessions and A Surprise of Beautiful Work. On her blog, you can also read some of her thoughts about art and creating and the processes she uses to design and her create her art quilts. And, of course, you can see more of her art.

Who doesn't love brownies?

I suppose if you don't like chocolate, you might not care for brownies.

Whoa! Back up! Who doesn't love chocolate?

As hard as it might be for some of us to fathom, there are people in this world who are indifferent to chocolate. They can take it or leave it. Quite easily. Without much care or thought. Some of those people may even prefer to ignore chocolate altogether. Don't pity them, however. Consider how much more this leaves for the rest of us!

But back to brownies.

Recently I found a recipe for The Ultimate Brownie on the About.com Desserts/Baking website. I've never understood the idea of an "ultimate" anything because what might be the best ever version of something (e.g. brownies) to you may very well be a just okay version of that something (e.g. brownies) to me. And vice versa. If you claim something is the "ultimate" or "world's best" or "greatest ever", you've set up some pretty high expectations as to what that something will look like, taste like, feel like, act like, and so on, depending on exactly what that something is. So many things in life are subject to an individual's taste preferences, perceptions, biases, and experiences that I'm always hesitant to label anything (and in the context of this blog, a recipe!) with the moniker of "ultimate" unless it's been highly rated by more people than just me.

That said, I did try The Ultimate Brownie recipe, and it was pretty good! Thick and fudgey (my preference as opposed to cakey), it would rank fairly high on my scale of "best brownies ever eaten". I've posted the recipe below.

Speaking of things "ultimate", I'm also posting a link to the website of my colleague, cookbook author Mairlyn Smith and her healthy Decadent Brownies recipe. It's from her and co-author dietitian Liz Pearson's best-selling book, Ultimate Foods for Ultimate Health...and don't forget the chocolate (Whitecap Books, 2007). Mairlyn's recipe uses whole wheat flour, canola oil and cocoa powder.

As well, here's the link to the recipe for Fudgey Special Dark Brownies on Hershey's website; it's made with cocoa powder and Chipits. If you make the brownies in a 15 x 10-inch (38 x 25 cm) pan instead of a 13 x 9-inch (33 x 23 cm) pan, you can cut the brownies into heart shapes for Valentine's Day. On the Hershey's website you can also find chocolatey recipes for mousse, cookies and truffles. Perfect fare for giving to all your loved ones and sweeties! Assuming they all like chocolate, that is!

The Ultimate Brownie
(Makes a 13 x 9-inch/33 x 23 cm baking pan)

8 squares unsweetened chocolate, chopped into chunks
1 cup (250 mL) butter, cut in chunks
5 large eggs
3 cups (750 mL) sugar
1 tablespoon (15 mL) vanilla
1-1/2 cups (375 mL) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon (5 mL) salt
2-1/2 cups (625 mL) chopped pecans or walnuts, toasted

In a saucepan over low heat, melt chocolate and butter, stirring frequently; set aside.

In a large bowl, beat eggs, sugar and vanilla with electric mixer on high speed for 10 minutes. (Mixture will be thick and pale yellow in colour.)

Stir in chocolate mixture. Fold in flour and salt until just mixed. Stir in nuts. Pour into a lightly greased 13 x 9-inch (33 x 23 cm) baking pan.

Bake in a preheated 375F (190C) oven for 35 to 40 minutes. The brownies should be moist in the centre.

Tips:

• Measure all ingredients carefully. Measure flour and sugar in a dry measuring cup. Scoop flour into the cup and level the top with a blade of knife.
• For easy removal of the brownies from the pan, line baking pan with aluminum foil or baking paper. Grease foil or paper, then add batter.
• Brownies can be iced, but it is not necessary as they are sweet and decadent enough on their own. If desired, top with chopped nuts and semisweet chocolate chips before baking, or drizzle with a white chocolate glaze, or sprinkle cooled brownies with icing sugar.
• This recipe is very similar to the Blockbuster Brownies recipe inside the box of Baker's Unsweetened chocolate squares. That recipe calls for 1-1/2 cups (375 mL) butter, 6 eggs and 1 cup (250 mL) chopped nuts. The batter is baked in two 8-inch (2 L) square pans at 350F (180C) for 35 to 40 minutes.
• Brownies freeze well.

