Thursday, May 3, 2012

Comfort Food, God's smile and Chocolate...

The Lord is my shepherd....

I love those words. I love the simplicity of Christ, the shepherd. Lambs, sweet and docile, being led...

Except that I'm often the stubborn ewe, the know-it-all that's always heading for a greener pasture.



Humans are such silly, frail things!

And that is why God made chocolate.  :)

I'm convinced of it.



Or maybe he knew women would have to deal with monthly cycles and men.

That had to be it!

Or...

Maybe he understood that although children should outgrow hissy fits by age five, some drama queens are still hissing at fifty-five....

OR....

Maybe he just crafted the bean, did a little roast-taste-test, added some sweet sap/sugar and smiled.

I think that might have been when the sun first came out. That God-smile, shining from above, at the taste of chocolate.



Changes in life make me reach for Ghirardelli... Rough days. Celebrations. Girlfriend Chats....

So what makes you reach for the good stuff? For my husband it's popcorn. :)



I'm convinced this is why we're still married, because he doesn't like chocolate and I'm not a big popcorn or potato chip fanatic...

So we never steal each other's treats!

What do you reach for when you need something extra special good? What's in your stash?

Coffee's on! I've got Butter Toffee, Green tea, Mandarin Orange tea and the drink of the day is Iced Caramel Vanilla Latte... With or without whipped cream!

Let's chat...

15 comments:

  1. Bless you for the mandarin orange tea -- that hits the spot. I don't need much of an excuse to indulge in a chocolate-fest so I guess that's my comfort/celebration food. Though that veggie corn chowder comes pretty darn close. Made another batch last night. I just ooze into a puddle when I chow down on it! Oh -- and really good, well made rice pudding with a dollop of cream on top. Definite comfort food worthy of savoring.

    And Ruthy -- I tried ordering your book yesterday and it wasn't there! Do I have the dates mixed up? I thought it released in June and would therefore be available for ordering from eharlequin now, but it's not in their June line up. So then I checked the Seekerville site and it does have your book on the revolving book thingy (very impressive visual of your collective talent, by the way) and it says June on too. So now I'm all cafuzzled. Can you uncafuzzle me please?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sorry I'm late! We had a death in the family and I knew I had to make fun of folks in Seekerville... :)

      Time was shortened, but we have another gentle soul in heaven...

      Kav, A Family to Cherish (so stinkin' sweet!!!!) is due out June 19, but it's technically a "July" book. So it should be available on harlequin.com in two and a half weeks. Or so. Or win it next Thursday when I make fun of Mary and motherhood and apple pie. ;)

      Delete
  2. All I can say is: YUM. Chocolate. And my favorite form???

    Brownies!!!

    That's where I go when I want comfort food. I bake a batch of brownies (from Duncan Hines dark chocolate mix). There's nothing better!

    And you want to hear about willpower? My daughter baked a batch the night before last to take to school for a party. And I cut them for her the next morning and packed them up to go to school--without eating a single one!!! Although a corner of one did just happen to fall off, so I HAD to eat it so it wasn't wasted. ;)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Missy, people have no clue HOW HARD IT IS TO SEND BROWNIES TO SCHOOL!!!!

      Unappreciative little brats eating our BROWNIES!!!!

      Should be outlawed, chickie! And you can take home-made brownies to a public school????? REALLY???? We can't do that up here, and even the parochial and private schools are afraid of lawsuits... It's a ridiculous rule.... My brownies and cookies are so much better!!!

      Delete
    2. Yes! She took it for a class party. And in Spanish class, they each make a recipe from a different Spanish-speaking region and take it in for a project! That one made me a little nervous as a parent. LOL

      Delete
  3. I'll have some green tea, please:-)

    I can't say that I go for one specific thing, but when life went topsy-turvy the last quarter of last year, I learned the true meaning of comfort food. It's those things that comfort us, often remind us of our childhood. They satisfy us. No wonder we always cook for people going through rough times.

    Chocolate is more than comfort food for me. It's one of the food groups. I must have it in some form each day. Whether it's snatching a couple of Ghirradelli chips from my baking stash or a square of Lindt (70% dark, sea salt, or chili variety will do) I keep tucked in the cupboard. Luckily, my kids don't like dark chocolate. Which is why I usually buy them cheap chocolate. If they don't know good chocolate when they taste it, I'm not forking out the extra $$.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That very naughty Teeeeeeena Radcliffe taught me about Lindt dark with sea salt.

      Oh. My. Stars. 'Sall I'm sayin' girlfriend!

      Delete
  4. Ah, chocolate. Only a true sister of mine could understand the deep satisfaction of a sliver of dark chocolate melting on your tongue...

    Since I don't have any biological sisters, you guys will have to do!

    My newest chocolate crave is Ghiradelli's dark chocolate with sea salt caramel. Mmmmm. Tina's the one who got me started on it. I'm sure the guy at Walmart thought I was crazy when I bought my first bag.

    And my dear husband understands. When he lost his job a couple years ago and we cut back on EVERY expense, he told me to keep buying my chocolate. Stress is bad enough - but to go through stress without chocolate?

    (Excuse me while I break into my stash...just the thought of no chocolate is stress enough.)

    Missy, I applaud you for your will power. How big was that "corner" that fell off?

    Mindy, I agree with you completely. Don't take my good stuff and then complain that you really don't like dark chocolate!

    Kav, I'm making that chowder. A bowl of that with one of Ruthy's Broccoli Slaw salads sounds like a good lunch. And chocolate for dessert, of course!

    Ruthy, I think maybe God made chocolate on the 6th day - just in time to enjoy it as He took the first Sabbath rest.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Maybe the sixth day! To relish the dawn of that first Sabbath in full relaxation mode! :)

      Delete
  5. I say Lattes "with" whipped cream is better! =)

    I love chocolate brownies, chocolate pie, and cool whip on top! not to forget Pecan Pie! I could eat half a pie at one sitting!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh, Melissa... Pecan pie. I love it so much. And I love mine, my homemade one, it's amazing. And German Sweet Chocolate pie with pecans???? To die for. But I'm the only one who eats it...

      And who can eat a whole pecan pie????? Not even the Ruthster can do that.

      How 'bout we share one, honey????

      Delete
  6. Jan, the corner was not as big as it could have been because my daughter was watching me closely!! LOL

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh, that kid... Send her to her room and eat a big corner...

      But if she's helping you stay focused on the DIET, then it's okay.

      Skinny children are brats.

      Delete
  7. Melissa, pecan pie is my favorite, too. :) I even add chocolate chips sometimes. That would also satisfy the chocoholics!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Missy, that makes it almost German Sweet Chocolate Pie! Oh, yum... Lets get together for pie at the cafe, 'kay???

      Delete