Bite-size choco-chips nestled inside of freshly baked banana bread on an autumn afternoon...Creamy little cups of steaming hot cocoa on a chilly winter day...ribbon-wrapped white-chocolate rabbits in a springtime Easter basket... frozen fudgie pops on a hot summer night...any time of the year is a good time for a little chocolate lovin'!  
    But as much as you love your chocolate, did you know that it was really loving you back this whole time?  (To varying degrees, of course.)  This does not include the artificial, waxy, cheap-chocolates that you typically find displayed around the holidays in fun-colored foil.  No, the true chocolate that loves-you-back is deep and mysterious.  It is  dark in color, rich in antioxidants.  It is firm in texture and breaks into chunks with an audible snap, because it's lower in fats.  It has a rich flavor, so that it can be savored in smaller quantities, making you satisfied with less. Chocolate has many other health benefits as well, some of which I don't scientifically understand, but that I can relate to every month when the moon is full.  Yes, I will include a link for you if you want to read further into the chemical properties of chocolate & their effect on the human brain, (http://www.deliverychicks.com/Chick_Click.html )but you will definetely have to go somewhere else for that.  For you see, I know that I don't have to explain to you the mysterious connection between women & chocolate.  Don't misunderstand me, I do not live for candy, nor do I eat it every day, However...when the time is right & I am in the mood, just watch out & don't get in the way between me & my cocoa-latte fix!  
    So the next time you find yourself craving a little cocoa bean, when you know you're needing some nougaty-goodness, when you just have to have that Hershey bar...go all out, girlfriend!   Gather up the girlies, some red wine, and a great recipe for one evening of pure indulgence.  If we're going to do this once a month, ladies, let's do it right! 


Wine and Chocolove List:

-Have each guest bring a bottle of different wine & a yummy desert! 

Almost Better Than Sex Cake (I don't know if it's THAT good, but this cake is pretty tasty!)

16 servings

1 german chocolate cake mix
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
caramel topping
12 ounces Cool Whip
3 heath bars, crushed

Heat oven to 350 F. Grease and flour 9 x 13 inch pan. Prepare cake mix as directed on package; pour into prepared pan. After 10 minutes of baking, sprinkle with chocolate chips. Continue baking until cake is done. While cake is still hot, poke holes in it with handle of wooden spoon. Pour sweetened condensed milk over cake; let cool. Top with caramel sauce, then whipped topping. Sprinkle with candy bars.

When it comes to being green, envy is not the most appealing of images.  Neither is the thought of turning green from the sensation that comes with mixing roller coaster rides and corn dogs.  Rather, being Green is now considered a lifestyle choice.  It is a way of life that is good for the environment & future generations that actually want to have an environment in which to grow up!  There are so many choices on the shelf at the market that cry out to our hearts "protect the planet" and warn our wallets "Buy generic, lady, I'm expensive".  These very simple cleansers, cottons, and other miscellaneous home items advertise that they are "better for the earth"  than their less-expensive counter-parts, and while that may be true, I just don't believe that you can simply purchase the concept of "being green".  It is something that has to speak to your spirit and whisper in your ear not to be wasteful while you're cleaning out the fridge, or in a hurry.  Green is not glamorous, it is an overflowing recycle bin in the garage that sometimes smells because the kids forgot to rinse out the last of the milk from the #2 plastic jug!  Going green is not about walking through the produce aisle snubbing ordinary fruits and veggies shining happily in their pesticide-encased waxed-coatings.  Sure, buying organic will put less chemicals into the earth, but it is possible to wash off those toxins, if you take the time to do it right.  There are some fruits like strawberries that are so porous it is actually better to buy organic.  But some things that are peeled, like bananas, are OK to pluck from the practical produce aisle.  If you think that I'm missing the point behind sustainable farming, you're wrong.  It is just that I recognize the difference between going extreme (which is usually expensive) and going green, which is rational.  It is possible to make simple choices that won't raise your budget by a couple of hundred extra dollars each month, or even the hundreds of thousands of dollars that a major over-haul would cost in the form of solar panels, low-water washer & dryer, or hybrid car.  My point is that even if you don't have it in your budget to replace all of your linens with organic cotton (I think it must be made from recycled twenty-dollar bills...), buy all organic whole foods from a snobby supermarket, or upgrade your entire power-consuming necessities, you can still maintain a greener way of life!  Here are a few simple solutions to minimize waste, just in time for March! 
Take out less trash Part 1
We've all heard of ditching the plastic shopping bags for cloth, but how many of us have actually done it?  If you don't want to pay $15 for an organic cotton bag with that trendy Recycle logo on the side, just jet over to your local craft department!  The natural-cotton-canvas bags go for about $3 apiece, so for the same cost as that over-rated green logo, you get five bags for the price of one!  Whatever doesn't fit into your five bags at the store, go ahead & have it put into plastic ones, just be sure to use them as trash bags later on during the week. 