Why not down that trowel for a few minutes and renovate your romance with a pan of these divine fudge/brownie hybrids?

The ingredients are pretty standard, the measures are round, and you can even leave your mixer in the cupboard if you have a whisk and a spatula to hand. The mini marshmallows melt away, leaving sweet-chewy spots throughout.

Just a few quick tips to ensure success: 

1 - Don't overbake. The squares will firm up a bit once out of the oven, and are meant to be quite moist in the centre.

2 - It's really worth it to line the pan - right up the sides - with parchment paper. Put a thin smear of margerine in the center of your 9x13 inch pan, press a generous sheet of parchment in, finger press some hospital corners and use scissors to roughly trim the excess paper away, even with the rim of the pan. 30 seconds and you're done!

CHOCOLATE FUDGIES

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with rack in medium-high position.

INGREDIENTS: 

1 cup margerine or butter

4 squares unsweetened or semi-sweet baking chocolate

2 large eggs

1 cup white sugar

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 cup chopped pecans

1 cup chocolate chips

1.5 cups white mini marshmallows

METHOD:

Melt butter and chocolate in a small saucepan over low heat and set aside to cool slightly.

Beat eggs and sugars in large mixing bowl. Add cooled chocolate/butter mixture and vanilla and combine well.

Combine flour, salt and baking powder and stir thoroughly into wet ingredients.

Stir in nuts, chocolate chips and mini marshmallows.

Pour into well- greased or parchment-lined 9 x 13 inch pan and bake on high rack for 35 minutes.

Cool, slice and enjoy.  Happy Valentines Day!

What? You don't see the connection between fondue forks and tea pots? Well, let me explain. But I'll start at the beginning and describe our meal in case you get a chance to visit this fondue restaurant.

We started with a salad (a Sunshine salad for me - mixed greens, feta cheese, red onion, olives and pecans, drizzled with a sun-dried tomato dressing). Salads were followed by a classic cheese fondue made with Gruyere and Swiss cheeses, wine, kirsch, and a medley of spices that included a wonderful punch of nutmeg.

We continued our dipping with a "surf and turf" bouillon fondue of scallops, prawns, chicken, beef and pork with three sauces (seafood sauce, a dill sauce, and a chili sauce, if memory serves). This fondue was accompanied by rice and Thai-style vegetables.

A chocolate fondue with fruit dippers finished the meal on a very satisfying note.

Along with the dessert fondue, Murray ordered tea. It was served in a see-through tea pot that housed an infuser for the tea leaves. The word "BrewT" was stamped on the tea pot.

The pot was a little taller and larger than the one shown on the left.

We were intrigued by the pot with its pronged feet. Although we had all seen clear tea pots before, this one appeared to have no pouring spout.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Here's how the pot works.

Tea leaves and boiling water are placed in the pot (1 teaspoon (5 mL) tea leaves and 1 cup (250 mL) water per cup of tea). The tea is allowed to steep for a few minutes.

After the leaves have steeped, the pot is set on top of the cup. This pushes the release valve open which allows the tea to pour into the cup.

The three of us were impressed by the pot's efficiency, probably because most restaurant tea pots pour so badly you usually have tea everywhere but in your cup.

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Of course the trick with this pot was knowing when to lift it off the cup so it would stop "pouring", otherwise the tea could overflow the cup.

But judging when the cup was nearly full proved to be not that difficult. You just had to lift the pot for a look, and to immediately stop dispensing tea.

Once we were back home, Murray was on a hunt to find a similar tea pot.

An online search revealed that BrewT was available through Cornelia Bean Ltd. in Winnipeg for $24.99.

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We decided to check a local tea shop to see whether they sold anything similar. Sure enough, Distinctly Tea in Waterloo (Ontario) carries three different styles and sizes of this type of tea pot. Each comes with a round coaster on which the pot sits to catch any drips.

