Think hot chocolate like a fondue. Gently scoop chocolate pellets with a metal spatula. Slowly melt it under the burning candle. Pour frothed milk. Stir it with the same spatula that now acts as a stirrer. Savour it with the stirrer turned metal straw. Max Brenner serves this dreamy hot chocolate called sukao (I think it is an example of a portmanteau – two or more words and their meaning combined into one). So its sucking (through the straw) + cacao = sukao. For hot chocolate lovers, it can be found in the USA, Australia, Philippines, Singapore & Israel. Enjoy!

I decided to take a nice easy slow run yesterday morning to get the blood moving through my legs. I felt so grateful to be out on the road. And it must have done the trick as my quads felt immensely better! I went for an hour and averaged 6.5 per km to make it 8.8km.

I actioned a breakfast scramble with bacon and avocado toast and then not long after a roast beef open grill. Puppy and I had a little rest in front of the TV. She likes to rest her feet on my feet.

We had some friends over and I have to say, I cooked up a storm. Thanks to a hot tip from a colleague I roasted a chook on the webber. It was stuffed with lemon and thyme and served with potatoes, carrots and peas. It was so good that I carved it too quickly and forgot a photo. So the one below is stolen from another, but a visual nonetheless.

We then had self saucing chocolate puddings with ice cream. They were oozy warm ramekins of happiness! And the perfect sugar kick for my run for Mother’s Day.

My work put in a team for the Mother’s Day Classic. It was so much fun! I saw a friend at the start line but he is super speedy so I lost sight of him pretty quick.

Man of the House bought me a One Direction lollipop for good luck. He is the best.

Back to the race. It was 8km. I set off at a steady speed with the crowd and managed to maintain an average of around 6.10 per km. I was super happy!

At around the 7km mark I thought I would catch my breath for the last km to the finish line. A young girl encouraged me to keep going. I thanked her and did just that.

It is what I love about running. Everyone is in it for themselves yet so supportive of others. I had so much fun. Results aren’t out yet but I think I did it in 50 minutes.

To top it off I saw Man of the House at the start line and finish line. Made my day. And to just make it even better, I also saw my Mum and Dad at the finish line too! So awesome.

Man of the House is seriously the best person ever and knew I would need some fuel straight up so we shared my favourite Reece’s Crispy Crunchy.

Then it was a family breakfast for Mother’s Day. I was cold so had a coffee and a hot chocolate. I had bacon and eggs and some of Mum’s berry pancakes.

After breakfast we stopped in to Max Brenner. Chocolate is good for you. I agree completely Max. We bought a mix of sea salt, peanut butter, raspberry and chocolate ganache. Yum!!!!!!!!

Then time for lunch with Man of the house’s mum at The Norman. I had an eye fillet with seafood topper and some of Man of the House’s ribs and a glass of red. We both cleaned our plates. I was impressed!

A very short nap and can you believe it, I was hungry. I know. Even I couldn’t believe I was hungry again. So after a really big day, left over roast chook toasties it was. Plus the Max Brenner of course.

Hope you all had as good a day as I did! Happy Mother’s Day xx

Barely a week past my initial diagnosis/giving the gp heart failuer/hospital visit and I have a sore throat/cold combo going on. So that’s just awesome. Apparently being sick like this can bollix up your blood sugar levels, which I’ve experienced a little of. I’ve generally been able to maintain between 5 and 8, which is good, but I had a high of 14 yesterday, which was disheartening. 
The other issue here is that traditionally my choice for colds and sore throats was vocal zone lozenges and lemon/honey drinks. Those, obviously, were both out, being filled with sugar. We went to the supermarket and sugar free lozenges were almost triple the price of normal ones! I initially decided that I didn’t need them, I objected to forking out extra simply so I could have some relief from a piddly sore throat.

Today I broke, woke up feeling like crap, tried the advised salt-water gargle. I obviously am unskilled at such things as I promptly tried to swallow it, gagged, then retched over the sink for another few minutes. So, yeah, that didn’t work out for me. Went to the pharmacy and handed over my sheckles for some “raspberry” flavoured, sugar-free difflam lozenges. They aren’t what I remember raspberry tasting like, but they numbed the back portion of my mouth and my tongue, so I suppose I can’t complain.