Take out less trash Part 2
Spend Saturdays getting Green!  Measure out two plots in the backyard, 3x3 feet.  Gather found items, such as natural rocks, old railroad ties, or worn tires.  Scrounge a salvage yard for old doors, windows, lumber,  or siding.  Now recycle these items into edging for your plots of earth.  (Windows make great green-house-style lids in early spring!)  Dig, rake, & till your dirt, adding potting soil, compost & mulch to one bed, and layering clippings, leaves, kitchen waste & dirt in the other.  Water both, & you now have a garden & a compost pile!  Plant veggies & flowers & you have created Free Organic Produce!  Keep a bucket with a lid under the kitchen sink for salad clippings, coffee grounds, & egg shells.  At the end of the week, spread onto the compost pile, layer with dirt & dried clippings & repeat!  By the end of the growing season, churn this into your garden for terrific home-grown soil! 

Take out less trash Part 3
Repurpose three old plastic crates or tubs as recycle bins in the garage!  Then you have to actually use them!  Wash out plastic & glass containers, and remove labels from cans & wash thoroughly before placing in bins.  This will not only keep the smell down, but will make these items easier to recycle!  Don't just put newspaper in there, either, recycle old magazines & you kids schoolwork, too!  Junk mail goes in there too!  If you have a shredder, your important documents can either go into the mulch pile, compost heap, or paper-recycle bin!  Now that is re-using! 

The house was dark, all was quiet, and my tummy had me wandering into the kitchen looking for a little somethin' somethin'.  I love my monster cookies, and I was having a craving at, oh, around about midnight!  When I went to the pantry, I found nothing there to satisfy my craving:  a box of jello, raisin bran, Spaghetti noodles, and a couple of cans of Campbell's just weren't doing it for me!  I considered making popcorn, but didn't want to wake up the entire house with the hot-air popper!  Upon opening the fridge, I found the remains of Sunday night's pot roast, now permanently encased in a layer of lard that I seem to remember on Sunday as a sumptuous broth.  Someone had evidently decided to sneak a peek at the salad earlier, because the plastic wrap was partially off, & the lettuce leaves were a little wilty.  In the door were several pots of mystery sauces with fancy names like cilantro-walnut pesto & orange lavender sauce that had me shuddering in my slippers.   The freezer didn't reveal much, either:  frozen spinach, raw mystery-meats in various freezer bags for convenient packaging ( next time I'll have to label those...), and the infamous empty ice-cream carton that has the ice crystals in the bottom my children just don't seem to want to throw away, but yet that can't be scraped off the bottom of the container even with a metal spatula...I know, I've tried.  Upon looking around despondently, there was only one thing left to do.  I opened the baking cupboard & raided my supplies!  I had no chocolate chips, but there were white chips from fudge made at Christmas.  I even had half-a-bag of red & green M-n-M's that had somehow managed to survive for almost 4 weeks like a refuge on the shelf, without being discovered & devoured!  Then I located the mint chips, and that creamy mint green color was calling to me!  There was just one thing missing from my crafty concoction, the main ingredient to any late-night craving:  Dark Chocolate!  One final delve into the depths of my kitchen drawer & out came a box of dark cocoa powder.  With excitement, by the light of the stove, I began measuring & mixing like Dr. Jekyll with his creation...I'm sure with the bed-head & robe, from behind we probably looked similar too.  Before long, the Midnight Monster Cookies were born, and WOW, they were dreamier than anything I could've imagined in my midnight stupor!  Not only were they created around midnight, but they are also as black as midnight.  Now, if there is one thing that I love more than a cookie, it's a cookie with a hot cup of coffee.  By the time the first batch went into the oven, it was something-in-the-morning o-clock, so I figured why not brew the java?  It's 5am somewhere, right?  A little late-night latte, and a large, warm midnight monster cookie later, and I was curled up on the couch sleeping like a baby!  May my midnight monster cookies bring you sweet dreams as well!