We ended up with the tea pot above ($21.99) which make 2 cups (500 mL) of tea (and can probably also be used with ground coffee to make a couple cups of coffee). Neither the pot or the box it came in were labelled with the brand of the tea pot, so I can't tell you a name to look for if you're interested in this particular style. No doubt your local tea shop will carry something similar.

We also came home with some new teas to try:

* For Murray - a Darjeeling single estate black tea called Margaret's Hope

* For me - small samples of the following:

- Lychee Tea: A Ceylon black tea with lychee flavouring. Mildly sweet with a slight perfumed aroma and taste.

- Earl Grey de la creme: A Ceylon black tea with oil of bergamot and vanilla cream flavour. We were told it was the store's most popular tea, and after tasting it I can understand why. Very pleasant.

- Icebush Chocolate: A caffeine-free Rooibis tea with orange peels, and ginger, apple, carrot, cacao, papaya and pineapple bits. I quite like this one. The tea leaves have a lovely chocolate fragrance; once brewed, the chocolate flavour of the tea is nicely balanced rather than being overwhelmingly chocolatey. (Even chocolate lovers like their chocolate to be in harmony rather than overpowering!) Chocolate can have a fruity flavour and this combination of fruit bits in these tea leaves works well with the cacao used for the tea.

- Canadian Maple (I'm enjoying this one with a buttery shortbread cookie as I write this): A Ceyon tea with maple syrup flavouring. The golden colour of this tea, at least at the strength I brewed, reminds me of maple syrup. I taste just a hint of maple flavour which is all I'd want. I appreciate that the tea does not have a sickly sweet or strong artificial taste. I feel very Canadian enjoying this tea and think I will go pour myself another cuppa!

Ouch!

In that case........

Hello. My name is Wendi. I am a bad dog owner.

One day last week I came home from running a few errands to discover my poodle Cocoa had chewed his way into an 'edible gift' I'd left under the Christmas tree.

You're probably asking why anyone with a dog would be foolish enough to leave anything edible under their tree. On the floor. At ground level. Conveniently placed for the dog to find. Isn't that just tempting the dog, baiting him, daring him to make a snack of the gift? In fact, inviting him to be a bad dog?

In my defence, if I'm allowed to put one forward, I didn't think the gift in question would be a temptation. (OK, so now you're thinking not only is she a bad dog owner, she's really not that bright.)

Furthermore, the gift - which I'd received in a game we'd played during the office Christmas potluck lunch - had been under the tree for days without any problem! There had been no telltale signs from Cocoa that the gift was proving to be a temptation. NO prowling about the tree pawing the gifts that lay underneath. NO stolen glances toward the fake fir when he thought no one was looking. NO sniffing of the air under or around the tree. There was simply no indication trouble was brewing.

The gift was a box containing two cardboard tins of hot chocolate mix and a metal tin of hot chocolate rim trim. When I'd tucked the unwrapped gift under the tree after bringing it home, I'll admit there was a fleeting moment when I wondered if this was a safe place to leave it, but the thought disappeared as quickly as it had come.

I was naively confident there was no chance Cocoa would try gnawing his way into it. For one thing, I didn't think he could (a silly assumption considering he wolfs downs rawhide chews in mere minutes!). And, I figured if he could even smell anything, it was just dry powder, not cookies or candy. Surely he was bright enough to realize there wasn't anything in the package he could really sink his teeth into. After all, he is supposed to be a smart poodle.

Well, apparently, like his owner, he's not that smart. And, like his owner, he loves chocolate.

I know dogs shouldn't eat chocolate; it's not good for them. Thankfully, it appeared he didn't eat too much of the hot chocolate mix.

After mentally scolding myself, scolding Cocoa in my most serious "I'm-SO-annoyed-with-you" voice, then valiantly attempting to ignore him for 10 minutes to prove my displeasure, he managed to find his way onto my lap. He turned to look up at me with his big brown eyes, laid his head on my shoulder and heaved a deep sigh. What could I do? All was immediately forgiven. After all, he wasn't really at fault, right? It helped that he smelled really good - sweet and chocolatey. The aroma was probably from the dried hot chocolate mix clinging in clumps under his chin.