Back at tech for real this week, after a trying week where I really should have been studying but spent more time wallowing. To be honest the wallowing is preferable, as my enjoyment of tech stuff has been tenuous at best before being diagnosed, and now I just can’t be bothered and don’t care. While less than ideal, it is better than stressing out about it in some ways, as stress can apparently make my levels go up, so you know, that’s good. Many people have offered motivational platitudes such as: “It’s only half a year to go!” and “But you do such good work!” which have been appreciated but the only real thing pushing me along at this point is “What a waste of money if you don’t finish this”. I’m sure I’ll get more badgering this week when it is revealed that over the last three weeks all I’ve done are a few character development sketches for my body of work and a depressing attempt at typography for a logo/brand, something which I loath doing purely because of how much I suck at it. 

Anyway, to get off the pity-coaster of my education… I have made me-friendly hot chocolate!

Now it’s true this contains milk powder so there’s an element of sugar in there, but it’s way better than drinking chocolate or milo or anything else pre-made! It tastes mostly ok, Splenda and other fake sugars always have a weird taste, but it’s better than nothing! Here’s what I did

3 parts milk powder
1 part splenda/other granulated sweetener
2 parts cocoa (this is because I like dark chocolate, make it less if you prefer
some cinnamon (optional and depending on your taste!)

I stuck all these in a jar and shook it – easy. To make a drink I put 2-3 teaspoons in a mug/cup and poured boiling water over and stirred.

I find sweeteners have a weird taste, they aren’t entirely “right” tasting, but I;m gonna take what I can get atm – it’s cold and I’m sick.

Anyway, I best be off to ensure the chicken carcass I have boiling in the pressure cooker isn’t going to explode, then I can have some chicken soup and be pathetic in bed!

Take care everyone!

We got slightly sidetracked en route, however, by this:

You may well wonder what on earth there is in the above picture to warrant keeping one back from one’s snackerels, and if it weren’t for what’s over the road from this field you might never know. Here’s a delightful assistant having a look at it:

It’s a sort of sculpture, put there to mark the start of the River Tweed, which is what you can’t see in the field across the road due to it being just a trickle hidden amongst foliage.

The sculpture is made from a lump of sandstone, with various information plaques like the one above stuck onto it, and little scenes from the river’s history carved into it:

Little rowers, one of many interesting carvings on the River Tweed sculpture.

What fascinated the assistants most of all, however, was a small carved bridge through which they were determined to poke things. First up was a paper tissue, the choice of delightful assistant no.2:

Delightful assistant no.2 with his hankie trick: “Watch closely as I take a paper hankie, crumple it up at one end, and manoeuvre it effortlessly through the little bridge arch. Ta-da!”

Delightful assistant no.1 was very keen to get a stick through it, which she did with some success:

See – it comes right through nicely!

Delightful assistant no.1 chuffed beyond words with her stick-through-a-tiny-bridge demonstration

When I managed to drag them away from this most diverting of entertainments, we set off again for the quiet little village of Broughton in the Scottish Borders.

Some of the attractive stone cottages lining the main street through Broughton.

Although Broughton is very small, with a population of apparently around 300, it contains a brewery and an excellent tearoom.

Assistants toddling into the tearoom

Since I was still a bit full of lunch, I decided on a hot chocolate as a sort of compromise between a drink and a cake.

With something this sweet and filling a cake wasn’t absolutely necessary.

But when I went to look at the cake counter ‘just to see’ I was drawn in by a flat jammy almond affair:

Flat and utterly delicious: a very jammy almond slice.

Delightful assistant no.1 declared herself interested only in coffee, but when I told here there were small and enticing bits of tiffin on offer she caved in:

Tiffin, when made well (as this one was), is arguably the king of traybakes.

Delightful assistant no.2 left it up to me to choose his cake for him, and I plumped for a lemon and coconut slice, because he has a penchant for them:

If you’re stuck for what to choose in a tearoom and you fancy a sweet treat with coconut in it, my advice would be it’s always worth trying the lemon and coconut slice.

I’m delighted to say that I tasted all of the cakes and each of them had its own special charms. Often, when I’m in company and trying a variety of cakey options, there are some I like better than others, but this was an occasion when I would happily have chosen any one of the three because they were all equally tip top.

One thing I noticed about the Laurel Bank Tearoom this time that I haven’t been aware of on previous visits was the unusually good selection of veggie options. There was a specials menu with 5 main courses on it, and 3 of them were vegetarian; a couple of them may even have been vegan for all I know. Good job, Laurel Bank!

