Chocolate

Paris has just acquired a new award to add to their trophy case. They are now the chocolate capital of the world! 


You can blame the French president Nicolas Sarkozy who was elected in 2007. Sarkozy perferred drink is chocolat, the very best. His 24/7 excitability – some call it dynamism – are attributed in part to the capital's current choco-manie.

Theobroma cacao, or dark chocolate (containing at least 60 percent cocoa) is good for the health, the libido, the mind, and the morale. 

What better way to fuel the French man's appetite than giving him the finest chocolate?

However, evidence shows that the rise of chocolate in Paris predates and goes beyond Sarkozy's infatuation. 

The annual Salon du Chocolat has done wonders to raise Paris's profile. The nationwide decrease in liquor consumption, thanks to Sarkozy, has also been a contributing factor. So naturally, chocolate is the ideal, socially acceptable substitute.

But the main reason for the rise is easy: French chocolate has become exquisite in its simplest incarnations, and excitingly wild in its extreme expressions.

Since France's great pastry chefs started breaking away from the famous restaurants where they were employed, chocolate-making has slipped out of the grip of the industrial candy-makers, local bakeries-pastry-and-chocolate-shops, and local neighborhood chocolatiers.

Silly? Yes, but it is the French and it is Paris, City of Chocolate.

Fanciful Forts

When I was little my brother and I would make forts all day long. We leave them up for days or until our mom told us to take them down because they were becoming a hazard when she was trying to clean the house. We ditched our rooms because we thought these were cooler. We would eat, watch TV, play games, and pretty much live in these forts. Looking back, I loved creating these. The memories I have from building them I will treasure for ever. The little kid inside of me is telling me to make more forts. Now that I am older and have all that experience under my belt I think I could create a pretty dang good fort. If I were to make forts now, I think they would look a little something like this....

How To: Make the Best Cookies You Will Ever Eat

I am about to introduce to you the cookie that will revolutionize your taste buds. It combines all the best ingredients into one cookie of perfection. 

Oatmeal, check.

Peanut Butter, check.

Chocolate, check.

Here is the Oatmeal Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookie that my mom and I have been baking together since I was 8 years old!

MAKES: about 18 cookies

Ingredients
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup white sugar
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup oats, can add more if you really like them
1 cup peanut butter and chocolate chips, again - can add more if you would like

Method
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a bowl, mix together the butter, white sugar and brown sugar until smooth and creamy. Stir in the peanut butter, vanilla and egg until well blended.
3. Slowly combine the flour, baking soda and salt; stir into the batter just until moistened. Mix in the oats and chocolate chips until evenly distributed. Drop by tablespoonfuls on to lightly greased cookie sheets.

4. Roll dough into size and shape of preferred cookie onto lightly greased cookie sheets.
5. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the oven, until the edges start to brown but not completely done in the middle. 

6. Cool on cookie sheets for about 5 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

7. Enjoy!!

Follow: Happy Easter!

Never Settle

Ways to Live and Not Merely Exist

1. Do what you LOVE and do it often

2. If you don't like something, CHANGE it

3. If you don't have enough time, MAKE time

4. If you are looking for the love of your life, STOP

5. They will be waiting for you when you START doing the things that you love

6. If you don't like your job, QUIT

7. Start doing the things YOU love

8. Stop over analyzing, life is SIMPLE

9. All emotions are BEAUTIFUL

10. When you eat, APPRECIATE every last bite

11. OPEN your mind, arms, and heart to new things and people, we are UNITED in our differences

12. Ask the next person you see what their PASSION is and share your INSPIRING dream with them

13.  TRAVEL often, getting LOST will help you find yourself

14. Some opportunities only come once, SEIZE them

15. Life is about the PEOPLE you meet, and the things you CREATE with them, go out and start creating

16. Life is SHORT

17. Live your DREAM

18. WEAR your passion

Fear

A lot of the time I get caught up in the fear of being wrong. I doubt myself, I doubt my creativity, I doubt that I have good ideas. This is so easy to do when you compare yourself to others. It's like that little voice in your head that tells you, you just aren't good enough because everyone else out there is better. Except everyone is different. Everyone has their own unique sense of self and what they believe to be creative. Therefore, you cannot compare. The truth is that when you doubt or have fear, you are holding back, you don't pursue with all that you have. You have to embrace the fact that you CAN. You have to believe, because those who believe they can do things, do them. They do them without fear and to the best of their ability. I feel that it is important to know my vulnerabilities and not allow them to stop me from going after my goals and what I am passionate about. I don't want my fear to hold me back. I want to push ahead with reckless abandon. I WANT TO BELIEVE. 

Transformation

For all of the loyal "So You Think You Can Dance" fans out there you understand why this is my favorite dance of Alex Wong. First to make it that much sweeter, they brought Twitch back as his partner. As we all know, Twitch is the master of hip hop and I love that he incorporates his own style into it. The idea behind the dance is very creative and the energy level sustains, even grows, throughout the entire piece. Just from watching this, it makes you want to get up and dance with them. Ultimately, my favorite part is that Alex went from being a professional ballet dancer to performing one of the best hip hop routines I have ever seen. He went against all of the ballet stereotypes and proved that he is capable of blending in next to Twitch, the show's hip hop sensation. His ability to do this demonstrates that he is transforming and evolving as a dancer. It is very difficult to be professionally trained in one area and then perform this naturally in another area. This goes to show you that Alex has real God-given talent that is beyond impressive to watch. 

Just for kicks: 

This is another one of my favorite dances from the show. It is so breathtakingly beautiful and captivating that I get goose bumps every time I watch it.