On est vendredi  et j’espère de tout cœur que le week-end sera meilleur que la semaine qui vient de s’écouler. Que ce soit lundi, mardi, mercredi, jeudi et aujourd’hui, chaque jour a été pénible. Je vais de mauvaises nouvelles en mauvaises nouvelles, de décès en décès, de déception en déception…Bref cette semaine a été horrible tant au niveau personnel que professionnel. Le pire dans tout ça c’est que je suis loin des gens qui m’aiment, de ma famille et de ma meilleure amie. Car on a beau dire rien ne les remplacera même pas une super amitié, une bouteille de vodka ou même un plan cul. Me voilà seule à Bordeaux avec mes problèmes. Mes parents se trouvent à plusieurs centaines de kilomètre de chez moi loin de toutes leurs préoccupations. Ma meilleure amie est sur ***** et même si on fait de la coloc à distance, on est chacune dans notre canapé à déprimer. Mais c’est la vie ! Aujourd’hui le week-end commence et j’espère que cette mauvaise passe est terminée et que tout va aller dans le bon sens.

En attendant je me fais un goûter Nutella, je lis le nouveau Glamour et j’écoute Alejandro de Lady Gaga.

See U

I haven’t posted in a while, and I wanted to make this one extra special, hopefully it will be!  First of all, I want to say thanks to all the people who have checked out Warm Warmer Disco, y’all are amazing–please stick with me, I swear I’ll write more!

Secondly, I’ve been thinking about my Crushes of ‘09 lately, and there are a lot of them. Soooo I thought it’d sort of be fun to do a post featuring a few of them. Here goes…

Warm Warmer Disco’s Crushes of ‘09:

Marina

1. Marina Diamandis – the lead singer of Marina and the Diamonds is a hottie with a body (& a voice). I love, love, love Marina and the Diamonds so much, their sound is pretty refreshing + their videos are out of control. I actually did a previous post about them here if you wanna peep their videos, & I’ve been really digging the Russ Chimes remix of Mowgli’s Road (link via hot biscuits, of course ) too. Also, they played Mowgli’s Road for BBC Radio 1, yum!

Hayley

2. Hayley Williams – the lead singer of Paramore is amazing. Paramore has been playing for only a few years and I’ve been with ‘em for most of the way. There’s something about her voice… I don’t know if it’s her intonation or her range but it works so well with the rest of the band, and it definitely pulls me in. Their sound is pretty popular and I think their latest album, brand new eyes, has sold the most records for them yet; power to them! Keep cranking out the tunes, and I’ll be here, stalking. PS Hayley we wanna have your babiez! PPS check out two previous posts featuring Paramore here and here. PPPS Hayley you are my idol… be mah friend?

Stefan

3. Paul Wesley – aka Stefan Salvatore of The Vampire Diaries is my new Edward. The Vampire Diaries is a new show that started this fall, and of course, it’s all about vampires. However, it’s not very Twilight-esque. Sure, there is a couple longing stares and cheesy lines in the mix, but in general, I think the acting is way better (*hint *hint Kristen Stewart) and that the story line is darker, and, ultimately, more interesting. Also, the music is really yummy. I’ve done a couple of previous posts about the VDiaries and its music here, here, and here. Sooooo, check ‘em out and check VDiaries out, guarantee you’ll be crushing too.

Nutella

4. Nutella: The Original Chocolate Hazelnut Spread – yeahhh, it’s really good on pretzels, pancakes, crackers, bread, strawberries, and EVERYTHING …om nom nom, Nutella in my mouf.

Jenny

5. Mia Kirshner – aka Jenny Schecter of The L Word is so awesome. The last and sixth season of The L Word premiered in January of this year. It was all about Jenny and I loved it, while everyone else secretly did (You know who you are B1). If you haven’t watched The L Word, you should. Season 1 & season 2 are the best ones in my opinion, but it’s definitely worth it to watch the whole series (Showtime knows what’s up when it comes to making good shows e.g. Dexter, Weeds, The Tudors, etc). PS this post is for B2 & Nate, holla .

Lolcats

6. Lolcats – I’ve been crushing on ‘em for a while, and the phrases, “I can haz”, “do want”, and “oh hai” are permanent parts of my vernacular… No, I’m not ashamed. Dey iz so funnyz! #WWDwillbeacatladysomeday

Edward...and his hair

7. Robert Pattinson – aka Edward Cullen from New Moon has a pretty permanent spot in my heart…once you go vampire you don’t go back I guess, and that’s pretty true for WWD (I’m all about ‘em). His jaw and hair speak for themselves I think, and even though he’s not really in New Moon that much, I’m still on ‘Team Edward’. Plus, New Moon’s soundtrack is pretty off the chain, and it makes up for his lack of onscreen time in the movie. In particular, Thom Yorke’s track “Hearing Damage” and the Bon Iver & St. Vincent collab “Roslyn” stuck out to me the most. Give ‘em a try, and get your indie on!

Eric

8. Alexander Skarsgård - aka Eric of True Blood is, well, a badass. He was more of a main character in this season of True Blood which aired this summer, and I loved every second of it. Of course, he’s a vampire (vampire #3 for this list actually), but he’s also extremely captivating on screen. Like VDiaries, True Blood is a show that I genuinely like, having vampires in it helps, but it’s not the only thing that draws me to it (I’m not about to rush out and see The Vampire’s Assistant, it looks horrendous). So get to it, jump on the vamp bandwagon, trust me.

Twitter

9. Twitter - this is actually my favorite social networking site. Sure, I see the ^fail whale once in a while, but I think it’s definitely a lot more fun than facebook. Well, it’s definitely a lot easier anyway. I think twitter has caught on with a lot of people, and I hope it sticks around, cuz WWD is hooked. #megacrush09. PS here comes a shameless plug: Follow @warmwarmerdisco on twitter here!

Disco

10. Disco – my biggest crush of ‘09 (and most likely of all time ). I’ve been digging disco/disco house for a really long time, but it wasn’t until this year that I really noticed how much I loved it. I owe a lot to this genre, after all, it’s what inspired me to get this blog rolling – Holla to all of you artists, musicians, and DJs out there, without you, Warm Warmer Disco would just be a line from Pulp Fiction…

Lagunatic was reading a message board conversation about Mensa.  I knew I had to contribute as I have much to say on the matter:

I’m the antithesis of Mensa…I belong to a group called Menstrual. You have to be really cranky and saddled with a week long case of the stupids to join. We meet monthly. Period. Sometimes we check out each others’ pads.

(how much longer can I go with this do you think?)

You’re sorry you opened this aren’t you? Well get over it and pass me that fucking jar of Nutella! And a tissue – I seem to be crying for no apparent reason.

Only 30 minutes to go until my Thanksgiving holiday begins! I am so ready for the time off.

So last night I did decide to have an apple before bed. I ended up eating my apple wedges with PB, AB, and Nutella. Yummy. It was a great snack before bed.

I finally didn’t wake up hungry this morning!

I had a hectic morning this morning. My Mom called asking me to bring my Bissell Green Machine to my Pawpaw’s house. Apparently last night Piper’s tummy issues were a little more severe than usual. I tried to tell them to make her sleep in the kennel, but they didn’t want to listen to me!

