A Frugal Chocoholic Plans Ahead

Chocoholic: "Yeah, I'll put them in the freezer and thaw one serving each day as a daily chocolate treat."

Chocoholic's friend: "So you'll have treats for three days?"


inspired by after-Christmas sales, best friends, and reality checks

Gifts That Give Back

Me: "Sweetheart, I don't think the phrase, 'Charity begins at home.' means you should buy me a stand mixture for Christmas to replace my ten-year-old handheld one with the burned out motor."

Him: "It'll make baking easier for you. You're welcome."

inspired by bakers versus consumers, productivity expectations and the division of household labor

Circumstantial Evidence

"Why are you asking me where all of the chocolate Kisses went?"

inspired by Christmas candy, suggested versus actual serving portions, and fuel for late-night baking and wrapping sessions

Holiday Baking Hacks

1. Use boxed cake mixes and cookie baking kits, but substitute melted (& cooled to room temp) unsalted butter for oil or half quantity softened unsalted butter & other half quantity shortening for shortening; milk for water; and add 1/2--1 teaspoon of real vanilla extract to make the results taste more like they're made from scratch. These substitutions may affect baking times, so keep an eye on the goodies as the timer counts down closer to the recommended minutes. Test as recommended by package instructions to make sure it's completely cooked.
2. Dip the ends or roll the edges of cookies in melted chocolate or butterscotch morsels. Let them dry on wax paper or parchment before serving/packaging.
3. Purchase holiday baking kits during this season's clearance sales and store in the pantry for next year. Make sure to check that the expiration dates extend through Dec. 2016.  

Happy Holiday Baking!

Leaning Tiers of Cake

inspired by a famous tilted European bell tower, gravity, and desserts that taste much better than they look

Pavlovian Repsonse

Bought the cute shirt, then the chocolate hearts.

inspired by suggestively named clothing lines, visual stimuli, and recurring palate memories

Cookies From Heaven

Every time I shop I shop for cookies from heaven.
Don't you know each shelf contains cookies from heaven?
When I eat the treats I love, I must pay the costs.

inspired by Billie Holiday, ABC Nightline News and variety in the sweet taste of temptation

If/Then: Sugar Edition

If seeing vegetables on rain boots immediately generates thoughts of what dessert to eat after (maybe before) dinner, then you might be as addicted to sugar as I am.

inspired by whimsical footwear, Broadway musicals, Idina Menzel and indulgent treats

It's All Gone, Girl

inspired by binge watching blockbuster movies adapted from bestselling novels  

Chocolate Makes Her Clothes Pop Off

She said, "I'm staying in with my family for birthday cake and ice cream."

Oh, have mercy, my only thought was chocolate makes her clothes pop off.


inspired by Joe Nichols, homemade temptation, and fitted clothes

The Remains of Yesterday

The plate of shame on the morning after National Doughnut Day

inspired by donutdayusa.com, The Salvation Army, and sweet treats made of dough

Fattening Horizontal Stripes

Red Velvet, white pound cake, and the blues after stepping on the scale.

inspired by birthdays, warm-weather fashions, and homemade goodies

Did Someone Say Pie?

"Chocolate Cream or French Silk or--what? Oh. Not that kind of pi."

inspired by homophones, Pi Day, and 3/14/15 9:26:53

Spring Thaw

inspired by breaking the ice, odd impulse control strategies, and delayed gratification

Healthy Waist Training

inspired by Nutrition Crimes and Punishment: If you eat the sweets, you've got to do the reps.

Valentine's Day Win-Win

inspired by simple gestures of affection

Is This A Joke?

http://news.yahoo.com/chocolate-snorting-offers-way-cocoa-high-161425959--sector.html


inspired by Waste not, want not

Patron Cake of Chocoholics

Happy U.S. National Chocolate Cake Day! 

Ultimate Chocolate Cake image from redribbonbakeshop.com.ph  

No cake seems tasteless or plain when it's covered in chocolate that's made well; it rewards the palate that appreciates gifts of food on a cold day. 

inspired by Saint Dominic Savio, baking on snow days, and simple indulgences  

Food Math

Weight-loss Coach: "Is it in your best interests to use five points for one snack?"

Chocoholic: "Why yes, Coach, 'a lighter way to enjoy chocolate' (R) makes it the perfect snack for me. I'll just drink water with lemon and eat roasted kale salad for dinner."

inspired by ambitious resolutions, food addictions, and super foods

Resolution Busters

Too much temptation for a frugal chocoholic to resist

inspired by after-holiday clearance sales and sweet teeth

Open to Interpretation: Resolutions Edition

Probably not what nutritionists mean by, Eat the rainbow.

inspired by good intentions, will power, and healthier options