Christmas Dream List

Surprise! I’m home. No, I didn’t run the 5K I had signed up for a couple weeks ago. After taking a week off from running, my left knee and left quad are still hurting.  I ran around the block Friday morning to assess the pain and it would have been a very bad idea to run the race.  I didn’t talk about it much last week because I thought they would feel better in time.  Nope.

I’m pretty bummed out especially because the weather was perfect for racing. Oh well, there will be many more chances once my legs stop hating me. Anyone else have quad pain? I’ve never experienced anything like this before. Humph!

So I’m home for Thanksgiving Break now. I only had to skip 1 class to come home for 10 days! Totally worth it if you ask me.

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I helped my parents fix up some of their homes today so it was a pretty un-foodie-ful day. I’ll leave you with some FUN randomness instead:

Theo Chocolate Review

Debra, from Theo Chocolate, graciously sent me some 8 bars (!!!) of complimentary organic and fair trade chocolate to sample. When Debra first asked me whether or not I would like to try their chocolate, I literally took one look at the website and knew the [obvious] answer to that question.

So many interesting and quirky flavors: Bread & Chocolate, Coconut Curry, Fig, Fennel & Almond, Cherry & Almond, Spicy Chile, Dark, and Milk.

I hinted that the Fig Fennel & Almond caught my eye and I was so thrilled to see it in the package

Of course, I broke into it first!

My Thoughts

I am going to review the flavors as I try them. Although I could probably try every flavor in one sitting, it wouldn’t be as special for my taste buds You can tell that the chocolate is of the highest quality before it even enters your mouth, seriously! The cacao scent is just so robust and rich. This is not chocolate to shovel in, rather to be enjoyed thoroughly.

Fig Fennel & Almond: Mmmm I’m not the biggest licorice fan but the three flavors mesh so well together with the chocolate. I would have preferred to have more of a fig presence–some fig seeds would have been nice. Bread & Chocolate: I did not know what to expect biting into this. Would there be chewy bread inside? No, instead there was a pleasant crispy texture throughout. The texture further accentuated the richness of the chocolate. *Between the two, I’d say the Bread & Chocolate flavor wins, but barely.

More flavor reviews to come!

Christmas DREAM List:

I came home to see some newspaper ads on the counter. I have a soft spot for these ads because 1) There are coupons galore and 2) I get a kick out of seeing what’s on sale.

I came across two ads that got me drooling, wishing, and hoping. Disclaimer I actually do NOT expect to get these items whatsoever. This is simply a DREAM list!

1. A Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer

This kitchen appliance is a dream come true and essential for my future baking endeavors. Look at all the COLORS!!!! There are over 20. I originally thought I would definitely choose RED (my favorite color) but look at the green–both so p-p-pretty!!

Look at all the attachments: Pasta Roller and Cutter, Ice Cream Maker (!!!!), Food Grinder, and Rotor Slicer/Shredder. LALALALALALA!

2. Canon Heaven

If you haven’t noticed, I am a Canon girl all the way. My Canon camera has served me well the last 3 years. I couldn’t have asked for a better companion at all the college parties, sorority functions, European travels, and now my FOOD

Camera porn:

Obviously, I would love to own a Canon SLR but I don’t exactly have the budget for that right now. But a girl can dream, right?

Alright. I hope you enjoyed the non-foodie-ful post. I figured this week will be crazy with food anyways, might as well take it easy!

Okay off to answer some emails, do some work (chyeah, RIGHT), and bake?