Spotthespirit.blogspot.com

Spot the Spirit! Find ing the imagination!

This will be about finding (the) Spirit! It started out with searching for my border collie, who has the name "Spirit" in photos. Some were simple images to see her. Some were hard. On our travels, we found other spirit homes! So I kept the name! Spot The Spirit! In the beginning I will post weekly as we discover new tenants that are taking up residence in our 'spirit'ual domain. I am open to ideas and comments. If they turn bad like goblins, my resident "spirit" speaker will give you the magic finger and make you disappear! Then perhaps, when you look in the mirror afterwards, you will see something that is funny, bites, and is a reflection of a naughty image. I hope you find peace! Let's have fun! 

Chocolate is a vegetable! 

Really? 

Really! 

And let’s talk fruit! 

Pick one. 

It seems that the cacao bean, is from a tree as opposed to being grown in the ground like a carrot. This pod has an identity issue teasing us humans! It grows on a tree in specific climates and a monkey spits out some part of the seed because cacao is bitter but the vanilla stuff around it is sweet. We don’t get the sweet stuff. I am happy to understand I am not eating something a monkey has um, rehearsed. (Rehearsed? A polite way of saying regurgitated) I didn’t want to know more about what a monkey does to the seed pod, so I skipped that part of my research adventures. Besides, I wanted to take pictures of my breakfast and finish my blog.  

The cacao seed or pod, or whatever you want to call it, can look like a fruit and it can look like a veggie depending on the ‘nut’ you are chitchatting with or link you are reading. For me, guess what? I don’t care! 

HOWEVER, I am NOW excited with gusto! In my way of thinking, I can double my pleasure with my chocolate cocoa! Pick one! Veggie or fruit! Or don't pick one. To me it doesn't matter! 

If you want to know the truth, this isn't the blog to rely on.  For me, chocolate and or cacao is in my 10% sin category. This is allowing me some wiggle room of errors. However, I DO WANT to eat all my veggies and fruits! This versatile food falls into both categories for me. There I have my bases covered! 

So, depending on how you feel, for breakfast, you can have your fruit in the form of cocoa power, maybe sprinkled over your cereal or the nibs for crunchies. For dinner, you can have cocoa nibblets veggies! Tonight, I just might add some cocoa beans to my stir fry! 

I do understand cocoa is a good antioxidant! If you think I will tell you the “boring~ and ~we ladies don’t want to know”, 'facts' about chocolate, you are half right! If it comes in the form of a yummy recipe I just might check it out. If you want concrete facts on the brainy stuff, you can research it yourself and post it below. 

I think I’ll go have some cacao on my bean sprouts. Yes! Really! See?

 

Then I added pumpkin seeds cashew pieces and sesame seeds! It was very good! 

I just must remember to brush my teeth after wards. The little black sesame seeds are past Halloween fashion! Even the dogs looked at me suspiciously! 

Cheers! Suzanne

Happy! Merry! EVERYTHING!  Especially chocolate! 

Is today a chocolate day for you? It is for me! It is breezy and chilly here today. A little extra yummies is going into my mix today.  I started out with a tub of almond butter and a little chocolate mixed in. 



This had more of my mix before I started to work on the blog. Funny, I was eating it while I was working on the camera connection thing. Then I realized I needed more 'stuff'. So I added the pecans. I had to eat a handful of pecans just to make sure they were good. I just bought them last week. It never hurts to taste test the ingredients first. Make sure they fresh! 


I added enough pieces to keep the mix holding together and then I added some coconut pieces on top. 


It looked a little dry to me. Yup it tested a little dry. You guess it! I needed more CHOCOLATE! 



This is where the blog (Or chocolate) took on a roll of its own. I was going to roll it out thinly and put it into the freezer. Wait for about an hour to break it up it up into smaller pieces. I then thought no, I'll roll it up into little balls. Since it is just me enjoying this stuff I didn't care what shape it is in. None of that happened. I just ate as it was. Maybe next time. 



Have you got the Wax Orchard stuff yet? If not what kind of chocolate do you use? This Wax Orchard stuff is thick but still firm enough to not run off the spoon quickly. 
Share! 

 Chocolate!

 YUM! 

 I love to eat it! 

 I love the smell of Chocolate! 

 I like the color chocolate! 

Like a dog with a bone just out of reach, I droooool over chocolate! 

Sometimes I think I can smell it when I see it being pulled apart and stretched on the telly! 

The problem for me is, I'm lactose intolerant and I don't do the refined sugar. So I use honey or Stevia drops and coconut milk or almond milk in place of milk. Some people will detect a change but mostly people think my recipes are very rich as chocolate should be. 

BUT NOT SINFUL. This is where I insert a winky smiley face! 

As tempting as chocolate is for me I won't eat it if it isn't as close to natural as I can get it. And I will be polite about turning it down just once if it has any stuff in it not natural or healthy. Then I get rude! What part of no don't you get I am thinking? Yeah, Chocolate is a big weakness for me. However, I have incredible discipline and will power! 

I recently learned that chocolate is a vegetable! 

OH YEAH! 

More o n this later!

My perfect "dream" is to be in a playground, all encumbering in the rich deep color and smell of chocolate! Plants covered in chocolate! Chocolate covered strawberries and pineapple and bananas. If I were lost in the wilderness, (obviously looking for chocolate) instead of the St. Bernard rescuing me with that jug of what-ever it is under it's neck, send CHOCOLATE! If I die, I want it to be chocolate in that jug! 

So you get the picture. I love...no....L-O-V-E chocolate.

Now for the tricky part. Keep in mind the recipes I post here here are made with out the ingredients of cows milk, white refined sugar and no artificial ingredients.  Others may add to this blog so chose your adventures with care. 

This site will be about chocolate recipes and chocolate adventures and oh! I can not forget about my favorite! Chocolate flowers! Yes there is such a thing! I grow them here. The magic of this flower I have, is it only smells like chocolate first thing in the morning!  A wonderful way to start off the day! I have made chocolate art work such as chocolate gingerbread book ends. Obviously they were painted that color. When I figure out the camera connection to this computer I will post pictures.  

Let's keep the recipes simple. All good for you in some kind of way. And if someone out there doesn't think it can be healthy, then I claim it as my ten percent not healthy once a day allowance. There I think I have my basis covered! 

I will list one of my favorite chocolate quick fixes. I buy the Wax orchard 'Oh  fudge'. This company is brilliant! It has the sweetener in the single digits too! They use pineapple and pear for a sweetener! The sugar is in the 9g category!  Here is their phone number 1-800-634-6132. Now there is NO excuse to learn! I use this chocolate in a lot of recipes! 

So for my first recipe I am going to be very quick and simple. It takes only Two ingredients.

Freshly ground almonds and as much of the Wax Orchard  for flavoring. 

Start off with a small amount of the Wax Orchard due to the very strong flavorful punch of chocolate!  Add it to some freshly ground almond butter.

I keep a tub of it in the fridge at all times for my needed reward. I need rewards often! 

Wax Orchard can be bought at the health food stores and on line. It is my go to present for special occasions. I typically buy it by the case. A lady can NEVER have to much chocolate! 

Add your favorite recipe.  Cheers! Suzanne
My favorite Chocolate is....  

Allstuffchocolate.blogspot.com