The Best Ever Real Chocolate Syrup Recipe!

A couple years ago, I was at the grocery and noticed something odd.  The chocolate syrup brand that I consider the epitome of what chocolate means was NOT chocolate!  It said 'chocolate flavored'.  What the heck?  I searched the shelves and ALL the syrups and add-ins were labeled 'chocolate flavored'.  I looked at all the ingredients listed and was a little frightened.  Granted, we shouldn't sweeten up all of our foods, but when we do splurge on the sugar foods, they should be good quality and not 'imitation' or 'flavored'.  I went to the web and searched for the best recipe I could find for the least amount of work.  Here it is!


½ cup cocoa powder
1 cup water
2 cups sugar
⅛ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon vanilla

Mix the cocoa powder and the water in a saucepan. Heat on medium and stir to dissolve the cocoa. Add sugar, and keep stirring as it dissolves. Let it boil for 3 minutes.  Watch it so that it doesn't boil over (what a mess).  Add the vanilla and salt, stir and let it cool. I pull out empty clean glass bottles and jars out and a funnel and pour.  Old catsup bottles and pretty preserve jars are great to use and make wonderful presentation gifts.  Store it in the fridge until ready to give or to use.  This keeps for several months and is wonderful for ice cream and chocolate milk. Yields two cups.

A quick tip.  Skim the scum off the top as it is boiling and spoon into a ramikin.  Let it cool and harden.  Chip it out and you have a bit of dandy candy to crush up and sprinkle on ice cream.  You can also add another flavor besides vanilla.  Orange or mint is great, but make sure you taste as you go to keep the flavor from becoming too strong.

Tell me what you made and send me pictures of the jars you used.  This is a great way to reuse the pretty jars and bottles you have kept because you couldn't bear to throw away.  And to cut your clutter, give the bottles away filled with your wonderful chocolate syrup to your friends and family.  They can do something with the glassware after they use up the syrup!
  

Shoes! Difference in being young and being not so young.

Shoes, I love shoes and what woman doesn't?  Even when you hate them, you still go on the hunt for them.  I tend to wear low heeled pumps or athletic shoes for comfort, but I truly covet the high-heeled, bad girl, red shoes.  You know the ones I mean.  They are stiletto heeled, thick soled and usually studded with something gaudy.  Flame red!  Oh yeah!

Ah, to be young again and wear bad shoes that hurt your feet and make you walk like you are just learning how.  Dang, we all felt sexy, even when we probably looked like we were drunk and it was only 9 am on a Sunday morning at church.  But I regress.

Bad girl shoes!  That is what we all loved when we were young.  We wanted them high.  We wanted them dangerous.  We wanted them so teetering that we needed a man on each arm just to be able to stand in them.  We wore them and loved them.  Even if they killed our feet and we couldn't walk on anything but the most even and smooth of surfaces.  And forget slippery!  But that is the charm of being young.  If we fell off of our dangerous bad girl shoes, we just bounced.  We would glance around to make sure no one saw us and we would get back up and sashay ourselves back down the road as if that was a new dance step we meant to teach the world.

To be old(ish).  Not quite the same.  We still covet the bad girl shoes.  The thigh high pirate boots.  The little spindly strappy things that are sure to cause our ankles to twist and break.  However, pain seems to be the death of our love of the bad girl shoe.  If we have a man on each arm, they are either our sons or our husbands and fathers who need our help as much as we need theirs to maneuver the sidewalks and paths.  Even in our dreams, they aren't George Clooney and Brad Pitt.  And if we trip and fall, we still look around to see if anyone happened to see.  And we are torn between hoping no one did so we don't end up on Vine labeled 'Old Lady Falling' and hoping someone did because I am sure we broke something.

Are you sure that this sensible lace-up doesn't come in red with a stiletto heel?

Stinky Teenage Boys

I was at Cosplacon this last weekend and was talking with another mother.  We were discussing on how "fragrant" teen boys can be, no matter how well they wash.  This is caused by hormones, not by the boys not scrubbing well enough.  Thankfully, teen girls don't seem to notice the smell as much as adult women do (or maybe it is what draws them to our sons, like bees to flowers).  I thought I would do a little post on how our family got through this period.

1. Stinky bodies need special soaps:  We found that Red Zone by Old Spice was the best out there.  There are several options  in the soft soap and deodorant line.  The boys come out of the showers sweet smelling and almost as appealing as when they were babies.