We have decided to change her food to see if that is what is causing the problem. The vet thought it was because of the meds she was on. Now we have no idea! Poor Piper!

Plus I had to get packed for the rest of the week since I am planning on staying at my Pawpaw’s house until Saturday or Sunday. I am not sure what I packed, but I packed a lot.

I wasn’t very hungry for breakfast, but I made something some my stomach would not be growling at work. English muffins with AB and Jelly.

They were good, but since I wasn’t really hungry I just wasn’t that into them. I ate 1 whole half and 1/2 of the other one.

A little later I had a Clementine. I am so glad I got these. They are so yummy and a great snack size.

And a little popcorn for a snack.

Now only 15 more minutes until I get to leave and I have a couple more things to do.

My presence my be a little sporadic, or nonexistent over the next week because of the holiday. My Pawpaw does not have internet at his house so I will have to search for WiFi when I am out and about.

Happy Thanksgiving!

At the weekend my kids like to have a croissant for breakfast, it’s something they have got used to and is now a kind of ritual.  They have them with chocolate spread.  It used to be Nutella, but seeing as we are such a “right on” hippy bunch, it’s now Green and Black’s.  I would cut the croissant to make two half moons, put a little spread on one and then put the two together.  A chocolatey croissant sandwich.  What’s not to like?

One Saturday morning, a few years ago, my son asked me, “Can I have the two sides separately?”  Seemingly an innocent question from a 7-year-old.  Until I realised the catch.  Open the two up and there was only chocolate spread on one and not the other.  I gave it to him that way.  ”But there is no chocolate spread on this one”.  True.  And worse, seeing as I had always applied the minimum amount of spread (no threat of obesity in this household), there was no scraping and transferring to be done.  I was snookered.  (For the Americans amongst you, that means……ummm….well your balls are trapped).  And they were……fully.  I added more chocolate spread to the other half and returned the plate  where, with a knowing smile, he promptly put the two sides back together to make…….a double chocolate croissant sandwich.

And from that point on, the amount of chocolate on the croissant had increased.  There was no going back.

Now clearly I’m not writing about this because I want readers to avoid any croissanty unpleasantness on a Saturday morning.  More that this came back to me last week as we entered into pay negotiations (yes I know I seem to spend my life doing this).  The pot is small, the mandate is tight and in reality we have little to give.  I could do the big swinging dick HRD routine and go banging on tables.  But thats not really me and quite frankly I worry I might struggle in the dick department……

So the dilemma I’m facing is this.  The Unions are there with the croissant open in their hands.  One side has chocolate and the other doesn’t.  The minimum has been applied and there is no scraping to be done.  They’re asking for chocolate on both sides.  But once thats done, it can never be undone. What to do, what to do…..

Time to downgrade back to Nutella maybe?

Let’s face it: Just about everything tastes better fried. For example: Fried dough, which takes something rather ordinary and makes it almost invariably awesome. How do you top that? Well, literally, cinnamon and sugar is nice, as is powdered sugar. Even better? Nutella, the chocolate-hazelnut spread that’s a serious contender for Best Thing Ever. So consider, then, the potential deliciousness of the dessert I tried last week during a lunchtime stop at Plaza Fiesta, a Hispanic shopping center just south of Charlotte: It was a churro, a.k.a. Spanish fried dough, rolled in cinnamon and sugar and filled with Nutella. YES. (Btw: I love how basically every country has its own type of fried dough, proving that the concept knows no boundaries, and has endless variations!)

The Plaza Fiesta food court seems to draw a healthy lunchtime crowd, and serves authentic Mexican and Latin dishes (many things with rice, beans, pork and plantains; pupusas; sandwiches named after soccer stars) in addition to pizza, Greek, Chinese, Subway and ice cream. The eatery that most lives up to its name is Churro Station, a franchise specializing in golden-brown sticks of fried dough. Nearly a foot long, they’re sort of ridged tubes, as if extruded from a Play-Doh press and dropped in hot oil. Churro Station sells both filled and unfilled varieties, though given the delicious filling choices, there was no question which route I’d take. My Nutella churro came wrapped in wax paper, oozing chocolatey goodness, with a crisp exterior and semi-cakey inside. Needless to say, it did not last long. And though I have no doubt that Churro Station’s take on the treat is not exactly the apotheosis of the Churro – the dough could’ve been a little lighter, I have to imagine, and the churro had been sitting out under a hot lamp, instead of straight out of the fryer – it was most definitely proof of the power of a little fried dough and chocolate.

The picture below does not in any way do the churro justice, having been taken one-handed, with my cell phone. Nonetheless:

As the proud owner of the world’s smallest amount of willpower, especially when it comes to food, I should also note that I also happened to be driving by Plaza Fiesta the next day at lunchtime. Naturally, I stopped again, this time ordering a churro with cajeta, or dulce de leche made with part goat’s milk. This was a promising combination in theory, but I then saw the woman at the counter lazily squirt the cajeta from an industrial plastic bottle onto the top of the churro in intermittent blobs. The churro wasn’t quite as fresh as the one the day before, and she didn’t take the time to roll it in the cinnamon sugar, either. And because the churro wasn’t as hot, the cajeta-from-a-bottle didn’t really melt onto the dough. It just kind of sat there. Was it ok? Yeah, I mean, it’s hard to totally screw up fried dough. But it was a far cry from its choco-hazelnut sibling – at least as far as Churro Station is concerned.

image & recipe via Big City, Little Kitchen

This would be fabulous right now for my chilly hands. [thanks mei]

Nutella Hot Chocolate

• 1 cup whole milk (feel free to substitute skim, rice, almond, etc)
• 3 tb Nutella or other chocolate-hazelnut spread
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 tsp high-quality cocoa powder
• 1 or more marshmallows
• pinch of espresso powder (optional)

In a heavy-bottomed sauce pan over a low flame, whisk together the milk, Nutella, cocoa powder, and espresso (if using). Add cinnamon stick. Simmer for about 5 minutes, to allow flavors to meld.

Carmen liegt wie ein Stück Karton auf der Matratze. Stark genug, um einen gewissen Widerstand bieten zu können und flexibel genug, um Trip dabei nicht weh zu tun. Er merkt, dass etwas anders ist als sonst. Der Alkohol in seinem Körper hilft ihm aber darüber hinweg zu sehen. Er muss an Britta denken und daran, wie leidenschaftlich die sich dem Akt mit ihm hingegeben hatte. Fraulich, füllig, wie selbstverständlich. Mit Carmen war es ja auch immer geil, eher die sportliche Nummer. Dabei hängt natürlich sehr viel von ihrem körperlichen Geschick ab, von der Beherrschung ihrer Beckenbodenmuskulatur und der Ausdauer bestimmter Bewegungen. Heute ist sie völlig passiv. Trotzdem macht er weiter und kommt schließlich auch.
Danach liegen sie stumm nebeneinander. Wie um etwas wieder gut zu machen, streichelt er ihr über den Bauch. Er muss darüber nachdenken, ob und wenn ja wie lange diese Beziehung noch halten wird. Bisher hatte sie der Sex zusammengehalten, aber dieser Kitt scheint allmählich seine Kraft zu verlieren. Er nimmt diese Vermutung relativ gelassen hin und schlummert ein.

