sleepytime ritual

Not every night, but most nights, I go to bed with a chocolatey creamy giant mug of molten chocolate goodness.

My homemade cocoa. YOU can do it too!

I have perfected the recipe, but it is highly adaptable, depending on your chocolatey needs.

It is not very sweet, but it is intense, and if you love the richness of pure dark chocolate,

you will kiss your Swiss Miss goodbye. 

The Perfect Decadent Cocoa Recipe

-Take your biggest mug, fill it with almond milk (or whatever milk is in your fridge--but if you like almonds I highly recommend trying almond milk. it is amazing.), and microwave until it is warm. 

-Add ~2T Hershey's cocoa powder (the kind you bake with), stir to dissolve big clumps, and keep microwaving until the cocoa is hot.  Stir again to make sure all cocoa clumps are gone, smashing them against the mug with your spoon if needed (go for the kill!) Add more cocoa if you are a chocoholic.  Add vanilla if you are a vanillaholic. Oh, that's just me.

-If you're not yet weaned off your super artificially sweetened commercial cocoa packets, add sugar/honey/agave/etc. to taste.

-Finish with as much ReddiWhip your mug will contain, and a bit of peppermint schnapps if you are done with quitting your grad school reading for the night.

mmmmmmzzzzzzzzz

sunshine and olympics

I realize that I have been talking about snow a lot lately...but this weekend I got some much needed SUNSHINE!

After another crazy busy week I went down to Baltimore to be with my calming influence {Ben!} because I seriously can't relax when I am by myself on the weekends. I am always stressing out, thinking about all the things I should/could be doing. 

We just lounged around, ate, and did work [all of the things that we do best] but it was still amazing.

AND I feel caught up for this week.

Some fun things were also accomplished, such as

-cooking apricot chicken and asparagus

-baking oatmeal applesauce blackberry muffins

-brownies and ice cream!

-Olympics watching [saw the Dutchman take gold in speedskating, juggernaut bobsledders, and freaky Russian ice dancers]

-a beautiful run in the SUN through the park and past the harbor with giant yachts

The countryside may be melting, but it is still cold and grey here in the mountains :( Alas!

Well I am off to be productive!!
Have an amazing week!

...still here

Happy Friday!

I am still alive, just sucked into the whirlwind/vortex/maelstrom that is another week in my life!

Seriously, this semester is insane and is wiping me out.

I have to be on top of things 150% of the time in order to stay, well, on top of things.

So please excuse the erratic posting schedule :)

The weird thing is that time is flying SO fast, I can't believe it's almost March!

Usually at this time of year I am getting hit by major, incapacitating spring fever, but I think this year spring will be here before I'm even ready for it.

If you know me, you know that is not normal.

For right now, I'm completely fine with February.

And that, my friends, is a first.