2. Stinky feet: If you can, put insoles in their shoes that will wick away the moisture and odor.  These boys tend to want to wear really expensive shoes, so pitching the shoes is hard to do, even if they would allow you to do it.  A good trick (and something I like to do myself) is to make a nice, strong pot of black tea, with maybe a bag of mint tea in as well.  Pour it into a basin and have them soak their feet in it.  The black tea and tannins will kill the bacteria that causes odors and the mint will make their feet feel tingly.  It might tint their skin a bit, but you know they aren't going to take their socks off in public anyway.  We like to sit on the back deck and soak our feet while we watch the sun set.  Very relaxing.

3. Shampoo:  I never had a problem with my boys having stinky hair, but if you do, try to find shampoo and conditioner with mint.  It helps stimulate the scalp and will cut through some of the smells.  Another good thing is Head & Shoulders every so often.  Even if they don't have dandruff, the shampoo is nice on the scalp.

4. Rooms:  Boys' rooms will stink.  Just a given.  Check the floor and closets for wet towels and old socks.  We don't want mold and mildew growing!  Make sure that they REALLY changed their sheets and not just wadded up the clean sheets you gave them and kept the dirty sheets on the bed.  You might have to do it yourself a few times.  Check the blankets and other bedclothes.  They may need to be laundered, especially if they aren't sleeping with sheets like they told you they were.  Vacuum the bed with a new vacuum bag and maybe change out the mattress pad.  I bought a waterproof one for one son who seemed to sweat through the sheets and pad.  Do NOT use carpet cleaner on the carpets.  Rent or hire the Stanley Steemer people.  Do, however, use one of the powder carpet cleaners in small bowls set around the room.  That will help absorb odors.  I used old tea cups hidden behind wrestling trophies on Baby's dresser filled with Love My Carpet.  If you don't find a product you like, or you prefer to use more natural products, you can use plain baking soda.  Let the room air out when you can and keep the drapes open so that natural sunlight can deodorize the room.

Do you have any tips or questions on how to remove puberty stench?  Now is the time to ask and to share!

A shout out to Granny Grunt

I will write about my time at Cosplacon 2014 next weekend when I have decompressed.  Until then, enjoy another blog:
http://grannygruntfun.blogspot.com/

And if you want to know where I went this weekend:
http://cosplacon-mo.squarespace.com/


And just some fashion from someone else's blog that I felt was important to pass on since I need to jean shop myself soon.
http://www.graspingforobjectivity.com/2009/03/mom-jeans-and-dreaded-long-butt.html
This lady speaks the truth!

World Thalassemia Day

I need to write something better than just this, but I did want to pass on the word that May 8th is World Thalassemia Day.  Thalassemia is an inherited blood disorder where the red blood cells are too small and cannot carry the oxygen needed by the body. 

http://www.newstrackindia.com/newsdetails/2014/5/8/60-World-thalassemia-Day-May-8-Situation-alarming-due-to-low-awareness-.html

http://thefrontierpost.com/article/170450/World-Thalassemia-Day-to-be-observed-today/

I have linked two news articles about World Thalassemia Day above.  Below is a YouTube video entitled
"Love and Needles"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40_pq3dK1uw

It may seem that this is a blood disease that is far away in countries you will never visit, but it is prevalent in the Western World as well and is probably more dangerous here than in countries such as India and Pakistan.  Why would I say that?  It is because we do not seem to take the condition seriously here as we do not think it happens here.  In countries where it is more common, there are programs to educate and provide assistance to those with the condition and their families.  Here, children might be tested at birth by the hospital for various birth conditions, but Thalassemia in all its variations may not be required and the parents still might not be notified of the results.

There are many variations of this blood condition and different levels, all needing to be monitored.  This isn't a death sentence for everyone that is diagnosed, but with diet and monitoring, life quality can be greatly increased.

Love to you all and please contact me if you have any questions or comments.  This is just off the top of my head and quickly written to make it by May 8th.  I would like to write more about this and can answer some of your questions and would love to hear anyone's personal experiences or knowledge.

Lebanese Green Beans

All the wonderful fresh produce is starting to come in from all over.  I am submitting, for your pleasure, the dish that we beg my sister-in-law to fix when she comes to visit.

