Monthly Archives: May 2013

Forms of Chocolate Comfort

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Hello, Fluffsters! Happy Saturday!

Today, I am going to talk about some of my favorite forms of chocolate.

How… thrilling.

Please tell me that you aren’t going to propose moldy chocolate as one of your favorite forms…

Eww. That’s just gross. Can chocolate even mold?

You know, I have no idea.

Huh. Anyways, back to the fluff, not the fuzz.

Three Fantastic Forms of Chocolate

One) Dark Chocolate. In large chunks. I’m not quite to the point of liking baking cocoa, but almost. There’s a delightful taste that pure chocolate has. Regardless, the 72% dark is wonderful

I’d add chiles to that. Dark chocolate with chile in it, or cayenne, is simply amazing. It’s both sweet and spicy. And sharp and smooth, and so good.

…No. Just, NO. Chocolate should be fairly sweet. Or at least smooth. NOT spicy!

…Says the person who doesn’t object to fluffy cups…

…You’re never going to let me live that down, are you? And those are completely different!

Anywho.

b) in Hot Chocolate form. Maybe with a bit of peppermint. And a LOT of whipped cream, if possible! And maybe some chocolate sprinkles? Ooh, now I’m wanting it to get colder out again so I can justify a huge cup of hot chocolate!

3) As a flourless chocolate torte. I am seriously going to need to upload that recipe soon… Add a ganache on top, and that’s a dessert to die from!

Die… from?

Oh, yeah. Hasn’t happened yet, but yes. It’s so rich. It’s basically chocolate 3-7 ways. Especially when I make it.

You see, my rule of thumb for baking is “add more chocolate-chips!” (Or dark chocolate M&Ms.) Sometimes both.

Some time, when I make the torte, I really want to have a bit of fun with chocolate sprinkles, too. Seriously. If the recipient of the cake can have a slice of flourless chocolate cake that has a widest section of more than 1.5 inches, and is perfectly fine after, then you’re making the cake wrong. And it therefore needs more chocolate.

I’m suddenly understanding why you said “from.” Webmaster, I’m just as glad I don’t need to live en your actual world. I don’t want to worry about surviving desserts!

Well, anyways.

Happy Saturday, everyone!

What’s your favorite form of chocolate?

A comfortable post: Ignoring the prompt

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Hello, Fluffsters! Today, I’m ignoring the prompt. It’s a nice enough prompt, I suppose, but I’m just not in the mood for it.

So today, I’m going to talk about some ways to break the ice at gatherings or with groups of people.

Without further ado:

3 great ways to break the ice.

One: Hit it with a mallet. This serves a dual purpose. First you have successfully broken the ice. In fact, you may have shattered it. It probably depends in part on what size ice you’re using. Of course, finding a mallet at a party might be a little difficult. So I guess you can just throw it on the ground.

Oh. A pun. Very funny, Webmaster.

I hope your other two options are at least somewhat reasonable.

Why, thank you Fluffy! And yes, don’t worry.

Two: wait for someone else to break the ice. This doesn’t always work, but it’s sometimes nice. Especially if you’re shy and you don’t quite know the best etiquette for your situation. And somebody’s going to break the ice at some point, right?

Three: Ask a random question.

No. NOT Muffin Flavored Shrimp AGAIN?!

I was actually just going to link to the FAQ page, but now that you mention it, yeah! Muffin flavored shrimp are a great ice-breaker! Either you get an odd and enjoyable conversation going, or you’ve figured out who the relatively boring people are, and have likely gotten them to leave you alone! Win-win, right?

Anywho, Fluffsters, what do you do to break the ice?

By the way, you realize that you never gave a second reason for using a mallet for #1, right?

Woops.

Comfort Music(NaBloPoMo 9)

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Only 9 days, and I’m starting to get really tired about writing about Comfort…

So today, I’m going to do another short post.

Today’s “Comfort Challenge” is:

What song do you play to bring yourself comfort?

Hmm. Two options here:

1) Songs I play on the flute: Yep, I play the flute. It’s a lot of fun. Anyways, I default to practicing “Aviary” from Carnival of the Animals, “Badinerie” by Bach, and Concertino by Chaminade. They’re delightful pieces, and have sections that are supposed to go fairly quickly. There’s nothing quite like playing really fast on the flute! I also sometimes just play random stuff, and listen to how it turns out.

2) Music I play from a computer or player: I really like the Lord of the Rings soundtracks. Disney music is also a lot of fun! I think I have a lot of music from Beauty and the Beast, Enchanted, and Lion King memorized. And maybe Aladdin, too. It’s fun! Oh, and definitely Star Wars music. There is NOTHING like it. Except maybe for other music by John Williams.

