Meme that swerved...

Dear Santa... Dear Santa, This year I've been busy! In May I signed my organ donor card (28 points). Last Monday I farted in an elevator (-6 points). In November I gave tagryn a Dutch Oven (-10 points). Last Sunday I set niherlas's puppy on fire (-66 points). In June I donated bone marrow to mallen in a life-saving procedure (300 points). Overall, I've been nice (246 points). For Christmas I deserve a new bike! Sincerely, liralen

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Okay, what's wrong with Dutch ovens? I like them a lot for long, slow cooking and they work great! And while I haven't actually donated bone marrow, yet, I have donated white blood cells and I am now in the national marrow registry. The Seattle blood and marrow program finally joined databases with the national registry. About time, I say. Mmm... rare Asian donor...

Meme that swerved...

Dear Santa... Dear Santa, This year I've been busy! In May I signed my organ donor card (28 points). Last Monday I farted in an elevator (-6 points). In November I gave tagryn a Dutch Oven (-10 points). Last Sunday I set niherlas's puppy on fire (-66 points). In June I donated bone marrow to mallen in a life-saving procedure (300 points). Overall, I've been nice (246 points). For Christmas I deserve a new bike! Sincerely, liralen

Write your letter to Santa! Enter your LJ username:

Okay, what's wrong with Dutch ovens? I like them a lot for long, slow cooking and they work great! And while I haven't actually donated bone marrow, yet, I have donated white blood cells and I am now in the national marrow registry. The Seattle blood and marrow program finally joined databases with the national registry. About time, I say. Mmm... rare Asian donor...

Ugh...

Not sure if I'm coming down with something or not, and I keep taking Airborne so it keeps fading away, until I have the after-lunch shakes and wonder what the heck it is that I have, again.

Jet was grumpy Friday and Saturday, and at the time I thought it was from lack of naps; but he was 'cold' and clingy and really just wanted a lap and lots of cuddles for two whole days. Then, yesterday, he was his sweet, happy self again. He ate a huge plate of what he calls salad at the Souper Salad (consisting mostly of pepperoni, boiled egg crumbles, croutons, Goldfish, corkscrew pasta, one 'tree' of broccoli, and honey mustard dressing) and then downed about a dozen slices of canned peaches. He turned up his nose at a dish of what they call ice cream, and I can't blame him. Still, kid refusing ice milk with flavorings in favor of boiled egg crumbles rolled in pepperoni and peaches, I can't complain.

So I probably have whatever he has, and it's making me unhappy, too. But I'll admit that I told John that I was looking forward to only being sick for two days and then feeling happy as a lark rather than the usual seven or ten day cycle of things. Yeesh, the things one looks forward to when there are other things in comparison...

Ugh...

Not sure if I'm coming down with something or not, and I keep taking Airborne so it keeps fading away, until I have the after-lunch shakes and wonder what the heck it is that I have, again.

Jet was grumpy Friday and Saturday, and at the time I thought it was from lack of naps; but he was 'cold' and clingy and really just wanted a lap and lots of cuddles for two whole days. Then, yesterday, he was his sweet, happy self again. He ate a huge plate of what he calls salad at the Souper Salad (consisting mostly of pepperoni, boiled egg crumbles, croutons, Goldfish, corkscrew pasta, one 'tree' of broccoli, and honey mustard dressing) and then downed about a dozen slices of canned peaches. He turned up his nose at a dish of what they call ice cream, and I can't blame him. Still, kid refusing ice milk with flavorings in favor of boiled egg crumbles rolled in pepperoni and peaches, I can't complain.

So I probably have whatever he has, and it's making me unhappy, too. But I'll admit that I told John that I was looking forward to only being sick for two days and then feeling happy as a lark rather than the usual seven or ten day cycle of things. Yeesh, the things one looks forward to when there are other things in comparison...

