Homemade Dark Chocolate Syrup (sugar, honey, and cinnamon)

Hey Burlesquers,

Has anyone read On the Road by Jack Kerouac?

Image by Barefoot Duchess at blogspot. Cool, huh?

This is one of the books I read as a teen that I just loved. Every young person–any race, class, or sex—just has a WHOLE lot of feelings and thoughts, you know? You’re young, you’re confused about loving others, loving yourself, and life, and you’re trying to figure it all out.

“I like too many things and get all confused and hung-up running from one falling star to another till I drop. This is the night, what it does to you. I had nothing to offer anybody except my own confusion.” —Jack Kerouac

This book, with its non-linear, Road narrative and poetic prose, really speaks to that youthful energy . As an adult, I recognize that this book is, at times, admittedly racist, filled with drugs, and not quite as a brilliant as I once thought. In fact, the book’s characters are adults behaving badly, as opposed to young people behaving badly (which is somehow more excusable?).  I do, however, still believe that On the Road captures a certain moment or energy that we all at some point feel–those highs and lows (that I sometimes miss). Am I the only one who did a little rebellion as a kid? I swear, I was more rebellious in high school than college! You can imagine I had even less forethought and more confusion as a 14 year old.

Anyway, there is a movie adaptation of On the Road, and I am excited to see it! (I am ignoring the fact that Kristen Stewart stars in it, yuck.) Here’s the trailer for anyone interested.

I can’t wait to see this. It’s going to be a rental for me (most likely), but I will definitely see this. And you know what I will be eating as a snack while watching? Fruit with my new Homemade Dark Chocolate Syrup!

Ronaldo and I were looking for a syrup alternative to Hershey’s that had less sugar and more natural ingredients, but we couldn’t find anything! And if we did, it was 5 dollars too much. I suggested we make our own, and wooo, I’m glad we did! This syrup is definitely dark and even a bit bitter for all those dark chocolate lovers out there! It pairs perfectly with fruit. (I ate a tbsp with a banana last night.) If you prefer milk chocolate or would like it sweeter, use a Hershey’s Cocoa mix, add more of stevia or sugar, and you will love it. Next time, I think I’m going to add a touch more stevia and Bailey’s!

DIY Kitchen: Use celery or carrot tops in place of parsley

Kitchen Tip:

Instead of throwing away celery and carrot tops, wash and use them as you would parsley! 

Picture from “Slaw & More” blog.

Blend the tops in pesto, toss them in salads, and add them in sauces. You will not only get the most of your money, but also eat more greens!  I actually first saw this tip while I was drinking tea and reading my new favorite cookbook, Pretty Delicious by the too cute Candace Kumai.

My grandma, who passed away, bought me this tea pot, and my mom bought me the china. I love these kind of precious mementos. (I can’t talk about it more, or I will cry!)

This is such a smart idea, right? I found a few recipes using specifically carrot tops, like Carrot Top Pesto on the blog Slaw & More. Their recipe looks fresh and fun!

“We like big buns, and we cannot lie!”

Our stylish friends over at Friends with Benefit (the blog associated with fabulous Benefit cosmetics) are spreading the gospel of the “Sock Bun”. I’ve never tried this hair trick before, but for hot summer days where I am, this looks tempting! Has anyone tried this? Let me know if it’s cute!

BB and Ron Move!

So, I told you we were still living out of boxes in our new apartment, and that is partially true.

But I made sure to unpack all of my books and then some!

Here’s some of my favorite books all on one shelf!

Along with our kitchen (complete with a pin up on the fridge):

Can you see my Martha Stewart flour and sugar canisters? And yellow kettle? So cute! And you can’t tell in the picture, but the night light plugged into the wall is a black and white picture of San Francisco! 

I’m greeted by Betty Grable on my fridge every morning!

And we even found pop art for our laundry room!

We also are trying to set up a few light white, textured curtains that brighten the rooms.

Ron and I are trying to have a vintage modern look (on a budget) with lots of pop art! (Thankfully, him and I have the same style: old pin ups, vintage produce ads, coca cola prints, etc. with clean, modern furniture.) We’ll see. More to come soon!

The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

Hey all,

I’m going to be MIA for awhile because of my move (no internet and cleaning!). But, in the mean time, I made some of the best traditional chocolate chip cookies that I have to tell you about!!

