Chocolatey Giveaway Time!

This week's giveaway comes to us from the always wonderful and sweet, Tawny of Daily Icing. Tawny makes some amazing sweets that you can view on her Etsy page, Lollipop's Sugar Shop. I just bought her Birthday Cake Apple and Cinnabun Apple for my parents' birthdays this week, and I can't wait to hear how they taste (I bet they taste like you're eating the entire village of Candyland topped with Carebear clouds.). 

So if you'd like to receive something way sweeter than coupons in your mailbox, here's what you gotta do:

Contest Ends: Thursday, February 24th

Winner Announced: Friday, February 25th

For 1 point each:

1. Comment on this post.

2. Follow me on Google

3. Follow me on Facebook

4. Blog about this giveaway on your site.

5. Comment on Daily Icing & post the link in the comments section here

6. Follow Daily Icing

7. Visit the Lollipop Sugar Shoppe, come back here, and say which goodie you like the most.

And special bonus! 

Tawny is hosting a giveaway over at her site for the most awesome cupcake kit ever in the history of cupcake making kits. ...Which I don't really know how long that history goes because... is there one? Wait? Anywho, if you comment over there and follow Daily Icing, you're earning points for this giveaway AND Tawny's! Bargain!

Truffles You Can Make Without a Pig

Cooking Adventure: Chocolate Oreo Truffles
Source: All Recipes
The Bellydance Soundtrack: Istanbul by REG Project

Prep Time:10-15min.

Freezing Time: 4-6hrs.

Oddly enough, I'm typing this at home right now in faux lunch break. There was no school today because over 65% of the teachers in the Madison school district called in sick in protest. If you're a Wisconsinite, know a Wisconsinite, or are just really good with politics, then you know it's all due to our wonderful new governor, Scott Walker. Normally, I'm not one to get into political squabbles. I'm that annoying one who sits along the sidelines and waits for things to pan out before yelling, "Hooray! It's in the past now! Whatever opinion I have can be viewed as one based on history!" However, when your governor up and declares that he's going to just get rid of collective bargaining rights for public workers' unions and that there's nothing they can do or say because he's passing the bill in a few days whether they like it or not so hah, then I get a little ornery.

In addition, today was supposed to be Literacy Day at the school. I wait all year for Literacy Day. It's the one time when kids get to wear their pj's to class, sit around on pillows and read all day. And the best part is that the staff gets to read selections of whatever book they want to the kids. I was all ready and excited to read a bit of Bill Bryson's, I'm a Stranger Here Myself, but was shocked to hear my NPR alarm telling me Madison schools were cancelled. I kid you not, the first thing I yelled this morning was, "No! I HAVE to go to work today! It's Literacy Day!" My husband suspected I was a weirdo before, but now it's officially confirmed.

This brings us back to me typing at the computer giving myself a lunch break and being glad that I will have more time to make truffles today before dance practice. The photo above is a bit misleading, as those were the truffles I bought up in Door County. Size-wise, though, the Oreo ones will turn out about the same, are cheap, really fun and easy to make, and are great for little kids to help out with (My niece helped make these when  she was 2 by sprinkling/throwing in handfuls the Oreo crumbs on top.).

Magickal Bit (involving cheese!): The Greeks seemed to have the idea of the importance of every voice being represented down. Aristaeus was a minor Greek god of bee keeping and cheese making. He was worshipped by farmers who appealed to him for his practical knowledge. Hmm... maybe I should ask him to help me find a good muffler shop this week... :)
 

Ingredients

- 1 (16 ounce) package OREO Chocolate Sandwich Cookies, divided
- 1 (8 ounce) package PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
- 2 (8 ounce) packages BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Baking Chocolate, melted

Directions

1. Crush 9 of the cookies to fine crumbs in food processor; reserve for later use. (Cookies can also be finely crushed in a resealable plastic bag using a rolling pin.) Crush remaining 36 cookies to fine crumbs; place in medium bowl. Add cream cheese; mix until well blended. Roll cookie mixture into 42 balls, about 1-inch in diameter. Put them in the freezer and let sit for 4-6 hours or until frozen.