It's hard to be mad at a dog with good taste.

Thirteen years of writing the Creative Cooking column for The Record ended with my farewell column. For the last few years, the column has also been published in the Guelph Mercury.

To read my farewell Creative Cooking column published in both newspapers yesterday, please scroll up to the top of my blog and click on the Creative Cooking Columns page. To view the photo of the Brownie Pops that accompanied the column, please visit my column on The Record's website (link included on Creative Cooking Columns page above).

Yes, this crunchy chocolatey toffee treat is full of sugar and highly addictive, but it's so easy to make, and it will bring a smile to your face after one bite. And it will win you rave reviews. It's a recipe that has been around for years and it goes by a few different names. I'm not sure where it originated. I've made pans of it over the years and often use it for gifting. It's a perfect sweet treat to present to someone you want to give a little something to, like a co-worker, teacher or the host/hostess at the next dinner party you go to.

To give, break up the crunchy brittle and layer it in a pretty tin or a cellophane bag. If you wish, first line the tin with tissue or parchment paper. You'll likely be asked for a copy of the recipe so why not give it as part of the gift!

Chocolate Toffee Crunch
(Makes one 10 x 15-inch (25 x 30 cm) baking pan)

Approximately 40 soda crackers (about 1 sleeve of crackers)
1 cup (250 mL) butter
1 cup (250 mL) brown sugar
1-1/2 to 2 cups (375 to 500 mL) semisweet chocolate chips
3/4 to 1 cup (175 to 250 mL) chopped nuts (optional)

Line a 10 x 15-inch (25 x 30 cm) baking pan with aluminum foil so the foil extends up the sides up the pan slightly; wrap excess foil over edges. Cover pan completely with crackers, trimming to fit if necessary. You should have 5 rows of about 8 crackers each.

Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Add brown sugar. Bring to a full rolling boil; boil for 3 minutes without stirring. Carefully pour hot mixture over crackers. Tilt pan (again, carefully!) to spread mixture evenly over all the crackers.

Bake in a preheated 350F (180C) oven for 15 minutes (mixture will be bubbling all over). Carefully remove pan from oven. If crackers have shifted a little, use a fork to quickly poke them back into position.

Sprinkle chocolate chips over the top. Let stand for a few minutes until the chips are shiny and look soft, then gently spread melted chips over entire surface with the back of a spoon. If desired, sprinkle nuts over chocolate and press down lightly.

Let stand or chill until firm. Cut or break into pieces and store in a covered container. Can be frozen.

TIPS: I've also baked this at 375F (190C) for 5 or 6 minutes with great results. The butter/sugar mixture should be bubbling all over.

VARIATION: Graham crackers can be substituted for soda crackers. You will need about 4 rows of 6 (square) crackers or 12 double crackers. Top with mini marshmallows instead of or in addition to nuts, if you wish. After sprinkling marshmallows on top, pop the pan into the oven for 30 seconds to a minute to soften marshmallows. Then lightly spread with the back of a spoon creating a marbled effect. Top with nuts, if desired.

The writing had probably been on the wall of the igloo project from the start. (Too bad there weren’t support beams there as well!) I had initially started out using sugar cubes as the building blocks, but for a variety of reasons that had just not worked out.

When the idea to use marshmallows occurred, it seemed to make logical sense. The shape and appearance of the marshmallows would be perfect, I naively assumed. In fact, that was true. It was building the darn thing where the problems surfaced.

Before its demise, the top of the igloo appeared flat, sunken actually, despite support inside the structure from a small bowl and crumpled aluminum foil. Gaping spaces between some of the marshmallows made the igloo look like it was missing teeth. And to top it off, though I had tried to stagger the marshmallows so they didn’t sit uniformly on top of each other, that hadn’t panned out either. As I surveyed the sadly mis-shaped structure, the roof caved in.

By the time my husband offered a simple solution (try using an inflated balloon to support the structure from the inside), I had lost interest in igloo building and was now envisioning a new building project: a housing development of "mock gingerbread" homes. I’d had success with that kind of structure a few years ago when I taught Family Studies. A quick and easy prefab style construction using graham wafers. No special architectural skills required to whip together these mini bungalows. My students had loved designing and decorating the candy-laden houses.