My “welcome back” gift!

The professor I’ve been house-sitting for finally came home from her trip abroad. I knew she’d be exhausted from her long trip, and I decided to bake her some “Welcome home!” chocolate chip cookies (her favorite!) and leave them in a decorated to-go container. (Who knew I’d be in my late 20s and still baking for my teacher??) Anyway, I had a sturdy black and white to-go container from a restaurant (that I kept for a day like this!). I soaked the container in hot, soapy water to clean and freshen, and I also had some pretty $1 orange ribbon and labels on hand.  I looked for a recipe online and saw the “Best Chocolate Chip Cookies” Recipe on Allrecipes.com. There were 4 thousand reviews of the recipe with a high 4 and 1/2 stars rating, which means this recipe HAS to be good. (Or, at least decent, right? ) I decided to give it a go.

I can honestly say this is the best standard cookie recipe I’ve ever found. My cookies came out crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside. They even came out aesthetically pleasing! Perfectly round and thick. I really loved this recipe! I used the recipe without changes, although I added a tsp of cream of tartar as suggested in a few of the emails. I also cooked my cookies a bit larger than suggested, which means they took about 15-20 minutes to bake, as opposed to 8-12 minutes. Honestly, I recommend this recipe if you need to bake some crowd-pleasing traditional chocolate chip cookies. Here’s the recipe from Allrecipes with my addition!

DIY Home: Olive Oil as Furniture Polish (untreated wood)

Kitchen tip for households with dull or dirty untreated wood furniture:

Is your untreated wood furniture dull or dirty? First, wipe surface with a lightly damp, warm towel to remove dirt. Let dry, and then use a folded paper towel and 1/8 tsp olive oil and buff the surface of the furniture. This oil buff will leave your furniture brighter and looking like new! Be careful, though: a little oil goes a long way. You don’t want to stain your furniture! I would suggest half a dime’s worth on the paper towel.

Inspiration for this tip:  Imagine my dismay when I made a water mark on my professor’s untreated side table. (I’m house-sitting, remember?) I didn’t mean to! I had no idea! I tried buffing out the ring with commercial furniture polish, and that product literally had NO effect. (That was a waste of 5 dollars! Harumph.) Then I showed my problem to Ronaldo, and he suggested buffing the mark with everyday oil, like olive oil. If it’s good for skin and hair, it’s good for wood, too! I was skeptical. How could this do a better job than a commercial, store-bought furniture polish? Come on! Umm, I was wrong. No more watermarks! See?

Phew! Saved by an everyday kitchen product!

Homemade Light Butter (whipped with honey and yogurt)

Hey Burlesquers,

Wow, I am excited. (I know, I get excited alot, but it’s for real this time!) Not only do I have a fabulous recipe to share with you, but I also found some great arts and crafts deals at Michael’s (a major fabric and craft store in the US). I bought a spool of cute orange decorative ribbon and two packages of decorative cupcake liners….all for $3. Fun! I foresee this ribbon on jars, and these cupcake liners being given away as part of gifts. I’ve recently gotten in the habit of browsing at stores next to our local Target and grocery store (like Michael’s), and it seems to be paying off!

Aren’t the peach and circus cupcake liners cute?

And for the delicious recipe: I made Homemade Light Butter!

As you know, I am trying to lose weight (aka Operation Hot Bod), and I am always looking for DIY home products and healthy substitutions for my favorite foods. In the end, I’m trying to eat healthy on a budget, and I like making my own products. Honestly though, I’m also trying to limit processed food products. Processed foods are usually much more costly than if you made them yourself, and they also (usually) contain a ton of chemicals. It’s frustrating, when you think about it! Food companies seem to rarely look out for the consumer, and it’s usually because of money. Think about how corporate capital accumulation works: large companies strive for lower production costs in the making of their food or product. Lower means of production and lower labor costs equates to higher profit margins. This means companies will inevitably find the cheapest labor force (possibly outsourcing) and use the cheapest, and not always the healthiest, ingredients possible in the making of their food.

from Wix.com

 Corporate consumer awareness and sympathy for public health is always the exception, never the rule. I hate sounding cynical, but as a student of history and the daughter of an ad man, it’s true. Read history books on consumerism. Look at current public health articles. Look at deceptive advertising. Large corporations are more notorious for making people sick than for keeping our populations and communities healthy. This doesn’t apply to all corporations, of course, but to many. Remember, the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906? And how many times have pharmaceutical companies released drugs too early with little information on its ingredients and without decades of research (for their long term effects)? Honestly, I’ve found it’s better to be an active, critical consumer than a passive, uncritical consumer. What AM I eating? What is really “natural” about this product? Who are they trying to fool?