Back on the road through the Scottish Borders yellow heads nodded to us as we passed, and we nodded back contentedly.

Thank you for visiting….thank you for having us.

]]> http://sweetandbeautifuluk.wordpress.com/2013/05/11/the-hot-chocolate-kit/ Sat, 11 May 2013 19:30:25 +0000 sweetandbeautifuluk http://sweetandbeautifuluk.wordpress.com/2013/05/11/the-hot-chocolate-kit/ Hello folks,

Tonight I’m going to tell you about an idea I had for the May Royton market. Alas it didnt really go down too well..I fact I sold none!! A good friend pointed out it probably wasn’t the best time of year to try and sell them, I think she was right seeing that the sun had come out to play that day!! I’m not going to make any more until at least October then maybe have a few different flavours.
Well at least I made a few freinds happy by giving them a kit.

Here’s how to make them….instrutions will be included in the next batch.

1, Put your PJ’s on and turn on your TV in time for your fave TV show or get the DVD player ready.

2, Select a large mug from your cupboard then put aprox enough milk to fill that mug in a pan and bring to the boil.

3, Pour the cocoa powder into the cup, you may want to add some sugar you can either do this now or at the end after tasting it.

4, When the milk has boiled pour into the cup stiring to disolve the cocoa powder.

5, Now add your chocolate stick and stir it in the milk until it has all disolved.

6, Add your marshmellows then try not to drink it before you sit down. (it nearly didnt make it out of my kitchen I loved it so much)

mmmmm a nice cup of chocolatey gooey goodness!!

Enjoy and have fun folks

Rose xxxxx

Here now follows the photos xxxx

Belgian waffle – $5.50

Banana bread $5.50

Italian thick hot milk chocolate and White chocolate mocha – both $6

That’s enough chocolate for today, I think.

XO Lauren

Product Description

Brews coffee in three minutes. Includes hot water reservoir to make hot chocolate tea soup cereal etc. Thermostat controlled brewing temperature. Number of Cups: 10 Number of Burners: N/A Warmer: N/A Capacity (Volume): N/A.Unit of Measure : Each

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Anything’s better than bitchin’, so here’s my list of why I love winter:

Hibearnating under a mountain of blankets (see what I did ‘bear’), to the point of question. Is there a person under there? No, no, just a pile of big old blankets.
Wearing flannelette winter pjs or an over-the-top onesie to bed. Someone please sponsor me a rabbit onesie with ears and a fluffy belly!
Mooching around in track pants, thick woolly jumpers, hoodies and Ugg boots.
Wrapping yourself up like a ninja, when you go outside to play.
Popping those ultra-soft fluff-ball socks on and not being embarrassed at all.
Hot chocolates overloaded with marshmallows, using the mug as a hand warming device.
Sinking into a long, hot bath and laughing at the beard you’ve made of bubbles.
Having a communal bathe with your mates and soaking away your worries at the hot pools.
Lounging in that sweet spot in front of the fire. You know the one, not too close where your face is all burny burny and not too far where your back is an ice block. Pretty much slap bang in the middle where everyone else walks around you, giving you the silent stink eye.
Rainy days curled up on the couch reading a fab book. Or better still, snugged up in bed turning pages, without a care in the world.
Thick soups, heart-warming lasagne, succulent roasts, apple crumble!
Hugs that could melt the snow.
Snow! How could I forget snow? I have to drive to the mountain to get my fix, but it’s worth it when the flakes lightly kiss your face.
Walking along the beach because it’s such a seasonally out of character thing to do.
DVD days & crafternoons.

I’m all warm and fuzzy now, ready to take on winter with a kapow!
What would you add to the list?

I love the Millennium Centre.

I honestly think it is one of the best things about Wales. Over the years I’ve seen some brilliant things in the main hall, such as Yes Prime Minister; Derren Brown; One Man Two Guvnors etc, and some really random things in the smaller theatres where it has just been me, my wife and if we were lucky a few other people scattered around the seats.

Bar One itself is an attractive open plan area with large windows to allow you to sit, drink your hot chocolate and watch the world of the Bay pass you by. There’s few places better than Cardiff Bay in the sunshine and with outside seating Bar One is ideal. As a fully licensed venue it’s also great for a quiet afternoon tipple. The inside is an homage to the WMC’s past successes with signed posters of Les Miserables, Oliver and Mama Mia.

