Foodie Friday - Butler's Hot Chocolate

After my pontificating yesterday about giving up Chocolate, I was thinking about all the kinds of chocolate that I love, and would therefore miss. I'm no particular fan of chocolate soup, or any chocolate involvement in savoury items - although the mole negro at Monte Alban in Santa Monica is tremendous.

I was pretty much raised on drinking chocolate, mind you. It was a ritual in our house that at least two of us would have a cup of drinking chocolate (NOT cocoa) every night before bed. In France, on our camping holidays, my parents would often adjourn to the bar after putting us to sleep, where my mother would always have 'un chocolat chaud'. Last summer, in Samos, I had a very lovely cup of it, in the little dining area of a lovely cheapo hotel, much to the bemusement of the smiling Greek lady who prepared it for me.

I am looking forward to visiting Butler's Chocolate cafe in Dublin while I'm home - they make it quite beautifully. Somehow, though, I always associate their plush styrofoam cups with travel - probably because the two outlets of their franchise that I frequent the most are the ones in Heuston Station and Dublin Airport!

UPDATE (March 17th) - Orla and I had a delicious pair of hot chocolates, and a pear muffin, of all things, on our day of fun meandering around the city centre. Mission accomplished!

30 Mad Thursdays - Give Up Chocolate

As part of my whole 30 Before 30 growing up self fulfillment project, I have been seriously considering giving up Chocolate. Clearly not forever, but for a specific length of time. Not because I feel I am addicted, or because necessarily I eat too much of it, but mainly because I've been reading a lot about the effect it has on people - serotonin and all that - and I'm very curious to see if I could at least go without it long enough to cleanse myself completely of its influence. And then see how I feel.

But CLEARLY I won't be doing any such thing until after my trip to Dublin. A fortnight without even a taste of some lovely Cadbury's would be a fortnight wasted. If you don't know what I mean, you're missing out.

More on the chocolate-free lifestyle in April - provided of course that it doesn't kill me. Or anyone else, for that matter ;)

Sunday Spices - Cayenne Pepper

Last week I decided to buy some maple syrup (because I've nearly run out), some lemons (because I always have some fresh to hand) and some cayenne pepper (for this blog post!). The woman at the check-out till asked me if I was planning on doing something called The Master Cleanser. I had to ask her what this was. Apparently it's a diet fad whereon you starve yourself completely, subsisting only on a lemonade made from - you guessed it - maple syrup, water, and cayenne pepper. The other part of the process (which I learned online, not from the lady in Vons) is a sequence of daily salt-water enemas.

I know.

To my friend at Vons I replied that no, I was planning on making maple-fried bacon with french toast, home-made lemon bars, and some spicy roasted potatoes with the staples in my basket. I also had some yoghurt and a bar of chocolate among my groceries, but I don't even want to know what she thought I'd be making with them!!

Anyway - I haven't made the lemon bars yet, but I will - however, eager as I am to spice up my life over the course of these 50 Sundays, I figured I'd acquaint myself with cayenne, since so many Food Network chefs use it to enliven their dishes.

Since I love my roast potatoes so much (olive oil, rosemary, salt) I figured maybe it was time to mix it up a little, so the last time I made some I sprinkled just a hint of this fiery red pepper powder on them. It worked beautifully. Dunno if I'd want to be adding any MORE than I did, but certainly it was a really great flavour addition. Apparently it goes extremely well with chocolate, too. I even found this photo of a Chinese cayenne-pepper KIT KAT. Anyone want to send me one? If I get to try it, I shall keep you posted ;)