Am nächsten Morgen bleibt Carmen im Bett liegen, auch Paolo pennt noch. So schleicht sich Trip ohne Frühstück aus dem Haus. Er will im Linksaußen etwas essen und wie in alten Zeiten seinen Kaffee trinken.
Viel zu früh steht er vor der Tür des Cafes. Er muss auf Britta warten. Zu seiner Überraschung kommt sie ebenfalls früher als gewohnt. Sofort sieht er, dass sie Sorgen hat.
„Susis Freund hat letzte Nacht bei uns gepennt“, erklärt sie. „Ich konnte es nicht ertragen, mit den beiden am Frühstück zu sitzen, nachdem sie in ihrem Kinderzimmer die halbe Nacht …, ach egal.“
„Verstehe schon“, sagt Trip. „Ich mache dir erstmal einen Kaffee. Wie wäre das?“
„Super.“ Sie lächelt.
Er nimmt die Zeitungen und sie sperrt die Tür auf. Bis zur Öffnung haben sie noch eine halbe Stunde. Britta setzt sich an den Tisch am Fenster und blättert das lokale Springerblättchen durch, während er die Getränke zubereitet und Brötchen schmiert.
„Nutella?“
„Au ja! – Ey, hör mal zu! Hier steht was über Peters. Seine Leiche ist für die Beerdigung freigegeben worden. Die Bullen haben einen Rechtsradikalen mit dringendem Tatverdacht festgenommen.“
Zwei volle Tassen und die Teller auf dem Tablett balancierend kommt Trip hinter dem Tresen hervor. Er stellt alles auf den Tisch.
„Ein Nazi?“
„Scheint so. Die Ermittlungen sind noch nicht abgeschlossen. Mehr steht da nicht.“
Er schaut über Brittas Schulter. Die kurze Nachricht trägt die Überschrift: Psycho-Doc von Rechten erschlagen? Kein Foto.
„Das ist ja strange“, meint er. „Was hatte der denn mit den Nazis zu schaffen? Die haben es doch sonst eher mit Schwarzen und Punks und so.“
„Tja“, sagt Britta und beißt in ihr halbes Brötchen. Die Schokoladencreme verteilt sich um ihren Mund herum. Sie leckt sie ab.
Die Ruhe im Linksaußen hüllt die beiden ein. Trip setzt sich und genießt es, so vertraut mit Britta sitzen zu können und zu essen. Ganz entspannt ist er.
„Was ist eigentlich mit Mario?“, fragt er später.
„Der hat ein Verfahren wegen Körperverletzung an den Hacken. Schon wieder. Diesmal wird er wohl nicht so ungeschoren davon kommen. Seine Liste wird immer länger und irgendwann wird der Richter durchgreifen müssen.“
„Ist ja auch besser so“, gibt sich Trip streng. Sie schaut ihn erstaunt an.
„Für mich auf jeden Fall. Ich bin froh, wenn ich den Kerl mal für ein paar Monate los bin.“
„Was gut für dich ist, ist auch gut für mich“, möchte er sagen, räumt aber lieber das Geschirr zusammen und öffnet die Tür für den Publikumsverkehr.

I can’t believe it is Sunday night already! The weekend has flown by.

I started my Saturday by getting out of bed at 6 AM to head to the Give Thanks Walk. I had to be there by 7 AM to help set up before other walkers began to arrive.

I thought that the city looked so pretty as I was driving down the interstate. I tried to take a picture, and obviously that didn’t work out so well for me.

I decided to try a Clif bar for breakfast. I chose the chocolate almond fudge bar because those a flavors usually very appealing to me.

I didn’t like this at all. I ate half, just so I wouldn’t be starving over the few hours I would be at the walk. The other half went into the trash.

I wanted to take pictures of the walk, but I didn’t want to have to keep up with my camera during set up. It was cold outside and my pocket space was being used exclusively by may hands, whenever possible.

The event went great! Charlotte raised over $33K for St. Jude. I walked the whole 5K although my knee started giving me problems half way through. Going up the hills, even a small incline became pretty uncomfortable.  But I made it and I was happy to show my support, eben if I was limping part of the way.

After closing ceremonies my family decided to hit up Shoney’s for a meal. Two of my Aunts, and Uncle, my parents, and me and Brian all went together. My cuz had to head out with her boyfriend because of some family photos.

Since it was 11 and I am not really  huge breakfast person my Mom and I split  Pepper Jack Chicken Club with some fries.

They totally shorted us on the fries. The sandwich was great once I peeled off the onions. Ick.

The rest of the afternoon was fairly uneventful. My stiff lower body did not want to move. My Mom and I did a little shopping.  We are looking for deals on maternity clothes for my sister in law. Sophie and my brother live in Germany and apparently maternity clothes are expensive over there. We found a few really cute things at Target, but nothing substantial enough to keep her warm through a cold German winter.

We also made a trip to The Fresh Market to pick up some stuff for dinner. We ended up buying some french bread and spinach artichoke dip. We all munch on this throughout the afternoon.

We also picked up some hot italian sausage and whole wheat gnocchi. I was feeling pretty uninspired and was having a hard time deciding on what to cook with the sausage. We decided on meatballs.

3 links of sausage made 8 meatballs. We made the meatballs using the sausage, 1 egg, and a 1/2 cup of a combo of regular and panko bread crumbs.

After boiling the gnocchi I sautéed them in butter and dried sage. I don’t like doughy gnocchi, but I love them this way. We just used some Ragu Garden Combination marinara that we had in the fridge.

Plus some green.

Drizzled with Ken’s Steak House Healthy Options Oil and Vinegar dressing. I picked around the onions.

And for dessert….

Edy’s Slow Churned Vanilla Yogurt Blends. I  made a strawberry sauce as a topping by heating up some frozen strawberries with water and about 2 tbsp of sugar on the stove top. Then I pureed with my immersion blender. Plus a few semi sweet chocolate chips. So good.

I desperately needed and wanted some sleep last night. All was well until 6 AM when Piper woke me up. She was having stomach issues again. She is so good and I hate she is having so many problems. Nobody knows what to do.

After I cleaned up a little bit of a mess and got Piper back inside and settled I got to get back into bed and stayed there until 8 when Piper heard my parents and Zeke rustling around and wanted to join them.

On a completely different note… my mom and I found some more doggie fleeces at Target for $2.50! I got Piper another one and my Mom got Zeke 2. They are adorable!

Now to breakfast. I felt all ick from my early morning wake up so I kept it simple. Toast with Nutella.

Nutella is so yummy. But I wasn’t into this and only ate about 3/4 of it.

I ended up eating some nuts once I got down to my Pawpaw’s house later in the morning. Brian had to work so I decided to go down with my parents and hang out for a while.

Not long after that we went to lunch. We went to a local mexican place. Of course there was chips and salsa.

Me and my Mom split the lunch fajita plate.

We each got 1 tortilla to stuff full of these goodies. Then we just ate the rest by itself. These fajitas had squash. I have never seen that before but I love it!