 2. Dip balls in chocolate; place on wax paper-covered baking sheet. (Any leftover chocolate can be stored at room temperature for another use.) Sprinkle with reserved cookie crumbs. 

 3. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour. Store leftover truffles, covered, in refrigerator.(I've found that they have to sit a little longer than 1hour. I'd give them about 2-3 hours so they don't melt upon touching them.)

Things That Taste Dumb

 It is really hard to eat healthy when you have a good week of failed improv cooking. I'll say it now: I'm a recipe follower. Grabbing random things and cooking them up is not my forte. Example: Last night I thought it would be a wonderful idea to cook up some basmati rice and add a spice packet...

 Okay, I have to preface this by letting you all know that the "I could make that" gene runs in my family. This is the reason none of us ever shop at the mall. Prom dress shopping was a nightmare as a high school kid because every time I pointed out something I liked, my mom would look at the price tag and exclaim, "Woah! Ninety bucks! I could make that for ten!" You have to understand though, that while we all profess to be able to construct things ourselves, we'll never actually do it.

Well, I broke tradition and remembered the spices on the back of the spice packet. Instead of just paying the $1.50, I tried combining the spices into my own mix, figuring that it should taste about the same. Yeah... somehow I undercooked the rice and overestimated the spice to rice ratio. It was crunchy and powdery. Adding cilantro did nothing. The only way I can describe the taste was dumb. 

Definition of "Tasting dumb": You know exactly what was done in the cooking process, and you know what it's supposed to taste like, but what goes in your mouth illicits the almost instantaneous reaction of, "What the heck am I going to do with all food?"
 

Past instances of tasting dumb have included this thing I have a photo of. I saw it at the store and thought, "It's huge! I wonder what it tastes like?" I still don't know what it is, but I do know that it has a pulp/skin that is very foamy and at least an inch and a half thick. I also made a Peanut Butter African Stew once. It ultimately came out to be melted peanut butter with barley and stuff. When I took it out of the fridge in the morning, it had solidified back into peanut butter... but with stuff in it. I had at least a gallon that my husband and I had to hold upside down over the sink while we jabbed at it with a spatula. It finally globbed out with a release of pressure and a giant sucking sound.

Today I tried to survive on leftover cut up pork chop, crackers, and orange and carrots. That explains why I'm totally craving gummie bears and nachos right now.

1. Does anyone know what this is and what you're supposed to do with it?
2. If anyone knows some good kitchen gods aside from Hestia, let me know. I think I need their divine help in sufficiently restocking my refrigerator.

Chocolate Quote of the Day
"You know an odd feeling? Sitting on the toilet eating a chocolate candy bar."

 - George Carlin

Books for Dinner

This is the coolest idea ever, so I'm passing it along to everyone I know. "Cook the Books" is a bimonthly blog for everyone who loves to read and cook, but never though the two would marry well (Sure, we may have occasionally thought that they'd get together for a hook up now and again, but the violent splatters that come from spaghetti sauce just seemed like a deal breaker for the witty yet very sensitive pages of our Terry Pratchett books.). 

The club picks a new book to read every two months. Once you're finished reading, you're given a deadline by which to blog about the book and cook a meal inspired by the book. I idea is great and the food photos look delicious!

The books seem a bit too girly for me (I tend to read less steamy bedroom scenes and deep conversations with girlfriends, and more comedy and comedic gore.), but it made me think what I would end up cooking... I just finished Christopher Moore's book "Bite Me" about vampire humans, cats, rats and parakeets in San Francisco. Hmmm... blood sausage? :P

Whether you're a fan of the books or not, I highly recommend checking out the site. It's definitely a way to everyone cooking and reading more.

Chocolate Quote of the Day

There are two kinds of people in the world:  those who love chocolate, and communists.  ~Leslie Moak Murray

Friday Finds... On Saturday

Whatever kind of chocolate drink you're having, make sure you've got the piece and quite, and the sweet, sweet bling to with it. A while back I started a giant mug collection. The only rules: 1. It has to fit my ever changing definition of big (i.e. the mug must illicit a "WOAH!" out of me), and 2. It must come from the Good Will. Because any beverage is that much better when you know you got a great deal on the container. :)

  

Chocolate Quote of the Day

"My therapist told me the way to achieve true inner peace is to finish what I start. So far today, I have finished 2 bags of M&M's and a chocolate cake. I feel better already."
- Dave Barry

Post Workout Chocolate

Cooking Adventure: Chocolate Avocado Milkshake
Source: The Skinny Chef
The Bellydance Soundtrack: Touch the Buka by Harem IV

Prep Time: 3 min.