The service can be a bit slow but I’m always cheered by the lovely lady who works there insting on calling me ‘sweetie.’

The Hot chocolate

As regular readers (are there any readers let alone regular ones?) will know, I am partial to whipped cream with my hot chocolate. Sadly none comes with the order at Bar One. However, the froth of the drink is particularly creamy. There is a lovely milk chocolate flavour and smooth texture. Definitely a hot chocolate to appreciate.

The Carrot Cake

I didn’t have a piece on this occasion but a very tempting carrot cake was on display and will be reviewed soon.

The Rest

One thing that has to be said about Bar One is that they do exceptional caramel slices.

Bar One,
Wales Millennium Centre,
Bute Place,
Cardiff Bay,
CF10 5AL

Today, I ventured into satisfying my sweet tooth again.  Last time at the grocery store, I noticed that a brick of unsweetened 100% dark baking chocolate has only 3 net carbs per huge block.  I purchased it, and tonight I attempted a fat-loaded hot chocolate.

It went as follows:

1 cup coconut milk [1 net carb]

1 tablespoon of heavy cream (for a fuller body)

1/4 cup whole milk (for texture) [3 net carbs]

1 tablespoon of coconut oil

1 block of 100% dark cocoa [3 net carbs]

1 tablespoon of Hersey’s Baking cocoa [1 net  carb]

I steamed the coconut milk, whole milk, and cream with my espresso machine.  Then, I broke the chocolate block up in my mug and poured in the Hersey’s cocoa and coconut oil.  I poured my steamed milk over the chocolate and mixed it with milk frother.

That comes up to 8 net carbs, and it tasted really great.  Next time, I might try omitting the whole milk since it contributes to 3 net carbs alone.  I just wanted to mask the coconut milk, which I’m not particularly fond of (this was my first time purchasing it, too).

I had a moment after drinking it where I just thought about how my body feels.  The treat felt sweet and decadent, yet my body wasn’t responding like it usually would if I had consumed sugar.  I felt so… normal.  Is this what non-insulin resistant people feel like all the time?

I had an epiphany yesterday.  It was raining outside and I felt like a cup of hot chocolate.  Then it hit me…what if somehow I made a cup of peanut butter hot chocolate?  Thus, I embarked on a kitchen adventure.

After grabbing milk, some Hershey’s hot fudge (I was out of chocolate syrup), and a jar of creamy peanut butter, I went to work.

(Yes I did use Instagram…don’t judge me)

My concoction came out absolutely delicious!  If you’re interested in making it, here’s what you’ll need:

1 cup milk

1 tablespoon chocolate syrup (or hot fudge)

1 tablespoon peanut butter

Of course add more ingredients if you plan on having more than 1 serving.  Heat the milk in a saucepan, mix in the chocolate, and then mix in the peanut butter until it looks tasty enough to drink.

Stay frothy, friends!

it sounds just like
someone’s unpleasant
grumbling;

hear it through
a sky that’s quickly
darkening,

and the wind
that’s joined in with its
howling.

1. Find your favorite hot chocolate
2. Add warm steaming milk
3. Enjoy

Michael Mina Hot Chocolate

So yes, Agatha Christie in one hand, Hot Chocolate in the other and Classic FM on the telly – a lovely way to wind down a day.

Good Night! xx

Hey guys! So, if you know me in real life, you know I’m a teensy bit obsessed with Starbucks  I’m always wanting it! It’s bad, but so yummy. Here are some of my favorite drinks! ps — I only really get fraps, so that’s mostly what i love!

• Double Chocolate Chip Frappe {This is my regular. It doesn’t have coffee, and it’s gorgeous. It also has little chunks of chocolate in it which make it 500,000,000 times better}
• Strawberries & Cream Frappe {I’ve only gotten it once, but it’s great to get if you’re craving something sweet}
• Mocha Cookie Crumble Frappe {It has CHOCOLATE WHIPPED CREAM. it doesn’t get better, ladies.}
• Hot Chocolate {Yes, it’s mainstream, but their hot chocolate is perfectly done. It’s very rich, and well… wonderful.}

I could name so many more, but those are my top favorites!

