toffee O'Chocolaté

Still eating lots of veggies.

Yet to resume my no sugar commitment. I think I am ready, except that I am still obsessed with coming up with my own chocolates recipes. If I don't figure it out while everything is fresh, I'll forget and have to start all over.

Basically, that means that until I am satisfied with my creations, I will continue consuming far too much sugar...and now we know why Mario Batali is so plump.  

It's an unhealthy obsession, but at least it's distracted me from chain-watching Doc Martin episodes. I don't know why it grew on me so much. Season one isn't super amazing... but it somehow consumed me. Call it the Portwenn effect.

Who wouldn't want to live in Portwenn... even if it is just Port Isaac with a cooler name. 

Anyhow. Ugly, but deliciously successful was my attempt to take a loved and rarely used toffee recipe, alter it, alter the proportions of my chocolate to make it less sugary (for the sugar center).... and I got these hideous but yummy candies.

Chocolate covered toffees. Yum

Still working on the recipe: there was far too much butteriness in the toffee pan (wasting away), the toffees varied from softly brittle to chewy, and it was hard to get the chocolate to stick. However, I did finally find a carmel recipe that DOES NOT USE CORN SYRUP, so I am going to try those out. I'm aiming for a chocolate delight that makes Reisin's cower in shame. Shame, I tell you, Shame. 

The Evolution of Chocolate

Remember when I used to like Hersheys? Then I discovered Utah Truffles and I thought I would never again eat Hersheys... (except I did have a Hershey relapse at the last family reunion.SHHHH.  Don't tell)

But, then I was trying really hard not to eat highly processed foods, chemicals, and such... but I still made exceptions for Utah Truffles and their chocolate covered cookies. Because they are awesome, and because I could never seam to find chocolates without all sorts of hydrogenated oils and soy crap in them. But that is okay, right? You can't expect a girl to go with out chocolate, can you? Marketing says I need it, and marketing would never lie.

Then recently, with much help from Carrisa, I found a few pure and simple ones THAT ACTUALLY TASTED GOOD, because some of those health food company candies are just strait up nasty.

Not quite a Utah Truffle, but for a real food ingredient chocolate, this one isn't bad.
Better than Hershey's at least.

Cant find the proper photo, but 365 makes a Coconut chocolate (without milk)
that has real ingredients and is pretty decent.

@ $5 for 2.7 oz, (available at Whole Foods)
Brett really liked this 4 ingredient chocolate, but it just quite didn't do it for me.
The ground cocoa beand in this brand give it a gritty texture that grows on you.

Don't usually favor the chili chocolates, but this is the one that gave me hope
for a simple and pure ingredient chocolate.  Really liked the flavor the chili added. 

The one that EVERYONE loved, and quite possibly everyone's favorite. 

The problem comes when you don't want to be spending 5 bucks a bar (a week)on chocolate. So, I got some new cocoa to try at 50% off, and told Brett to make me chocolate. Unlike my mother, he didn't say "poof! You're chocolate!"
What can I say, my husband is a genious. He nailed the flavor and ingredient proportions in about 10 minutes using only 3 ingredients. I altered it to 4 ingredients, and have been experimenting to try and nail the gritty sugar texture issue. It's a work in progress, but I just might be happy enough to never buy pre-made chocolate again.

INGREDIENTES MATTER. Not all cocoa powder tastes the same,
and cheep coconut oil isn't fragrant. Might take you a few different cocoa powder brands
to find the chocolate flavor that you prefer. 

looks smoother than it is :) Melts in your mouth, but sugar is gritty.

I used some old IKEA ice cube molds I had,
stuck them in the fridge for a while, and popped them out.

So far I've simmered the sugar in water until softball to caramelize it,
but when I blend it together, the sugar just re-chrystalizes,
but at least it is a finer grit. 

Because it's held together by coconut oil, they melt at body temperature,
but they should keep in a cool room for a while.
I just keep them in the fridge to be safe. There (in theory) they would last several weeks. 

Thinking I can fix the gritt issue by making carmel balls
and dipping them into the unsweetened cocoa/coconut oil mixtutre.

Feb Message

I have no idea if the girls I "supervise" ever use these, but I enjoy making them. Plus, They get my contact info, and the girls contact info with a month on it, so they can't really be confused on who they teach or to whom they report.

In theory.

In fact, only the old people (65+) do their visiting teaching.

I am definitely part of a lazy generation. Which is a shame, because I can honestly say that last month a met a girl because of visiting teaching that I am really glad I met. I think we will be bosom friends and drink strawberry cordial. We will not, however, watch Anne of Green Gables. Never. Ever. Never. 

Here, read it and consider yourself visit taught:

Personal thought of the month:

If you ever doubt the effect that one mother can have on the world, go to a Clark Reunion. 

