Chocolat! Themed Singles Party
Singles parties are all over the place these days. Maybe February has a special meaning to single people all over the world? Could it be valentines day? Of course! It’s the season for love and with it comes the sweet scent of chocolate desserts.
If you’re planning a singles party before the month of love ends, here’s a suggestion for you. Make it “Chocolat” themed. This is the Johnny Depp film that created quite a stir when it was shown on the big screen because of the cast, the acting and the plot (love, losing your inhibitions and eating the most sinful dessert in the world). Of course, if you’re going to pull it off, make sure your decorations follow the movie’s setting… provincial French.
If you can’t get the setting exactly like that in the movie, don’t worry. You can at least get the food “themed”. Here’s a recipe to serve in your Chocolat-themed singles party.
Chocolate Covered Toffee Cookies
12 oz. of semisweet chocolate, chopped
2 T unsalted butter
1/4 C + 2 T of all purpose flour
3/4 t of baking powder
1/2 t of salt
1 1/4 C of sugar
3 large eggs
1 1/2 t of vanilla extract
4/2 oz. chocolate covered toffee bars, chopped coarsely
How to Make It:
Place the chocolate and the butter into a microwave safe bowl.
Microwave on high power for 1 minute then stir until smooth.
Allow the chocolate to cool to lukewarm
Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt in a mixing bowl.
In a separate bowl mix together the sugar and eggs with a blender on high speed for 2 minutes or until thick and pale.
Add the chocolate mixture and vanilla and beat to blend in well.
Reduce the speed of the mixture to and blend in the flour mixture for 30 seconds.
Fold the candy pieces into the batter.
Cover and refrigerate the batter fir 25 minutes or until firm.
Place the oven rack into the center of the oven.
Set the oven temperature at 350 and allow the oven to preheat.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Using a 1/4 C measuring cup transfer the batter by cups to the line baking sheet.
Press the cookies down with a spatula to flatten.
Bake 21 minutes or until the tops are just dry and cracked but he cookies are still soft to the touch.
Makes 18 large cookies
Don’t have a hand held 1/4 C measuring cup? Use an ice cream scooper instead. You can make smaller cookies if you prefer which should make another 6 to 10 cookies depending on how small you make them. If making smaller cookies bake for 15 minutes and then check for doneness.
Don’t worry about weight loss for now, just enjoy yourself. So many brands of diet pills will still be sold after your singles party.
Something Personal: Be All That for Your Spouse This Valentines
At the beginning of a relationship, the smallest things are such huge issues. You know what these are…”the man should be the one who initiates the calls”, “avoid being too available” and all those mind game things that amount to nothing in the long run. While all the advice on not seeming too clingy or needy still applies inside the marriage, much of what you might believe about “emotional availability” (or lack thereof) should be modified to fit your lifestyle as a couple.
On valentines day, make sure you break down the walls of miscommunication and misunderstanding. Call your spouse just to ask if he or she has eaten already, how’s work and how much longer you have to wait before you see him or her again. Be extra sweet, and let your feelings flow. Don’t worry about being too emotionally available during the week of Valentines. You’re allowed to be mushy, even if it’s just once a year.
Also, before you utter the phrase “do I look fat in this dress/shirt” during V-day, think again. Better yet, look for some diets that work and don’t keep depending on your spouse to give you a straight answer whenever you ask the question.
Have a Happy Valentines Week!
Valentines Chocolate Party for Two
There are many ways to celebrate Valentines, the romantic way, and one way is to say it with a chocolate party. If your spouse did not get you chocolates for valentines, don’t worry about it. Have a super sweet dinner together with chocolate as the secondary dessert. Why are chocolates made for lovers? It is delicious, beautiful to look at and consumed in large quantities globally, particularly on Valentine’s Day. What more could two people in love ask for?
They say it’s an aphrodisiac
Did your ears perk up when you read the A-word? We all have heard this word in the same sentence as chocolate at least once. Aphrodisiacs are things that can set the heart aflutter and get us “in the mood” for love making and what-not.
Most of the time, people mean “oysters” when they mention the top foodstuff with aphrodisiac properties, but when it was revealed that chocolates contain the “feel good” compound serotonin, chocolate took the spotlight.
So, here’s a brief history of chocolate and why it is STILL the best food for lovers worldwide.
The ancient Aztecs and Mayans loved the way drinking chocolate made them feel. Now, remember this isn’t like hot cocoa. It’s a drink seasoned with spices made from the paste of crushed cocoa beans. It was bitter but, the effects of the cocoa were what they noticed.
And, it didn’t escape the notice of royalty. Montezuma used chocolate as a way to get him in the right frame of mind to satisfy his harem of concubines. Seeing the change in himself, chocolate was reserved for those of high station.
Now that you know more about this delicious foodstuff, have a chocolate party with your loved one, in your bedroom and when the lights are dim. It’s the perfect setting for a night of love making. You are with someone that you love, eating chocolate and feeling less inhibited. In combination, it sounds like an occasion for romance.
You can worry about your weight loss program in the morning, and there’s time enough to read some alli reviews the day after Valentines.
Frugal Food Sources – Grow a Garden of Herbs and Fruits
One of the many ways to save up and be frugal is to create a sustainable source of food and garnishing materials. It may seem ridiculously simple on paper, but creating and maintaining a thriving garden that can feed you and your family, AND help you save up on buying ingredients for catering business takes work. It may be expensive to set up at first, but in the long run, you may even turn this into a side business. At the very least, you can slash off a percentage of your standard capital for party catering if you can get your herbs, fruits and vegetables for free.
First you have to identify the herbs and fruits you want to grow. Seedlings cost a lot, and so do seeds, that’s why you need to make sure that the fruits, herbs and veggies you choose can thrive in your garden. Consider creating a small greenhouse if you’re so inclined. You can even build a small gazebo where your pots and containers can stay while you’re growing or breeding your plants.
One more thing to consider is the length of time it takes for the plant to bear fruit. If you’re planning on harvesting oranges, you might be in for a long wait. Get annuals, and easy seasonal plants. My suggestion is to plant chilli peppers and commonly used veggies like parsley, basil, tomatoes and spinach. These veggies are either used in huge amounts or sparingly, depending on the dishes you’re serving, but the point is that they should always be on hand when you need them (especially if you just need a small amount for home cooking).
Aromatic plants are also recommended, as these have medicinal properties that rejuvenate your spirit and relax your mind. Although there are so many ways and means to get ginseng (they’re available in tablet form in health shops, and are even main ingredients in herbal drugs like maxoderm), you can always grow rosemary and roses, collect their oils and use the decoction as foot soak or massage oils.