-Cheers


MIDNIGHT MONSTER COOKIES:


2 cups shortening
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup vanilla soy milk or buttermilk
1 1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup dark cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
3 cups quick oats
1/2 cup m-n-m's
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
1/2 cup mint chocolate chips

    Mix it all up, baby, & bake by the BIG BATCH, about 8 at a time!  400* oven, 10 minutes, then let 'em rest a few
Yummy! 

Note:
Best eaten warm at midnight! 

At the first of the year, when everything seems fresh & brand new, we are tempted to make these commitments for the year that are intended to make our lives better.  For most people that means giving things up...things that they love!  Now why, if we want to make things better, do we feel we have to go without things that we have come to love?  Can't there be some middle ground in life, a way of balancing out the things that we tend to overindulge in with the things that we neglect?  The approach is simply this:  rather than think about the negative item (i.e. "I'm going to subtract this from my life")  emphasize the positive item (i.e. "I'm going to add this to my life!").  Naturally, by adding more of what you are lacking, the habits that you have developed will have less of an impact in your life, thereby creating balance & harmony.  When we strive to just remove something without filling that void, there is left behind this empty, very obvious moment when we are faced with do-or-deny.  For many of us, that eventually leads to Do, which sets up bad patterns & habits.  Worse than the original habit that we intended to rid from our lives, now we associate ourselves with failure to follow-through, or lack of self-control.  Unfortunately, these subconscious realizations can sometimes be carried over into other areas of our lives, without a conscious clue as to why we continue to feel like we're "failing".  It's really just a twisted cycle that needs to be straightened out.  The way to straighten it is to find that middle line that you can walk:  it is called BALANCE, and nothing else in life will make you feel better about yourself than being able to balance what you need with what you want.  
        I can think of many, wonderful things that this life has to offer that I should indulge in more.  I think I will select a few of them for the year to freshen my life up & give me a new perspective.  Perhapsas I learn a few new things, I will spend less time on my old bad habits & they'll eventually fade into the distance.  After all, the way to rid oneself of something is to not focus on it, right?  I shall quit giving "junk" too much attention, & spend more of my valuable time  on things that I Want in my life!  Balance is naturally bound to follow! 