And for dessert…

My grandparents always kept a candy drawer stocked for me and my brother. There have always been goodies like fruit roll ups and milky ways stashed in there for us. I usually have at least one anytime I am down there.

My Mom and I did a little more shopping, but I was so stiff and tired I wasn’t motivated to do much. I did fund a cute Kristen Davis sweater for 10 bucks a Belk. I love a good deal!

On my way home I munched on a Kashi granola bar that I got from the walk yesterday.

I thought it was pretty bland. Way better than the Clif bar yesterday though. It just didn’t taste like anything. It wasn’t particularly sweet, salty, or nutty; but that didn’t stop me from eating the whole thing.

Brian hadn’t eaten lunch at all and was ready for a snack when I got home. I made some french bread cheese pizzas with the leftover french bread rounds from yesterday.

Supper simple and yummy.

It was time for dinner in no time. Brian let me watch this past weeks Top Chef on DVR while he cooked.

Dinner was just a random pairing of foods that we had on hand and that sounded good individually. None of them made sense together.

Boiled shrimp (they were huge!), Green Giant green bean casserole, and Betty Crocker Ranch Bacon Pasta Salad. Plus Brian made some spicy cocktail sauce.

It may have been random but it was delicious. Plus Brian cleaned up too! He is so good to me.

And for dessert…

More FroYo! It was even better tonight because the strawberry sauce was cold.

That is all for my weekend. It is time to get some rest so I can prepare myself for the 1 1/2 days that I have to work this week. See you in the morning!

Used to be old-school.

 Let me put on some satin gloves and make some tea. Perhaps these cookies are driving me to buy hundreds worth of feather cocktail hats! I’m obsessed at the moment.

Somehow thumbprint cookies seem perfect for old ladies and crumpets. Where are the chocolate chips? Hellooo…I have a huge Costco-size bag of chocolate chips screaming to be used.  I recall making them once (and only once) in middle school and found them quite boring.

Drab. Blah. Dismissed.

Forward to 2010 (yes, I’m rounding) and my taste of food has grown (my weight has too, we won’t go there) –let’s give this recipe a makeover and some flair. Roll the cookie dough in coconut or chopped nuts. Obsessed with nutella? Roll the dough in chopped almonds or hazelnuts and fill the centers with nutella – Ferrero Rocher, cookie-style!

 Note: I made these into 2-inch cookies but found that the 1-inch cookie, as specified in the recipe, truly make the cutest cookies. Of course, fill with your favorite jam or preserves if you don’t fancy nutella…what?

Ingredients

• 1 cup of butter (2 sticks or 8 ounces), room temperature
• 1/2 cup of sugar
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt
• 2 cups of flour
• 1 cup of chopped nuts (optional)
• 3/4 cup of your favorite jam or nutella
• Parchment paper

 Directions

1 Cream the butter and sugar on high speed for about 3 minutes.

2 Separate the eggs. Add the yolks and vanilla extract to the butter mixture. If using nuts place the egg whites in a shallow dish on the side and whisk them until bubbly and frothy (the egg whites will be used to keep the nuts on the cookies).

3 Add the flour and salt. Mix until just combined. Place the dough in the fridge for 30 minutes and preheat the oven to 350F.

4 Roll the dough into balls about 1 inch in diameter. If using nuts, dip the balls into the egg whites then roll them into the nuts until covered. Place the balls on parchment lined cookie sheets.

5 Press down with your thumb to make a small well in the center of the cookie. Do not press too hard or the cookie will fall apart. Fill with 1/2 teaspoon of nutella or jam

6 Bake for 12-15 minutes or until slightly firm. Allow to cool for a few minutes on the cookie sheet to firm up before moving them to a wire rack to finish cooling.

I’ve always been a fan of Nutella but didn’t really start eating it until I got into university when I had more control over what groceries I bought. My mother was never a fan of buying because she knew my sister and I would probably live off the jar of Nutella until it was completely gone (she’s probably right) So to avoid us having Nutella addictions, she opted to not buy it at all.

I’ll admit when I started eating Nutella again, I was a little over zealous but since, I’ve managed to have the jar last me for quite a long while. It’s definitely something that you should eat in moderation and despite whatever their ads might tell you, it’s not something that you can eat regularly nor is it all that healthy. But one can indulge from time to time right?

A is a huge fan of french toast. As early on as our first conversations he’s been talking about french toast constantly. I hadn’t made french toast in such a long time so I had to re-learn the art of french toast just for him. After many trials and many people in the dorms coming up to me asking me what I was making that smelled so delicious, I finally came up with a recipe I could live with. I encountered too many recipes that were too eggy, others made the toast too soggy while others didn’t have enough flavour.

Like I’ve mentioned briefly before, I follow a more cook what you feel attitude towards cooking so my measurements for some of the ingredients aren’t exact and shouldn’t be. It’s a guideline to follow and should be measured accommodating to your taste but I’ll try to make it as exact as I can

My recipe for standard french toast

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons of milk
• 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla
• 3-4 thick slices of white bread (or any type of bread of your choice)
• butter and/or a tablespoon of oil or a couple sprays of pam

1. Mix the eggs, milk and vanilla together in a shallow bowl big enough to fit your bread slices. Sprinkle in the cinnamon, add more or less depending on your tastes.

2. On medium heat, oil the pan with whatever method you choose.

3. Take one slice of bread, lay one side of the bread in the mixture. Immediately flip the slice so the other side gets coated. Lift for a moment just to let whatever excess mixture drip off and immediately place into the pan.

4. After a couple of minutes (3-4), flip the slice in the pan. Cook until both sides are golden brown.

5. Repeat step 3 until all slices are done or you’re out of mixture.

NOTE – Before dipping each new slice into the mixture, be sure to mix it with a fork and/or add some more cinnamon to the mix. Also be sure to re-oil the pan a little bit before placing a new slice to ensure that it browns just as nicely as the last.

6. Pour syrup or eat as is. Enjoy!

Variations: add nutmeg, sprinkle icing sugar, use almond extract, add fruit.

I listed different oils that you could use to coat the pan. Each work just as well and depends entirely on your methods of cooking. I often combine them depending on what I have on hand. You don’t need much so whatever you have will do. As for the variations, there just things I’ve hear about before though I’ve never tried them myself.

I’ll try my best to post photos the next time I make it so you have a clearer idea of what I mean. Should you want to make more of the mixture at once, just ensure that you maintain a balance of egg and milk as that is the key to my recipe. It’s a pretty simple recipe with ingredients that most people have at home if you’re ever in the mood for something a little sweet and filling. A makes requests for this at all odd hours in the day from the standard morning breakfast to a midnight meal. He loves his french toast.

Nutella Stufffed French Toast

In light of the upcoming Nutella World day, I wanted to attempt some nutella recipes. I wanted to start off simple so I choose nutella stuffed french toast. Essentially, you make the same mixture for the coating and heat up the pan just the same.

 The difference this time is that instead of doing one slice at a time, you create a sandwich with the nutella making sure not to over fill the inside of the sandwich or else it’ll all melt out. It should end up looking something like this.