Green Beans in Olive Oil

Loubieh Bi Zayt

Serves 4

1 lb fresh green string beans (or frozen)  Clean the fresh ones and remove the stem and string

1/2 cup chopped onions

2 whole cloves of garlic - chopped

1/4 – 1/3 cup olive oil (or use mixture of olive oil & vegetable oil)

1 can chopped tomatoes with their juice (8 oz)

1/4 – 1/2 cup water

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp lemon zest

Garnish - chopped parsley or chopped chinese parsley

Recipe may be doubled.  These beans are served at room temperature or cold and could be prepare a day or two in advance.

Heal olive oil in large pan.  Sauté chopped onions and garlic. When yellow, add beans, salt and pepper, and toss to coat the beans, sauté gently for 10 minutes stirring often.  Add the chopped tomatoes and water, stirring thoroughly.  Add 1/4 tsp cinnamon, bring to boil, turn down heat to simmer (uncovered) for 45 minutes or longer until the beans are done.   To serve, garnish with fresh lemon zest and chopped parsley or coriander (Chinese parsley).

I am going to add a picture when I make it next.  This is such a pretty dish, all red and green.  Serving it cold makes it a wonderful dish to take to a picnic or get-together.  I prefer it the next day as the flavors meld together and the spices calm down.

Working through the storms

I love Missouri, I don't think that I would live anywhere else (unless it involved a castle or a HobbitHole).  The only thing I truly dislike about Missouri (Blah is not the description, more like intense fear) is storms.  I don't like lightning storms and I certainly don't like tornadoes.

Sunday night (April 27 for all those who are reading later), our cell phones went off, letting us know that severe weather had arrived and to take shelter.  We were already inside and asleep, so that part was taken care of.  I flipped on the television to track the storms.  What irritated me was that the weathercaster said, and I quote, "It is JUST a tornado warning."  HELLO!  That is the bad one!  What grade did you get in meteorology studies?  We 'watch' for a tornado so that we may 'warn' people that it is here.

Major mistake.  I have heard so many people not know which is the more dangerous of the two.  That could be a matter of life or death if you make the wrong choice.  In a watch, it means that severe conditions are possible, and you should be prepared to take action and shelter.  It is not a time to picnic or boat. 

One of the best sites to use in preparing for a tornado (in advance, PLEASE do not look it up while the sirens are blaring) is http://www.ready.gov/tornadoes  .  Keep a few bottles of water in your safe room.  A few energy bars.  Blankets and flash lights with either fresh batteries, better yet, the flashlights that have the crank for energy.  If you have a crank radio or a battery powered radio to help you keep track of the storm, make sure it is down there.  The television and the internet are great for the pictures, but when the storms really gets going, they are more likely not to be able to be accessed.  Battery and crank powered resources are more reliable.

I am a complete basket case in regards to tornadoes.  I have an actual safe room that is under our porch.  It is completely encased in concrete with a steel door that swings inward.  It has emergency lighting, a land line and a few stores of water and food.  There is also a few chairs and a small bed with blankets and pillows.  The room is not very big and I would hate to be down there for several hours, but it is secure.  I also have a radio and flashlights and candles with matches as well.  One thought on the phone.  Cells are good if there is no electricity and the land lines are down, but if the towers aren't working, the cells won't either.  I have an old fashion telephone down in the safe room.  It doesn't need electricity like my newer phones do.  If we lose power, we will still have a phone (if the lines are still up).

If you do not have a safe room (like lucky me), get into the lowest level of the house and put as many walls between you and the outside.  Get under a table and curl into a ball.  Protect your head and the back of your neck.  Throw a blanket or towel to help protect you from any flying debris.  People are more often hurt by something flying into them than something landing on them.  Stay away from windows and electrical items like televisions and computer monitors.  If you have time, make sure you have sturdy shoes on.  If you have to walk through debris, you want to protect your feet from broken glass, nails etc.

Well, the sky is turning green again, so I am heading to the basement.
Later!

HOW TO CONQUER CLUTTER-THE ULTIMATE SOLUTION!!!!

Stop bringing stuff home!!!!   

Don't buy it!  

Don't accept it as a gift!  

Don't pick it up along side the road!!!

Now that we have said that, just do it!  Really!  And don't buy magazines or books to help you on this.  It just adds to the clutter.  Throw things away you already have that you don't need or better yet, donate them to someone else who truly needs it.  Or, sell it on eBay.  See, isn't this cheaper than the therapist or life coach you have been paying to help you with your clutter? 
 (someone asked me offline why it was so short.  It is short to reduce clutter. Nuff said)