And so, igloo construction was put on ice for the moment, a project to be revisited another time, or possibly never.

Building a graham wafer house is admittedly less challenging than creating a gingerbread house from scratch (or building an igloo from marshmallows!). The advantage of a graham wafer house is that it produces a similar look and feel of a gingerbread house, but in less time and with less effort.

You can make a graham wafer house whatever size you wish, using the wafers as the bricks. Personally I prefer a small house - the size of one square graham wafer - about 2-1/2 inches x 2-1/2 inches (12 cm x 12 cm). It can be constructed quickly and there is less chance the roof will collapse.

Royal icing (a mixture of stiffly beaten egg whites and icing sugar) is an excellent glue for this or any type of building project. Other icings will work, but Royal icing is traditionally used for gingerbread house construction because it is easy to work with, sets quickly and bonds with great strength.

Once decorated, a single graham wafer house or a grouping makes a great table decoration. Set the house in the middle of the table or if you’ve made lots of them, put one at each place setting.

Building graham wafer houses makes a fun craft project for a holiday party. Depending on the age of your guests, you might wish to construct the houses ahead, then provide an assortment of house embellishments (see the suggestions that follow) and invite each person to decorate their own house.

If stored carefully, the houses will keep for a couple years. Simply wrap each house in a plastic bag and place the bag in a sturdy plastic container with a lid. Store in a cool, dry place.

Graham Wafer (Mock Gingerbread) House
(Makes 1 house)

Tip: One square graham wafer is about 2-1/2 inches x 2-1/2 inches (12 cm x 12 cm). A rectangle wafer is two squares attached to each other.

4 square or 2 rectangle graham wafers for platform (optional)
7 or 8 square graham wafers for house
Approximately 1/2 cup (125 mL) Royal Icing (recipe follows), or prepared or purchased white icing
Assorted candies, miniature cookies or crackers, nuts, etc. for house and landscape details (suggestions follow)
Food colouring (optional)
Icing sugar

If desired, house can be built on a platform made by gluing 4 square or 2 rectangle graham wafers together with Royal Icing. If not building a platform, use 1 square wafer for floor of house.

Pipe or spread icing along one thin edge of a graham wafer. Place wafer on platform or floor wafer. Hold in position for a minute to allow to set. Repeat with 2nd wafer to form opposite wall. Hold in position for a minute to allow wafer to set. Repeat with remaining walls.

Cut a wafer in half diagonally. With icing, attach cut sides of wafer halves to opposite ends of house top to form roof supports. With icing, attach 2 wafers to form roof.

If desired, another wafer can be cut to use for doors and windows; attach pieces with icing. Allow house to dry completely before decorating.

Decorate house as desired using remaining icing and candies, cookies or crackers and nuts. Some of the icing can be tinted with food colouring, if desired. As a final touch, sprinkle icing sugar through a sieve over the house to resemble snow.

Royal Icing: In a deep bowl, beat 3 egg whites until stiff, but not dry. Gradually add approximately 3 cups (750 mL) icing sugar, beating about 1 minutes more until icing is of spreading consistency. For a thinner icing, add a small amount of water. To avoid drying out, keep icing covered with plastic wrap, foil or a damp towel. Apply icing with a knife or a decorating bag and decorative tips. (Makes 1-1/2 to 2 cups (375 to 500 mL)

Decorating Suggestions: These suggestions can be used to create design details for both graham wafer or gingerbread house. Your choice of material will depend on the size of your house and the look you want to create.

Chimney: thick mini chocolate bars (e.g. Oh Henry) or cereal bars, cut to appropriate size. Or, use icing to glue together 4 pieces of graham wafers or sticks of gum to form a rectangle (if desired, cut bottom edges of each piece on an angle so the rectangle fits the slope of the roof), then cover with icing and decorate with dried beans, nuts, sliced almonds, Shreddies or jelly beans.

Doors: piece of graham wafer, colored icing, cookies, or fruit leather

Fence: pretzels, graham wafers, candy cane sticks, licorice or noodles.

