Chocolate Goodness

Recently I've been baking on Sundays and brining the finished product to work on Mondays. This works out perfectly: I feed my baking addiction and then my co-workers get rid of it for me! Usually the goods are halfway gone 10 minutes after I've set them out. Talk about efficiency. I've been getting creative: I made two different trifles and then I had to make truffles because my manager kept calling the trifle a truffle. Obviously I had to hammer into her the difference.

Trifles, for those who don't know, are layered, goey masterpieces. You use cake, pudding, CoolWhip, and cookies. You can get really creative with flavors, given that cake, cookies, and pudding come in a variety of flavors.

Truffles, on the other hand, are little balls of deliciousness. The simplest are rolled balls of chocolate ganache covered in cocoa powder. Of course, professional chocolatiers such as Godiva and Lindt can make a creamy or liquid center. My truffles were more simple than that. I used chocolate ganache (cream and chocolate, melted then cooled) and then added to them.

My favorite were the chocolate truffles rolled in cocoa powder. Simple. Decadent. Amazing.

I also made espresso truffles, which were very dark and bitter. I loved them, given that I love dark, dark chocolate.

I also made a flavor that I don't like, but which was very popular: Salted caramel with a chocolate coating. Many loved these. Personally, I don't like caramel OR salt! I also added too much salt; luckily they were some salt-fans in the house.

Lastily I made some non-truffles: White chocolate coconut mounds. These were the most popular. (They were also the easiest: Just melted chocolate and toasted coconut!) I have to make these again soon.

Gamers Unite!

Roy and I don't really go out that much. I only get two evenings off a week plus I get up a 5 am on weekdays, so it's not like I have a ton of late-night options. Half the time I work doubles on Saturday, so I'm not about to go crazy Friday night after work.

I miss going out, but Roy and I have started a nice collection of games. We play a game once a week or so. Scrabble, cards, puzzles... It's nice just sitting around with your love playing a game and drink tea or a glass of wine at the end of a long day. It's a date night in. We recently bought Pass the Pig (I won 4 out of five games we played!). Next we want Settlers of Catan. Target had it for $42 (Toys R Us didn't have it at all) so I'm checking Wal-Mart today to see if they have it cheaper.

I love playing games with friends, too: What beats Apples and Apples or Cranium with a great group? We recently had another couple over, first playing Jenga and then Cranium. They had such a good time they bought Cranium the next day, which I find really amusing.

I guess my point is, staying in with friends and playing games is a great way to spend the evening and a lot cheaper than going out. :)

On Cleaning and Life

I recently let the cleanliness of my kitchen get out of hand. It was a disaster area. Dirty dishes everywhere. No food out, though, because we at least put that away. It's amazing how quickly a kitchen can become a wreck.

Then I cleaned it. Clean dishes went away. I loaded and ran the dishwasher, then washed some left over dishes by hand. Then I put all of those things away. I cleaned the counters and the sink (which is white porcelain). Roy decided to mop the floors and vacuum.

A clean kitchen does wonders. I just walked in to get a simple glass of water and I was so happy to do so. It was almost calming. Here was this nicely ordered, clean area, and I had been a major part of that.

This is very much like life. If even one element of life is disorganized it can out a damper on the rest of your life. You don't want to mess with that area, but in doing that the rest of your life suffers. When you finally give it the attention it deserves you have balance. The rest of your life seems better as well, all because you cleaned house.

A balanced life is crucial to well being. That's probably why I think so much: about the inconsequential and the mundane as well as the important things. I think about the future; I make plans; I think about religion, sometimes the world. Sometimes I think very hard about something silly; when I realize this it's like a welcomed splash of water.

True, I often have circular conversations with myself, but I like that: I think about all the possibilities and then come to the conclusion that I may have no concrete conclusion. I'm OK with this. In truth, I am content with this because most of the things I think about leave me at peace, regardless of the conclusion (or lack thereof). At least I'm thinking, right? Some people don't get that far.

Ta-Da!

I feel so accomplished. It's not even 7 am and I've done a lot. I woke up just before 5 am. I exercised for 20 minutes. Showered/dressed/etc. I made lunch. I emptied and loaded the dishwasher. I baked a cake. I made coffee. I have updated my blog and I'm about to leave for a day of subbing and then a few hours of hosting at RT. Later on I will make a trifle with the cake I made. What a day!

Not going to lie, I feel kind of smug right about now. I hope you all have an awesome day, too!

Inhale, Exhale, Repeat

I used to be pretty fit. I used to attend a gym regularly. I used to go to classes at a gym. Then I moved to Florida and that all changed. While I like to work out at home, my routine isn't getting me far because I'm missing something vital: Cardio. I haven't done any cardio in a while. Not really, anyway. I mean, I have a routine that gets my heart going, but it's not like running on a treadmill. The problem is that I have no treadmill.

A while ago, Roy and I decided to start running (jogging, technically) in the evenings. It kind of worked. For a month or so. There were a few problems. One, Roy has longer legs than I do and I couldn't keep pace with him. Two, running in the thick, humid air of Florida did nothing for my lungs. I'd be wheezing and red as a tomato by the time we were done. We abandoned jogging.

I've decided to give it another go. I'm going to get up right before 5 am and do a work out or go jogging. I am hoping that I will be able to build a tolerance to the air, or something.

Yup, 5 am. Let that sink in a second. The sun is not out. Birds are snoozing. The bunnies are awake, but they're the only ones. Horrible time, huh? The problem is that I work most weekdays and 4-5 evenings a week. This does not give me a lot of time to work out. Hopefully rising at this time will give me a fighting chance to get in better shape.

Today I did my first try at cardio, although it was this afternoon. I alternated between walking and jogging. For the last little bit I ran. Then I almost threw up. Pathetic, huh? I'm not sure what happened. However, it was nice. It was 70 degrees out (humidity at 70%, ugh) and the sun in the late afternoon wasn't too horrible (for now...).

We'll see how tomorrow morning goes. Wish me luck!