My Taste Buds are Growing Up

That day has come:
You know, the day where I begin to realize that I like many many things that I didn't used to. The day you realize you are a nut eating sell-out.


1. Nuts: Pistashios, cashews, hazelnuts sometimes almonds, and even Candied Walnuts in the Walnut Shrimp at the fancy chinese restaurant where Brett's grandma introduced me to edible chines food.

Cashews and pistachios are yummy.

2. Chinese Food:  Provided that it doesn't come from the slime dipped dog meat used at Panda Express (see #1)

Walnut Shrimp

3. Water: I think I've mentioned that a few years ago I stared force feeding myself water, then I started to like, even prefer it. Sometimes I still want a sweet juice, but often, I recognize that what I really crave is water. Speaking of which....

drink me

4. Sparkling Mineral Water: I never understood why people drank this discussing thing, but about a week ago, I started liking even craving it. But it MUST be cold. I wonder if the craving for mineral water is because I need more minerals to make full use of all the vitamins in all the vegetables I've been eating this last week, which leads me to...

5. Vegetables: Once upon a time I only liked carrots and tolerated celery, then I developed an allergy to them both (raw).  A few years ago I started eating spinach with fruits as a salad—mostly for the folic acid, but also because I found that strawberries and vinaigrette made them delicious. A few weeks ago, Carrisa asked me what my favorite lettuce was. I said Spinach. No, it's not really a lettuce, but it is a leafy green that is full of vitimins, and is mild in flavor (if fresh). Yum. Anyhow, a few months ago I tried to eat veggies once a day. I was so bad, I didn't do it unless I had a goal chart to check it off on. Two weeks ago I started trying to eat veggies every time I ate something else. It did miracles for minimizing muchies, plus if I did eat a cookie, at least I ate a veggie (though the sugar probably made the vitimans in the veggie unabsorbable). A week ago, (after some reading on the Word of Wisdom) I realized that my eventual goal should be to decrease meat intake, and up my fruits and veg to 50-75% of my diet (Widstoe didn't recommend that amount specifically, but it had me thinking about health). Have I done it? No, but I have been getting at least my 5-A-Day (when you include my fruit). AND I actually started craving veggies. Seriously. I ran out on friday, Brett had the car all day saturday, couldn't buy any monday, so come Monday I was going CRAZY thinking about veggies, and have been eating about 2 cups of freshly cut and steamed veg a day ever since. Oh. And I finally tried Brussel Sprouts.  They have an evil reputation, but they are actually decent.

Todays Lunch. My mother would be proud. 

6. Honey: I still don't like the taste of Honey on it's own, but it used to be that I didn't like anything that had any recognizeable flavor of honey in it. A year and a half ago I found the mildest Honey I could at the Farmers market to use as a substitute for sugar in some cases. As long as I used the mild honey, I didn't mind so much. Now, I can even put darker richer honeys in my tea or granola, and it doesn't bother me one bit.

7. Maple Syrup: I thought I didn't like pancakes very much, but discovered I didn't like maple syrup (and everyone always gave it to me with syrup on it... not butter or jam). I even tried real maple syrup a few years ago with no such luck. Brett and Carrisa have these maple candies they like. I thought they were discusting. One magical day, I discovered I liked the Kirtland Signature real maple syrup (of all things) on pancakes.  After a few months of occasional use on pancakes and in my homemade granola, a magical thing happened: I took a bite of Brett's maple candy  (nothing but maple syrup) AND I FELL IN LOVE.

For Brett's birthday (to celbrate my last day of sugar before my 3 weeks of no sugar),
I made my own maple candies. They are hard not to over cook though. And expensive to make (or buy).

8. Fish: Aside from canned Tuna and Fishsticks, I just never liked it. Now I know better. It's just gotta be cooked by the right people. At first I only liked salmon, cooked ONE specific way, by Brett or his mom. Then, I started liking a few other varieties I tried. Eventually, I got to the point were I have OCCASIONAL (like 3 times a year) cravings for fish.

A little Hippie

I've never been one for drugs, The Grateful Dead, or for wild baby making with strangers, but there has always been that part of me that likes to make things from scratch, strait from mother earth. A small, but intact hippie side.

I fear the day this quote gets old to me. 

Think about it: My fascination (and unfortunate simultaneous apprehension) with foraging food from the forest, my complete distrust with government agencies like the FDA, my secret desire to photograph cows and ride unicorns... I mean seriously, a good 20- 40% of me would be completely happy in Portlandia. Have you heard? The Dream of the 90's is alive in Portland...

Yup. I made it. 

Well, the last 8 months or so I have been playing around with the hippie art of toiletry making.  Overall, I've liked it. I even wasted a few hours designing labels.

I didn't make the Bath Salts, though I got some homemade ones as a gift, and I had to make a label!

(Look! I put a bird on it...)