Lamp posts or street lights: candy canes or bread sticks

Path, driveway or road: crushed cereal or pieces of cereal (e.g. Bran Flakes, Corn Flakes, Shreddies), cookie or cracker crumbs, or slivered almonds

Pond or skating rink: aluminum foil or a small mirror

Rocks or stones: nuts, slivered almonds, dried beans or gumdrops

Roof: cover with candies or add shingles using Shreddies, slivered almonds, banana chips, small pieces of licorice, or small square or round crackers. Or, draw on shingles with thin lines of icing.

Sides of house: for a log cabin look, use cinnamon sticks or pretzel sticks. Dried beans or nuts resemble bricks. Or, brush the sides of the house with beaten egg whites and sprinkle coloured sugar over the egg whites. Make colored sugar by stirring 1/4 teaspoon (1 mL) food coloring into 1 cup (250 mL) granulated sugar. Add more food colouring for more intense colour.

Smoke: cotton balls or polyester stuffing

Snow: polyester stuffing, icing sugar or granulated sugar, spray snow from a can, or artificial snow. For a “just-snowed” effect, sift icing sugar over everything.

Snowmen: create snowmen by gluing together mini or regular marshmallows or small gumdrops. Add pretzel arms and coloured icing or small candies for buttons and facial features. For a hat, place a peanut butter cup or small gumdrop on the top marshmallow.

Stop signs: suckers or lollipop

Trees and shrubs: tree-shaped cookies or assorted sizes of green gumdrops. Or, thin Royal Icing with water, tint with green food colouring and paint sugar cones with icing; place cones upside down and use icing to glue on candies to resemble coloured lights.

Verandah posts: candy cane sticks, bread sticks, chocolate stick or chocolate bar (e.g. Kit Kat)

Windows: caramelized and hardened sugar, coloured icing, fruit leather, cookies, or yellow construction paper. Use pretzel sticks for window frames. For a graham wafer house, it's best to draw windows on with icing or to use a candy, cookie, etc. for the window. For "real" windows for a gingerbread house, cut the window openings out of the dough before the gingerbread is baked. To make “glass” windows for a gingerbread house, place hard candies (choose yellow or a variety of colours for stained glass effect) in a heavy plastic bag. Pound with a meat mallet or hammer to coarsely crush candy. Place candy in a single layer on a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake in a preheated 300F (150C) oven until the candy is melted and smooth, about 15 minutes. Let cool. With a sharp, serrated knife, cut the candy into pieces that will fit the windows. Pipe Royal icing around the window on the inside wall. Attach the window from the inside. If making "real" windows, remember to put them in before gluing down the roof.

Wood pile: pretzel sticks or cinnamon sticks

I love many good artisan made foods but something about their Stollen (a traditional German Christmas cake) is truly addictive to whoever tastes it. They also use all natural and organic ingredients which is nice too.

They started out with a Walnut Stollen and a Christmas Stollen. Things got worse in the weight department for me when they added new flavors like their Chocolate Stollen and a Hazelnut Praline, which is like a candy cake almost. It is truly rich and you only need to eat a small square to be satisfied as there are thick layers of filling.

I'm normally not a cake person but Sterntaler's Stollen reminds me of these little petit fours rich with butter I've had in San Francisco, in terms of delicious richness.

A great thing about Sterntaler Bakery is that they do mail order of their Stollen, and now they are offering free shipping. Their Christmas Stollen is very traditional to give as a fruitcake substitute. I will probably serve and give gifts of the Walnut and the Hazelnut Stollen as those are my faves.

...Well, not quite but I would like to give a plug to Aisling and William from Longueville House, who are now selling lots of goodies at the Mahon Point Farmers' Market every Thursday from 10am to 2pm. These include preserves & chutney, honey from their own bees, house smoked salmon, wild game terrines, lamb sausage, olive savoury cake, herb infused vinaigrettes, pesto, fruit liqueurs, chocolates & jellies. Yum, yum and more yum.