Cook it the same way as found on step 4 until golden brown. Finished results should look like this:

!!!

Reviews:

I can’t explain how much I thoroughly enjoy this. It’s highly filling and shouldn’t be eaten  too often. I would definitely suggest a big glass of milk alongside this. I’m sure you could substitute the nutella for any filling of your choice. I’ve been meaning to see how it turns out with peanut butter but you can’t beat the lovely rich taste of Nutella. I don’t eat this with syrup although some people have from reviews I’ve read. I think that the sandwich is rich enough that it doesn’t need it and it allows you to eat it with your hands but the choice is yours. You’ll notice the 6th picture on the slide show has more servings. I wasn’t sure how this would turn out the first time but I had a feeling it couldn’t be too bad (french toast & nutella, what could go wrong?) and I had distinctly asked A if he was hungry and if he wanted some to which he adamantly replied that he didn’t want any because he wasn’t hungry. After making it, taking photos he inquired as to what I had made (I guess I hadn’t made it clear). He immediately took the plate, took a bite and fell completely in love and begged me (seriously begged me lol ) to make him some more which I happily did. That just goes to show the yumminess of this meal. I’ve tried to teach him but he claims that he can’t make it quite like me. I think it’s just an excuse for me to make it for him but oh well. It’s one of the few things I can proudly cook to perfection.

Da Il Riformista del 21 novembre 2009

Per ora si tratta solamente di un’indiscrezione, ma a Viaiano Soprano, piccola frazione nel Cuneese, non si stupiscono che Michele Ferrero voglia comprare quella «grossa fabbrica inglese». Si tratta di Cadbury, colosso alimentare corteggiato anche da Kraft e per il quale ci sono in ballo circa 18 miliardi di euro. E intanto, secondo molti, Ferrero se la ride, ripensando a chi lo tacciava di «buttare i soldi».
È l’uomo più ricco d’Italia, con un patrimonio stimabile in 9,5 miliardi di dollari, secondo la rivista Forbes, che ogni anno compila la classifica dei Paperoni mondiali. Dopo aver superato Leonardo Del Vecchio e Silvio Berlusconi, Michele Ferrero pare non fermarsi più. E Ferrero attualmente conta oltre 21.500 dipendenti, 14 stabilimenti in tutto il mondo e più di 6,5 miliardi di euro di fatturato. Il suo è un modello industriale che rifugge alle sirene della finanza derivata e che premia le eccellenze del territorio, sia alimentari che umane. Non è un caso che proprio Ferrero sia risultata nel 2009, secondo la classifica del Reputation Institute, la società più affidabile del mondo, battendo Ikea e Johnson & Johnson. In Piemonte, nel cuore della provincia Granda, quella cuneese, non è difficile trovare intere generazioni che si sono specializzate in una professione e che trasmettono di padre in figlio l’esperienza. Non si tratta di know how, ma di passione. Così è stato anche per i Ferrero che, prima di arrivare alla Nutella, hanno iniziato come agricoltori a Viaiano Soprano, frazione di Farigliano. Michele, nato nel 1856, ha due figli, Pietro e Giovanni, che decidono di andare a Dogliani per mettere in piedi un’attività. Il gene dell’arte bianca è nell’aria, dato che diventano garzoni di una panetteria con annessa pasticceria. È la svolta. Pietro si sposa con Piera e nasce, nel 1925, Michele. Vogliono trasferirsi, andare in città. E così fanno. Arrivano a Torino e aprono un negozio, ma la guerra è dura e distrugge gran parte del capoluogo sabaudo. Si rifugiano ad Alba, fra le nebbie care a Cesare Pavese, e nella Via Maestra iniziano a produrre barattoli di cioccolata, antesignana della Nutella. Non si chiama ancora così, bensì pasta Gianduja, in onore della figura carnevalesca simbolo di Torino. La stessa Torino che li aveva accolti con tanto affetto e che la guerra ha piegato. Tutto sembra andare bene e ad Alba comincia a crearsi la coda dei bambini di fronte alle vetrine dei Ferrero di Via Maestra, in attesa della crema di cioccolato. Ma Pietro muore. Nel 1949 un attacco cardiaco lo sorprende e del negozio si occupa il fratello Giovanni. Gli da una mano il nipote Michele che, in barba a chi lo vedeva come uno «scialacquone», crea l’impero Ferrero. Unico lusso, un alloggio a Ospedaletti, vicino Sanremo. Si tratta dell’unico vezzo, dato che a quel tempo tutti gli esponenti della Torino-bene hanno una seconda casa in Liguria, vuoi per il clima mite, vuoi per la vicinanza, vuoi per l’austerità di cui la regione fra montagna e mare si è sempre fatta portavoce. E visto che Michele non si dimentica delle sue radici, ora i lavoratori Ferrero possono soggiornare liberamente a Ospedaletti. Un altro modo di fidelizzare, senza dover necessariamente mettere mano al portafoglio come troppo spesso accade per altri settori economici.
Alba rinasce, fiorisce e vengono create nuove zone residenziali solo per ospitare i lavoratori Ferrero. Non è un caso che arrivando nella cittadina del tartufo bianco, si veda l’imponente stabilimento dolciario, sede principale del gruppo. E poi il profumo intenso, caldo e rassicurante del cioccolato. Alba è immersa in una invisibile nube di cioccolato che si diffonde in tutta la città. Lo sanno bene i bambini delle scuole del circondario (ma anche di tutto il Nord Italia) che ogni settimana arrivano ad Alba per visitare la fabbrica della Nutella. E tutti loro ancora non sanno che usciranno con un sacchetto di dolciumi offerto dall’azienda, iniziativa voluta proprio da Michele. È suggestivo come un piccolo borgo di provincia abbia saputo cresce grazie alle sue eccellenze alimentari. In molti ci hanno provato, ma pochi ci sono riusciti. Tartufo, Barolo (ma anche Nebbiolo, Dolcetto, Barbaresco) e Ferrero: ecco i punti di forza che hanno saputo distinguere Alba dal resto del mondo. I suoi cittadini ricordano che Michele aveva grandi sogni, ma anche una concretezza fuori dal comune. Gli albesi dicono che sia per merito della moglie Maria Franca, capace di essere con lui dolce e rigorosa. Ma i più concordano sul fatto che è solo una questione di origini e valori ormai dimenticati. Michele e Maria Franca avranno due figli, Pietro e Giovanni, che poi studieranno a Bruxelles prima di diventare membri fondamentali del management aziendale.
I colpi di testa non esistono per i Ferrero. Quando Michele decise di lasciare la carica di amministratore delegato, andò a Montecarlo, dove crea la Soremartec, una fucina d’idee per i nuovi prodotti. Sceglie tutti ragazzi giovanissimi per questi progetti perché, dicono persone a lui vicine, «nella freschezza dei vent’anni c’è l’innovazione». E dopo il lavoro, via a Villa Giopi a Cap Ferrat. A Monaco non è difficile vederlo andare in un supermercato per controllare se i suoi prodotti sono esposti bene e soddisfano tutti gli standard aziendali, rigorosissimi ad Alba come nelle altre sedi del gruppo. Unica concessione al lusso monegasco, una Ferrari, sua vera passione. Ma non disdegna nemmeno la bicicletta, che ora fa molto radical-chic, ma è prima di tutto utile e salutare.
Quella dei Ferrero è una vita da formiche, più che da cicale. Niente vita mondana, nessuno scandalo, nessuno scoop. Troppo normale per essere vera? Se lo è chiesto anche Forbes quando ha chiamato nell’ufficio di Alba per comunicare la vittoria della classifica dei più ricchi. Dall’altro capo del telefono pare che abbiano commentato con un serafico «Not bad», mica male. E i collaboratori dell’azienda, che Michele rifiuta di chiamare lavoratori o, peggio, operai, hanno continuato il loro lavoro senza saper nulla di ciò che era successo negli Usa. Si tratta di piccole cose, come le «scapatine» che Michele ogni tanto fa in Via Maestra, soprattutto nel periodo autunnale, quando il profumo del tartufo bianco e del cioccolato si mischiano. Torna a camminare lungo quella che per lui è stata l’origine di tutto. Proprio perché continua a essere convinto che non bisogna mai dimenticare le proprie radici.