-CHEERS



TUBBS Sojourn Snowshoes-  Get out there! www.rei.com
 



          Glorious  Foxgloves www.parkseed.com       

It's Movie Time!
   Outside in front of the ticket window, you can feel the anticipation in the air as you line up behind the balding man in the conscientious baseball cap and his date, the woman with the bright yellow blouse and too much aqua net in her mane.  Standing there checking out the rest of the line, you gaze up at the list of movie titles in big bold letters and try to guess what feature presentation each party is there to see.  Of course, the point of this pointless activity is not necessarily to pass the time, although that is what naturally happens, but rather to discern whether or not everyone is there to see the same flick as you.  This determines if you are going to get primo seats or end up in the front row with your head tilted back for two long hours.  After evaluating the circumstances, you begin to weigh in the costs of the snackie-bar line.  Do you have enough time to go straight to calorie-heaven, or should you first go place that sweater that you always remember to bring over the back of the best available seat in the house before tending to your tummy?  Once that has been decided, you again start to suspiciously eyeball the other movie-goers present and still waiting in line for their tickets.  That couple looks like they'll go for the jumbo-tub, but she looks as though she's never eaten a Raisinette in her life, so you'd rather stand behind her because that line will move faster!  Now it's time to lean out and look sympathetically at all of people that are standing behind you, and turn back with smug satisfaction as you watch yourself get closer and closer to the ticket window.  Those poor people should have left the house sooner, you were so practical to leave when you did that you want to give yourself a pat on the back!  But there is no time for that now...the man in the cap and the lady with the up-do are getting their tickets, so it's almost your turn!  With anticipation, you fumble anxiously for your cash, hardly believing that your time for tickets has finally come, and so soon for such a long line!  When the couple steps away, you don't rush the booth.  No, you have enough self-control to stand there, on the tips of your toes, and stare at the pimple-faced young fellow behind the glass until he makes eye contact with you and utters that word you have been so patient to hear!  As he casually looks up, flipping one long "Flock of Seagulls" lock away from his left eye, he practically yawns as he utters, "Next"  in the flattest voice he possibly can.  You confidently step up, money in hand, rest your elbow on the small sill, and lean in close as though you have a terrible secret to share, "One adult for the Teary-Eyed Chick-Flick please".  Just to show him that you're prepared, you hold up the little cute tissue squares folded neatly in the pocket of your sweater, grinning and winking like you both know something everyone else doesn't.  Greasy-Locks looks at you like you need to have your head examined, and slides your tickets through the tiny slot at the bottom of the window.  The toss of his bangs tells you he doesn't have time for any loners but himself, so it's time to get lost.  Grasping the movie ticket in your hand, you look down to read it before moving toward the door, making sure that ganja-boy wasn't high when he printed your ticket, and didn't accidentally give you one to the Death-Fest of Doom instead.  Smiling proudly, you head for the entrance, with one last glance toward the pitiful people still shuffling idly where you used to be.  You smile and nod, thinking, "Oh yea, they're wishing they had left the house when I did, suckers!"  and turn to let the graying colored woman open the door for you, "Welcome to the Mega-Multi-Movie-Plex, madam."
      As the double doors open, the theater lets out an inviting sigh of cool air that beckons you in out of the summer heat.  Inside, the lobby smells of fresh popped buttery goodness, but it's not time for treats yet.  You were wise enough to wear your favorite pair of loafers, so you quickly speed-walk past the twins in the pumps to the ticket-tearing line.  Fanny-swishing your way to the front, the older gentleman in the starched uniform takes your ticket, "This is a wonderful film," he smiles as he parts it in two, "Door number four on the Left, enjoy your movie."  You delicately take your half of the torn ticket and place it in your back pocket, just in case you run out of tissue mid-movie and have to run for the restroom.  The thought of being drug out by your elbows because you can't hold up the ripped ticket as proof of payment makes you shudder like the Zombie in  You Go Ghoulfriend.  Patting your back pocket for good measure, you turn and head down the long, darkened hallway.  Reading the screens posted above the doorways, you quickly realize that something has gone terribly wrong...1,3,5...where is door number 4?  For a brief moment you begin to sweat harder than the girl in the Fangs of Fear poster on the wall above you, wondering if your ticket actually reads The Twilight Zone.  But then you realize that perhaps you should just be looking on the left, like the fellow said.  Once safely inside theater number four, you gaze up and down the rows of seats to spy two empty chairs in the back row, your favorite, because no one can kick the back of your chair.  When suddenly, directly across from you is the Raisinette girl from outside.  In slow motion, both of your eyes sweep from each other up to the vacant seats, and back again.  Game on, girlfriend!  You take those steps two by two, launching the sweater from over your shoulders to land gracefully upon the back of the chair like a superhero cape before Raisinette has even had a chance to make it half-way there...perhaps she could use a little more sugar in her diet!  
   Ticket and seat securely in place, you follow the haunting aroma of junk food back down to the lobby.  Pausing briefly, you check out the lines at the snack bar.  Over there is shorter, but the mom with four snarfling kids all begging for ice pops and monster-munchies makes you get in the longer line behind the love-couple instead.  With their arms around each other and hands stuffed into each other's back pockets, they move forward in unison in a way that takes you back to the time you won the three-legged man-race in the third grade.  Looking up at the menu of carnival-food choices for gourmet prices on the wall, you wonder what food group Jujubes really come from.  One auto payment later, you are handed a bag of crunchy popcorn and chilled cola.  Fighting off the reptilian urge of your tongue to lash out and snatch up some of the salty snack without the use of your hands, you casually sip your soda on the way back to your seat instead.  Plunking yourself down at last, you admire the armrest with the cute little round holder for your tasty beverage.  As the lights dim, and the picture begins to play, you finally toss a well-deserved handful of corn at your happy mouth:  there's nothing better than a Saturday Matinée! 

-Cheers



we love the curved details of Islandic Design's Hayden Sweater-
www.moosemtntradingco.com