1. Toothpaste: Not too hard, nor too expensive, but I don't really like getting it out of a mini tub, so I need to figure out how to put it into a tube instead. Still, it's nice not to have flouride in my toothpaste. More or less BAKING SODA mixed into COCONUT OIL, plus a few drops of food safe ESSENTIAL OIL as you please, and some STEVIA for sweetness (since stevia is supposed to be non decaying or something) google a recipe, you will find it. 

Top left: A batch of deodorant that separated a bit as it cooled ( I didn't like it in a tub anyway). Bottom right, toothpaste in a little tub. I get it out with a tiny popsicle stick... but looking for a better solution. 

2. Deodorant:  Took some getting used to not having an anti-persperant, but after a while my body adjusted to the deodorant, &  I didn't sweat as much, even when I exersized.

Coconut oil+Baking Soda (odor absorbing) +Cornstarch or Arrowroot( moisture absorbing, I think)+Tea Tree Oil (antibacterial)+ Oil's of smells you like. (google a recipe). 

 Pros: I don't have to pick from smells like "theres a rosebush in my armpit" & "smells like teen spirit (or maybe just a girls over-parfumed locker room)", and you can make it without aluminum (connected to Alzheimer's disease). Con's: I was so self conscious at first that I spent several weeks asking Brett if I smelled like a crazy old lady, or if I had B.O.

I poured my deodorant  into an old deodorant bottle and let it cool. Makes for easy application. 

3. Sugar scrub: Paying 10 bucks for sugar scrub is ridiculous, even if it is a luxury... and then their was the time a store bought sugar scrub smelled so good I tasted a little bit of it and it was nice and sweet with a disgusting chemical after taste. Well, I made my own (with Carrisa) and it was delicious, edible, exfoliates my face(and lips, or feet, or legs, or husband) when needed, and is moisturizing. 

The proportions were  something like 1 cup SUGAR (we used raw with the big crystals),  1/4 cup HONEY (antibacterial), and 1/4 cup of Extra Virgin OLIVE OIL (moisturizing, doesn't clog pores)

4. Face Toner: I also never used toners really, but I found a recipe and experimented with it, AND I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT. The rose water is an antiseptic, supposed to be PH balancing for the skin or something, and also supposedly anti aging. What I really LOVE about the toner though is that I never have flaky dry skin anymore. I swear glycerine is absolute magic. 

My favorite homemade toner is actually so moisturizing that I rarely use face lotion anymore

ROSEWATER+FEW DROPS OF GLYCERINE

You can simmer up your own rosewater if you have rose petals sans pesticide, but I have to buy mine (boooo).

5. Eye Make-up Remover: I should have put this one first because THIS IS THE ONE THAT STARTED THE WHOLE THING. Plus it is my second favorite homemade toiletry. I ran out, and couldn't get over the fact that even the cheep stuff is like 5 bucks a bottle. Here is my complicated recipe (are your ready?):

EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL (EVOO)

Got it? did you write it down? Seriously works awesome. Now, you can play around with it. I've diluted it with water (shake before using).

6. Hand sanitizer: Also not something I used a lot, but It is nice to keep a spray bottle of it in my glovebox for when I want to munch on a snack in the car after prop shopping and touching dirty things in D.I.

VODKA and WATER, mixed 1:1. Add a few drops of essential oil if it floats your boat (I use lime). I pour mine into a mini spray bottle like the rosewater/glycerine one pictured above. 

7. Face Lotion: This one is still in the works. I rarely use any anymore (remember the magic Glycerine in my toner, if I feel dry, I usually just spray my face with the toner a few times).  Occasionally I've put something extra on before bed though. Sometimes Olive Oil, Sometimes a varying combination of OLIVE OIL + AVACADO OIL+ CASTOR OIL + COCONUT OIL. All of these are skin safe, as it don't clog your pores. Wipe away exess, you'll be a little oily while it absorbs into your skin, so I usually do it at night. True, sometimes I get a a few blemishes, but it is no worse than before I used these. I think it's just hormones... and they never seem to be the pussy kind, just the kind that look a little red. 

AND AS FOR MAKE UP MAKING...... 

I haven't tried this yet. I recently found my favorite foundation ever, but then started getting worried about some of the ingredients in make up... do you absorb them? I know there are a lot of people out there who wont use Parabins (and other ingredients I've never googled) in their make up. Anyhow, In the search for a new more natural foundation I found one with just water, vegetable glycerine, clay, rice bran oil, and iron oxides in it. And heck, if Iron Oxides were good enough for the Venus of Willendorf they are good enough for me. It actually matches my skin decently. The texture, though, is a little odd. At first it is normal, but as you blend it in it starts feeling like... um... clay. 

So, I started looking up foundation recipes, and I am tempted, but buying the ingredients in bulk is a bit much for experimentation, so perhaps another day.