Dagoba Organic Chocolate: Xocolatl

I haven't done any reviews of chocolate here, mostly because my chocolate phase was years ago. Bernard C. satisfied a lot of my needs, from chocolate shavings, baking chocolate, chocolate bits, and all their truffles and candies along with the never to be forgotten chocolate covered cherries with cherries that are aged for three months in brandy. I've dabbled in Valrhona, organic chocolates, designer patterned truffles and filled chocolates, British Cadbury, Guittard, Max Brenner art pieces, Cluizel collections by % and by country of origin, Cote d'Or, and sneaking a little Scharffenberger, Fran's, or Ritter marzipan bars when I really need it and can't find the "good stuff".

I also had a phase where I drank a lot of Mexican drinking chocolate, and really have to recommend fresh Majordomo semi-sweet with plenty of almonds and cinnamon.

But even that wasn't as addicting as this Xocolatl. Dagoba is based in Oregon, and they've come up with a drinking chocolate that is mixed with chilies and cinnamon. It's part cocoa and part chocolate pieces, which is perfect for mixing into hot milk. For some reason, I love pure cocoa in just water. I hate pure chocolate for hot chocolate, too slimy, usually, because of the much higher cocoa butter amounts in real chocolate than in cocoa. So all chocolate is hard to mix in. Most hot chocolate mixes are too sweet, this one isn't.

The Dagoba Xocolatl has enough chili to make me cough when I first sip it. It's really spicy. It has enough chocolate to give it great body and heft against milk. It has enough cocoa to make the chocolate taste deep and penetrating without turning acid. It has enough sugar to bring out the other flavors, but it's not cloyingly sweet. It's what I wish my homemade chili cocoa mix could be, and for a lot less work in measuring stuff out. The only thing I have against it is that the whole chocolate pieces are big enough that they really require a whisk or a whirled beater to break them down to drink them; but those same bits break up beautifully when I use the steamer of my espresso machine to heat the milk. Yes, it makes a great mocha, too, and John always coughs at his first sip. *grin* As an unexpected side benefit it's mostly organic as well.

I cannot recommend it enough for those adventurous enough to drink a chili cocoa.

Dagoba Organic Chocolate: Xocolatl

I haven't done any reviews of chocolate here, mostly because my chocolate phase was years ago. Bernard C. satisfied a lot of my needs, from chocolate shavings, baking chocolate, chocolate bits, and all their truffles and candies along with the never to be forgotten chocolate covered cherries with cherries that are aged for three months in brandy. I've dabbled in Valrhona, organic chocolates, designer patterned truffles and filled chocolates, British Cadbury, Guittard, Max Brenner art pieces, Cluizel collections by % and by country of origin, Cote d'Or, and sneaking a little Scharffenberger, Fran's, or Ritter marzipan bars when I really need it and can't find the "good stuff".

I also had a phase where I drank a lot of Mexican drinking chocolate, and really have to recommend fresh Majordomo semi-sweet with plenty of almonds and cinnamon.

But even that wasn't as addicting as this Xocolatl. Dagoba is based in Oregon, and they've come up with a drinking chocolate that is mixed with chilies and cinnamon. It's part cocoa and part chocolate pieces, which is perfect for mixing into hot milk. For some reason, I love pure cocoa in just water. I hate pure chocolate for hot chocolate, too slimy, usually, because of the much higher cocoa butter amounts in real chocolate than in cocoa. So all chocolate is hard to mix in. Most hot chocolate mixes are too sweet, this one isn't.

The Dagoba Xocolatl has enough chili to make me cough when I first sip it. It's really spicy. It has enough chocolate to give it great body and heft against milk. It has enough cocoa to make the chocolate taste deep and penetrating without turning acid. It has enough sugar to bring out the other flavors, but it's not cloyingly sweet. It's what I wish my homemade chili cocoa mix could be, and for a lot less work in measuring stuff out. The only thing I have against it is that the whole chocolate pieces are big enough that they really require a whisk or a whirled beater to break them down to drink them; but those same bits break up beautifully when I use the steamer of my espresso machine to heat the milk. Yes, it makes a great mocha, too, and John always coughs at his first sip. *grin* As an unexpected side benefit it's mostly organic as well.

I cannot recommend it enough for those adventurous enough to drink a chili cocoa.