Oh, and the Muppet Treasure Island soundtrack. Seriously, it’s fantastic. Of course, it’s also Hans Zimmer, so that’s not too surprising. But I love that movie, and the music is delightfully whimsical.

I mean, how cute is this?

But how about you, Fluffsters? Do you have any favorite comfort music?

The Smell of Comfort: NaBloPoMo 8

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Hello, Fluffsters! Happy Wednesday! Wow, how did it get to be Wednesday already?

Anywho. Today’s Blog Post on Comfort prompt asks:

Do certain smells make you feel instantly comfortable?

For me the answer is “Yes.” At home, we have three of the loveliest scents during the spring.

The first is the scent of citrus blossoms. It is one of the most beautiful scents in the world. And we have at least three citrus trees that normally bloom each year.

Seriously, the scent of citrus blossoms is one of the most beautiful things in the world. It’s made that much better because it also means “home” for me.

The Second “comfort scent” is the smell of jasmine blossoms. Those also grow at home.

I think I’m detecting a theme here…

Yup. Jasmine is a very close second for favorite scent. In fact, some days I’m totally tied between night-blooming jasmine and the citrus blossoms. The Jasmine has the advantage of blooming around the entire neighborhood. So whenever I would take my two puppies on walks with my sister during a certain time of the year, the scent would be heavenly. It’s got such a delicate scent!

The third “comfort scent” is my Dad’s spiced cider. That, more than anything else, symbolizes the coming of the holiday season. He takes a few gallons of apple cider, several tangerines, and a handful of cinnamon sticks, puts them into a big vat, and lets it stew for a while. The cent of cinnamon, warm cider, and tangerine fills the entire house. It’s seriously impossible not to relax around that scent. It’s another one of my favorites.

That sounds nice.

It was similar for me. Whenever we arrived at our newest location, my Mother would bake her specialty cinnamon cookies. Whenever we smelled that, we knew that we had found a good location to set up camp, and that we wouldn’t be traveling for a while. It was essentially as though we had come home. For after all, it was home for however long we were there.

Aww, that’s sweet!

Anyways, Fluffsters, what about you? Are there any scents that smell like “comfort” to you?

When I Want a Comfort Food… (NaBloPoMo 7)

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Hello, Fluffsters!

Today’s question from the National Blog Post Challenge Thingamabop (official term) is:

What makes you reach for a comfort food?

The answer to that one is fairly easy. I’m currently a student. So, tests. And projects due. And more tests. And more projects.

In other words, “stressors.”

And I’m not really sure what else to write about for this topic. And this is slightly stressing me out. Especially since I don’t have any chocolate chip cookies… Or any of my comfort foods.

Oh, so I guess I can put “tricky blog-posts” on the list of things that make me want comfort foods…

Anyways, happy Tuesday! I hope your week goes well.

Comforting Foods (NaBloPoMo 6)

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Hello again, Fluffsters! Happy Monday!

Now, I understand that Mondays can be a trying time. But we can get through this… together!

Brassicae, now you’re just sounding like one of those cheesy shows our competitors put on!

Uh… Well, I haven’t seen any of your competitors’ shows. So I don’t know how to respond.

But anyways. As I was saying. Mondays can be trying, but there are some things we can do that bring us comfort.

Oh, so that was just a way of reminding everyone of the challenge you’re trying to do for a month, then?

You got it! And today’s question is:

What is your biggest comfort food? Share the recipe if you have one.

So, I’m not entirely sure how to take that. There are two ways, really. Is the question about Big as in Size? Or Big as in most emotionally Impactful?

Is “impactful” even a word?

…That doesn’t really matter. And it is now.

That doesn’t answer my question though.

So go with both.

Oh. Right.

In that case.

Biggest Size Comfort Food

Mom’s Hamburger Stroganoff. Or her Chicken Noodle Soup. Definitely. I could eat a huge serving of either of those and still want more. I unfortunately don’t have the recipe immediately available, but they’re really comforting for me.

I’ve always loved her chicken soup. It’s just a taste of home, and something she would try to make when we were sick to make us feel better. And then we’d have chicken salad the next day for lunch, with fresh chicken. That was always amazing. Especially with grapes. Or maybe apples.

And the stroganoff? That actually has a bit of a funny story behind it… For a while, my parents were trying to do the “low carb” diet. I sort of objected, since I loved pasta. (I still do, actually.) But we sometimes went to potlucks. And the stroganoff is a fairly easy dish, and the best part is that it calls for noodles. (Egg noodles especially.) Sometimes for dinners at home, Mom would make a stroganoff casserole that was pretty good, but it didn’t have pasta. And so that was never as much a favorite for me. But when she made stroganoff for the potlucks, she would always make the egg noodles to go with. Because of that, I really loved the stroganoff. It’s also just really good. I mean, really. Ground beef, sour cream, mushrooms, and onions? How can you go wrong with that?