The Jungle, one of the many muck-raking novels of the early twentieth century that exposed corporate corruption. From wikipedia.org.

Anyway, back to my healthy DIY recipe! I wondered: could I make a homemade light butter with healthy, natural ingredients that isn’t chock full of chemicals (like margarine)? It would have to be spreadable, because I hate how cold butter is impossible to spread (on wheat bread). To make my own light butter, I decided to try and whip unsalted butter with greek yogurt, salt, and honey. Could it work?!

Yay! It worked!

Well, it worked all right. I ended up eating my entire experiment. All of it. I basically ate my calories for lunch and dinner because this spread/light butter was so dang good. (Now I’m having vegetable soup for dinner to make up for it.) Simply whip together your ingredients with a hand-held mixer or standing mixer, and your end product is a light spread that’s sweet, yet salty, and spreadable. I replaced a quarter of the butter with greek yogurt, which made this soft and lower in fat. If you have children, I’m sure they will love this! LOVE. You could even add cinnamon to this or a pinch of Cayenne! I am storing my light butter in one of my pint jars in the fridge, and I plan on spreading it on some nine-grain bread I purchased at the grocery store. Throw out that margarine! Toss out that unspreadable butter! And dig into this. Yummy!

DIY Home: Lemons and Citrus Fruit to freshen your kitchen sink

Kitchen Tip for households with a garbage disposal:

When cooking with lemons or citrus fruit, use the leftover peel and fruit to freshen your sink! Cut your juiced lemon or fruit into quarters, and throw down your kitchen drain. Then run the disposal with running water to freshen.

Using my lemons to freshen my sink!

Chocolate Kahlua Cake in a Jar (with Almond Whipped Cream)

Hey Burlesquers!

I woke up to humid weather and a weather forecast of almost triple digits. It’s going to be a hot one today, folks! Try and stay cool out there!

Cocoa Cola art, from Pop and Roll.com

Nothing new around my neck of the woods, although I’ve noticed something…..The 90s are back! You may not know, but I love 90s and turn-of-the-millenium culture in the US. Give me Britney Spears, boy bands, and other sappy, cliched pop songs! Give me Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Brian Setzer, and other bands of the Swing Revival in the 90s! Give me all the great Ska punk bands, like No Doubt and Save Ferris! I want to see Greasers, swing kids, hepcats, 2-tone shoes, and Ska lovers out there with their adapted 50 styles!

Honestly, when Emo and the rise of the Hipster started taking over culture—you know, the supposed ironic display of working man’s culture with skinny jeans, flannel, full beards and mustaches, and the consumption of cheap, lower to middle class products, like Pabst Blue Ribbon—I immediately became sad.

(Image from SkinnyDip blog!)

I cannot identify with this trend… at all. Half the population doesn’t even understand that they’re ironically assuming and fetishizing the look of the working class (factory-worker, etc.) as part of the trend. People credit this irony as brilliant, but when most of the hipster populations don’t even know that they’re doing that (or even understand what class consciousness is), I can’t agree.

Anyway, you can imagine my delight when, in a week’s span, I learned that No Doubt, Fiona Apple, and Smashing Pumpkins are out with new albums (if not now, soon), and I spotted students wearing Doc Martins (remember those?) and a ska t-shirt. Then I heard the Aquabats had returned and are on tour, AND Goldfinger and Reel Big Fish announced the “Summer of Ska” tour!  Wooohoo, the 90s are back, folks!  I am so excited!

from Children of the 90s blogspot!

“American Skathic” album art by Jump Up Records

Anyway, in celebration of these fun changes in pop culture (and because of the HOT weather), I decided to debut my cool cakes in a jar. Behold, burlesquers, my BBQ treat: Kahlua Cake with Sweet Almond Whipped Cream.

Sweet to see you!