Ritorno sull’argomento affrontato in questo post
http://cubepark.wordpress.com/2009/10/28/i-cubi-cinesi/

Ho chiamato l’ufficio brevetti, e ho scoperto che i giocattoli non possono essere brevettati, si può registrare con il copyright il nome del giocattolo, che in quel caso quindi  non può essere copiato . Ma non ha niente a che vedere col brevetto, speterebbe alla SIAE intervenire, il brevetto non ci azzecca

Puoi proteggere il tuo prodotto (giocattolo) solo tramite il copyright.

Esempio.

Il monopoli. Non è brevettato il gioco, è registrato il nome, che non può essere utilizzato da altri.
Però , se te fai un gioco uguale al Monopoli e lo distribuisci col nome Casopoli potresti ugualmente essere denunciato, perchè propabilmente è stato depositato il regolamento.
Altro esempio, a me caro….
La Coca Cola.
Non è stata brevettata, è stato deposiato il marchio, ma non è stata brevettata la formula…perchè?
Ovvio…
La formula è segreta, se avessero brevettata l abevanda avrebbero dovuto depositare la ricetta con l’ingrediente segreto.
Ormai non è più segreto, ma poco importa, ci hanno giocato molto sul “famoso ingrediete segreto”, credo sia stato una questione di immagine….
Lo stesso discoroso vale per la Nutella…c’è la crema di nocciole dell’esselunga, del GS, della coop, della LIDL di Ligabue, ma Nutella..quella è una sola….ma cambiamo argomento, mi sta venendo fame

Facciamo un passo indietro, e parliamo nuovamente di maxi sequestri.
Quando la dogana ferma dei pacchi con dei cubi e fa pagare il dazio, a noi possono sembrare zelanti, invece sono negligenti…
Il marchio CE, questo sconosciuto.
Se la MAcDue facesse una segnalazione alla Guarda di Finanzia , come si dice dalle mie parti, verrebbe fuori un pieno, un bordello.
Ma non per forza deve essere la MacDue a farlo, basta  una qualsiasi persona…ma nn sarebbero sequestrati per conraffazione , ma perchè privi del marchio CE, almeno che non vengano chiamati Rubik….ma se ci fate caso la parola Rubik non esiste nei vari siti, tipo cube4you, si parla sempre di cube, di vari modelli, ma non rubik’s cube…solo cube

Lo stesso discorso vale per il fisher cube e per i V Cube

Quindi, chiunque può fabbricare e vendere questi cubi…senza problemi, non so come funziona a liello internazionale, ma in Italia è cosi

Spero di essere stato chiaro….

Okay… so remember how I’d never had Nutella because you just can’t buy it around here, and then Heather sent me some, and all was right with the world?

Well, someone told me to try it on a banana. Who was that? I have no idea.

ZOMG. Incredible. What was life like before Nutella? I don’t remember. I don’t want to remember.

Perfection.

P.S. I’ve been craving that Sweet Mustard Chicken Bake again. So. Much.

A volte capita di leggere cose particolari.
Come quella del Blogger americano, appassionato di cibo (a food Blogger, that’s all), che non ha mai provato la Nutella.
Qualcosa di impensabile per ogni italiano, o almeno credo. Effettivamente nel nostro paese cresciamo a pane e Nutella, ingrediente essenziale per diventare veri campioni, come ci ricorda anche un recente spot della nazionale di calcio. E sorridiamo quando vediamo il caratteristico barattolo sugli scaffali dei supermercati stranieri, un altro simbolo della creatività italiana.
Anche per questo mi ha tanto sorpreso leggere di qualcuno che non l’avesse mai provata. Fortunatamente, la persona in questione ha rimediato subito. Ha acquistato una confezione del prezioso prodotto e ne ha consumato avidamente buona parte.
E non con del semplice pane o fette biscottate.

Guardate qua sotto come un americano puó divorare della innocente Nutella.

Crackers, Nutella e Mashmallows!

Commenti? =)

Do you ever wander the grocery aisles and happen upon a product which brings you back to your childhood?  I am not sure why, but the past few months I had this overwhelming urge to drink Ovaltine.  Perhaps the change in weather inspired my craving for a warm beverage that is delicious and makes me nostalgic for Saturday mornings watching cartoons in my pyjamas.  Ovaltine was originally created in Switzerland by a doctor studying the health benefits of barley and malt.  Developped as a nutritional drink, the beverage combined malt, egg, cocoa and milk.  Popularized in England and now the world, I only recently found out that there are chocolate ovaltines, a legacy of Ovaltiney cartoons and Ovaltine flavoured cookies.  Crazytown! 

Ovaltine: A pre-bedtime nightcap.

Fortunately, I have not yet allowed myself to shame spiral to the point of purchasing a supersize jar of Nutella.  The geniuses that brought us Ferrero Rocher made this hazelnut chocolately spread that is delicious on bread, on fresh strawberries or on its own, on a giant spoon (too much information!).  My friends and I joke that growing up, if your parents made you a Nutella sandwich for lunch, other kids would make fun of you.  Except the joke was on them because you were having chocolate as a main dish, not dessert!

Mmm, nutella sandwich. Like cracking a Ferrero Rocher onto a loaf of bread. Danger!

I think I’ve got Trench Foot. It hasn’t stopped raining since I got back to the office. Everything is under water, I think the golf course could have another life as a paddy field.

The Brits will never make it on to the pages of The Sartorialist – too much time spent in wellies and soggy anoraks – and far too much time spent talking about the bloody weather!

http://thesartorialist.blogspot.com/

The good news is that Ferrero, (The Ambassadorrrr’s Party) are looking at Cadbury, which means the Dutch breakfast of Nutella spread on toast, with chocolate sprinkles, is coming closer to home.

We’re not all about Edam and Gouda you know. OK, so it’s a slow news day….