Plus William is happy to dole out tips on preparation and cooking to anyone visiting the stand and that has to be worth the price of some chutney. He's a hell of a chef - am salivating at the memory of wood pigeon I had there over 18 months ago.

So pay the stand a visit if you're in the area or, better again, go to Longueville. It's one of those died-and-went-to-heaven places that is so worth going to.

Even on my most unadventurous day, however, I could definitely manage sweet sushi, made with Rice Krispies, chocolate and other good things. (Thanks to Boing Boing.)

I did wonder if this was the only 'fake sushi' out there. Not a bit of it. Turns out there is a booming market in non-sushi sushi.

You can get sushi candles, wind-up sushi, toy sushi for kids ("This realistic sushi set encourages cultural exploration"), squeaky sushi for dogs, catnip sushi for cats and sushi jewellery to wear, well, I'm not sure where you'd wear it. You can also knit your own sushi, if you feel so inclined.

And if all that is not enough, this site offers a crazy orgy of sushi-emblazoned products - watches, bins, soaps, tissues, sticking plasters and much more. I sort of want the sushi rug. Total bargain at $18.95.

And if you're need of some knowledge to back up your sushi-loving image, where else would you go but the wondrous Wikipedia. More than you could ever need to know about sushi, unless you're writing a PhD thesis about it. Which is unlikely.

Apologies for the long absence. I have been adjusting to a new, full-time job. A job closely related to tourism and thus to food, and maybe because our work is also related to the arts or maybe because we get so many high quality food gifts in the business, we all seem to appreciate the fine points of good food.

Recently when my co-worker Michiko asked me to do a favor proof-reading an English text for a friend of hers, we agreed on a barter of proof-reading for cake, chocolate cake, actually Raku Raku So's gateau chocolat. Raku Raku So is in Kameoka, a city on the other side of the western hills of Kyoto, where thick fog fills the valley most mornings and the produce is delicious and abundant because of the high water table.

I recently had a chance to go to Raku Raku So for a dinner with the whole office staff. We trucked out in the company Benz and got a table outside in the beer garden.

Raku Raku So used to be the home of a very wealthy man who laid the railway through Kameoka. The large estate includes a beautiful traditional Japanese garden that is lovingly taken care of by Michiko's younger brother. The buildings on the estate have been converted into a traditional Japanese ryokan inn and has both a Japanese restaurant, an Italian restaurant, and the beer garden, where we had our barbecue dinner.

The best part was we got to barbecue our own dinner right on the table over little grills filled with hot charcoal that gave the sausages, vegetables, thinly sliced pork, and seafood a delicious smokey flavor. I couldn't stop eating the sausages that I kept insisting were just as good as German sausages. Sadly, there is little chance I'll ever be able to test that comparison.

We also had two kinds of spaghetti from the Italian restaurant, Cinghiale, including one with a hamo (pike conger) and cucumber sauce. Hamo is a traditional summer specialty of Kyoto prefecture. The knife skills necessary for finely scoring the fish before poaching it is amazing (I've seen it demonstrated a few times on Japanese TV), but exactly that skill seems to determine the final flavor. [And I just learned why!  Hamo has too many bones to remove before eating that instead chefs finely score the fish to break all the bones into tiny, edible pieces.] I don't remember how much of the hamo cucumber spaghetti I had, but at least thirds and maybe fourths. It was so yummy!

We finished the meal after a tour of the whole Raku Raku So complex - including my first time in an actual tea room, which had been built by Michiko's husband, a traditional tea room carpenter - with coffee and sorbet in the

Michiko gave me the gateau chocolat from the Cinghiale Italian restaurant on Sunday . It was a box of six large, brownie-like pieces. I had one each night after dinner for the last four nights, the last one this evening (the other two my roommate ate).

I am no cake expert. In fact, I don't allow myself the pleasure of eating cake except for very special occasions or exceptional reasons like there's a box of cake in my kitchen. But this cake is delicious! Its soft crumb releases a delicate sweetness and strong, almost bitter chocolate explosion. And every evening these last four nights, I ate a slightly smaller dinner than usual to allow myself this treat.

A note to Michiko: I will do proof-reading for any of your friends at any time in exchange for food!