Biggest Emotional Comfort Food

That is so much harder. I’m a fan of many chocolate desserts. I’ve already posted the recipe for my variation on chocolate chip cookies, which I love. But cheddar cheese and apples are another one. There’s something just really comforting about having that for a snack. Or anything dark chocolate. Nuts, dark chocolate M&Ms, and raisins combine to form a great trail mix. And my flourless chocolate cakes are also very good! If I do say so myself. Oh, and most Mexican food. Or any food that involves HUGE amounts of melted Cheddar. (Except cheeseburgers. I do not like those.)

So in other words, I’m not at all sure about the second category.

So, Fluffsters, what’s your favorite comfort food?

Favorite family stories (NaBloPoMo 5)

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Happy Cinco de Mayo, everyone!

In continuation with the BlogHer “write-for-a-month” challenge, I’m going to tell you about another thing I find comfortable.

My Dad is a story-teller. It runs in the family. And there are some stories that we love to hear him tell time after time. It doesn’t matter that we’ve heard them a bajillion times before. It just matters that he’s telling that story. And so, without further ado, I present a retelling of:

The Real Story Behind the May 5 holiday

A long time ago, when Spain was still colonizing the New World, Mexican used to have sandwiches for lunch, every day. They would have turkey sandwiches, ham sandwiches, chicken sandwiches; you name it. If it had meat, they would make a delicious sandwich out of it.

What made these sandwiches so delicious, however, was the wondrous white substance that would be shipped over from the motherland. It was a marvelous substance, that successfully moistened the bread and provided extra flavor. No sandwich was complete without it. One of the wondrous things about the substance was its lasting abilities; it would never go bad. As long as it was in the jar, it was useable.

So the colonists would receive a shipment every year, with enough to last them for a year. And so, every year on 5/5, the yearly shipment would arrive. This day was a celebration amongst the colonists, for frequently they would barely miscalculate, and they would not have perfect sandwiches for the first five days of May.

And then one year, disaster struck. Again on May 5, the citizens were gathered to welcome the shipment. They spied the ship. And there was great rejoicing.

But then, to their utmost dismay, they watched as the ship spontaneously combusted. Somehow, someone had sabotaged their ship. With utmost horror, the citizens watched as the ship, and all its supplies, fell to the bottom of the sea, where the load would forever be irretrievable.

But all was not lost. The colonists learned to make due without sandwiches. And in time, they even looked back on that event with fondness, and created a holiday. And from that day on, a celebration occurred on May 5, to celebrate the sink-o’ de mayo.

 

…Really?

One of your favorite stories is based on a pun?

Yup!

Anyways, happy Sunday! I hope you have a wonderful week.

My Most Comfortable Movie: Star Wars

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Hello, Fluffsters! Mind if I call you that? Anyways. Happy Star Wars Day!

“Star Wars Day”?

And what happened to the NaBloPoMo thing you were doing?

Yes, Star Wars Day. “May the 4th be with you.”

…Seriously? A day is devoted to a mispronunciation?

I think we use the term “word play.”

And yes, I’m still doing the blogHer thing. And here’s why this topic is relevant.

Star Wars as Tradition

When I was young, my Mom & Dad declared Sunday Afternoons to be the time they would take a nap, and my older sister and I would be quiet. That often meant playing outside or watching a movie. More frequently the latter, sometimes both.

So we would get back from lunch after church, Mom & Dad would go to take a nap, and my sister and I would a video.

I don’t quite remember how we decided what movie to watch, but I feel like I probably got my choice movie accepted more often than she did.

Anywho. My favorite movies were Star Wars, and Return of the Jedi. Especially Return of the Jedi. Seriously, I loved that movie and made my sister watch it so often. I think she can still quote the movie. Like, the entire movie. From start to finish. With only a word or two missing.

Even now, there’s something so comfortable about watching Star Wars on a Sunday afternoon.

So as you can see, both the theme of the month and Star Wars Day go together quite nicely. It would be perfect if this were a Sunday and my sister was here. But this still works.

So how about you, Fluffsters? Do you have any favorite movies? Favorite stories about Star Wars? Or anything you’d like to share?

Five uses for blankets

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Hello, everyone! Happy Friday! How has your week gone?