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/2c339530-d435-11de-990c-00144feabdc0.html

Die Hiobsbotschaft erreichte mich gestern, während des größten Arbeitsstresses, im Büro.
Jani hat es erwischt, während der Abstrich bei mir ja schon vorher Entwarnung gab und Kiki auch verschont blieb. Bis jetzt zumindest und hoffentlich auch weiterhin.
Trotzdem bedeutet das für uns jetzt erst einmal 5 Tage Quarantäne.
Nicht, dass ich mich momentan dann jetzt über Langeweile beklagen könnte. Ganz im Gegenteil, schon alleine für die ausreichende Vitaminzufuhr bei Jani zu sorgen, kostet Schweiß und Nerven. Heiße Zitrone mit Honig ist nun gar nicht sein Fall und Kiwis schon gar nicht. Ich übe mich dann auch recht erfolglos im Engelszungenreden.
Wie gut, dass Kiki da die stärkere Durchsetzungskraft an den Tag zu legen vermag.
Ok, ich habe dann jetzt auch striktes Internetrechercheverbot bezüglich der Nebenwirkungen von Tamiflu.
5 Tage, eine endlose zeit und heute ist erst Tag 2.
Und ich Rabenmutter hab vergessen Nutella einzukaufen, was bedeutet, dass der Rest im Glas rationiert wird. Genauso wie mein
Reber Schichtnougat.

Es sei denn, es versorgt uns jemand auf postalischem Weg mit Nachschub. 2. Etage. der Paketbote kann das Paket vor der Haustür abstellen.

I’m a Milo addict and a recent Marks and Spencer’s hot chocolate fan.
This Nutella version looks a lot more complicated but very promising!

http://www.bigcitylittlekitchen.com/2008/01/23/nutella-hot-chocolate/

This idea just sprung to my mind when I was staring at the TED logo and I immediately started to collect all the logos/icons which somehow had an influence on my life (at least for one year), be it a commercial brand, an institution, a tv series, a band, a software or a website. I spent a whole day searching, scanning, editing, sometimes recreating these things, and it was a strange experience full of surprises and nostalgia. It made me smile when I saw the chronological connections between some icons that I had not thought of before.

The final surprise to me was to see how good icons are at defining a person, and I’m not talking blunt capitalism here (the piece on its own takes care of that job plainly without any need for my blabbers). For one thing, just the commercial products wouldn’t be enough. And although I am fully aware of a more interesting definition of capitalism which includes all the modern mythologies from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to Harry Potter, I think that there are icons there that you still can’t fit in that definition and without which this piece wouldn’t be strong enough; strong enough to make me want to look at this thing for hours like a vain girl looking at a mirror – this may sound weird, but you probably would understand what I feel if you were to look at your own version of this. It is also worth noting that towards 2009 appear some items that I myself created as a designer, which in turn started to define me – like the icon of my band or the logo of our design collective Fevkalade.

Some of the old items – like Cicibebe, Nutella or Remeron – are still wholly present in my life, by the way. I placed those things according to where they first made appearance. There are some old items I’m still looking for, so this is not the final version. I also plan to update it as years go by.

Update My friend Ece made her own with a clever twist on the layout. If you also plan to make your versions, please send me links so that we can build an archive.

8th grade

It was the second official day of her ailment. The ailment that had kept her bedridden the previous day.

When she first awoke, Karina swallowed what felt like one hundred sharp blades. Her head throbbed with savage intensity and her arms felt like they could disintegrate at any moment.

Mr. ED wanted to kill her for feeling too sick to fidget, waltz, and shake. Whenever she stood up, the world around her would reel and whirl about in circles. The girl was in no position to stand around her home for hours upon hours, waiting for ED’s permission to take a seat or catch her breath.

She’d had the strength, however, to ignore his orders the day before and even got in some calories despite her sour stomach. The number of legitimate excuses to not reach calorie goals are scarce. Whether one has a sore throat, upset stomach, or broken nose… the food possibilities to get calories in are endless!

Sure, ED’s “you are too sick to eat” excuse will always be a classic, but it sure is a poor one.

Sunday’s breakfast: 1 packet of instant oatmeal cooked in 1/2 c. hemp milk, 1/2 a mashed banana, 4 drops of rose water, 2 egg whites, and 2 tbsp. almond butter. This bowl of oatmeal was perfect for a sensitive throat as it was easy to get down. To make it easier on the stomach, nix the eggs for a flavorful, yet bland, oatmeal concoction!

Although Karina’s stomach felt better, her throat had taken a turn for the worse overnight, so she chose to say no to heated foods. Instead, she took 1 c. of Fage 2% yogurt and topped it with 3/4 c. of Hemp Plus granola, 20g. of Ezekiel Golden Flax cereal, blueberries, maple syrup and sunflower seeds seasoned with pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and nutmeg. She froze it for approx. 30 minutes, and the result was a tasty, frozen breakfast treat.

She decided to surprise her busy, waffle-cooking mother with a new oatmeal recipe just for her! 1 packet of instant oatmeal cooked in 1/2 c. hemp milk, 4 drops of rose water, 2 tbsp. Nutella, 1 sliced banana, and vanilla extract then topped it with 5g. coconut shreds and 2 crushed Mi-Del whole wheat honey grahams. Spiced with nutmeg and cinnamon.

Her mother was impressed and raved that it was the most delicious breakfast she’d ever eaten. A hit!

Victor, Karina’s eccentric older brother, invited her to watch Sleepover in the game room after breakfast. Sleepover was a cheesy, girl-powered  fun fest starring Alexa Vega which brought back memories of her own bygone sleepovers.

Memories of video-making, suicide hotline prank calls (“my father rapes me with stuffed animals!”), and other random acts of mischief returned to her mind. She recalled an occasion when her and a friend ordered pepperoni pizzas to all of their enemies’ homes to get back at them for being such jerks.

While she realized that all of these acts were obnoxious and inappropriate, she also remembered that she had fun. She had fun experimenting with skittles over pizza, her first risqué Halloween costume (home-made denim skirt Playboy bunny), and even her first and last cigarette (she hated it!).

This was all a part of “growing up”, a beautiful experience in life which Karina felt she was missing out on at the moment.

8th grade Halloween party

She had no period, few friends, and had no interest in boys. She threw temper tantrums, was obsessed with Disney classics, and held a grudge against her parents for never giving her an Easy Bake Oven.

It was as if she were a nine year old trapped inside a high school junior’s body. A calorie-obsessed high school junior to be exact.

Karina sighed as the movie credits rolled and pressed the TV’s “off” button.

She had some major ED sabotage to perform.

***************

Karina lay like a fresh corpse on her game room couch, unmoved from the position she was in an hour before. The poor girl was the image of death and decomposition….. and was known for hyperbolic statements (just kidding, I really do feel like crap, though.)

Her weekend had been stressful: 3 hour ballet class on Friday, company and Nutcracker rehearsal from 10-6 on Saturday, illness and more Nutcracker rehearsal on Sunday (she only “marked” the dance). She adored this crazy dancer lifestyle but unsurprisingly felt overwhelmed at times. This was the reason for her usual blogland absences on weekends. She’d never disappear because she didn’t love her blog friends. In fact, she actually felt closer to her blog friends than some of the people she had met through school and what not. <3

For lunch, she prepared a bowl of 3/4 c. quinoa with a 1/2 c. pumpkin, sliced egg plant, 1/4 c. vegan cheddar cheese, diced tomatoes, pumpkin seeds, maple syrup, onions, garlic, and a medley of spices. (full recipe will be posted on the recipe pages under the Lunch & Dinner link)

This meal gave Karina that warm, wholesome feeling she got whenever she ate a delicious, yet nutritious meal. It was possible to nourish both her body and soul with food. She shuddered when she remembered those cold, bitter days spent in New York last Christmas when she was in the cavernous depths of her Eating Disorder.

