10 Thoughts on How To Deal With Life

1. Allow yourself the chance to really savor each moment, and/or each piece of chocolate.
2. Optimism isn’t just a shift in perspective. It’s an act of bravery. With that said, chocolate has been known to induce positive attitude, hence, optimism!
3. Only you can decide the path worth taking. While you’re on your path, always carry chocolate.
4. Don’t wait for your mood to change; take action despite it. Here’s a known fact – chocolate consumption has long been associated with enjoyment and pleasure.
5. Approach gift shopping as an opportunity to honor the people you really love. hint: they would love getting chocolate in a pretty package.
6. Rather than search for a single miracle food, strive for a varied and delicious diet. cocoa, unsweetened, dark, bittersweet, semi-sweet, milk, white, couverture, gianduja, etc.
7. You can’t grow without pushing your limits – period. No chocolate words of wisdom here.
8. Stop worrying about getting sick; focus on your health instead. Another factoid – dark chocolate contains a large number of antioxidents. Nearly 8 times the number found in strawberries.
9. Don’t believe what you hear. Life is good! Again, no chocolate words of wisdom, seriously, LIFE IS GOOD!
10. No one knows what the future will bring. Put your energy into now. And go bake some chocolate chip cookies!

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Published:
November 18, 2009 – 4:02 pm
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By Linda
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Halloween Candy should be banned!!

Sorry I haven’t posted in a while, I’ve been too busy eating leftover Halloween candy and trying to burn off all the *&^%ing calories!!
But, I will be back!

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Published:
November 4, 2009 – 9:59 am
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By Linda
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Ultimate Double Chocolate Cookies – Decadent!

Ok, all you chocoholics, if you love dark chocolate, this cookie recipe is for you!
Yield: 24 cookies
12 ounce(s) Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
11 1/2 ounce(s) 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Chips
6 tablespoon(s) unsalted butter
3 eggs
1 cup(s) sugar
1/3 cup(s) all-purpose flour – yes, only 1/3 cup of flour!
1/2 teaspoon(s) baking powder
1 cup(s) chopped walnuts

Directions
In double boiler over hot water, melt bittersweet chocolate chips and butter. In large bowl with electric mixer or whisk, beat eggs and sugar until thick; stir into chocolate mixture. In small bowl, stir together flour and baking powder; stir into chocolate mixture. Gently mix in semi-sweet chocolate chips and walnuts. Using a sheet of plastic wrap, form dough into two logs, each 2 inches in diameter and about 12 inches long. As dough will be quite soft, use plastic wrap to hold dough in log shape. Wrap tightly; refrigerate at least 1 hour or until firm. Heat oven to 375°F. Unwrap dough; with sharp knife, cut into 3/4-inch slices. Place slices 1 1/2 inches apart on greased or parchment-lined cookie sheet.
Bake 12 to 14 minutes or until shiny crust forms on top but interior is still soft. Cool on baking sheet; store in airtight tin up to 1 week.
Now for my confession. These cookies are too rich for me. I actually gave these cookies away…willingly! I don’t believe there’s ever been a time in my life that I’ve given cookies away without keeping a few but these are just too rich. Don’t get me wrong, they’re damn delicious, but too rich for me. Enjoy! And if you try the recipe, I’d love to hear your feedback.

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Published:
October 27, 2009 – 4:28 pm
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By Linda
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All Dark Chocolate is NOT the Same

I’m a big fan of dark chocolate. I’m a really big fan of dark chocolate. I can sit for hours thinking of ways to bake with and eat dark chocolate. So you can imagine my excitement when Reese’s came out with Dark Chocolate peanut butter cups!! It was like Christmas in October. I drove to the store, went straight for the candy isle and bought two packages, one to eat, one to share. Got home and my husband had an early season fire going in the fireplace. It was cold and rainy outside, the perfect setting to sit down with a blanket, a big glass of water (lactose intolerant) and my new found treasure. The anticipation was almost more than I could bear. I ripped open the package, took one of those precious cups in my hand and took a bite….eww. Hmmm, maybe I just chewed and swallowed too quickly to appreciate? I take another bite….blech! Nope, no, this couldn’t be. They’re terrible! The quality of the dark chocolate is just bad! I give the other cup to my husband and pour a glass of wine. A smooth Merlot that has hints of dark chocolate – perfect!