Barbecuties! Two Kahlua Cakes in Jars for our BBQ dinner with the happy couple.

Ok, these cakes were relatively easy, but there’s definitely a learning curve to this process. For example, I used a bundt-type cake recipe, which actually needs the bundt pan to cook correctly because of its numerous wet ingredients (sour cream, oil, eggs).  (The “hole” in the bundt cake pan allows for an even, overall bake.) However, I cooked the  bundt cake batter right in the jars, and the cakes ended up baking unevenly. My original cooking time was off! Next time, I’m going to limit some of the “wet” ingredients or simply cook a normal “cake” recipe in my jars (nothing too thick or moist). I also quickly figured out that it is damn near impossible NOT to drip cake batter or topping on the sides of the jar. I ended up cooking the cakes in jars and transferring the cakes to new, clean jars for the final prep. I recommend reading the cake-in-a-jar tutorial at the  Beehive and Birds Nest blog. Very helpful!

Overall, the presentation of these cakes was so fun for a BBQ, and I am happy I finally gave this dessert a whirl! Enjoy!

Homemade Mocha Cocoa Mix (sugar free, fat free)

Hey all,

Thank you so much for all of the tips about my cake-in-a-jar dilemma!! After some serious contemplation and fretting (should I do a marbled cake? a yellow cake? neopolitan?), I decided to make my best friend’s yummy Chocolate Kahlua Cake! Ron and I have had this cake before, and we both LOVED it. Why not make it in a jar? I will layer the cake in a jar with spiced/spiked whipped cream, and top it off with chocolate chips or sprinkles. Yum! I even bought ribbon to tie around each jar. I will do a post on this soon!

In other news, today Ron and I began house-sitting for a professor (yes, she lent us her condo for three weeks—we love her!), which meant we went on a grocery store run to stock up. We stopped at one of our favorite grocery stores, Trader Joe’s, and oh my my, I found one of my top five favorite crackers of all time!

Raisin Rosemary Crisps from Trader Joe’s

These crackers are crisp with a sweet, nutty flavor from raisins, flaxseeds and sunflowers seeds. The rosemary also adds a hint of herb. Plus, you can have 12 crackers for 90 calories, and they are made with 6-7 ingredients—no weird preservatives or ingredients I’ve never heard of. Wheat flour! Raisins! Seeds! Salt and pepper! Yay for Trader Joe’s making such a fun, healthy snack. I had these today for lunch with goat cheese and carrots. Mmmmm.

When I was at the store, I also picked up ingredients to make my own instant cocoa mix! I’ve gotten in the habit of drinking Ron’s cocoa mix at his house, and it’s full of sugar! No bueno. I know I can buy pre-packaged “diet” instant cocoa mix at the store to remedy this problem, but I also love the idea of making an instant mix out of mostly stevia, which is a sugar substitute I prefer using over Splenda.

Some of my ingredients for today! I keep my Stevia in this old-fashioned “Snowflake sugar” tin. Fun, right?

I also like being able to control what goes into the cocoa mix and the flavor of it! I went online and found a great sugar-free, fat free homemade mix at “Honey, I shrank myself!” blog. However, I wanted more of a mocha flavor with deeper chocolate notes, cinnamon, and added marshmallows (because I had some on hand). Well, then, looks like I’m making my own recipe for this one!

To make my sugar free, fat free instant Mocha Cocoa Mix, I used instant decaf coffee, instant fat free, sugar free vanilla pudding, dark coca powder, nonfat dry milk, cinnamon, and mini marshmallows.

my mix in a jar!

Because of all the fat free and sugar free ingredients, this mix made with hot water comes out to only 50 calories per 2 tbsp serving! Wooo!  However, I’m going to make my cocoa with half water and half lowfat milk to boost the creaminess factor, which makes it around 100 calories per cup. (I just don’t love non-fat milk. I think it tastes too watery!) I’m also thinking about next time making this mix with a scant amount of brown sugar. (Brown sugar + coffee= a happy BB!) By the way, if you’re looking for a great, 150 calorie low sugar dessert, have a cup of this cocoa with biscotti! I love biscotti because you can find great low sugar kinds that are really delicious! And they’re lovely paired with Mocha Cocoa. Anyway, I’m off to curl up with my mug of goodness! Enjoy!