Have a happy happy wednesday! haha

xoxo,

Mandie {The starbucksaholic — i want to start a petition to make that a word}

Aloha and welcome to Wednesday Coffee where we sit around the huge coffee table and share stories, recipes, friendly discussion about current events and our up and downs in life with an endless pot of coffee, the never ending pot of tea and a big huge cup of hot chocolate. So pull up a seat and get ready for the day with that first sip of heaven!

Last week, my office had a meeting at which we got to decorate our own cupcakes. It was SO EXCITING.

Over the weekend, Steve and I went to a May Fair. It’s become somewhat of a tradition for me to eat Indian food at fairs/festivals, and this one was no exception.

The other day after frolicking, a few friends and I went out to eat. I had delicious sweet potato-apple-walnut-brie quesadillas with a side of cheesy fries and strawberry habanero sauce. I’m a little obsessed with strawberry habanero sauce–it’s pretty much the best thing ever.

And last but not least, an iced dark chocolate to celebrate the warm weather!

Now, here are a few of my favorite posts I’ve read about INDD:

-The Fat Chick Sings: International no longer dedicating my life to dieting day.
-Kyla the Great: International No Diet Day, May 6th, 2013.
-Fat Girl Posing: Happy International No Diet Day (content note: eating disorders and suicidality).
-Virgie Tovar: Remebering lost tiramisu on International No Diet Day.
-The Queer Fat Femme Guide to Life: Three ways to reclaim food awesomeness on International No Diet Day.

Enjoy the spring weather (if you’re in the Northern hemisphere), and the joy of eating and sharing food (anywhere)!

Lately, my days have been filled with reading journal articles, presentations, and essay writing. I have major deadlines coming up but I gladly welcomed a break away from the books tonight. Yelp Brisbane invited me to their May Elite Flower Potluck and I happily obliged. Yelp Community Manager, Lani was inspired by Kinfolk Magazine who was hosting flower potlucks all around the world and she decided to host one right here in Brisbane!

Yelp Flower Potluck

My gal pals and I headed to The Box in West End with hands full of flowers and foliage as our contribution. After checking in, we found ourselves walking into the most adorable courtyard welcoming us to paradise with fairy lights and painted wall murals. The tables had been set up with flowers in front of everyone’s seat with a cheat sheet for our upcoming flower arranging class!

Our finished products!

Lani welcomed us and gave us a rundown of what was going to happen and that she’d be visiting us from time to time with goat pies from the goat pie guy and hot chocolate from Bunker! I do not like chocolate but I have to say that you MUST run to Bunker and grab a cup or three. They make the best hot milk/dark chocolate you’ll taste in Brisbane. They are so friendly and I will be heading to Milton just to see them.

Then, Beck of Flowers in Hand took center stage and taught us the art of making beautiful bouquets! I am a big big fan of flowers as they make me really happy. If I could, I would have fresh flowers in my house every day! After showing us an example, she let our creative juices take over as we put deep red celosias (my new favorite), bright yellow sunflowers, crisp green chrysanthemums, white gerber daisies, purple irises, and pink carnations together. I got a bit carried away and after I was finished, I realized that my bouquet would NOT fit into the vase Lani had provided for each of us. Oops. Not to fret, other people had extra flowers lying around so I made a much smaller bouquet to fit in the vase! I love symmetry and that was the focus of the vase bouquet.

After finishing up our bouquets, Lani informed us that the flowers would be going home with us (YEAH!!!). We headed inside The Box for more goat pies, hot chocolates, and desserts from SOL Breads Organic Bakery. Mike of the goat pie guy was awesome and I fell for his Himalayan meat pie! Tender chunks of slow cooked goat meat in a rich Nepalese curry with ginger, tomatoes, and fragrant spices. YES, please. He also has a Moroccan and Malaysian goat pie that I am wanting to try. I told him how I love chili and he said that if I call ahead, he’ll make me a few special ones! I’ll be taking him up on the offer and will have to post about how the spiciness measures up.

Goat Pie Guys Rocks. Try the Himalayan.

We came with hands full of flowers and foliage and left with the most beautiful flower arrangements. As Jasmin and I were taking the bus home, I could see people’s faces light up when they saw our floral bouquets! Flowers seriously have a power and can lift spirits. Flowers make me so happy and I have found the perfect place for them, my desk, to cheer me up while I am studying! All good things must come to an end so I am signing off to get back to my books. Hope you enjoy the photos. Go and bring someone you care about (including yourself) a flower or bouquet today! I promise you’ll feel much better. Flower Power!

Brightening up my desk and life!