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Published:
October 3, 2009 – 8:05 am
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By Linda
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Playing Nursemaid

Geesh, this has been quite an emotional week. My Mom had major surgery on Tuesday, came home Wednesday afternoon and is recovering nicely. The fact that they cut into my Mom’s throat and into a main artery and send her home the very next day just baffles my mind. Not to mention the emotion of pure fear that wells up everytime I think about it. My husband had outpatient knee surgery yesterday and is, at this very moment, on the couch, feet up and trying to work from home. His mood has stayed very pleasant and I’m wondering, is this just the lingering drug affect? Will he turn into this needy monster once the ‘happy pills’ have worn off??

So, last night I made a very healthy dinner. I made spaghetti squash and replaced that for pasta, pasta sauce and meatless ground crumbles (substitute for meat) along with some garlic nann. The meal was delicious and healthy. Did I mention that while shopping for this meal I also threw a bottle of Pomegranate Vodka into the cart and ate a Twix bar while shopping?!?!

I’m a work in progress…

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Published:
September 25, 2009 – 9:47 am
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By admin
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Quick Pick-Me-Up

I understand that in this day and age you can go to Starbucks, Caribou or even McDonalds for a specialty coffee drink but back in the late 80’s, this drink would have every wait staff in the restaurant running around like wild, highly trained serving maniacs! And, it’s much easier on the wallet.
This lovely concotion was birthed during my days as a waitress. It’s simple to make and works like a charm at giving you the energy necessary to finish the day/night. But be very careful, the sugar buzz might be fabulous but the sugar coma afterwards is pretty intense.
Take a packet of instant Nestle’s or Swiss Miss Hot Chocolate mix and pour into a mug. Replace the milk or water with fresh brewed coffee and stir until well blended. Take a can of whipping cream and put as much, or as little (did I just say that?!?) whipping cream on the top. Be sure to shoot some of the whipping cream into your mouth first, to make sure it hasn’t expired. (I can justify just about anything.) On top of that drizzle Hershey’s syrup or those fun chocolate sprinkles you use for ice cream sundae’s. A mountainess cup of explosive, caffinated goodness!

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Published:
September 21, 2009 – 4:04 pm
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By admin
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Skippy Peanut Butter & Hershey’s Syrup

When I was a kid, I had a horrible eating habit. Ok, I had many, but this one is a caloric nightmare! In one fell swoop I would grab the Skippy peanut butter, Hershey’s syrup and the biggest spoon I could find. I would dive into the peanut butter with the spoon and try to come up with the largest scoop possible. I usually went into the jar a second time to make sure I had utilized every inch the spoon offered. I would then, and don’t judge me here, press my tongue into the peanut butter to make a concave impression. Here comes the best part. Taking the Hershey’s syrup I would squeeze as much chocolately goodness the small hole could handle without spilling a drop. After all, I was a professional here. It was like a peanut butter island with a lush, chocolate pond directly in the middle! Eating it would only take a matter of seconds and, if I felt the need, I’d go at it one more time. Most times doing this would require me hiding behind the pantry door so my Mom wouldn’t catch me. Like I said, I was a chocoholic professional (probably still am.)

Just another tale of what I eat under stress. What’s your story?

Published:
September 19, 2009 – 12:52 pm
Author:
By Linda
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Welcome to Chocolatefrenchfries!

I realized recently that we all, yes, everyone, stress eat. Some choose chocolate on french fries (my personal favorite), some choose popcorn with chili powder, some choose tubs of buttercream frosting. But, the fact remains, everyone self medicates in one form or another.

Just the other day, while sitting in the waiting room of a hospital, waiting for my Mom to come out of surgery, I was daydreaming about how I would ‘trash myself’ when I got home. It went something like this:

Walked in the door, went to the pantry and grabbed the only chocolate that was in the house: semi-sweet chocolate morsels. Threw them into a bowl and microwaved until they were soft, smooth and deliciously creamy. I then went to the pantry to see what else I could add to this deliciousness. Kashi cereal! Of course! I dumped the cereal into the melted chocolate, stirred and ate! … until it was all gone and I was licking the sides of the bowl. Ah, I felt instantly better!

This blog will be about being honest and sharing your most delicious, most ridiculous stress food recipes. I think it only fair to share these with the world. Why should you, me or anyone else have a fantastic indulgence and not share it with the rest of our stressed out society?

Now tell me, and be honest, what did you eat yesterday and what or who made you do it??

Published:
September 18, 2009 – 1:34 pm
Author:
By Linda
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