Wednesday, January 17, 2007
You woke up early and still couldn't get outta bed for an hour. Work sucks. Your best friend didn't call. Nobody remembered your birthday.
You're beyond depressed. You're low, low, low. Lower than a snake's belly in a dry well.
You need chocolate.
Yeah, I know all the diet books say don't substitute food for love. Forget it. Diet books are all written by skinny doctors who don't know crap about willpower — their personal chefs and personal trainers do all the work.
Evans Caglage/Dallas Morning News
Feeling blue? Cave in just for today and have your chocolate — but don't eat it alone. Get some friends together and you'll feel a lot better.
Real willpower is losing that 25 pounds five or six times and still living on a diet!
So I say cave in just for today and have your chocolate — but don't eat it alone. Get some friends together and you'll feel a lot better.
Friends? Yes, you do have friends. Or you will, once you set out plates of chocolate goodies. Make a few calls or just hound that best friend until he or she calls you back. Then open a tin of chocolate ice cream, cookies or truffles. Bake those chocolate cupcakes and let the aroma fill the house.
The natural stimulants of caffeine and friendly conversation will snap you out of your funk faster than you can say "Hershey's Kisses."
Baby me
Sometimes you're so down you just want to revert to childhood comforts. Call a few friends, rent some feel-good videos and make that classic kiddie treat: s'mores.
No need for a campfire. My niece, Lisa, a film student, champion DVD watcher and brilliant slacker, has perfected a microwave recipe. It goes like this:
Take two rectangular graham crackers. Do not separate them. Set on a plate and top with enough chocolate bar just to cover. Microwave 30-60 seconds, watching constantly, monitoring constantly until chocolate is glossy or bottom is melted. Remove and set aside.
Repeat with another graham square topped with a single marshmallow — regular size, not mini. Microwave that for about 10 seconds. "It blows up — watch for that. Take it out, then it shrinks down," says Lisa.
Sandwich your two creations together and dig in.
For a party, I recommend setting out trays of crackers topped with the correct amounts of everything and letting guests nuke their own.
Cupid comes to call
Chocolate has long been considered an aphrodisiac, often exchanged between lovers on Valentine's Day. Could be that association started hundreds of years ago in Mexico: Montezuma always fortified himself with a cup of hot chocolate before visiting his harem.
Read up on chocolate
"The Emperors of Chocolate: Inside the Secret World of Hershey and Mars" by Joel Glenn Brenner.
"Dessert Circus: Extraordinary Desserts You Can Make at Home" by Jacques Torres.
"Hot Chocolate" by Michael Turback.
"The Art of Chocolate: Techniques and Recipes for Simply Spectacular Desserts and Confections" by Elaine Gonzalez and Frankie Frankeny.
"The True History of Chocolate" by Sophie D. Coe and Michael D. Coe.
Today, premium chocolate's rich, luxurious decadence is expensive but not outrageous. If you can't give her diamonds, chocolate's a wonderful substitute. Godiva, Joseph Schmidt, Scharffen Berger, Fran's, Ethel M's and See's all have retail outlets or Web sites.
If you're into baking, grab some See's giant milk chocolate chips and follow the cookie recipe on the bag. If you love gourmet treats, check out Vosges' Web site or visit their shop in Las Vegas.
Invite your love over for a special evening and serve a bold Cabernet or luscious Zinfandel port with those truffles.
Easy-bake lovin'
Show friends you care by baking. There's nothing better than making a batch of brownies, cookies or cupcakes together.
Ask guests to bring ice cream, milk or whipped toppings. Brew some coffee or open some fruity red wine.
Make it easy on yourself. Get guests to help you cook. Use a mix if you're not confident in your baking abilities. Add special ingredients. Most brownie mixes have instructions on how to gussy up their bars with chocolate chips, toffee bits and other goodies.
I make a favorite, very simple cupcake recipe. I think I found it years ago on the Hershey's Cocoa tin. It's great made with Hershey's but even better with Italian or Dutch imported cocoa.
When I want something easy, I use ready-made pourable icing. For a gourmet touch I bake it in heart shapes and drizzle it with a jar of premium chocolate sauce — incredible.
Ice cream social
Do you have kids? Get them in on the act. Have their friends and parents over for a quick after-school chocolate social.
Set up a sundae bar with a couple of different kinds of ice cream and all types of chocolate toppings: chocolate syrup, M&Ms, chocolate sprinkles, peanut butter cups, mini Oreos. Don't forget the nuts, whipped cream and cherries.
The kids will go to town and the parents will indulge, too. There's nothing like the laughter of children to chase the blues away.
So get out of your rut, get out your chocolate and make some friends.
Comments
bethboeck (anonymous) says...
I'm a lifetime chocohollic and wouldn't think that life was worth living (well at least it would be far less fun) if somehow chocolate ceased to exist.
However I'm struggling with extra weight. I used to be able lose weight easily but this middle age metabolism is as slow as workers at the DMV. So I joined a group and found some fellow chocoholics who shared these two simple recepies with me.
Brownies
One brownie mix (nothing fancy even gereric is ok)
One can of black beans.
Ok don't freak out and stop reading here, it'll be good I promise.
Puree the black beans, liquid and all in a blender.
Pour the puree into the bowl with the brownie mix.
Mix until moistened and bake according to package directions.
These brownies are not only delicous and passed the taste test with my pickiest child but they are more choclately than most and have protien and fiber in each serving.
This other one is an oldy but goodie.
One package of any type cake mix
One can of any type diet soda.
Take two sips from the diet soda (come on you were thirsty anyway) and pour the rest in the bowl with the cake mix.
Mix according to package instructions and bake accordingly as well.
Both recipes leave out the eggs, oil and any other ingredient except the black beans and diet soda.
I've made chocolate cake with diet coke
Red Velvet cake with diet cherry and yellow cake with sprite.
February 19, 2007 at 5:28 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
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