Anywho, as you probably recall, I’m participating in a Blogher Month-long challenge. And apparently Fluffy wasn’t being overly honest yesterday when she claimed I was “sleep-typing”. I thought that didn’t make sense!

I didn’t expect you to actually believe it.

Hmpf. Anyways, it’s the Third of May. And I’m participating in the challenge. So that means that it’s time for the prompt:

Which would you rather have: a super-soft pillow or a warm, fuzzy blanket?

Oh. That’s really easy. The Blanket, without even a shadow of doubt.

Uh, that was emphatic. Why? I’d probably have gone for the pillow. They’re so squishable!

Because, Webmaster dear, blankets essentially are pillows. They’re just waiting to happen.

…What? That made, like, no sense.

Oh. Sorry. You can use a blanket in a lot more ways than a pillow. Does that make more sense?

I suppose, but I’m still not buying it.

No, seriously. Blankets are basically just like pillows, only better.

What? You don’t have any proof of that.

Sure I do. Here are:

Five ways blankets are better than pillows.

1) Soft covering for going to sleep. Pillows can’t do that.

Sure they can! Haven’t you seen full-sized body pillows? Those things are amazing!

They still don’t cover you as well as blankets. And they’re usually not as fuzzy.

…Ok, maybe.

Thankyou. Moving on…

2) Props for children of actors. There’s nothing like a fluffy blanket to imitate a cloak of invisibility.

And it keeps them out of trouble. After all, you can’t do anything naughty or your cloak of invisibility gets taken away.

That, Fluffy, sounds like the voice of experience talking…

My blanket only got taken away once. But anyways, pillows can’t be cloaks of invisibility. I’ve tried.

3) Protection from the elements. It’s much more flexible than a pillow, and it makes a lot more sense to place a protection spell on something that is more flexible.

Wait a second. What elements are you referring to?

Fire, water, and earth, primarily. For some reason, because blankets like to flap in the wind they aren’t as effective against the air. It can still be done, but it also doesn’t look as impressive. Why do you ask?

…You come from such a different world from mine. We think of the elements very differently. And there isn’t magic to worry about.

Oh. That must be sorrowful for you.

But I digress.

4) Using as a rope. All you need to do is twist it up, and tie it. Voila, instant rope.

5) As a pillow.

Ok, now that is definitely something that a pillow can do better.

No. A pillow comes predefined as to how fluffy it is. And it’s big and bulky. A blanket can be turned into a pillow, just by filling it with other fuzzy blankets and rolling them up together.

And that, dear Webmaster, is why blankets are superior to pillows. Anything you can do with a pillow, you can do with a blanket. Because blankets are just larger, easier to manage, unformed-pillows.

…Maybe. I still think I’d take a super soft pillow. Depending on the circumstance.

And I think you’re just arguing for the sake of arguing.

And you’re not?

…

Anyways, have a great weekend, everyone! I hope to see you tomorrow.

I guess I’m sleep-typing (NaBloPoMo 2)

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Hello again, everyone!

And if you’re here from the BlogHer challenge, Hi! Welcome! I’m glad you’re here. If you want to comment below to let me know you’re here, I’d love to meet you via the Interwebz!

Anywho, I know that you’re here for the content. So I’d like to get there. But I’m actually a bit confused by today’s prompt. You see, it’s:

Do you still sleep with a stuffed animal now?

And now? I’m writing this blog post. So how can I still be asleep?

Simple. This is a dream. You’re sleep-typing.

…Oh. Why didn’t I think of that?

…Nevermind.

So, if you are sleep-typing, are you sleeping with a stuffed animal?

Technically, no. At least probably not. I can’t quite tell; it feels so much like I’m awake! But if I am asleep, I’m either using my bright orange squish pillow, my absolute favorite doll of all time (that once again my sister gave me; the doll’s been mine since before I can remember) or maybe the felt superhero one of my really good friends sewed for me. Or maybe nothing. As I said it all depends.

That sounds comfortable.

It is. So, Fluffy, what about you?

I’m sort of trapped in the internet, remember? I’m your website’s personality?

But if I’m sleep-typing, I must be in the land of dreams, right? That means that you’re also here, in the land of dreams. So you can’t be in the internet.

That… almost made sense.

Well, back home, Peeves would normally cuddle. I haven’t really slept with a fake animal for a while. Not since Peeves grew sturdy enough to sleep in bed with me. So, after dinner I guess I slept with a stuffed animal!

Aww, that sound’s cute!

Well, if I’m dream typing, I may as well wish you all a happy Thursday anyways. Who knows, maybe this will actually be a genuine blog post for Thursday morning?

And how about you, readers? Do you sleep with a stuffed animal? Or something comfortable?