There I was, ellipticalling away on the elliptical (What exactly do you do on an elliptical? Step? Jog? Swing? Whatever it is you do on those things, I was doing it.). For the first time I had actually chosen a program other than "Manual". I broke from routine and was attempting the "Cross Training" option, which apparently makes you taller and shorter at random intervals by changing the ramp. It also orders you to pedal (Ooh! There! You pedal on an elliptical.G.I. JOE! Knowing is half the battle.) backwards and forwards.

I was concentrating so hard that when "Touch the Buka" jumped into action on my iPod I hardly noticed until the lyrics started. I finished up my workout trying not to spit with laughter at the chanting of, "Come feel my buka. Come touch my buka. Come play my buka." For those getting the wrong idea right now, a buka is a drum. For those still getting the wrong idea, I believe you're meant to. I swear that Harem IV must have found the guy from the "I'm Too Sexy for my Shirt". When I still had buka man in my head half an hour later, I thought to heck with it, and gave into the beat. So the above chocolate shake was made courtesy of Harem IV, and immersion blending to their creepy drum beat.

I said before that chocolate can be healthy when take in strides, and this recipe definitely fits that category. And if you're looking at this recipe and thinking, "Ew. Chocolate and avocados? In a drink? That's almost as crazy as a cop and a dog trying to pawn off cookies for breakfast!", don't. If you make sure to get fresh avocados, and you blend them up good, you'll really enjoy this. 

Magickal Bit: Avocados are a symbol of beauty and represent the feminine in nature. Mixed with the chocolate, it's an excellent way to honor your body's natural beauty and power.

Science Bit: Avocados contain high levels of potassium, which helps lower blood pressure, and  oleic acid, which lowers cholesterol. Avocados are also high in Vitamin K, which allows your blood to clot. 

Ingredients

1/2 ripe Hass avocado
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cup skim milk

Directions

1. Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor. Blend on high until smooth and serve over ice.

*It really doesn't matter what kind of cocoa mix you use for this, and it's really fun to experiment. :)

Chocolate Month! A Sweet Introduction

I think February is the time many of us start to think of this delectable treat because January has been the month of sweaty hard work, gut wrenching self-control, and increased intake of vegetables. At least for me it is. My husband is still wondering when he will see the end of my obsession with vegetarian meal plans. When he heard that chocolate month was coming up on DwaSW, his face lit up with a grin and his hands rose to meet his chin level with Wallace & Gromit zeal.

I think his excitement mostly comes from the idea of chocolate being classified as unhealthy. Let's face it. Cocoa is the forbidden fruit of the bean world. It comes swimming in some of the English language's most caution-bestowing vocabulary: decedent, rich, creamy. AKA? CALORIES! BATHED IN CALORIES! CALORIES EQUAL WEIGHT! WEIGHT EQUALS PAIN AND EXERCISE! RESIST! USE THE FORCE! DEFEND YOURSELF WITH A CARE BEAR STARE! ANYTHING! (My god. Can you imagine what the Care Bear stare would do to Hershey's? ...Smores?). 

Yes, chocolate is one of those things that really does need to be taken in moderation, but that's just like any other food. Heck, the abuse of carrots will turn you orange. If used wisely, it can be an extremely wonderful and beautiful part of your cooking, and of your magick. We just have to know a few things about chocolate on the physical and magickal planes to get us going:

 - Chocolate contains slight levels of the chemical compounds tryptophan and phenylethylalanine, which cause the brain to produce serotonin, giving the eater the feeling of ecstasy and relaxation.

 - Cocoa bean cultivation and use originated from the ancient Maya of Central & South America as early as 1100B.C. The Maya believed that the bean was a source of power, and a potent aphrodisiac. They often used them in offering ceremonies.