The thought of consuming just baby food and egg whites for breakfast, and a tuna cup for dinner made her want to cry. She had done her body wrong and felt so,so sorry:

“Dear Body,” she wrote. “I am sorry that I have put you through such turmoil and stress. I should have listened to all of those occasions where you begged me for food in the middle of the night and cried for me to pay attention… and I chose to ignore you.

I am sorry that I treated you so poorly, as though you were something of no value. I expected so much out of you, yet gave you nothing in return. I would work you to exhaustion, lash at you with the leather whip of Anorexia, and order you to carry on.

I am sorry, body. I am so, so, terribly sorry. I promise to never cause you intended harm or damage ever again, and I promise to treat you with the respect and love that you deserve.

Thank you for always being there for me.

Love, Karina.”

***************

Pre-Ballet snack: Cookies & Cream Clif Builders Bar topped with 12 g. almond butter

Yes, Karina was sick, but truly had no choice but to go to class at this pointe (hah! ballet humor!) This Friday would be BTH’s opening night of The Nutcracker and some of the choreography she was a part of still needed to be cleaned up. Dress rehearsal was set for Thursday, and she had two other performances that same Saturday. Not to mention, she was in all three casts for all her roles. This little ballerina was in for a crazy week.

***************

Thanks to rest and a cocktail of antibiotics, Karina did not pass away at ballet class. In fact, she did rather well and was even praised for her pas de bourrée piqué dessous. Not too shabby for a young lady with a fever!

Her dinner consisted of a very burnt hemp bagel toasted with vegetarian salami slices, 2 vegan American cheese slices, a 100 calorie pack of guacamole and a side of spinach and carrots.

Karina thought back on her morning and prior days. She felt almost grateful for her strong indisposition for it gave her no choice but to lie down, take it easy, and rest. As she had discovered in the past, sometimes all it took was one intrepid time to overcome a fear. One time. And thanks to her muscle aches, sore throat and weakness, Karina Pinzon no longer feared the couch. The couch that once took on the form of a beast in her eyes.

Oh, how she loved showing ED who the big kahuna was. After all, she’d always been a bossy girl.

The End.

————————————————

Hello everyone! Both yesterday and today were special days for me as I sat the majority of the time! I never thought I would find myself relaxing again. Now I just have to work on the fidgeting… which I think will be the hardest rule to break. I am, however, going to take the famous “one step at a time” advice. I believe this is a very good guideline to not frighten yourself, yet still continue to make progress.

Anyhow, one of my favorite girls on the planet, Eliza, tagged me for this fun Autumn survey! I love you, beautiful . I want you and Maya to hang in there, I know today was a hard day. <3

1. favorite variety of apple? Gala

2. apples dipped in? Almond or peanut butter! With cinnamon. Mmmm

3. favorite way to enjoy pumpkin? It used to be pumpkin oats… until I had a taste of today’s Pumpkin Quinoa at lunch. Oh my God, it was delicious. The bowl of pumpkin cereal I had on Friday was pretty incredible too. It was inspired by a comment posted on Kashi’s GOLEAN Cereal page by: Julzdanceruns, who happens to be really sweet 1 c. Kashi GOLEAN cooked with 2 egg whites, applesauce, maple syrup and a 1/2 c. of Cascadian Farms winter squash. Once the cereal was cooked, I topped it with cranberries, pumpkin seeds, and cottage cheese. It was then seasoned, of course, with cinnamon, nutmeg, and pumpkin pie spice.

4. favorite soup? with crackers or bread? Definitely Amy’s cream of tomato soup… but not just with crackers or bread. It must be accompanied with a grilled cheese sandwich. Yep!

5. do you eat orange foods all year round? Yes! My taste buds always seem to hanker for some orange. You can never keep me away from pumpkin, sweet potatoes, carrots, winter squashes, etc.

6. most used spice in your autumn cooking: Cinnamon, nutmeg, and pumpkin pie spice

7. you are baking some homemade bread, what flavor combination of bread would you like to make? “gingerbread with crystallized ginger.or pumpkin bread with cranberries and walnuts. and of course carrot cake” <—- I steal Eliza’s answer

8. favorite autumn vegetables and ways to eat it? Sweet potatoes and butternut squash sprinkled with nutmeg and cinnamon, dipped in almond butter and sometimes a bit of maple syrup. This is heaven!

9. hot chocolate, hot cider, coffee or tea? COFFEEE. Black. I also adore a nice mug of hot chocolate or warm tea with honey.

10. favorite seasonal dessert? Gingerbread and pumpkin pie. Sugar cookies.

11. lets make a fall stew! pick any 6 ingredients to create your one: Lentils, tomatoes, zucchini, butternut squash, tomato paste, peas, and corn. That was actually 7.

12. pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, walnuts or almonds to snack on? Salted almonds.

13. popcorn flavor/seasoning? Buttery with a lot of salt. What? I have low blood pressure

14. bowl of hot cereal you have been wanting to try: Mitri’s Vegetarian Taco Salad Oats. They look so delicious and unique.

15. post a link to a recipe that you recently bookmarked: Cranberry Stuffing Recipe by Betty Crocker.

Before I go, I remember someone asked me if I was a vegetarian through comments the other day… I tried to find the comment so that I could acknowledge the person who asked it, but failed. Hopefully you read this, but yes I am a vegetarian! I just made the full and official switch about a month ago and I must say that I am very happy with my new lifestyle

Alright, lovelies. Have a terrific Tuesday tomorrow! And again, I apologize if I don’t comment blogs very much this week… I am reading, however, and keeping everybody in my thoughts. I send hugs & kisses to everybody!

it all started with a Fererro Roche commercial friday night as i was drifting off to a blissful sleep. i started composing a list of my favorite things. now it’s not as impressive (or exorbitant) as Oprah’s…however, i do believe i am dead on with these.

• Ferrero Roche candies..yum!
• Hot Rollers…. i love the way i feel when i have them in my hair…it makes me feel like i’m dollin’ up for something important…even if it’s just work
• the soundtrack for Glee….soundtracks and compleations….i love these, i’m not sure as to why..i just do.
• MetroMint water…it is amazing! it’s offered in all sorts of flavors. my favorite is spearmint but i’m dying to try the chocolate mint! yes, chocolate mint water!!!!
• Clementine Cuties….the best little citrus fruit around!
• The smell of freshly cut grass
• Hugs from my mom…she give the best hugs which are so full of love
• Nutella…heaven in a jar
• A Tree Grows in Brooklyn….do yourself a favor and read it!!!
• My records….i love the ritual of taking the record out of the sleeve, slipping it onto the turn table and putting the needle down  just so