 - Dark chocolates contain the highest amount of flavonoids of any other type of chocolate. Foods containing flavonoids help open your arteries and prevent heart attacks.

 - Chocolate goes along with the element of fire (not surprising at such a low melting point). Need a power up? A way to warm your body? ...An orgasm? Chocolate is your answer.

I'm learning all manner of things today & I could really go on forever. But I have a whole month ahead of me! Tomorrow is a bit of a break already because it will be an Imbolc bellydance lesson. But more gooey goodness to come!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thakerar, Dhara. "Chocolate's Chemical Charm". Science in School. July 2006. http://www.scienceinschool.org/2006/issue2/chocchemistry

"The Sweet Science of Chocolate". Science Today! At the University of California. August 17, 2009. http://www.ucop.edu/sciencetoday/article/21617. Video & Transcript.

Dugan, Ellen. Natural Witchery: Intuitive, Personal & Practical Magick. 2007. Page 162, para 4.

Looking Forward to February

I think I've figured it out. January is a dragging month. If NASA ran out of money they'd start using it as a parachute to slow down the space shuttle landings. Cross dressers might come out in full force this month. Guys at their height in the 90's should start saying, "Woah. What a January, duuuuude." I suppose the problem is partially that cold I talked about, but partially the social call to jump back into action with amazing fervor after the holidays. I'm not ready to be there yet. I illustrated that point this morning when I woke up before 7AM for the first time in months. Apparently the sleep I get between 6:45AM and 7AM really does make the difference between a driving to work singing morning and a I-swear-to-every-demonic-Hindu-god-that-I-will-voodoo-whomsoever-dares-anger-me morning.

Despite the drag though, there is something to look forward to: dancing half-naked in front of hundreds of impressionable college guys. Oh how their stoned and confused faces will become more so when they go by the bellydancing club table at the student organization fair tomorrow. Last year our table was right across from the Anime Club, Jew-wop (A Jewish doo-wop... duwop? club), and the Madison Mechanical Engineering Society. I think their schpeils went downhill when my dancer friend and I faced each other and started practicing chest lifts and shoulder shimmies. Tomorrow will also be the first practice for the beginner's show group, so I'll get two chances to be a complete goof with a coin scarf.

Bellydancing craziness aside, there is another very fun time to look forward to...

February Chocolate Month!

Yes, February will be the official month of splurging here at DwaSW. I've accumulated enough  excellent chocolate recipes that it's time to showcase them in all their delicious glory. Keep your eye out for the recipes, movie reviews, magickal tidbits, dance lessons, and of course, giveaways! If you're curious about what could be coming up, I suggest taking a visit to Heathen's Hobbies for a preview. 

*P.S. I'm still looking for a few prizes to add to contests. If you have a budding artistic side and would like a chance to show off, I'd love to hear from you and check out your crafts!

Consumed by Resolutions

 

Only six days into the new year and I feel as though I'm just barely managing to pull myself up out of resolution fever. I really only made one resolution this year that I can't tell you. Maybe it's me being stubborn, but mostly it's my deep seeded belief that new year's resolutions are also bound by birthday wishing rules: If you tell it, it's not going to come true. Hm, kind of makes me wish new year's always came with candles. Suffice it to say, the goal for 2011 revolves around personal health - which is as unique a subject for a new year's resolution as methods of deep frying things are to a Minnesota State Fair food vendor.

This, mixed with my small goals of reading and sleeping more, has meant that I can sufficiently blame my lack of posting on a stubborn attempt to make the year perfect - a business model that is definitely not sustainable over the long haul. It doesn't mean I can't try, though. 

In the midst of this overhaul of the day-to-day is an overwhelming drive to crochet my own patterns. I was so happy with how Dag turned out, that I tried making him again. ...Turns out I didn't take very good notes. I managed to struggle through Dag #2, and am now working on a second pattern for another monster. Perhaps at some point these will be up on an Etsy site. For now though, I'm still trying to stay afloat in my own promises

Anyone else in the "improving your health" boat? Oh my gosh, have you ever had a point in your life where you've wanted a pizza dipped in chocolate so badly!? ...No counting pregnancy! :P